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Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.

It is suggested that, with the coming of 1992 and the single European market, North American and European managers will be forming more joint ventures and will have to collaborate. Success will depend on managers developing a greater degree of cross‐cultural understanding. On the basis of observations of 100 “Looking Glass” simulations, it is claimed that Americans and Europeans are more alike than they are different.

Considers how North American and European managers will get along with the coming of the single european market. Compares their different attitudes to management decision making on subjects such as depth and control of decisions and the effect on networking between Europe and the USA. Concludes that managers must develop a greater degree of cross‐cultural understanding.

The number of people engaging in higher education (HE) has increased considerably over the past decade. However, there is a need to achieve a balance between increasing access and bearing down on rates of non‐completion. It has been argued that poor attainment and failure within the first year are significant contributors to the overall statistics for non‐progression and that, although research has concentrated on factors causative of student withdrawal, less attention has focused on students who fail academically. This study investigated the effects of a number of factors on the academic attainment of first‐year undergraduates within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Glamorgan. Results showed that gender and age had only minor impacts upon educational achievement, while place of residence, prior educational attainment and attendance emerged as significant predictors of attainment. Further analysis showed these three factors to be interrelated, with attendance correlating strongly with both entry points and place of residence. In turn, prior attainment was strongly linked to place of residence. Findings may be used to identify and proactively target students at risk of poor academic performance and dropout in order to improve rates of performance and progression.

The Harvard Advanced Management Programme (AMP) is the oldest, largest and most elite of the university executive development programmes. It grew out of the need to re‐train large numbers of executives as the economy shifted from a peace‐ to a war‐time footing in the early 1940s. The programme became so popular that it spawned over 30 other executive development courses at other top business schools, as well as countless specialised short university courses for executives. After the war, the AMP helped executives regain a peace‐time perspective. The AMP has been going strong since then and at present counts thousands among its alumni. The current fee is above $17,000 for the 13‐week session, space is limited and admission is competitive.

Discusses the role of company leaders in implementing change, stressing their ability to become role models for change, setting the organization on a strong strategic course that is the basis for quality improvement. Outlines the four basic abilities that a strong leader should posses ‐ the ability to create alignment; initiate and manage change; resolve contradictions; and encourage synergy. Suggests that there are four different categories of business, naming them “Fort”, “Eagle”, “Slim Down” and “Circled Wagons”, and implies a deliberate use of a certain range of business strategies in respect of each.

Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.

The performance of the building envelope of a large-scale public building significantly influences the energy consumption of such a building. This study aims to determine the best strategy for the envelope by examining the engineering design of the building in Nanchang University. The building shape coefficient, sun-shading strategies, window–wall ratio, roof, and walls were studied through a method involving multilayer feed-forward neural network model simulations. Results show that the optimum shape coefficient value is 0.32. The combination of interior and exterior blinds and electrochromic glass is the ideal option to reduce the increase in the energy consumption of the architecture caused by solar radiation. Maintaining the window–wall ratio at 0.4 is ideal. A green roof exerts a minimal effect on building energy consumption decrease (only 0.4%). Applying the strategy of vertical greening to the external wall can reduce cooling energy consumption by as much as 5.4%. Adopting the best envelope strategy combination can further decrease energy consumption by 20.8%. This strategy is also applicable to the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River in China, which flow through Nanchang and have a climate similar to that of the said area. Future research should be directed toward applying artificial neural networks to quantitatively evaluate the effects of a design strategy and produce the best design strategy combination.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.