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Computer software, and indeed hardware, has not as yet captured the imagination of many practising valuers. There are a number of reasons for this. But micro‐computer software is available for property valuation, appraisal and analysis, and this software takes a number of forms. Care should be taken in choice, especially if the firm in question uses ‘traditional’ methods of valuation. It is clear that for those not already computerised the overall strategy of a firm, as regards its function and scope of practice, should be carefully considered. For those already computerised it is hoped that the article will provide valuable advice on software availability for valuation, appraisal and portfolio analysis, with particular reference to development appraisals.

Describes selection criteria for property management software and details some available programs. Summarizes the key difficulties of implementing property management software systems as the lack of a systematic IT strategy and the lack of information about software availability. Considers the three main stages of a systematic approach to software selection to be: feasibility in cost and benefit terms, investigation of software options and successful implementation of a system.

This paper aims to provide a brief re´sume´ of previous research which has analysed the impact of e‐commerce on retail real estate in the UK, and to examine the important marketing role of the internet for shopping centre managers, and retail landlords.

Based on the results from a wider study carried out in 2003, the paper uses case studies from two different shopping centres in the UK, and documents the innovative uses of both web‐based marketing and online retailing by organisations that historically have not directly been involved in the retailing process.

The paper highlights the importance of considering online sales within a multi‐channel approach to retailing. The two types of emerging shopping centre model which are identified are characterised by their ultimate relationship with the physical shopping centre on whose web site they reside. These can be summarised as: the “centre‐led” approach, and the “brand‐led” or “marketing‐led” approach.

The research is based on a limited number of in‐depth case studies and secondary data. Further research is needed to monitor the continuing impact of e‐commerce on retail property and the marketing strategies of shopping centre managers and owners.

Internet‐based sales provide an important adjunct to conventional retail sales and an important source of potential risk for landlords and tenants in the real estate investment market. Regardless of whether retailers use the internet as a sales channel, as a product‐sourcing tool, or merely to provide information to the consumer, the internet has become a keystone within the greater retail marketing mix. The findings have ramifications for understanding the way in which landlords are structuring their retail property to defray potential risks.

The paper examines shopping centre online marketing models for the first time in detail, and will be of value to retail occupiers, owners and other stakeholders of shopping centres.

This paper seeks to summarise the main research findings from a detailed, qualitative set of structured interviews and case studies of Real Estate Partnership (REP) schemes in the UK, which involve the construction of built facilities. The research, which was funded by the Foundation for the Built Environment, examines the evolution of REPs in the UK and in Europe. The paper also aims to analyse best practice, critical factors for success, and lessons for the future.

The research in this paper is based around ten semi‐structured interviews conducted with senior representatives from corporate occupiers, property consultants, legal practices and REP service providers.

The research in the paper demonstrates that REPs are particularly suited to the UK, where lease lengths are relatively long, and the level of corporate real estate owner‐occupation is often higher than elsewhere. It also shows that further research is needed to examine the future shape and form of the UK REP market.

The paper is based on a limited number of in‐depth case study interviews. The paper shows that further research is needed to find better ways to examine REPs empirically.

The paper is important in highlighting a number of main issues in developing REPs: identifying with occupier's objectives; risk transfer and size of contract; and developing appropriate innovation and skills.

The paper examines the drivers, barriers and critical success factors (at strategic and operational levels) for REPs in the UK in detail and will be of value to property managers, facilities managers, investors, financiers, and others involved in the REP process.

This paper summarises the main research findings from a detailed, qualitative set of structured interviews and case studies of private finance initiative (PFI) schemes in the UK, which involve the construction of built facilities. The research, which was funded by the Foundation for the Built Environment, examines the emergence of PFI in the UK. Benefits and problems in the PFI process are investigated. Best practice, the key critical factors for success, and lessons for the future are also analysed.

The research is based around 11 semi‐structured interviews conducted with stakeholders in key PFI projects in the UK.

The research demonstrates that value for money and risk transfer are key success criteria. High procurement and transaction costs are a feature of PFI projects, and the large‐scale nature of PFI projects frequently acts as barrier to entry.

The research is based on a limited number of in‐depth case study interviews. The paper also shows that further research is needed to find better ways to measure these concepts empirically.

The paper is important in highlighting four main areas of practical improvement in the PFI process: value for money assessment; establishing end‐user needs; developing competitive markets and developing appropriate skills in the public sector.

The paper examines the drivers, barriers and critical success factors for PFI in the UK for the first time in detail and will be of value to property investors, financiers, and others involved in the PFI process.

The purpose of this study is to examine within college coaches the effects of pay satisfaction and work‐family conflict (WFC) on occupational turnover intentions. Specifically, it predicts that WFC would mediate the relationship between satisfaction with pay to occupational turnover intentions.

Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire of college coaches. Regression analysis was used to test the mediated relationship.

Results confirmed a significant relationship between all variables in the study (p<0.001 for all). Using regression, when pay satisfaction and WFC were used to predict occupational turnover intentions, the mediator, WFC (β=0.29, p<0.001), maintained its effect on turnover. However, satisfaction with pay was insignificant, suggesting the mediated relationship.

While several areas within sport are impacted by dissatisfaction with pay and WFC, this sample was limited to college coaches.

Managers need to be aware of the impact of pay satisfaction and WFC have on turnover intentions, especially because of the importance turnover has on team performance. It is suggested that while pay satisfaction has a direct effect on occupational turnover intentions, WFC is one significant process through which pay satisfaction acts on an individual's intention to withdraw from the coaching occupation. It may also suggest that coaches not satisfied with pay are more aware of the conflict between work and family.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that pay satisfaction with pay and WFC are significant reasons teams lose coaches or front office personnel; however, no work has been done relating these variables and turnover.

The study of markets encompasses a number of disciplines – including anthropology, economics, history, and sociology – and a larger number of theoretical frameworks (see Plattner, 1989; Reddy, 1984; Smelser & Swedberg, 1994). Despite this disciplinary and theoretical diversity, scholarship on markets tends toward either realist or constructionist accounts (Dobbin, 1994; Dowd & Dobbin, forthcoming).¹ Realist accounts treat markets as extant arenas that mostly (or should) conform to a singular ideal-type. Realists thus take the existence of markets as given and examine factors that supposedly shape all markets in a similar fashion. When explaining market outcomes, they tout such factors as competition, demand, and technology; moreover, they can treat the impact of these factors as little influenced by context. Constructionist accounts treat markets as emergent arenas that result in a remarkable variety of types. They problematize the existence of markets and examine how contextual factors contribute to this variety. When explaining market outcomes, some show that social relations and/or cultural assumptions found in a particular setting can qualify the impact of competition (Uzzi, 1997), demand (Peiss, 1998), and technology (Fischer, 1992). Constructionists thus stress the contingent, rather than universal, processes that shape markets.

Athletic coaches are responsible for team relationships and a team's performance, yet many may leave the coaching profession or withdraw from team management because of work‐family issues. The purpose of this study is to use ecological theory as a guide to theorize on the relationships between work‐factors and work‐family outcomes for team leaders.

Participants were 601 college coaches. Using an online questionnaire, participants evaluated their supervisory support, autonomy in their job, and various work‐family factors. Specifically, the effects of the work‐factors of autonomy and supervisory support were examined on work‐family variables. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested that the fit for coaches and their work‐family interface is best explained by four work‐family dimensions – two directional conflict dimensions and two directional enrichment dimensions. Results suggest that supervisory support correlates with lower conflict and greater enrichment. Additionally, coaches reported that an autonomous workplace correlated with lower conflict and greater work enrichment with family.

Results suggest that it is beneficial to help the coach/team leader to improve fit, even though conflict is inevitable. Previously mentioned, and found throughout the results, was the effectiveness of the supervisor at alleviating conflict and amplifying enrichment.

A reason for the disparate number of women in team leadership positions has been family pressure. This research is expected to lay a foundation for future research on the beneficial aspects of multiple role participation.

This research builds on past work on the work‐family fit, which originally focused heavily on conflict, but has just recently started looking at the beneficial aspects of multiple role participation.

The Bureau of Economics in the Federal Trade Commission has a three-part role in the Agency and the strength of its functions changed over time depending on the preferences and ideology of the FTC’s leaders, developments in the field of economics, and the tenor of the times. The over-riding current role is to provide well considered, unbiased economic advice regarding antitrust and consumer protection law enforcement cases to the legal staff and the Commission. The second role, which long ago was primary, is to provide reports on investigations of various industries to the public and public officials. This role was more recently called research or “policy R&D”. A third role is to advocate for competition and markets both domestically and internationally. As a practical matter, the provision of economic advice to the FTC and to the legal staff has required that the economists wear “two hats,” helping the legal staff investigate cases and provide evidence to support law enforcement cases while also providing advice to the legal bureaus and to the Commission on which cases to pursue (thus providing “a second set of eyes” to evaluate cases). There is sometimes a tension in those functions because building a case is not the same as evaluating a case. Economists and the Bureau of Economics have provided such services to the FTC for over 100 years proving that a sub-organization can survive while playing roles that sometimes conflict. Such a life is not, however, always easy or fun.

The purpose of this paper is to study the behavior of negative stiffness beams when arranged in a honeycomb configuration and to compare the energy absorption capacity of these negative stiffness honeycombs with regular honeycombs of equivalent relative densities.

A negative stiffness honeycomb is fabricated in nylon 11 using selective laser sintering. Its force-displacement behavior is simulated with finite element analysis and experimentally evaluated under quasi-static displacement loading. Similarly, a hexagonal honeycomb of equivalent relative density is also fabricated and tested. The energy absorbed for both specimens is computed from the resulting force-displacement curves. The beam geometry of the negative stiffness honeycomb is optimized for maximum energy absorption per unit mass of material.

Negative stiffness honeycombs exhibit relatively large positive stiffness, followed by a region of plateau stress as the cell walls buckle, similar to regular hexagonal honeycombs, but unlike regular honeycombs, they demonstrate full recovery after compression. Representative specimens are found to absorb about 65 per cent of the energy incident on them. Optimizing the negative stiffness beam geometry can result in energy-absorbing capacities comparable to regular honeycombs of similar relative densities.

The honeycombs were subject to quasi-static displacement loading. To study shock isolation under impact loads, force-controlled loading is desirable. However, the energy absorption performance of the negative stiffness honeycombs is expected to improve under force-controlled conditions. Additional experimentation is needed to investigate the rate sensitivity of the force-displacement behavior of the negative stiffness honeycombs, and specimens with various geometries should be investigated.

The findings of this study indicate that recoverable energy absorption is possible using negative stiffness honeycombs without sacrificing the high energy-absorbing capacity of regular honeycombs. The honeycombs can find usefulness in a number of unique applications requiring recoverable shock isolation, such as bumpers, helmets and other personal protection devices. A patent application has been filed for the negative stiffness honeycomb design.