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The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of what a good grabber is and how to construct one. This is done by drawing on the insights provided by Professor Timothy L. Wilson, for whom this paper is written as an “honorary piece.”

The paper is based on a small sample of papers from the 48 journals that have received contributions from Professor Wilson throughout the years. A total of 12 papers have been selected, using a mix of convenience and haphazard sampling. The grabber of each paper has then been analyzed based on its nature and style.

Based on the review and analysis, five different types of grabbers were identified; the quote, the anecdote, the provocative question, the surprise, and the metaphor, each type representing a unique way (and strategy) of creating initial interest.

As this paper was intentionally based on a convenience sample, further investigation is needed to establish whether the presented categories have clear validity and/or whether there are additional categories/strategies for how to create good grabbers.

Creation of interest is an increasingly important part of everyday academic practice. As the grabber is a rarely addressed phenomenon in academic literature, the presented categories should be of both interest and practical use to academics in most fields.

This monograph presents a thorough examination of the phenomena of “threshold” levels of advertising activity and the “wearout’ of advertisements and/or campaigns. These are seen as corresponding to the management questions “How little can we spend/How infrequently can we advertise?” and “How much is too much/How infrequently is too little?” In the first section the relevant literature on, or related to, the two issues is reviewed. Section 2 describes a survey aimed at establishing current beliefs in the existence of the phenomena, the practices resulting from these beliefs, and the data which support them. Finally, Section 3 offers an overview on the managerial issues involved in decisions concerning threshold or wearout risks in advertising. It is suggested that wasted expenditure may be occurring in advertising because the believed levels of threshold and wearout are both too high.

A report on the vision systems featured at the new TEAM exhibition. The products and applications of three companies are highlighted. Two exhibitors have contrasting approaches to the application of vision: DVT takes the integrated route with “all in” intelligent cameras while Data Translation follows the PC‐based philosophy with separate frame grabbers. The third company discussed is Leica Geosystems and its laser tracker mobile measurement systems used for inspection of large components as well as the control and calibration of robots, machine tools and the like. Leica introduced a new handheld probe for inspecting deep cavities and a new laser radar system that, unlike the tracker, needs no reflectors mounted on the object under inspection.

The aim of this paper is to examine development failure in Myanmar and explore alternative ways forward.

This research uses a variety of quantitative and qualitative data drawn from sources including newspaper and media accounts from inside and outside Myanmar, reports from NGOs and field observations. The data are analysed using a framework developed by combining the theoretical perspectives of the resource curse and governmentality.

Evidence of developmental failure in Myanmar is found. The nation is in an economic, social and political mess due to the actions of an incompetent and corrupt robber regime that has misused and misappropriated much of the wealth being produced from the nation's large mineral and energy reserves. Action by the international community has so far proved ineffective in improving the situation.

The main limitation of this paper is the difficulty in obtaining accurate and reliable official economic and social indicators. However, it does illustrate the value of combining the resource curse thesis and governmentality for understanding development failure.

This research has practical implications in that by illustrating the unsustainable nature of the “grabber governmentality” and providing an alternative “producer governmentality” it is clear that even the most authoritarian regimes are susceptible to change.

The resource curse thesis and governmentality have so far not been used together in the analysis of development. In this paper these concepts provide a way to critically examine the association between resource richness, poor governance and development failure.

Comments on recent developments in the machine vision industry and describes some of the more significant exhibits at the IPOT 2001 exhibition, including camera networks, addressable pixel cameras and low resolution thermal imagers.

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of Six Sigma performance measurement at both strategic and operational levels within call centres where the definition of Six Sigma is widened to include systems thinking constructs.

A two‐phase methodology is used involving two call centre cases within a call centre group. Phase 1 establishes the need for Six Sigma customer‐based measures in addition to internal performance measures and phase 2 studies the implementation of this wider set of Six Sigma performance measures.

The development and application of Six Sigma performance measures that cover both strategic and operational performance measures lead to a more sustainable approach to business improvement, rather than traditional call centre internal performance measures which may be misleading for the overall performance of the call centre.

The development of the strategic and operational, or double, DMAIC approach offers opportunities for developing wider applications in service contexts using customer‐orientated performance measures.

If call centres rely solely on internal performance measures, a misleading picture of call centre performance may be obtained. There is a need to apply Six Sigma to cover both strategic and operational performance measures.

A combined strategic and operational approach to Six Sigma has been developed which enables service‐based organisations (call centres) to develop sustainable business improvement.

Outlines research work to design a robot calibration system which is portable, accurate and low‐cost. Describes prototype measuring system which is based on a camera in the robot hand, plus a known reference object in the robot workspace. Gives details of the measuring procedure, the camera lens, the reference plate and the possible sources of measurement errors. Concludes that this method, based on photogrammetry to obtain measurements for the calibration of robot systems, has been implemented and tested and provides promising results for practical application.

Despite a relatively long tradition and outstanding progress in CCD technology during the last few years, computer vision applications have not become as significant as was expected. Because of lack of understanding and the complexity of applications themselves, the introduction of computer vision technology in production lines is still rare. Rarity raises prices and so we go round in circles. At present computer vision needs effective, simple and low‐cost applications, which will make it accessible to potential customers and show them all its possibilities and benefits. Industrial users need solutions instead of theory.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how illegal settlers and poor families struggle for basic necessities through land invasions, covert practices and illegal sabotage, examining how fundamental rights to subsistence and dignity are superior to private property claims.

The paper combines two qualitative research projects that examined property rights in Kyrgyzstan, conducting semi‐structured interviews with poor groups, elites and state officials. One project was conducted between 2009‐2010, examining two illegal settlements and a squatted building in the capital Bishkek, and the other project took place between 2007‐2008 in four villages in Osh region.

It was found that illegal settlers and poor families deliberate upon the moral aspects of land and property, though sometimes their judgements are distorted by nationalist feelings and racialised identities. Poor and propertyless groups struggle for basic necessities, lacking access to social rights and facing class contempt and state coercion.

The authors criticise de Soto's ideas on legalising squatters' holdings, suggesting that his property rights approach to land offers a flawed moral vision for society and a mis‐understanding of illegal settlements.

International donors need to re‐think development strategies for increasing growth and reducing poverty, and for Kyrgyzstan to abandon the national residential registration system (propiska).

The authors' moral responsibilities approach on property recognises the importance of land and valuable resources for human capabilities, the competing obligations of the state and the role of moral propriety and sentiments in shaping responsibilities towards vulnerable and poor groups.

The purpose of this paper is to review the biannual Vision Show and the companion annual Sensor Expo in Chicago, with emphasis on innovative vision and sensor products introduced.

This paper includes in‐depth interviews with exhibitors of vision and sensor products.

Wireless sensors and companion technologies such as energy harvesting and storage are the cutting edge today. In vision, 3D vision is the hot technology, finding objects in space rather than just looking at a flat picture.

System designers now have the freedom to place sensors in locations which might previously have been out of the question do to cabling problems. With wireless, location is no longer a criterion. Energy harvesting and storage right at the device insures continuous operation without the need for battery replacement.

The paper shows how 3D vision now makes it possible to operate and inspect in the real world rather than just in a flat plain. Robotic operations such as random location or bin picking are now everyday possibilities.