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The paper aims to relate how power‐supply company National Grid, formerly known as Transco, trained and assessed more than 2,430 engineers throughout England, Scotland and Wales within five months – while maintaining high standards of service to customers.

The paper draws on information from Transco's performance and technology manager, provided in a submission to the National Training Awards.

The paper describes how engineers working for Transco are required by the UK Health and Safety Executive to be assessed every five years through the national Accredited Certification Scheme (ACS), and they have to be registered with the Confederation of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI). They also need an additional level of competence to deal with emergencies. Transco's solution was to develop an outstanding level NVQ level three qualification for its existing engineers, and the new recruits it needed as 40 percent of them are over 45 years of age. Agreement on the new NVQ was reached after 12 months of negotiations involving Transco, the GMB union, EU Skills, HSE, CORGI, Advantica Training Services, City & Guilds and the Learning Skills Council.

The engineers can now fit and maintain the full range of gas meters – without calling in specialists; customer service has become a key competence; and 128 enthusiastic young people have achieved their Advanced Modern Apprenticeship, 15 of whom had no GCSEs when they started.

Transco could have taken the straightforward option and completed the established ACS route to qualification, but at a significant cost each year. To revolutionize the accepted qualification route took courage and determination from numerous stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how traditional agribusiness firms can differentiate their product through innovation and branding at the value chain level, through the application of entrepreneurial marketing (EM). Traditionally, fresh vegetable products have been marketed as unbranded commodities.

To address the research aim, this paper used a case study, which included semi-structured interviews with managers and personnel and unstructured observation of supply chain processes.

The findings are based on a Tasmanian fresh broccoli value chain and suggest that EM could be effectively integrated at a multi-firm level. Clear communication, knowledge sharing, and trusting relationships are necessary to create a shared vision and a sustainable value chain.

An increasing number of firms in the agribusiness sector are looking for strategies that can enhance value for themselves and members of their chain. EM as a strategy can help an entire value chain achieve product differentiation and co-innovation, with flow on benefits to the consumer.

There is limited research at the entrepreneurial and marketing interface that explores the application of EM at an inter-organizational level. This paper is one of the first to investigate EM in context of a supply chain management, using a value chain innovation framework.

In the UK over the last 20 years there has been a proliferation in the statutory provisions for wayleaves. The utilities requiring wayleaves such as the water, gas and electricity companies have now been joined by cable TV and a host of telecommunications providers. All have access to compulsory powers. However, there are variations between these powers and between the compensation arrangements. The main objective of this article is to examine whether the compensation arrangements are now appropriate, following the privatisation of the gas, electricity, water and telecommunication companies. The article considers the results of a six‐month study of wayleaves funded by the RICS, which was completed in 2000, and recommends that, in order to strike a fair balance between the interests of the utilities and the landowners, legislative change is required. Claimants should not merely be entitled to the financial equivalent of their loss, but instead a consideration should be paid reflecting, in effect, a rental for the wayleave.

A newly upgraded and expanded guide provides chemical resistance ratings for most fluids handled by plastic lined piping products.