The Illinois Institute of Technology, in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, sponsored its second annual Product Fair in which engineering students could examine products provided by numerous vendors. Students could increase their consumer knowledge of a wide variety of supplies offered by college bookstores. (LBH)

Renovations providing an 86 percent increase in space as well as expansion of merchandise offered have increased overall sales at the Dartmouth bookstore by 29 percent in the first nine months of operation. Details on all facets of the modifications are reported. (LBH)

Methods for determining the coverage allotted to art materials are outlined with emphasis on: determination of stock, sources of art materials, training an art department staff, and satellite and related materials. (LBH)

Six phases of employee relations are discussed: hiring, training, paying, keeping, motivating, and discharging. Specific guidelines are offered along with a list of health and safety precautions. (LBH)

This article discusses employment trends in retail trade as well as in key industry groups since 1973. In addition, it explores the changing demographic, occupational, and earnings characteristics of retail trade workers, as well as the incidence of self-employment in the industry. (Author/CT)

Tomorrow's marketplace will undergo many changes, triggered by new technologies, new products to sell, and the demands of increasingly sophisticated consumers. Growth will be especially strong for off-price retail outlets, discount department stores, specialized mass merchandisers, and specialty stores with specific clienteles. Retailers must plan…

The report of a sociolinguistic study of language usage in Montreal describes the historical and current roles of French and English, discusses Montreal's current linguistic situation in terms of two sociolinguistic concepts (code switching and the speech community), and outlines a survey examination of language use in retail transactions. (MSE)

Arguments for changing the social organization of computing in social science departments at the university level are presented and suggestions as to what these changes might look like are offered. Relevant policy issues are discussed. (Author/DB)

Effective navigation is becoming more and more critical to the success of electronic commerce (E-commerce). It remains a challenge for educational technologists and Web designers to develop Web systems that can help customers find products or services without experiencing disorientation problems and cognitive overload. Many E-commerce Web sites…

This paper explores the nature and extent of outsourcing by higher education institutions, benefits and challenges associated with outsourcing, and the implications of outsourcing for effective management. The principal investigator conducted a national study of outsourcing by four-year colleges and universities at two points in time, 1998-99 and…

Presented here are three addresses by industry representatives, delivered to a session of the DE Division on December 9. The implications of their remarks for the planning and evaluation of DE programs should be clear. (Editor)

Problems regarding the relationship between college stores and their college communities are addressed. Among the issues addressed are: profit v nonprofit philosophies imposed by the college administration; textbook pricing and markups; academic freedom and textbook selection; bookstore contacts with administrators, students, and faculty; and…

This curriculum unit, intended for use with gifted students and others, uses the daily activities of a zoo gift shop to teach principles of economics including the law of demand, the nature of a market, and influences on product demand. (DB)

A large part of any merchandising program is picking products that will sell. Sixty alumni professionals were asked about their ideas. Some of the winners included a watch with the institution's seal, a windsock, and athletic shoes. Some of the losers included a sweater and a commemorative plate. (MLW)