The Evolution of Grocery Wholesaling and Grocery Wholesalers in Ireland and Britain since the 1930s

Studies of industry evolution are relatively scarce outside of industries defined by narrow technological bases. Studies of wholesaling are rarer still. These are curious features given that it is probable that service industries behave differently to manufacturing ones and that wholesaling is such a key function of many economies. This paper looks at the evolution of grocery wholesaling and grocery wholesalers in Ireland and Britain since 1930. It focuses on the processes and drivers of the wholesale industry. Similarities and differences between the two countries are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of government action as a triggering mechanism for change and on the role of trade associations and industry leaders in developing and following through on market and non-market strategies. The pathways of industry evolution identified differ from those seen in manufacturing. They therefore raise a number of issues for the development of understanding and conceptualisation in industry evolution studies

Customer Preference Discontinuities: A Trigger for Radical Technological Change. Managerial and Decision Economics, forthcoming

Abstract The technology life cycle literature provides strong theoretical foundations that explain how an era of technological ferment culminates in a dominant design, as well as how technology progresses during the resulting era of incremental change. But the processes by which subsequent technological discontinuities occur, particularly their timing, remains relatively unexplored. What factors cause an industry to move from maturity back to a period of turbulence? This paper develops a model of technological evolution that incorporates both technological trajectories and a new concept: preference trajectories, which are cycles of incremental and discontinuous change in preferences. Preference discontinuities turn out to play an important role in triggering technological transitions in an industry. The model is illustrated using an in-depth historical study of 100 years in the typesetter industry, which underwent three major technological transitions, each of which was driven by preference discontinuities.

Freshpaint : The Houston School

In this extensive exhibition catalogue of work by 43 Texan artists, Kalil recounts the history of painting in Houston, in particular, across the 20th century. Rose celebrates the recognition of regional art and views Houston's revival of painting as a manifestation of this tendency. Each of the artists provides a statement. Biographical notes. Circa 100 bibl. ref