Setting the sales budget: An exploratory study

This article explores how the sales budget is set in a business organization. Findings from a longitudinal participant observation study revealed that the sales budget is considered of great importance to the organization as sales estimates serve as premises for planning of production and supply and new product developments. It was observed that the sales budget was based on a narrow, inner-directed perspective, almost looking away from important environmental driving forces such as competitors and customers. The findings also showed that individuals involved in the sales budgeting process behaved opportunistically, influencing the budgetary process and outcomes. Theoretical and normative implications are highlighted.     

Medical ethics in Norway: Modern medicine — Traditional morality

In Norway, by tradition a Lutheran country, the puritan ethics of a “moral minority” has a strong influence on the development and manifestations of medical ethics. Those who exert this influence are found primarily among politicians, the clergy, and, last but certainly not least, among nurses and doctors. The focus of interest is not so much on problems of bioethical moral theory or the teaching of bioethics to students, but very much on attitudes and policies with regard to substantive issues traditionally regarded in Norway as burning bioethical issues, such as: medical research ethics, abortion, prenatal diagnosis, euthanasia, definitions of death, and reproductive technologies.     

PSYCHOPHYSICAL INVARIANTS OF ACHROMATIC COLOUR VISION: II. Albedo/illumination substitution

Lie , I. Psychophysical invariants of achromatic colour vision. II. Albedo/ illumination substitution. Scand. J. Psychol., 1969,10, 176–184.—Can ‘identification of illumination’ be identified as one of the determinants of achromatic vision? Colour constancy is redefined in terms of deviation from albedo/ illumination substitution (A/I-substitution). A series of A/I-substitution experiments, performed under conditions assumed to provide minimal possibilities for identification of illumination, indicate that complete A/I-substitution (zero constancy) is obtained for both brightness and whiteness, provided the test fields are equated with respect to colour temperature and perceived texture.     

PSYCHOPHYSICAL INVARIANTS OF ACHROMATIC COLOUR VISION: III. Colour constancy and its relation to identification of illumination

L ie , I. Psychophysical invariants of achromatic colour vision. III. Colour constancy and its relation to identification of illumination. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1969, 10 , 7.69–281.—Identification of illumination as a separate determinant of the dimensions of achromatic colour was investigated with classical methods for manipulating shifts in perceived level of illumination, while controlling the changes in colour contrast brought about by these methods. With the spot-shadow method, constancy effects may be explained by laws of colour contrast, but not by perceived shifts in illumination, whereas neither explanation holds with the cast-shadow method. Results with a method of conceiled cast-shadow may be consistent with both interpretations.     

PSYCHOPHYSICAL INVARIANTS OF ACHROMATIC COLOUR VISION: IV. Depth adjacency and simultaneous contrast

L ie , I. Psychophysical invariants of achromatic colour vision. IV. Depth adjacency and simultaneous contrast. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1969, 10 , 282–286.— Achromatic colour contrast as a function of adjacent subareas was investigated by a stereoscopic depth technique. The degree of colour contrast was found to be independent of stereoscopic depth.     

PSYCHOPHYSICAL INVARIANTS OF ACHROMATIC COLOUR VISION: I. The multidimensionality of achromatic colour experience

L ie . I. Psychophysical invariants of achromatic colour vision. I. The multi-dimensionality of achromatic colour experience. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1969, 10, 167–175.—The literature relevant to the question of multidimensionality of achromatic colour is briefly reviewed. An experiment confirms that the achromatic scale is bidimensional, and indicates that the dimension of brightness is a direct function of the luminance of the local area inspected, while the dimension of whiteness is a direct function of luminance relations of adjacent areas in the visual field.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME FOR THE INTROMISSION FREQUENCY IN THE MALE RAT MATING BEHAVIOUR

L arsson , K. The importance of time for the intromission frequency in the male rat mating behaviour. Scand. J. Psychol . 1961, 2 , 149–152.—A prolongation of the intervals separating the intromissions in the male rat mating pattern produces a decrease in the number of intromissions to ejaculate. By comparing the length of the interval effective in inducing a reduction of the response frequency in two groups of subjects, one composed of extremely 'slow' animals and another of extremely 'fast' ones, it was found that the appearance of the reduction effect was dependent on the length of the interco-pulatory interval characteristic of the individual. A reduction appeared in all animals when the interval of enforced rest was longer than the normal inter-copulatory interval.     

Inscribing the body, exscribing space

The present paper briefly reviews recent advances in spatial cognition. A central tenet in spatial cognition is that spatial information is simultaneously encoded in multiple formats. It also appears that at the level of neural processing there is no clear distinction between the representation of space and the control of action. I will argue that these findings offer novel insight into the nature of dance and choreography and that the concepts used by cognitive neuroscientists to frame their findings can be fruitfully applied in a choreographic setting. Finally, I will speculate that both dancing oneself and watching dance may enhance one’s experience of space.