This study has demonstrated the complex aerobic-anaerobic microflora which exists in leg ulcers, the prevalence of anaerobes in infected wounds, and a poor correlation between the presence of specific aerobic pathogens and wound infection. In view of these findings, the role of microbial synergistic interactions in the pathogenesis of chronic wound infection may be of greater clinical importance than the isolated involvement of any specific potential pathogen.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractThis research presents the results of an initial investigation on``visual merchandising'' and its effects on purchase behaviour and brand recognition. The context is concessionary branded female fashion offerings within a department store. The research utilises semi-structured interviews with a small sample of female undergraduate students. The interviews incorporated the use of stimulus material ± photographs taken of concessions in a department store some 150 miles away from the research location. The results suggest that the themes that linked most strongly to purchase intention were: merchandise colours, presentation style, awareness of fixtures, path finding, sensory qualities of materials and lighting. Initial findings suggest that liking of display does not totally determine purchase, but does make it four times more likely. Electronic access

Smell, Scent, Retail brand image, Retail environment, Human olfaction,

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Introduction Lovelock (1992, p. 24) provides a structural representation of the services marketing system. The component of the structure which is visible to the customer is called the service delivery system. It is the "front stage" of the services marketing system. Within the service delivery system, a customer's overall experience is affected by various potential interactions: interactions with service (contact) personnel, interactions with internal and external physical surroundings (including equipment), and interactions with other customers. Langeard et al. (1981) encapsulate the same interactions in their "servuction system" model, where their front stage structure identifies the interactions of a customer, "A", with contact personnel, the inanimate environment and customer "B". Grove and Fisk (1992) extend the front stage drama analogy to a "service theater" where "actors" and "audience" participate in the service "setting" to create a service "performance".Clearly, front stage service delivery is supported by back stage activities and processes (e.g. staff training, negotiations with suppliers) and by events which take place outside the "theatre", such as word of mouth recommendations and promotional events. The focus of this paper, however, is on the front stage service delivery system, and in particular on personal encounters which involve customers' spoken interactions. Spoken interactions may take place between contact personnel and customers, or between one customer and another.To distinguish spoken interactions on the front stage from those, such as word of mouth, which take place elsewhere, Harris (1993) used the phrase "observable oral participation" or OOP. For a spoken interaction to qualify as an OOP it must have content and not simply be a grunt, sigh or yell. Thus OOPs, which can be observed on the front stage, can be recorded and subsequently analysed for content. OOPs involving customers can take two basic forms, labelled as OOP1 and OOP2. OOP1 denotes the spoken interaction between a customer and a representative of the contact personnel (e.g. a customer asking directions or stating requirements). OOP2 denotes the spoken interaction between two customers (e.g. a customer asking another's opinion on an item of merchandise, or two customers engaging in pleasantries). The definition of OOP2 used in this paper excludes spoken interactions between "purchase pals",

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Co‐operation and competition characterise the inter‐firm relationships in strategic alliances. This article proposes a paradox approach to studying co‐operation and competition. It explains the paradox perspective and provides an analytic framework for the paradox of co‐operation and competition. In the light of the paradoxical nature, it advocates a multi‐paradigm approach to co‐operative and competitive strategies, which combines strategic positioning, the resource‐based view and game theory. The article suggests that the multi‐paradigms can not only encompass the contradictions of the paradox from the different perspectives, but also emulate the individual ones and provide a holistic picture. The multi‐paradigm approach therefore establishes a better methodology basis than fragmented orthodox theories in exploring the contradictory, interactive and dynamic nature.

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