Abstract. Recent surveys of groundwater invertebrates (stygofauna) worldwide are yielding rich troves of biodiversity, with significant implications for invertebrate systematists and phylogeneticists as well as ecologists and groundwater managers. What is the ecological significance of this high biodiversity of invertebrates in some aquifers? How might it influence groundwater ecosystem services such as water purification or bioremediation? In terrestrial ecosystems, biodiversity is typically positively correlated with rates of ecosystem functions beneficial to humans (e.g. crop pollination). However, the links between biodiversity, ecosystem function, and ecosystem services in groundwater are unknown. In some aquifers, feeding, movement and excretion by diverse assemblages of stygofauna potentially enhance groundwater ecosystem services such as water purification, bioremediation and water infiltration. Further, as specific taxa apparently play 'keystone' roles in facilitating ecosystem services, declines in abundance or even their extinction have serious repercussions. One way to assess the functional significance of biodiversity is to identify 'ecosystem service providers', characterise their functional relationships, determine how service provision is affected by community structure and environmental variables, and measure the spatio-temporal scales over which these operate. Examples from Australian and New Zealand alluvial aquifers reveal knowledge gaps in understanding the functional importance of most stygofauna, hampering effective protection of currently undervalued groundwater ecosystem services.

The effect of gender composition on group performance was investigated over three years using the MARKSTRAT 2 simulation. Senior undergraduates formed groups and competed within five-firm (group) industries over 10 weeks, as well as submitting group reports on their performances. Performance and report marks were independent of group size and individual performance in other course assessment. Women per group (numbers, percentage, gender ratio) was positively related to simulation performance, with few women-dominated groups ranking lower than first or second within each industry. Very few all-men groups achieved first or second rankings. There were no significant correlations between group gender compositions and marks for the group written report.Women's more interactive, people-oriented and co-operative work styles apparently facilitate the MARKSTRAT 2 group process and, when combined with men's more analytical decision-making tendencies and competitive orientation, appear to explain the superior performances of mixed groups. The emergence and utilization of these tendencies within groups are discussed in terms of Social Contact Theory and Competition Theory. Although generalizations from student-based studies to the workplace is problematic, the results indicate that groups may be more effective when women outnumber or equal men, especially in complex management activities requiring extensive information management and processing, planning and decision-making over protracted periods.

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The separation of the complex matrix of compounds in any natural product extract presents a daunting problem to the natural product chemist. Although a variety of approaches are available to reduce the complexity of the problem,

We describe here the development of an ecosystem classification designed to underpin the conservation management of marine environments in the New Zealand region. The classification was defined using multivariate classification using explicit environmental layers chosen for their role in driving spatial variation in biologic patterns: depth, mean annual solar radiation, winter sea surface temperature, annual amplitude of sea surface temperature, spatial gradient of sea surface temperature, summer sea surface temperature anomaly, mean wave-induced orbital velocity at the seabed, tidal current velocity, and seabed slope. All variables were derived as gridded data layers at a resolution of 1 km. Variables were selected by assessing their degree of correlation with biologic distributions using separate data sets for demersal fish, benthic invertebrates, and chlorophyll-a. We developed a tuning procedure based on the Mantel test to refine the classification's discrimination of variation in biologic character. This was achieved by increasing the weighting of variables that play a dominant role and/or by transforming variables where this increased their correlation with biologic differences. We assessed the classification's ability to discriminate biologic variation using analysis of similarity. This indicated that the discrimination of biologic differences generally increased with increasing classification detail and varied for different taxonomic groups. Advantages of using a numeric approach compared with geographic-based (regionalisation) approaches include better representation of spatial patterns of variation and the ability to apply the classification at widely varying levels of detail. We expect this classification to provide a useful framework for a range of management applications, including providing frameworks for environmental monitoring and reporting and identifying representative areas for conservation.

DR. GRAHAM FENWICK IS A RESEARCH associate in the Department of Management, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Marnie Strombom graduated from Canterbury and is now a business associate with EDS (New Zealand) Ltd. This paper seeks to understand the importance of ownermanager background characteristics and outlet location as determinants of franchisee performance within a wellestablished New Zealand retail sports goods franchise. In particular, it addresses debate over whether franchisees should be regarded as entrepreneurs or more as employees of the franchisee, as well as the effect of entrepreneurial behaviour on franchisee performance. The findings point to important lessons for franchisors in selecting franchisees and locations for outlets. Background characteristics are not good indicators of performance by franchisees. Franchisees showing strong entrepreneurial tendencies and those with prior experience in managerial roles that were similar in terms of required knowledge, skills and abilities, and in terms of managerial duties and tasks performed, tend to perform poorly. Managerial competence is not necessarily a useful indicator of future performance. Thus, applicants with little or no managerial background may be better suited to franchising and cause less conflict. Finally, location is a very important influence on outlet performance and must be considered on at least two scales, size of the market and location in a mall.

Callum Floyd is a completed a PHd. that explorer the orgnisations and managment of franchies system from different business sectors. Dr Graham fenwick is a resercher working on diverse projects. bothe are bsed in the department of mangament, univeristy of canterbury,new zelaland. this paper examines the developmento f different franchiese system by identifying the chaallenge and problem faced by franchisors a their system emerge from a business iea to a national chain of outlets commanding a major share of the domestic market. a four stage model of franchies system development offers a valid generalsed model, although some varialtions in activites, their sequence and degreee of system development do occur. the finding indicate that more extensive pre-franchising preprations and planning facilitates early growth. Transition from one stage to teh next is impaired when franchisors give insufficient attention to some issue to the extent that the development of their system is arrested before full marketing potential is achieved. this truncation of dvelopment appears to be related to founders's self images and abilities to change their behaviour by removing themself from operation to foucs more on managing and directing. thus thestudy holds important implications for acedemics, prctioners and franchisors.

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