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One of the primary goals of the palaeosciences is to produce robust understandings of palaeoecologies of extinct ecosystems. The time has arrived where such palaeoecologies can be significantly improved—agent-based models (ABMs) that synthesize our modern understandings of animal ecology with past conditions provide a unique opportunity for this. The Palaeo-Agulhas Plain (PAP), a now submerged landscape off the south coast of South Africa, formed a novel ecosystem during the lower sea levels of the Pleistocene. Here we provide a review of the utility of ABMs for understanding herbivores in prehistoric environments using the Paleoscape Model. The Paleoscape Model is fortunate to have features models of climate, geology and vegetation upon which we can understand how herbivores used the PAP environment. To incorporate aspects of herbivore behaviour and habitat suitability into the model requires analogies from extant systems. In addition to reconstructions of the availability of resources and associated risks, data on herbivore behaviour and physiology are imperative to our understanding of these systems. Behaviour, driven by changes in the environment, is interpreted by species, leading to selection of suitable habitats ultimately driving the herbivore's decisions within ABMs. Finally, we discuss herbivore integration into these models that can be used in numerous other scenarios (past, present and future). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the pattern of jobs in projects implemented by foreign-owned plants in the north east of England Over the period 1985-1998. It analyses the characteristics of projects generating a greater or smaller number of jobs. The paper finds a substantial concentration of investment in a relatively small number of projects, but that the jobs are much less so. At the project level, the characteristics that are important for determining the number of jobs are the project activity and type(ie start-up, acquisition,joint venture or re-investment) but other factors have no influence. However, in aggregate, the paper finds that there is a substantial concentration of jobs by the country of origin, the location and by the manufacturing activity. lt also finds that the national inward investment agencies tend to concentrate their efforts on certain kinds of project. It concludes by questioning the optimality of this concentration of inward investment for regional development and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the effect of soft business support on small firm performance in Great Britain. Application of robust econometric techniques; Increase in the survival rates of the firm; Description of the Consultancy Initiatives.

Examines the changing regional specialization of British employment over the period 1971 to 1994. Extent to which British regional policy has altered the industrial structure of the Assisted Area regions; Convergence of regional industrial structures; Employment decline of the traditional manufacturing industries.

Evaluates several computer softwares and related material available for use by economists. Usability of CD-ROM sourcedisk by Helgerson Associates Inc.; Features of SilverPlatter Information Retrieval System (SPIRS) software by SilverPlatter; Performance capacity of Social Sciences Citation Index by Institute for Scientific Information.