About this issue

ALL FOUR PAPERS in this issue, including the Technical and Management note by Reynolds, deal with special aspects of innovation in organizations performing Research, Development, and Engineering (R, D, & E) This topic a major thrust of this Transactions is becoming increasingly important in the plans and progress of industry, government, and university organizations. Although many of the federal initiatives promised or implied by the previous administration as stimulants or incentives to innovation have been put on the back burner or dropped by the current aaministration, the pressure to improve innovation in the R, D, & functions of individual organizations has been building up and managers are continually seeking ways of stimulating the development of new and improved products and processes as well as maintenance and enhancement of the organization´s “technology base” (one of the popular “buzz words” in the field).