Book Review

Peer Review: The Challenges for the Humanities and Social Sciences A British Academy Report British Academy, 2007, 61 pp. Freely available online at http://www.britac.ac.uk/reports/peer‐review/index.html ; print copies available on request from Ms Vivienne Hurley, The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1P 5AH, UK; tel. +44 (0)20 7969 5268; email v.hurley@britac.ac.uk     

Book Review

Corporate Museums, Galleries, and Visitor Centers: A Directory , Victor J. Danilov A Planning Guide for Corporate Museums, Galleries, and Visitor Centers , Victor J. Danilov     

Book Review

Book reviewed in this article: Whose Muse?: Art Museums And The Public Trust: James Cuno, ed. Vastly More Than Bricks And Mortar: Reinventing The Fogg Art Museum In The 1920s: Kathryn Brush.     

Book Review

Over the last 2 decades, mergers and acquisitions (M&;A) have become the most preferred strategic tool of firms in the media industry. As still claimed by analysts and managers, M&;A deals are expected to generate greater economic efficiency, especially through size effects (economies of scale and scope and other synergies). However, it seems that the hopes placed in these synergies are generally disappointed. Indeed, among a sample of 11 media firms for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, it appears a firm's size and a simultaneous presence in many businesses of the media industries do not improve economic performance, nor does the possession of complementary assets. The existence of economies of scale and scope, or at least the ability of firms to implement them, has still to be proved. Inversely, the internationalization rate of firms, especially for non-U.S. firms, and their level of focus on the media industries both appear to improve economic performance. These results, based on data available when AOL Time Warner and Vivendi Universal M&;A deals took place, raise the issue of the economic rationality of such mergers.     

Book Review

Digital cable is a technological innovation featuring interactivity, which is still in its infancy. This study identifies a profile of early digital cable subscribers based on a telephone survey. The study results indicate that digital cable subscribers are more likely to watch television, subscribe to premium services, perceive their cable operator to be technologically progressive, and express greater satisfaction with current cable service compared to analog-only subscribers. It was also found that the more people watch television, have premium channels, and evaluate their cable operator as innovative toward technology, the sooner they can be expected to upgrade to new cable services. Implications for cable service structuring and marketing behaviors are also discussed.     

Book Review

No abstract available for this article.     

Book Review

Book reviewed in this article: The Legacy: Continuing Traditions of Canadian Northwest Coast Indian Art . Macnair, Peter L., Hoover, Alan L., and Neary, Kevin. The World Is as Sharp as a Knife: An Anthology in Honour of Wilson Duff . Abbott, Donald N.