Marketing through research: William Caudill and Caudill, Rowlett, Scott (CRS)
The partners of Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS), a post-Second World War architecture firm in Texas, USA, were especially innovative in their professional and business practices. One of their original contributions was the firm's marketing strategy, which was based on promoting not only design achievements but also the CRS ‘research attitude’ by publishing and distributing studies produced by members of the firm. This strategy, which built on a wide-spread American belief in the fundamental role of science and research in the nation's progress and development, was successful in the first two decades of the firm, but was dissolved in the 1970s with the firm's expansion and transformation into a profit-oriented enterprise. This paper describes the firm's research-based marketing strategy and argues that the success of the marketing strategy relied on the CRS partners' ability first, to integrate marketing into the firm's approach to architecture and design and into cultural norms of the time and secondly, to balance the expectations of both their potential clients and their professional peers. The CRS marketing strategy is an important case study for architects today as they respond creatively to similarly competing demands.
Capital gains and architectural losses: the transformative journey of Caudill Rowlett Scott (1948–1994)
The history of Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) provides a powerful account of the cultural transformations, technological shifts and socio-political opportunities that shaped the idea of professional practice in the United States of America between the end of World War Two and the post-Reagan years. It can also be used to discuss the natural limits of architectural practice as a financial, profit-making enterprise. Established immediately after the war in small-town Texas by two college professors released from the Navy, CRS took twenty-two years to become an independent architectural public company, thirty-six to top the list of US design firms, and less than fifty to reach its natural end as a business. The article uses data from the company's archives to show that the growth and demise of CRS were tied to a broad, highly dynamic idea of design and to the company's constant search for new markets. Whilst these two elements contributed to CRS's performance as a successful economic machine relative to standard architectural providers, they also put its professional service orientation on a par with other revenue-generating enterprises. These proved to be more profitable and less volatile than conventional architecture and engineering, and thus more enticing to shareholders and corporate board members.
Research requirements to reduce maintenance costs of civil helicopters
The maintenance problems faced by the operators of civil helicopters that result in high costs are documented. Existing technology that can be applied to reduce maintenance costs and research that should be carried out were identified. Good design practice and application of existing technology were described as having a significant impact on reducing maintenance costs immediately. The research and development that have potential for long range reduction of maintenance costs are presented.