An evaluation of UK credit ratings services
Describes a novel method for evaluating UK-based credit ratings services. Using a combination of timeliness, coverage, ease of use and accuracy of information, based upon a sample of 100 records added to the databases of six commercial companies’ information databases in autumn 2005, a framework for evaluation was developed and applied. The following services were evaluated: Creditsafe UK; Dun & Bradstreet; Equifax; Experian; Graydon; and ICC. Based upon the results of the evaluations, the services were graded overall with Experian coming out best. Equifax and ICC were next best, with Credit-safe after that. Dun and Bradstreet and Graydon performed the worst. However, changing the weightings of the various criteria would have produced a different outcome. Detailed explanations of the tests that were applied and the performance of each service are provided.
Forty years of information management
This issue of Business Information Review mixes case studies of good practice in Knowledge and Information Management (KIM), the value of KIM to small businesses with insight into the role of the CV in today’s tight recruitment field. Initiatives, as well as the usual round-up of product and service developments, discusses the growing interest in data management and explores the new data professions. The risks to information access posed by recent developments at Google (withdrawal of RSS news alerts and the synonym operator) are also explored. For this edition we have decided to devote most of our editorial space to:
Intensification of Bubble Disintegration and Dispersion by Mechanical Stirring in Gas Injection Refining
Water model experiments were performed for establishing highly efficient gas injection refining processes. Mechanical stirring was applied to disintegrate the injected bubbles and to disperse them widely in the bath. The bubble disintegration and dispersion were investigated by changing rotation mode (direction of rotation), rotation speed, blade size of the impeller and gas flow rate. Forward rotation of the impeller induced a stable tangential flow and could not disperse bubbles in the bath due to formation of a vortex around the impeller shaft. The tangential flow could be suppressed by forward–interrupt rotation, which could reduce the vortex formation to some degree. However, forward–interrupt rotation could not disperse the bubbles widely in the bath. Forward–reverse rotation could prevent the vortex formation completely and create a strong shear stress field, which intensified the bubble disintegration and dispersion in the bath. Higher impeller rotation speed and larger blade length in forward–reverse rotation could enhance the bubble disintegration and make the dispersed bubbles smaller. The bubble dispersion zone became wider with larger blade length. The bubble size tended to be larger at higher gas flow rates. However, its dependence on the gas flow rate became smaller at higher impeller rotation speed.