The synthesis and ferric ion complexation of a general series of 2,3-dihydroxyterephthalamides are described. These ligands are more acidic than other catechol ligands and are much more effective sequestering agents at neutral pH. The proton association constants are as follows: 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-dimethylterephthalamide log poll = 11.1 (l), log pOl2 = 17.2 ( I ) ; 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-diethylterephthalamide log poll = 11.1 (I), log pOl2 = 17.1 (I); 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-dipropylterephthalamide log flOll = 11.0 (l), log poiz = 17.0 (1); 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-dibutylterephthalamide log poll = 11.0 (1). Formation constants of the ferric complexes were determined by potentiometric and spectrophotometric studies: 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-dimethylterephthalamide log @i30 = 41.8 (l), log pi20 = 30.9 (l), log pilo = 16.4 (1); 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-diethylterephthalamide log pi30 = 42.2 ( I ) , log plzo = 30.7 (l), log pilo = 16.3 (I); 2,3-dihydroxy-NJV'-dipropylterephthalamide log pilo = 43.1 (l), log p,20 = 31.2 (I). The resultant equilibrium free metal ion concentrations (-log [Fe"] = pM, a direct measure of a ligand's ability to bind a metal at physiological pH; for M total ligand and 10" M total iron(II1)) are as follows: 2,3-dihydroxy-N,N'-dimethylterephthalamide, 21.

While some modern organisations have established 'virtual work teams', which are said to be comprised of people who are geographically separated and who work across boundaries of space and time using computer driven communication technologies, it is also true that many organisations remain structured around conventional face-to-face teams. Increasingly, the conventional face-to-face team is endeavouring to increase its productivity by utilising some of the technology and characteristics of the virtual team. In fact, it may not be practical any longer to draw a distinction between conventional face-to-face teams and virtual teams due to the invasive nature of technology throughout most modern organisations.

Are appropriately qualified trainers educating the workforce? The purpose of this study was to investigate the qualifications and competencies of workplace trainers and, determine if there is a relationship between these attributes and their effectiveness.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to profile Thai small-medium enterprises (SMEs) and fill a research gap about their investment in training and approaches to training. Design/method/approach -The paper uses a quantitative, descriptive design with a drop-off survey among 438 SMEs in Thailand. Findings -The study reveals a relatively young, highly-educated cohort of SME owner/managers, with greater business longevity than other countries. They do not invest a great deal of time or money in training and prefer informal, unstructured on-the-job (OTJ) training. Most SMEs train a few or none of their members for two hours a week and thus are "low" or "tactical" trainers. However there are some "strategic" trainers particularly in contemporary industries such as IT and services as well as larger and higher-earning SMEs.Research limitations -The study focuses on urban Thai SMEs and thus may not represent rural or regional areas, or SMEs in other countries. The quantitative approach does not explain why investment in training was relatively low. Originality/value -This is the first systematic study, to the best of the authors' knowledge, dealing with training in Thai SMEs. This paper encourages debate on the presumed universality of training and argues that academics need to "go back to basics" to understand training in family run SMEs, particularly in developing nations such as Thailand, and to recognise the utility of OTJ training in this context.

Western researchers have concluded that generational groups of workers have different work characteristics and prefer different leadership styles. The objective of this study was to investigate if western research applies equally to generational groups in Taiwan's workplaces, specifically in the higher education sector and manufacturing industry. The research found that generational groups in the manufacturing industry have different work characteristics and require different leadership styles while there were no differences in work characteristics and preferred leadership style for generational groups in the education sector.