I don’t know much about art but I know what I like

This is a case study discussion drawn from scholarly publishers Emerald, formerly MCB University Press. It discusses the unusual “supply circle” phenomenon in scholarly publishing, where authors (suppliers) are often the same people as readers (customers). It addresses this from the standpoint of trying to measure and manage performance in an area where measures are highly subjective – where, like art, performance is typically judged on “I know what I like”. The paper suggests areas for further research, and points to some steps taken by the firm to make the intangible more tangible.