How the ‘customer’ influences the skills of the front‐line worker

Previous research illustrates how managers use the ‘customer’ in the service sector to develop roles and determine requisite skill sets. This article uses the evaluation of a recent workforce modernisation initiative in the NHS to provide insights into the manner in which the patient has played an increasing role in the construction of skills in healthcare. It indicates how public‐funded healthcare in the NHS contains similar tensions and contradictions to service work in consumer capitalism. Although the patient is not in a position of authority, the desire of some workers to address fully the physical and psychological needs of the patient (or embodied customer) leads them to develop skills and roles that management may find hard to resource within current budgets.     

“慕课”和“微课”对独立学院师生教学行为影响探析

近年来,"慕课"、"微课"是教育领域最为热门的话题,独立学院是高等教育中的重要而特殊的组成部分,教学是独立学院的核心工作,那么,"慕课"、"微课"将怎么影响独立学院师生的教学行为呢?本文先对"慕课"的概念、特点、制作过程模型和优势,"微课"的概念、特征和开发过程模型,独立学院教学特点进行阐述,进而结合三者分析出"慕课"和"微课"将从教师的"教"和学生的"学"两个角度影响教学行为。     

Dubai in the ‘Middle’

In the early 2000s, Dubai seemed the apotheosis of the global city model. Lauded as an embodiment of globalist ideals, or harshly criticized as a representation of the dangers of contemporary urbanism, it was clearly under the spotlight. Then, like the concept of the ‘global city’ itself, it disappeared from the headlines, to be subject only to sporadic and cynical attention. Today some are heralding a ‘return’ of Dubai from the anonymity of the middle ground of global city hierarchies and rankings. What is often forgotten, however, is that urbanism in Dubai did not stop. On the contrary, Dubai's continuous ‘worlding’ offers a productive opportunity for the encounter of ‘global’ and ‘ordinary’ modes of urban analysis. By unpacking the construction of a global Dubai, this article advocates greater sensitivity to the multiscalar politics that shape its continuity. Stepping beyond rumours of crisis and decline, it aims to connect the global fortunes and everyday processes that jointly characterize the development of global cities. ‘Global’ and ‘ordinary’ urbanism, it argues, are but two registers of how we could, in Warren Magnusson's words, ‘see like a city’.     

Melbourne: Population density; distance; the relationship

The analysis of two earlier writers is replicated using a data base pertaining to Melbourne, Australia, for the period 1901 to 1976. Several alternative functional forms of the population density functions are tested to determine comparative goodness of fit to the data. Population estimates are obtained and contrasted to actual population figures, and finally density functions incorporating time as an argument are estimated.     

‘Stick to the knitting’ vs. ‘the mysteriously potent charm of diversification’: the Greek evidence

This paper provides evidence on the extent, nature of and factors associated with diversification using a novel set of data, referring to both firms and plants, from the Greek manufacturing sector (1992). The paper brings together a strand of hypotheses formulated, and partially tested, in the relevant literature. More specifically, we investigate the relationship between the degree of diversification and firm/industry characteristics by separately examining the behaviour of multiplant and uniplant firms. Certain patterns emerge which are then compared with those that arose in other studies. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bayesian Analysis in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis><Superscript>1</Superscript>-Norm of the Mixing Proportion Using Discriminant Analysis

We consider the mixing proportion π in a mixture of two independent distributions, and establish the expression of its posterior density, in closed form and in terms of L ¹-norms of various related functions, using a prior beta and the optimal classification rule for the two populations provided by Discriminant analysis. A numerical example fully illustrates the concepts presented.Research partially supported by CRSNG 9249 (Canada). The authors wish to thank the Faculty of Science and the Department of Statistics of UNISA for their generous support that has led to this joint work. Also, thanks to Ms. Jeannette LeBlanc for her excellent technical support, and to an anonymous referee for very helpful comments that have helped to improve the presentation of the paper.     

Delivering the ‘3-day car’—the strategic implications for automotive logistics operations

It is now becoming apparent that the current ‘stock-push’ vehicle supply in the automotive industry by fulfilling the large majority of orders from existing stock is no longer a viable proposition. Cost pressure from rising stock levels in the market and high discounts needed to sell these vehicles have forced vehicle manufacturers to rethink their order fulfilment strategy in favour of stock-less ‘build-to-order’ systems. More responsive order fulfilment at vehicle manufacturer level however will not only require flexible and responsive component supply and vehicle assembly, but will also have wide ramifications for all logistics operations in the auto supply chain. Based on findings of the 3DayCar research programme, this paper compares the implications on inbound, outbound and sea transportation logistics, leading to the development of a strategic framework for future automotive logistics operations.     

‘Repeat commercializers,’ the ‘habitual entrepreneurs’ of university–industry technology transfer

Among academic faculty, is there a class of ‘repeat commercializers’ who account for a disproportionate share of commercialized technologies arising from university research? In a survey of 172 engineering, mathematics, and science faculty members from a major Canadian university, we found evidence that a class of repeat commercializers does exist. Further, we found that the 12% of the faculty who are repeat commercializers account for 80% of the commercialized innovations. Interviews with repeat commercializers in the same faculties at the same university suggest that repeat commercializers parallel habitual entrepreneurs in that they have the ability to commercialize (i.e. the ability to generate and identify commercializable inventions and the ability to acquire resources for the commercialization of their inventions) and the aspiration to do so (i.e. commercialization-friendly attitudes). Since repeat commercializers account for such a large percentage of commercialization activity, it is important that programs and policies associated with technology transfer address the needs of this subpopulation of the faculty.     

Inference by the <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis> out of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> bootstrap in nonparametric frontier models

It is well-known that the naive bootstrap yields inconsistent inference in the context of data envelopment analysis (DEA) or free disposal hull (FDH) estimators in nonparametric frontier models. For inference about efficiency of a single, fixed point, drawing bootstrap pseudo-samples of size m < n provides consistent inference, although coverages are quite sensitive to the choice of subsample size m. We provide a probabilistic framework in which these methods are shown to valid for statistics comprised of functions of DEA or FDH estimators. We examine a simple, data-based rule for selecting m suggested by Politis et al. (Stat Sin 11:1105–1124, 2001), and provide Monte Carlo evidence on the size and power of our tests. Our methods (i) allow for heterogeneity in the inefficiency process, and unlike previous methods, (ii) do not require multivariate kernel smoothing, and (iii) avoid the need for solutions of intermediate linear programs.     

‘Green’ value chain practices in the furniture industry

This paper draws on the results of interviews with five environmental managers in the furniture industry to develop a taxonomy of environmentally-friendly (‘green’) best practices within the operations management value chain. This taxonomy is then extended to develop a group of propositions concerning the role of management in promoting environmentally-friendly practices. The results suggest that in order to be successful, environmental management strategies must be integrated into all stages of the value chain, which includes all of the processes spanning product design, procurement, manufacturing and assembly, packaging, logistics, and distribution. While the potential for environmental performance improvement in all five of the companies is evident, all of them demonstrated ‘pockets’ of environmentally-friendly practices (EFP) in different areas of their respective value chain functions. The propositions and results emerging from the analysis also suggests that reacting to regulations is no longer sufficient. World-class EFP must anticipate and pre-empt changing environmental regulations and customer expectations, and proactively prepare products, processes and infrastructure for these changes without sacrificing competitive advantage.     

A Simple Improvement of the IV‐estimator for the Classical Errors‐in‐Variables Problem

Two measures of an error‐ridden variable make it possible to solve the classical errors‐in‐Variable problem by using one measure as an instrument for the other. It is well known that a second IV‐estimate can be obtained by reversing the roles of the two measures. We explore the optimal linear combination of these two estimates. In a Monte Carlo study, we show that the gain in precision is significant. The proposed estimator also compares well with full information maximum likelihood under normality. We illustrate the method by estimating the capital elasticity in the Norwegian ICT‐industry.     

Mortgage Subsidy—the Myth

Is tax relief on mortgage interest a subsidy to the home owner or do private house-holders live in the shadow of Westminster (above)? Professor Parry Lewis challenges the Report of the Committee chaired by the Duke of Edinburgh, and argues for the retention of relief.     

BR—Railroading the Nation

The ASLEF strike shoed the speed with which the market can provide commuters with alternatives ro rail. GThe collapse to BR, inevitable without more millions from the taxpayer, would allow private experimentation to devise cheaper, more efficient competitors.     

Phase transition in the S&amp;P stock market

We analyze the returns of stocks contained in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index from 1987 until 2011. We use covariance matrices of the firms’ returns determined in a time windows of several years. We find that the eigenvector belonging to the leading eigenvalue (the market) exhibits a phase transition. The market is in an ordered state from 1995 to 2005 and in a disordered state after 2005. We can relate this transition to an order parameter derived from the stocks’ beta and the trading volume. This order parameter can also be interpreted within an agent-based model.