An analysis into early customer experiences of self-service checkouts:lessons for improved usability

The research aims to examine the perceptions of relative novice users of self-service checkouts (SSCOs) and if these perceptions change before, during and following use. Employing a diary approach with 31 respondents relatively unfamiliar with SSCOs, the research will document their experiences with this technology across stationary, hardware and grocery stores in two Scottish cities (Glasgow and Dundee). Findings suggest that the majority of respondents were motivated to use the technology because of time saving and convenience. However, the actual experience of using SSCOs was not always considered quicker when compared to staffed checkouts because of technical issues, lack of staff assistance and the impersonal, sometimes stressful and controlled nature of the cramped SSCO environment. Following post-use reflections, the majority of respondents’ opinions did not change from their initial perceptions and indicated that they would prefer not to use the technology in the future. Based on the findings, this study makes some practical suggestions centring on the design and usability of SSCOs, which may go some way to reducing customer dissatisfaction and frustration with the technology, especially from the perspective of new users of the technology

Weed control strategies in organically grown carrots

This paper outlines a study to integrate elements of cultural, thermal and mechanical control methods in the production of late maincrop drilled organic carrots. Agronomic and economic findings are discusse

Horticultural weed control in organic systems – a modelling approach

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Weed control is an important yet mainly unaddressed research issue in organic systems. At present there is little agronomic support to underpin weed management decisions. Computer modelling and simulation techniques may provide a valuable tool for understanding the nature and processes of the organic system thus generating knowledge and information of direct benefit to growers, which will aid in short and long term weed management strategies

Creating an employment ready graduate:stakeholder perspectives of internship programmes and their ability to enhance the graduate employability skills set

Purpose: The aims of this research are to examine stakeholder perspectives of the use and usefulness of graduate attributes which are embedded into the curriculum of a UK university and to evaluate the potential of these graduate attributes to go beyond institutional pedagogy and enhance the employability skills set of graduates.Design/methodology/approach: The research used a mixed method to elicit perspectives of a University’s graduate attributes, interviewing employers and surveying students using a self-assessment tool and convenience sampling approach. Findings: The research found that there are key attributes for the success of University-led graduate attributes which include engagement from stakeholders with those attributes, commitment from teaching staff towards the development of identified attributes, appropriate time to align and embed attributes into the curriculum and with the needs of stakeholders and a framework which compliments institutional research and is properly resourced (Al-Mahood and Gruba, 2007). No one graduate attribute works in isolation, they have to be part of a measured and balanced model or framework to address the multi-faceted nature of graduate employability. The research reveals that work-based initiatives were the most valued by graduates and employers alike, which are arguably easier to teach as it is learning by doing as opposed to developing generic softer skills which are not valued highly by graduates in respect to employment. The findings support existing research that graduates value graduate attributes which involve work based learning activities as a means to gain employability skills and employment. Practical and social implications: The research findings should provide Universities and Colleges from both within and out with the UK with a blueprint from which to create or refresh existing University led graduate attributes. Originality/value: The findings from this paper consolidate existing research in the area of graduate employability and take research forward in the areas of graduate attributes, the measurement of these attributes and their currency in terms of employability and employer synergy

Mr Cameron’s new language initiative for Muslim women: lessons in policy implementation

As the government announces a programme to teach Muslim women to speak English, this article examines how such a policy can be implemented successfully, arguing that lessons that can be drawn from both academic research, especially that carried out with Muslim women themselves, and from successful policy application in the past. It focuses on two projects carried out in the recent past for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Jobcentre Plus, and outlines the key factors that led to their success. The LSC project involved one of the largest in-depth surveys of Muslim women’s attitudes towards work, and their views on life in Britain, that has ever been undertaken. The Jobcentre Plus project was a highly successful and innovative employment training initiative for ethnic minority women piloted in Sheffield, the very kind of ‘targeted’ approach that Mr Cameron has claimed his government’s new language initiative will be

South Asian women and the labour market in the UK: attitudes, barriers, solutions

This paper draws on research carried out in the UK which examined the views of South Asian women towards employment, looking in particular at why the participation rate of Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in the labour market is very low. The focus of the paper is on non-working women. The research was aimed at informing policy design, so that policies intended to assist certain groups of people enter, or get closer to entering, the labour market might be more effective. The research involved carrying interviews with 212 Bangladeshi and Pakistani women in West Yorkshire, a sub-region of the UK with a relatively high Asian population. 26 focus groups were also carried out. It is argued that there are three broad groups of South Asian women in relation to employment: women who are some distance from the labour market; women who wish to enter paid work; and women who do currently work but require support. There are different policy implications for each of these groups. The paper concludes that the barriers to labour market entry are deep-seated, complex, and rooted in cultural, familial, and societal norms. It provides a case study of an innovative programme which was piloted in a nearby sub-region of the UK, South Yorkshire, which was tailor-made to meet the specific needs of South Asian women and was very successful. The paper argues that this could provide a template for programmes in the future aimed at assisting groups facing challenges in relation to labour market entry, such as minority ethnic women

Influence of Grain Size Distribution on Ultrasonic Scattering

Elastic wave scattering at grain boundaries in polycrystalline media can be quantified to determine microstructural properties. The amplitude drop observed for coherent wave propagation (attenuation) as well as diffuse-field scattering events (such as the single-scattering response) have been extensively studied. In all cases, the scattering shows a clear dependence on grain size, grain geometric morphology, and material texture (i.e., macroscale anisotropy). Scattering models used to quantify such scattering experiments are often developed under the assumption of a single effective grain diameter implying a very narrow distribution of grain size throughout the sample. However, several microscopy studies suggest that most metals have a log normal distribution of grain sizes with distribution widths as large as σ = 0.75, where eσ represents the standard deviation of the distribution. In this presentation grain size distribution is discussed within the context of previous attenuation and single scattering response models. Results are presented for several example metals using reported experimental values of distribution means and widths assuming spherically-shaped grains and no material texture. The longitudinal and shear attenuations are shown to vary with respect to their frequency dependence for varying distribution widths even when the mean grain size is held constant. A similar effect is observed for diffuse ultrasonic backscatter (DUB) predictions. These results suggest that grain size estimates based on DUB can have large errors if the distribution is neglected. A multi-frequency analysis approach is discussed based on a log normal distribution in order to reduce grain size estimate errors. This work is anticipated to play an important role in microstructural characterization research associated with ultrasonic scattering

Clinical utility of the WeeFIM as a mandated outcome measure: Navigating the needs of the organization, client and clinician

Local outpatient pediatric occupational therapists expressed a need for evidence to support the use of the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) as a universal measure for evaluations in their facility. We summarized the evidence addressing the psychometrics of the WeeFIM and a comparison instrument, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). We ultimately made a recommendation for the PEDI based on its better evidence history for children with autism. The collaborating clinicians received an organizational mandate to implement use of the WeeFIM. We surveyed them to better understand their knowledge translation process. Themes from surveys were inserted into the Knowledge Translation Access Process model (MacDermid & Graham, 2009), and we documented the steps clinicians took to apply the evidence in spite of organizational barriers. Survey results and analysis of knowledge translation suggest that the standardization of the evaluation process is highly valued by clinicians and any shortcomings of the WeeFIM that were identified in the published evidence can be addressed by the use of additional measures

Geochemical assessment of aquifer recharge effects in the southwest Denver basin

August 29, 1989.Bibliography: pages 39-41.Grant no. 14-08-0001-G1006 and G1214, Project no. 03