13 research outputs found
Improvement and Public Service Relationships: Cultural Theory and Institutional Work
This article examines the influence of cultural-institutional factors on user–provider relationships in public services. Using Grid-Group Cultural Theory (CT) as a way to structure the complexity of public service relationships, the article considers the extent to which public services are attuned to users' relational concerns. This analysis shows particular tensions between how users think the service ‘should be’ compared with how they think the service ‘actually is’. Additional study evidence is used to assess these findings; in particular, the effects of different patterns of compatibility on both the perceived quality of public service relationships and the value added by this. Finally, relationships between ‘good opportunities’ for user voice and the above results are discussed. In response, opportunities for improvement are identified (within the institutional work done by public service organizations), and the implications for the relative value of CT analysis are discussed
Volume 06
Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross
Caught Between Folklore and the Cold War: The Americanization of Russian Children\u27s Literature by Kristen Gains
Graphic Design by Amanda Willis
Graphic Design by Holly Backer
Prejudices in Swiss German Accents by Monika Gutierrez
Photography by Cara O\u27Neal
Photography by Sara Nelson
Edmund Tyrone\u27s Long Journey through Night by Sasha Silberman
Photography by Jessica Beardsley
Photography by Jamie Gardner and Edward Peeples
The Republican Razor: The Guillotine as a Symbol of Equality by Jamie Clift
Graphic Design by Matthew Sakach
Genocide: The Lasting Effects of Gender Stratification in Rwanda By Tess Lione and Emily Wilkins
Photography by Kelsey Holt and Jessica Page
Morocco and the 20 February Movement by Charles Vancampen, Gilbert Hall, Jenny Nehrt, Kasey Dye, Amanda Tharp, Jamie Leeawrik, & Ashley McGee
Photography by Emily Poulin
Photography by Michael Kropf
Improving Performance of Arbitrary Precision Arithmetic Using SIMD Assembly Code Instructions by Nick Pastore
Art by Austin Polasky and Morgan Glasco
Art by Laura L. Kahler
The Effects of the Neutral Response Option on the Extremeness of Participant Responses by Melinda L. Edwards and Brandon C. Smith
Graphic Design by Mariah Asbell
Graphic Design by Cabell Edmunds
College Bullying: An Exploratory Analysis by Amelia D. Perry
Photography by Alyssa Hayes
Death-Related Crime: Applying Bryant\u27s Conceptual Paradigm of Thanatological Crime to Military Settings by Irina Boothe
Graphic Design by Perry Bason
Graphic Design by James Earl
Volume 05
Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross
The Tallis House as an Extension of Emily Tallis in McEwan\u27s Atonement by Ian Karamarkovich
Graphic Design by Jessica Cox
Graphic Design by Kyle Fowlkes
Graphic Design by Allison Pawlowski
Incorporating Original Research in The Classroom: A Case Study Analyzing the Influence of the Chesapeake Bay on Local Temperatures by Kaitlin Major, Carrie Dunham and Dr. Kelsey Scheitlin
Graphic Design by Kathryn Grayson
Graphic Design by Ashley Johnson
Facing the Music: Environmental Impact Assessment of Building A Concert Hall on North Campus by Jennifer Nehrt, Kelsey Stolzenbach And Dr. Kelsey Scheitlin
Art by Kristin McQuarrie
Art by Sara Nelson
Art by Melisa Michelle
Prosocial Behavior as a Result of Prosocial Music by Jessica Sudlow
Graphic Design by Perry Bason
Graphic Design by Danielle Dmuchawski
Graphic Design by Mariah Asbell
Graphic Design by Matthew Sakach
Identifying Pathogenic Salmonella Serotypes Isolated from Prince Edward County, VA Waterways via Mutiplex PCR Analysis by Timothy Smith, Jr.
Art by Annaliese Troxell
Art by T. Dane Summerell
Development of Salicylidene Anilines for Application in the High School Laboratory by Sarah Ganrude
Graphic Design by Malina Rutherford
Graphic Design by Hannah Hopper, and Matthew Sakach
Because That\u27s What Daddies Do: Effects of Fathering Patterns on Son\u27s Self and Gender Identities by John Berry, Jr.
Graphic Design by James Early
Graphic Design by Colleen Festa
The Influence of Tropical Cyclones on Chesapeake Bay Dead Zones by Chelsea D. Taylor and Dr. Kelsey Scheitlin
Graphic Design by Michelle Maddox
Graphic Design by Kaitlyn Smith
Graphic Design by Sarah Schu
Graphic Design by Perry Bason, Cabell Edmunds, Katherine Grayson, Matthew Sakach, and Kayla Torna
Collaborative innovation, new technologies and work redesign
Stakeholders agree on the need to promote innovation in work organization in public services. This article deploys the concept of collaborative innovation to discuss employees’ and managers’ experiences of a major technology-driven work redesign project within National Health Service (NHS) pharmacy services in Scotland. We draw on extant literature on New Public Management (NPM) and collaborative approaches to innovation to frame more than 40 in-depth interviews with managers and employees. We find that key components of collaborative innovation – related to joint problem-solving, inter-disciplinary working and mutual learning – were important to the success of the redesign project and to positive impacts on job quality for some employees. We argue that researchers and policymakers should look beyond NPM-driven models that have dominated some areas of the public innovation literature, to consider the potential added value of collaborative innovation to improving both work and service delivery in the public sector
Investigating the void structure of the polyamide active layers of thin-film composite membranes
The potential presence of voids in the fully-aromatic polyamide active layers of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for water purification was studied in a selection of commercial membranes with a broad range of performance levels. The membranes were characterized for their potential void fractions using three independent methods: (i) analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of membrane cross-sections, (ii) water uptake measurements by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and (iii) estimates of the effective refractive indices of active layers by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Results revealed that voids having tens of nanometers in diameter exist in the fully-aromatic polyamide active layers of TFC membranes, the voids fill up with water when immersed in it, and the voids account for a significant volume fraction of the active layers (i.e., 15-32% for the membranes studied). It was concluded that the voids in polyamide active layers do not form passageways connecting the feed and permeate sides, but rather are cavities disconnected from the feed side. In addition, it was also concluded that the globular features observable in TEM images of membrane cross sections that had been previously identified as voids or nodules are indeed voids, and not nodules. The finding that a significant volume fraction of fully-aromatic polyamide active layers corresponds to water-filled voids has deep implications on various aspects of TFC membrane science and technology. For example, we illustrate how the presence of voids can potentially increase the effective water permeability of the active layer by as much as a factor of ≈5 compared with the case of an equivalent active layer without any voids. The methods developed in this study to measure void volume fraction represent useful tools for future membrane characterization studies, and the void fractions measured can be used as input or calibration parameters in future modeling studies of active layer formation or water and solute transport