Book Review ---Getting to Transformation

The book is presented in four parts; containing 23 chapters which includes glossary, bibliography, subject index and name index. The author has used tables and diagrams besides lucid expression. The objective of the book is to understand how organizations can UNLEASH the power of internet and e-business and can reinvent themselves. The organization cannot transform itself in a single day and needs an integrated approach which involves various key concepts and components in transformations. The book talks about all such concepts and components aimed at to serve the customers better and to sell the products to generate more revenue.Transformation, e-government

A programme theory for liaison mental health services in England

Background: Mechanisms by which liaison mental health services (LMHS) may bring about improved patient and organisational outcomes are poorly understood. A small number of logic models have been developed, but they fail to capture the complexity of clinical practice. Method: We synthesised data from a variety of sources including a large national survey, 73 in-depth interviews with acute and liaison staff working in hospitals with different types of liaison mental health services, and relevant local, national and international literature. We generated logic models for two common performance indicators used to assess organisational outcomes for LMHS: response times in the emergency department and hospital length of stay for people with mental health problems. Results: We identified 8 areas of complexity that influence performance, and 6 trade-offs which drove the models in different directions depending upon the balance of the trade-off. The logic models we developed could only be captured by consideration of more than one pass through the system, the complexity in which they operated, and the trade-offs that occurred. Conclusions: Our findings are important for commissioners of liaison services. Reliance on simple target setting may result in services that are unbalanced and not patient-centred. Targets need to be reviewed on a regular basis, together with other data that reflect the wider impact of the service, and any external changes in the system that affect the performance of LMHS, which are beyond their control

Politische Dimensionen von Militärübungen und Manövern – ein Projektbericht

Die virtuellen Kriege und Operationen, die in Militärübungen gespielt und geprobt werden, können entweder der Abschreckung dienen oder aber Angriffe vorbereiten bzw. zur Maskierung tatsächlicher Angriffe dienen. Für Beobachter ist es vielfach nicht offensichtlich, um welche Art von Militärübung es sich handelt. Die Ergebnisse eines vierjährigen internationalen Projektes zu politischen Dimensionen von Militärübungen richten das Schlaglicht insbesondere auf Missverständnisse und deren ungewollte politische Auswirkungen, die im Extremfall unbeabsichtigt zum Krieg führen können

Residual effects of natural Zn chelates on navy bean response, Zn leaching and soil status

greenhouse experiment was conducted on weakly acidic and calcareous soils to evaluate the aging and residual effects of three natural organic Zn chelates [Zn-ethylenediaminedisuccinate (Zn-EDDS), Zn-polyhydroxyphenylcarboxylate and Zn-aminelignosulfonate] each administered in a single application to a first navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crop at several different Zn application rates. In a second navy bean crop, we determined the following parameters: the extent of Zn leaching, the amount of available Zn remaining in soils, the amount of easily leachable Zn, the size of Zn fractions in soils, the pH and redox potential, the dry matter yield, and the soluble and total Zn concentrations in plants. The residual effect after 2 years of Zn fertilization mainly depended on the aging effect of Zn chelates and losses due to Zn leaching. The data relating to the evolution from the first to the second crop showed that the aging effect was noticeable in the calcareous soil. In the latter soil, the Zn-S,S-EDDS treatments showed greater decreases in the Zn uptake by plants than the other Zn treatments and the greatest Zn uptake by plants occurred when Zn was applied as Zn-aminelignosulfonate (10 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 6.85 mg Zn per lysimeter; 5 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 3.36 mg Zn per lysimeter). In contrast, in the calcareous soil, the maximum amount of Zn uptake, for the three chelates was 0.82 mg Zn per lysimeter. Consequently, a further application of Zn would be needed to prevent Zn deficiencies in the plants of a subsequent crop. The behaviour of the pH and Eh parameters in the soils and leachates did not depend on the natural Zn sources applied. In this study, the easily leachable Zn estimated by BaCl2 extraction was not adequate to predict Zn leaching from the soils in subsequent crops

How installers select and explain domestic heating controls

Though central heating controls have the potential to reduce the energy consumed through domestic space heating, their installation does not guarantee savings. End users do not always understand their controls, or operate them in an energy-efficient way, but there is little appreciation of why this is. Drawing on an ethnographic study, this paper investigates how installers select and explain central heating controls. With reference to the concept of technology scripting, which suggests that the assumptions made about users during the design of devices can influence their eventual use, it shows how heating installers also draw on certain user scripts. Through these means the paper illuminates the significant role that heating installers play in influencing the control products fitted into homes, and how they might be used. Though their use of these scripts is understandable, it is not always conducive to ensuring that central heating systems are operated in the most energy-efficient way. It is suggested that industry and policy-makers might engage with how installers understand users and revise current guidelines to foster better communication between them

Understanding the missing middlemen of domestic heating:Installers as a community of professional practice in the United Kingdom

Despite indications that they could play an important part in shaping how people heat their homes, central heating installers have been largely overlooked in energy research. As a means of addressing this oversight, this paper draws on a British ethnographic study to explore the ways in which these 'missing middlemen' can be said to comprise a 'community of practice'. Two aspects of community membership are explored in detail: social learning processes and shared identities. This exercise shows how socially acquired understandings of their professional role and their relationship with homeowners can influence the selection and installation of heating products. The paper concludes with suggestions for how industry and policy makers might engage with this group. These suggestions focus on strategies aimed at reducing the energy used for home heating, and the installation of alternative heating technologies, both of which might benefit from an appreciation of the informal processes of community formation

Big data and understanding change in the context of planning transport systems

This paper considers the implications of so-called ‘big data’ for the analysis, modelling and planning of transport systems. The primary conceptual focus is on the needs of the practical context of medium-term planning and decision-making, from which perspective the paper seeks to achieve three goals: (i) to try to identify what is truly ‘special’ about big data; (ii) to provoke debate on the future relationship between transport planning and big data; and (iii) to try to identify promising themes for research and application. Differences in the information that can be derived from the data compared to more traditional surveys are discussed, and the respects in which they may impact on the role of models in supporting transport planning and decision-making are identified. It is argued that, over time, changes to the nature of data may lead to significant differences in both modelling approaches and in the expectations placed upon them. Furthermore, it is suggested that the potential widespread availability of data to commercial actors and travellers will affect the performance of the transport systems themselves, which might be expected to have knock-on effects for planning functions. We conclude by proposing a series of research challenges that we believe need to be addressed and warn against adaptations based on minimising change from the status quo