From Shop floor to top floor. An exploratory study of sustainable progression in the retial sector: the case of Morrisons

There has been increasing political and media attention given to the issue of social mobility in recent times. The interest has been sparked by research which suggests that social mobility may have stalled or even declined in the UK during the post-war period. Various factors have been identified as inhibiting social mobility including early years experiences in the home and at school, education and health along with area based influences. Employment and labour market experiences are also key factors contributing to social mobility with the importance of ‘getting a job’ and ‘sustainable progression’ increasingly recognised as an important means of improving social mobility. There now appears consensus that occupational mobility and career development is a key factor in overcoming social mobility, and the extent to which organisations develop pathways and support careers is a critical element in pursuing social mobility. This exploratory study has been commissioned by Morrisons to investigate the factors which impact on progression in the workplace and the effect of these on the social mobility of research participants. The study adopts the framework of ‘career development’ as a construct to explore sustainable progression, drawing on the employment and labour market experiences of employees at Morrisons who, having started on the ‘shop floor’ have progressed to senior management levels in the company. The study is based on their ‘life stories’ to identify the key factors associated with a successful career at Morrisons

Characters of the W3 algebra

Traces of powers of the zero mode in the W3 Algebra have recently been found to be of interest, for example in relation to Black Hole thermodynamics, and arise as the terms in an expansion of the full characters of the algebra. We calculate the first few such powers in two cases. Firstly, we find the traces in the 3-state Potts model by using null vectors to derive modular differential equations for the traces. Secondly, we calculate the exact results for Verma module representations. We compare our two methods with each other and the result of brute-force diagonalisation for low levels and find complete agreement.Comment: v2: Numerous small changes, version to appear in JHEP, 22 pages. v3: Typos corrected, matches published version, 22 page

Optimized silicon solar cells for space exploration power systems

Optimized silicon solar cells for space exploration power system

Research and development of silicon solar cells optimized for space exploration power systems Quarterly report, 1 Apr. - 30 Jun. 1970

Optimized silicon solar cell development for spacecraft with near-sun mission

Quality management and e-commerce: the role of codes of conduct governing the use of technology

Discussion of the relationship between TQM and information and communications technology (ICT) normally focuses either on technological issues, or on the role of ICT in enabling the achievement of quality goals by means of business process re-engineering. Less attention has been paid to the effects that the increased utilisation of ICT is having on management style, and on the quality of relationships. This paper reports on research undertaken into the development, implementation and enforcement of codes of conduct designed to govern employees' use of ICT. A study of 125 London-based employers found that, although such codes had been introduced in nearly three-quarters of the organisations, the majority failed to address a key issue of concern to customers' privacy of personal data. Furthermore, the codes themselves were seen to have little influence on the behaviour of employees. The reasons for this are discussed within a TQM framework, and suggestions made as to how compliance might be improved in future

Safety net? Trust and e-government

Although the use of e-government by citizens is uneven, states are pressing ahead with e-government programmes despite the concerns of online users about areas such as privacy, the security of online transactions and fraud. Issues of trust and e-government are explored by looking at the Greek experience. Evidence is presented of a mismatch between the perceived importance of the trustworthiness of e-government websites and the actual priorities set by the authorities. Recommendations are made for the enhancement of public trust and confidence in government, and a model is proposed for determining the trustworthiness of e-government sites

e-Government in Greece: opportunities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local government

Currently in Greece, the Operational Programme for the Information Society (OPIS) is promoting ICT in the public sector. However, a content study of Greek government websites reveals that at local level e-government has generally not progressed beyond the information presentation stage. The findings of an online survey of government employees and interviews with key government officials suggest reasons for this. Recommendations are made for facilitating the development and implementation of full interactive local e-government

Bony metastases from breast cancer: a study of foetal antigen 2 as a blood tumour marker.

Background : Foetal antigen 2 (FA-2), first isolated in the amniotic fluid, was shown to be the circulating form of the aminopropeptide of the alpha 1 chain of procollagen type I. Serum concentrations of FA-2 appeared to be elevated in a number of disorders of bone metabolism. This paper is the first report of its role as a marker of bone metabolism in metastatic breast cancer. Methods: Serum FA-2 concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 153 women with different stages of breast cancer and in 34 normal controls. Results: Serum FA-2 was significantly elevated in women with bony metastases (p < 0.015). Its levels were not significantly different among women with non-bony metastases, with non-metastatic disease, as well as among normal controls. Conclusions: FA-2 is a promising blood marker of bone metabolism. Further studies to delineate its role in the diagnosis and management of bony metastases from breast cancer are required

APLF (C2orf13) is a novel component of poly(ADP-ribose) signaling in mammalian cells

APLF is a novel protein of unknown function that accumulates at sites of chromosomal DNA strand breakage via forkhead-associated (FHA) domain-mediated interactions with XRCC1 and XRCC4. APLF can also accumulate at sites of chromosomal DNA strand breaks independently of the FHA domain via an unidentified mechanism that requires a highly conserved C-terminal tandem zinc finger domain. Here, we show that the zinc finger domain binds tightly to poly(ADP-ribose), a polymeric posttranslational modification synthesized transiently at sites of chromosomal damage to accelerate DNA strand break repair reactions. Protein poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is tightly regulated and defects in either its synthesis or degradation slow global rates of chromosomal single-strand break repair. Interestingly, APLF negatively affects poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in vitro, and this activity is dependent on its capacity to bind the polymer. In addition, transient overexpression in human A549 cells of full-length APLF or a C-terminal fragment encoding the tandem zinc finger domain greatly suppresses the appearance of poly(ADP-ribose), in a zinc finger-dependent manner. We conclude that APLF can accumulate at sites of chromosomal damage via zinc finger-mediated binding to poly(ADP-ribose) and is a novel component of poly(ADP-ribose) signaling in mammalian cells

e-Government in Greece: bridging the gap between need and reality

Increased use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in all layers of society, and especially in the public sector, is being promoted by the EU through various programmes and frameworks. Although Greece is keen to promote the information society, e government appears shyly on the horizon, mainly with the establishment of citizen service centres’. The reasons why full interactive online presence is still in its infancy in Greece, at least at a local government level, are considered and recommendations made for further research