259 research outputs found

    Efficiency in the further education sector in England

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    Further education in England is a diverse sector which typically provides education for the 16 - 19 age group. This study investigates efficiency levels by subject of study within further education (FE) colleges. Mean overall technical efficiency is found to vary from 75% to 86% in the worst- and best-performing subject areas, respectively. Statistical analysis of efficiency reveals that, while student and teacher composition and regional characteristics affect efficiency in each subject, the strength of these effects can vary by subject. This has the clear policy implication that strategies to improve efficiency in English FE must be devised and operated at subject rather than provider level

    Transformation of a small-to-medium-sized enterprise to a multi-organisation product-service solution provider

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    This paper aims to: (1) précis the extant literature on servitization and enterprization transformations, focusing on the role of information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) and their inter-relationships; (2) illustrate these interrelationships by showing how a small-to-medium-sized enterprise (SME) can move from being a predominantly independent SME, delivering only products, to become part of a multi-organisation enterprise able to deliver product-service solutions; and (3) provide generic learning by proposing a new integrated business transformation model. The methodology used is abductive action research. A literature review is conducted to provide academically grounded themes to inform and interpret practical actions. An empirical case study is conducted with a UK SME from the construction industry that provides empirical data to illustrate a business transformation. Inductive reasoning is used to propose a new integrated transformation model. Findings show that enterprization and servitization transformation themes are highly interdependent and co-implementable when an IT/IS focus is taken. Furthermore, these transformations can be used as part of a successful strategy for growth by an SME. A new operating structure, labelled a product-service enterprise (PSE), is proposed as part of a business transformation model to assist future deliveries of product-service solutions (PSSns). Actions and findings are based on a single empirical case abducted with academic themes. Whilst it is probable that the themes and actions have contributed towards the organization's successful growth, no absolute deterministic causality is claimed

    Ariel - Volume 9 Number 1

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    Executive Editor Emily Wofford Business Manager Fredric Jay Matlin University News John Patrick Welch World News George Robert Coar Editorial Editor Steve Levine Feature Brad Feldstein Mark Rubin Graphics Steve Hulkower Photo Rick Spaide Circulation Lee Wugofsk

    Microtorus: a High Finesse Microcavity with Whispering-Gallery Modes

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    We have demonstrated a 165 micron oblate spheroidal microcavity with free spectral range 383.7 GHz (3.06nm), resonance bandwidth 25 MHz (Q ~ 10^7) at 1550nm, and finesse F > 10^4. The highly oblate spheroidal dielectric microcavity combines very high Q-factor, typical of microspheres, with vastly reduced number of excited whispering-gallery (WG) modes (by two orders of magnitude). The very large free spectral range in the novel microcavity - few hundred instead of few GigaHertz in typical microspheres - is desirable for applications in spectral analysis, narrow-linewidth optical and RF oscillators, and cavity QED.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

    Agents to the Rescue?

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    The advent of electronic environments is bound to have profound effects on consumer decision making. While the exact nature of these influences is only partially known it is clear that consumers could benefit from properly designed electronic agents that know individual users\u27 preferences and can act on their behalf. An examination of the various roles agents perform is presented as a framework for thinking about the design of electronic agents. In addition, a set of goals is established that include both outcome-based measures, such as improving decision quality, as well as process measures like increasing satisfaction and developing trust

    Response to Brentuximab Vedotin by CD30 Expression in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

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    BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin (BV), an antibody-drug conjugate directed to the CD30 antigen, has been assessed in several trials in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), or B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between CD30 expression level and clinical response to BV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed response in patients treated with BV monotherapy in 5 prospective clinical studies in relapsed or refractory PTCL, CTCL, or B-cell NHL. CD30 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the Ber H2 antibody for 275 patients. RESULTS: Across all 5 studies, 140 (50.9%) patients had tumors with CD30 expression CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of studies across a range of CD30-expressing lymphomas, CD30 expression alone, as measured by standard IHC, does not predict clinical benefit from BV, making the determination of a threshold level of expression uncertain
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