Towards a service system ontology for service science

Service Science is a new interdisciplinary approach to the study, design, implementation, and innovation of service systems. However due to the variety in service research, there is no consensus yet about the theoretical foundation of this domain. In this paper we clarify the service systems worldview proposed by Service Science researchers Spohrer and Kwan by investigating its foundational concepts from the perspective of established service theories and frameworks. By mapping the proposed service system concepts on the selected service theories and frameworks, we investigate their theoretical foundations, examine their proposed definitions and possible conflicting interpretations, discover their likely relationships and general structure, and identify a number of issues that need further discussion and elaboration. This analysis is visualised in a multi-view conceptual model (in the form of a UML class diagram) which we regard as a first step towards an explicitly and formally defined service system ontology

Resilience Management: A Framework for Assessing and Improving the Resilience of Organisations

Resilient Organisations Research Report 2007/01Organisations today are increasingly aware of the need to prepare for the unexpected. High profile international events of the last decade, such as the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the emerging threat of a pandemic all serve to remind organisations that the unimaginable can and does happen. Stories emerge from these events of organisations that survived or failed; at first glance there does not appear to be a particular pattern. Some survivors had excellent disaster response plans in place; others had none, surviving purely on the merits of strong leadership and the commitment and determination of staff. Many organisations that are devastated simply never reopen again; others evolve so radically that they are hard to recognise from their pre-crisis form. This research project seeks to explore what it is that makes some organisations more able to survive a major crisis than others, and suggests a framework for both evaluating and improving the resilience of individual organisations

Effect of Planting Coleus blumei on Insect Populations in Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Fields in American Samoa

In a Rapid Rural Appraisal Survey, conducted in American Samoa in November, 1990, farmers reported that planting Coleus blumei (pate in Samoan) with taro (Colocasia esculenta) kept armyworms (Spodoptera litura) and/or planthoppers (Tarophagus proserpina) from their taro fields. Two experiments were conducted at the Land Grant Station in American Samoa from May to November, 1991 and February to August 1992, respectively, to test this hypothesis. In the first study, semi-monthly insect counts were made on two fields, one planted with Coleus blumei in the center and one without the Coleus. Insect data were collected from each of eight quadrates surrounding the Coleus and at three distances away from the center of the field. There were no significant differences in pest incidence between Coleus and non-Coleus fields. Results indicated a slight trend toward fewer armyworms and planthoppers in the field planted with Coleus. A second study compared insect incidence in eight taro plots, four with and four without a border of Coleus. Insect counts were collected semi-monthly. No statistical differences were found between insect incidence in the two types of plots. There was a trend toward more armyworms in the non-Coleus plot. Future studies will focus on examining other environmental factors that might influence taro pest and/or parasite incidence, as well as modifications in experimental design

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery for Arteriovenous Malformations Using a Four- Dimensional Dynamic Volume Computed Tomography Angiography Planning System as an Alternative to Traditional Catheter Angiogram

Background Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) remains a critical intervention in the long-term management of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). For planning a treatment, identification of the nidus is essential, and it is dependent on high-resolution blood flow imaging, usually in the form of a traditional angiogram. The development of dynamic 320-slice computed tomography (CT) angiography has offered a noninvasive alternative to intra-arterial fluoroscopic imaging, and it is capable of providing equivalent temporal resolution. In this study, we describe the feasibility of using four-dimensional CT angiography (4D-CTA) in GKRS planning for AVM treatment and a comparative analysis with a traditional angiogram. Methods A retrospective review was performed on AVM patients treated via GKRS with a 4D-CTA prior to the day of treatment, on the day of treatment, or with a day-of-treatment angiogram. Treatment times, along with total times in the Leksell® coordinate frame G, were obtained from the medical records. The frame-on time was calculated by subtracting the treatment time from the total time starting from application to removal, and the statistical analysis was performed across groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA). All treatments were performed on the Perfexion™ model with a dynamic flow imaging procured via a 320-slice CT scanner or traditional angiography platform. Results Some 27 patients underwent a total of 29 GKRS procedures for AVM treatment at our institution between September 2011 and January 2017. Mean age at the time of treatment was 35.5 (6-65) years, and male:female ratio was 5:4. Some 12 patients had 4D-CTA performed prior to the day of treatment, eight patients had the same CTA completed after frame placement on the day of treatment, while seven patients underwent traditional angiography. The mean frame-on times of each group were 190, 336, and 426 minutes, respectively (p \u3c 0.0001). No procedures were aborted based on the image quality. Conclusions 4D-CTA is an effective tool in identifying the AVM nidus for GKRS planning. These studies can be performed prior to the day of treatment, allowing for a significant reduction in frame-on time and eliminating the risk of angiogram complication on the day of GKRS

Service innovation in the digital age: key contributions and future directions

Over the last decade, there has been an increasing focus on service across socioeconomic sectors coupled with transformational developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs). Together these developments are engendering dramatic new opportunities for service innovation, the study of which is both timely and important. Fully understanding these opportunities challenges us to question conventional approaches that construe service as a distinctive form of socioeconomic exchange (i.e., as services) and to reconsider what service means and thus how service innovation may develop. The aim of this special issue, therefore, is to bring together some of the latest scholarship from the Marketing and Information Systems disciplines to advance theoretical developments on service innovation in a digital age

Is It Easy to Be Urban? Convergent Success in Urban Habitats among Lineages of a Widespread Native Ant

The most rapidly expanding habitat globally is the urban habitat, yet the origin and life histories of the populations of native species that inhabit this habitat remain poorly understood. We use DNA barcoding of the COI gene in the widespread native pest ant Tapinoma sessile to test two hypotheses regarding the origin of urban populations and traits associated with their success. First, we determine if urban samples of T. sessile have a single origin from natural populations by looking at patterns of haplotype clustering from across their range. Second, we examine whether polygynous colony structure – a trait associated with invasion success – is correlated with urban environments, by studying the lineage dependence of colony structure. Our phylogenetic analysis of 49 samples identified four well supported geographic clades. Within clades, Kimura-2 parameter pairwise genetic distances revealed <2.3% variation; however, between clade genetic distances were 7.5–10.0%, suggesting the possibility of the presence of cryptic species. Our results indicate that T. sessile has successfully colonized urban environments multiple times. Additionally, polygynous colony structure is a highly plastic trait across habitat, clade, and haplotype. In short, T. sessile has colonized urban habitats repeatedly and appears to do so using life history strategies already present in more natural populations. Whether similar results hold for other species found in urban habitats has scarcely begun to be considered

New development: strategic user orientation in public services delivery—the missing link in the strategic trinity?

This paper explores the application of strategic planning and management to Public Service Organisations (PSOs). It argues that the impact of these approaches has been limited by the absence of an underlying strategic orientation that would provide a value-base upon which to embed these approaches within PSOs. It argues further for such an orientation to privelege the need for public services to add value to the lives of citizens and service users and not to focus solely upon internal measures of efficiency and performance

Expanding understanding of service exchange and value co-creation: A social construction approach

According to service-dominant logic (S-D logic), all providers are service providers, and service is the fundamental basis of exchange. Value is co-created with customers and assessed on the basis of value-in-context. However, the extensive literature on S-D logic could benefit from paying explicit attention to the fact that both service exchange and value co-creation are influenced by social forces. The aim of this study is to expand understanding of service exchange and value co-creation by complementing these central aspects of S-D logic with key concepts from social construction theories (social structures, social systems, roles, positions, interactions, and reproduction of social structures). The study develops and describes a new framework for understanding how the concepts of service exchange and value co-creation are affected by recognizing that they are embedded in social systems. The study contends that value should be understood as value-in-social-context and that value is a social construction. Value co-creation is shaped by social forces, is reproduced in social structures, and can be asymmetric for the actors involved. Service exchanges are dynamic, and actors learn and change their roles within dynamic service systems