Lean towards learning: connecting Lean Thinking and human resource management in UK higher education

From its origins in the automotive industry, Lean Thinking is increasingly being seen as a solution to problems of efficiency and quality in other industries and sectors. In recent years attempts have been made to transfer Lean principles and practice to the higher education sector with indications of mixed consequences and debate over its suitability. This paper contributes to the debate by drawing evidence from thirty-four interviews conducted across two UK universities that have implemented Lean in some of their activities and we pay particular attention to the role of the HR function in facilitating its introduction. The findings suggest there are problems in understanding, communicating and transferring Lean Thinking in the higher education context; that, despite HR systems being vital facets of Lean, HR professionals are excluded from participation; and that as a consequence the depth and breadth of Lean application in the two institutions is very limited

Lean towards learning: connecting Lean Thinking and human resource management in UK higher education

From its origins in the automotive industry,Lean Thinking is increasingly being seen as a solution to problems of efficiency and quality in other industries and sectors. In recent years attempts have been made to transfer Lean principles and practice to the higher education sector, with indications of mixed consequences and debate over its suitability. This paper contributes to the debate by drawing evidence from 34 interviews conducted across two UK universities that have implemented Lean in some of their activities, and we pay particular attention to the role of the human resource function in facilitating its introduction. The findings suggest that there are problems in understanding, communicating and transferring Lean Thinking in the higher education context; despite human resource systems being vital facets of Lean, human resource professionals are excluded from participation; and as a consequence the depth and breadth of Lean application in the two institutions is very limited

New technologies for 3D realization in Art and Design practice

As digital design technologies become ever more widespread, CAD-CAM, virtual and rapid prototyping techniques are increasingly being exploited by creative practitioners working in areas outside the industrial design and engineering contexts in which these technologies are currently predominantly employed. This review paper aims to critically examine work by artists, craft practitioners, and designer-makers who creatively engage with these new and rapidly emerging technologies and, by doing so, extend their own practice and push at the boundaries of art and design disciplines. Historic precedents for new 3D technologies in the fine and applied arts are identified, and writing by Heidegger, Baudrillard, and Virilio informs the critical review of work by art and design practitioners in sculpture, metalwork, jewellery, and ceramics. The discussion reflects on relationships between art and technology and physical and virtual making, and concludes by pointing to the possibility of new “hybrid” forms of practice which bridge the gap between physical and virtual design worlds. The paper closes by suggesting that the notion of “truth to materials” in the arts and crafts might now be extended to one of “truth to virtual materials”, as practitioners creatively negotiate relationships between digital cause and physical effect

Nitrogen transport in the orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis - further evidence for a mutualistic association.

Mycorrhizas are symbioses integral to the health of plant-based ecosystems (Smith & Read, 2008). In a typical mycorrhizal association, fungi in, or on, plant roots pass soil-acquired inorganic nutrients and water to the plant host. In return, the host transfers excess photosynthate to the fungus

A description of the advertising and direct marketing decision processes of the New Zealand marketing managers

A critical component of the marketing mix for most organisations is the development and execution of an effective communications strategy. Yet managers often have little guidance in advertising and promotional decisions other than past practice within their own organisations, or rules of thumb formed over years of training and experience. The New Zealand Advertising and Direct Marketing Project was initiated as a baseline study with the objective of better understanding the beliefs, opinions and practices of marketing managers in respect of marketing communications within their orgainsations. A sample of about 200 large companies known to have reasonably significant advertising budgets was surveyed late in 1991. A usable sample of 91 actual responses forms the basis of a generally descriptive survey which examines: what managers believe about advertising and its effects, how the advertising function is organised, the setting and allocating of budgets, rules of thumb which guide advertising practice, measures of advertising effectiveness, and general issues to do with the future of advertising and direct marketing. The results provide an interesting benchmark against which practitioners can assess their own particular beliefs and practices, as well as a good overview of management practice for marketing students and educators. Where appropriate, the results are broken down into four predominant industry categories: fastmoving consumer goods, consumer durables, financial services, and business to business marketers

Carbon for nutrient exchange between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and wheat varies according to cultivar and changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with most crops, potentially improving their nutrient assimilation and growth. The effects of cultivar and atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) on wheat–AMF carbon‐for‐nutrient exchange remain critical knowledge gaps in the exploitation of AMF for future sustainable agricultural practices within the context of global climate change. We used stable and radioisotope tracers (15N, 33P, 14C) to quantify AMF‐mediated nutrient uptake and fungal acquisition of plant carbon in three wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. We grew plants under current ambient (440 ppm) and projected future atmospheric CO2 concentrations (800 ppm). We found significant 15N transfer from fungus to plant in all cultivars, and cultivar‐specific differences in total N content. There was a trend for reduced N uptake under elevated atmospheric [CO2]. Similarly, 33P uptake via AMF was affected by cultivar and atmospheric [CO2]. Total P uptake varied significantly among wheat cultivars and was greater at the future than current atmospheric [CO2]. We found limited evidence of cultivar or atmospheric [CO2] effects on plant‐fixed carbon transfer to the mycorrhizal fungi. Our results suggest that AMF will continue to provide a route for nutrient uptake by wheat in the future, despite predicted rises in atmospheric [CO2]. Consideration should therefore be paid to cultivar‐specific AMF receptivity and function in the development of climate smart germplasm for the future

COSIMA-Rosetta calibration for in-situ characterization of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko cometary inorganic compounds

20 pages, 3 figures, 5 tablesInternational audienceCOSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyser) is a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) on board the Rosetta space mission. COSIMA has been designed to measure the composition of cometary dust grains. It has a mass resolution m/{\Delta}m of 1400 at mass 100 u, thus enabling the discrimination of inorganic mass peaks from organic ones in the mass spectra. We have evaluated the identification capabilities of the reference model of COSIMA for inorganic compounds using a suite of terrestrial minerals that are relevant for cometary science. Ground calibration demonstrated that the performances of the flight model were similar to that of the reference model. The list of minerals used in this study was chosen based on the mineralogy of meteorites, interplanetary dust particles and Stardust samples. It contains anhydrous and hydrous ferromagnesian silicates, refractory silicates and oxides (present in meteoritic Ca-Al-rich inclusions), carbonates, and Fe-Ni sulfides. From the analyses of these minerals, we have calculated relative sensitivity factors for a suite of major and minor elements in order to provide a basis for element quantification for the possible identification of major mineral classes present in the cometary grains