Abelian Conformal Field theories and Determinant Bundles

The present paper is the first in a series of papers, in which we shall construct modular functors and Topological Quantum Field Theories from the conformal field theory developed in [TUY]. The basic idea is that the covariant constant sections of the sheaf of vacua associated to a simple Lie algebra over Teichm\"uller space of an oriented pointed surface gives the vectorspace the modular functor associates to the oriented pointed surface. However the connection on the sheaf of vacua is only projectively flat, so we need to find a suitable line bundle with a connection, such that the tensor product of the two has a flat connection. We shall construct a line bundle with a connection on any family of pointed curves with formal coordinates. By computing the curvature of this line bundle, we conclude that we actually need a fractional power of this line bundle so as to obtain a flat connection after tensoring. In order to functorially extract this fractional power, we need to construct a preferred section of the line bundle. We shall construct the line bundle by the use of the so-called $bc$-ghost systems (Faddeev-Popov ghosts) first introduced in covariant quantization [FP]. We follow the ideas of [KNTY], but decribe it from the point of view of [TUY].Comment: A couple of typos correcte

Developing a conceptual model illustrating how HRM practices support each other in order to improve service quality

In previous work, it was found that there were six HRM practices, which are most crucial in supporting service quality. The purposes of this paper are, firstly, to clarity the individual relationships among the six HRM practices and to examine how those practices support reach other, and secondly, to develop a model which incorporates all of the inter-relationships among the six HRM practices. Previously, each individual relationship has tended to be considered in isolation in the literature. Therefore, in this paper, the various inter-relationships were unified into a single model. In this new conceptual framework, the six HRM practices are inter-linked so that each of them may have a joint function in supporting service quality. The model can therefore be used to identify problem area(s) in order to improve service quality. For example, since all of the six HRM practices are important in supporting each other, if one or more of these practices are considered to be unsatisfactory, the model will indicate potential practice(s) which may have been causing the problem(s) or which might have been affected by the substandard practice(s). Since the six HRM practices are not stand along items, it is important to pay proper attention to all six practices in order to support service quality. As these inter-relationships are not specific to a certain type of service business, the model is likely to be applicable to a wide range of service industries

Using data from connected thermostats to track large power outages in the United States

The detection of power outages is an essential activity for electric utilities. A large, national dataset of Internet-connected thermostats was used to explore and illustrate the ability of Internet-connected devices to geospatially track outages caused by hurricanes and other major weather events. The method was applied to nine major outage events, including hurricanes and windstorms. In one event, Hurricane Irma, a network of about 1000 thermostats provided quantitatively similar results to detailed utility data with respect to the number of homes without power and identification of the most severely affected regions. The method generated regionally uniform outage data that would give emergency authorities additional visibility into the scope and magnitude of outages. The network of thermostat-sensors also made it possible to calculate a higher resolution version of outage duration (or SAIDI) at a level of customer-level visibility that was not previously available

Moduli Space of Topological 2-form Gravity

We propose a topological version of four-dimensional (Euclidean) Einstein gravity, in which anti-self-dual 2-forms and an SU(2) connection are used as fundamental fields. The theory describes the moduli space of conformally self-dual Einstein manifolds. In the presence of a cosmological constant, we evaluate the index of the elliptic complex associated with the moduli space.Comment: 10pages, Latex (minor changes

Which HRM practices contribute to service culture?

It is known that HRM can help to develop service culture, which will in turn improve service quality. The purpose of this article is to determine the relative importance of six HRM practices in terms of their impact on culture. A questionnaire survey of medium and large sized UK service businesses was conducted. The results reveal that there is a strong association between culture and the HRM practices, and that some management practices are more strongly associated with culture than others. Further research should explore the reasons why some HRM practices are more contributory to culture than others. Service businesses in pursuit of service quality should make use of these HRM practices for developing service culture in their organisations. This research has confirmed a strong association between culture and HRM practices, and also clarified the relative importance of the HRM practices in terms of their impact on culture in order to improve service quality

Which management practices are contributory to service quality?

Purpose - There are many features which have been regarded as having a critical role in supporting service quality. The purpose of this research is to identify which management practices support service quality. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey of medium and large sized mass and technological services in the UK was conducted. Findings – It was found that service quality and the management practices were all significantly associated in mass services, but this was not the case in technological services. Research limitations/implications – Further research should consider those management features which were found to be non-contributory to service quality in technological services. Originality/value – This research has clarified the ranking of the management practices in terms of the contribution they have made to support service quality, and also found the differences between the two types of services

What are the fundamental features supporting service quality?

Purpose – There are many features that have been regarded as having a critical role in supporting service quality. The purpose of this article is to identify those features that are fundamental in supporting service quality. Methodology/Approach – A literature review was conducted covering TQM, internal marketing, and the service quality literature, especially the study of service quality gaps. All of these are concerned with the search for service excellence. Findings – From a comparative study of these three areas of the literature, it was found that there are seven common features: recruitment & selection, training, teamwork, empowerment, performance appraisals & reward, communication, and culture of the organisation. Each of them is argued to be critical for the management of service quality. Practical implications – Although there are other factors that can influence service quality, the identification of fundamental features provides managers and academics with a valuable framework with which to start in pursuit of service quality across a variety of service businesses. Originality/value of the paper – Although, management of service quality has been regarded as notoriously difficult due to the characteristics of services, by identifying fundamental features supporting service quality, this article provides focal points for the management of service quality

Are performance appraisals and reward really a contributory factor to service quality?

The purpose of this research is to provide new empirical evidence with which to clarify the role of performance appraisals & reward, and how these techniques can support service quality in varied types of service business. A questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews were conducted. Analysis of the questionnaire data revealed that, although there was a moderate association between service quality and performance appraisals & reward in mass services, the relationship was not statistically significant in technological services. The interview data explained these results, highlighting important differences between mass and technological services. In technological services, partly due to the hybrid nature of the business, performance appraisals & reward did not seem to focus primarily on service quality. Hence, these techniques were not one of the absolute necessities in improving service quality. In mass services, the use of performance appraisals & rewards was identified as being very problematic due to difficulties in measurement of services, and in setting criteria for service performance of front-line staff, especially in the qualitative aspects. This research has identified that the actual contribution from performance appraisals & reward to service quality varied, and has explained the reasons behind the diverse contributions in each type of service business

Which management practices are contributory to service quality? Part 2: Findings from in‐depth interviews

Purpose – Previously, a questionnaire survey was conducted and it was found that some management practices were more influential to service quality than others. The purpose of the interviews is to identify in more detail the reasons behind the survey findings. Design/methodology/approach – 18 in-depth interviews into a range of management practices which support service quality were conducted. Findings – It was found that there were difficulties in implementing some of the management practices due to the type of staff employed and to the nature of tasks undertaken. Research limitations/implications – As the purpose of this research is to facilitate interpretation of the quantitative data, the investigation did not go in detail beyond mass and technological services. Hence, individual organisational characteristics, individual circumstances, or details of the service offered to customers are not considered beyond the category of either mass or technological services. Originality/value – This research has identified that the actual contribution from different management practices to service quality varied, and has explained the reasons behind the diverse contributions in each type of service business

Is empowerment really a contributory factor to service quality?

This article investigates how empowerment of front-line staff affects service quality in mass and technological services. A questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews were conducted. Analysis of the questionnaire data revealed that although there was a moderate association between empowerment and service quality in mass services, the relationship was not statistically significant in technological services. The interview data explain these results and highlight important differences between mass and technological services, both in the type of staff and in the nature of tasks undertaken. Moreover, it was apparent that there were difficulties in implementing empowerment in mass services