Towards the Development of a Simulator for Investigating the Impact of People Management Practices on Retail Performance

Often models for understanding the impact of management practices on retail performance are developed under the assumption of stability, equilibrium and linearity, whereas retail operations are considered in reality to be dynamic, non-linear and complex. Alternatively, discrete event and agent-based modelling are approaches that allow the development of simulation models of heterogeneous non-equilibrium systems for testing out different scenarios. When developing simulation models one has to abstract and simplify from the real world, which means that one has to try and capture the 'essence' of the system required for developing a representation of the mechanisms that drive the progression in the real system. Simulation models can be developed at different levels of abstraction. To know the appropriate level of abstraction for a specific application is often more of an art than a science. We have developed a retail branch simulation model to investigate which level of model accuracy is required for such a model to obtain meaningful results for practitioners.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables, Journal of Simulation 201

A Multi-Agent Simulation of Retail Management Practices

We apply Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) to investigate a set of problems in a retail context. Specifically, we are working to understand the relationship between human resource management practices and retail productivity. Despite the fact we are working within a relatively novel and complex domain, it is clear that intelligent agents do offer potential for developing organizational capabilities in the future. Our multi-disciplinary research team has worked with a UK department store to collect data and capture perceptions about operations from actors within departments. Based on this case study work, we have built a simulator that we present in this paper. We then use the simulator to gather empirical evidence regarding two specific management practices: empowerment and employee development

Gender relations and sexual exploitation in sport.

My early publications were on aspects of gender relations in sport [Refs. 18, 17 & 16], reflecting my interests as a feminist teacher and activist. I continued to publish with colleagues in the broad field of gender relations in sport and leisure, in particular using feminist perspectives to inform analyses of leadership and coaching [Refs. 14,8, 6 & 2]. Understanding of the processes of sex discrimination in sporting organisations led me to examine further the conceptually linked issues of harassment and abuse in sport, at a time when there was virtually no literature on this [Ref. 15]. This first international refereed article on the subject was a literature review, and preceded my entry into fieldwork. Since the late 1980s I have pioneered the development of theoretical models of risk for sexual exploitation in sport, using both qualitative research with former abused athletes, and quantitative and policy research with sports personnel and national governing bodies [Refs. 10 & 11]. Throughout this work, I have adopted a multidisciplinary approach, drawing together material from sociology, psychology, philosophy, gender and sport studies, clinical and reflexive perspectives [Ref.7]. I was the first researcher to put forward a set of risk factors for sexual exploitation in sport, based on inductive research [Ref. 12], and also proposed an original model of a sex offending cycle in sport [Ref. 12, summarised in Ref. 4]. I conducted the first ever study of parents' role in protecting children from abuse in sport [Ref. 9]. I have researched the child protection policy process in the voluntary and public sectors and have used this to inform professional development work for Sport England, sports coach UK/NCF and the Council of Europe [Refs. 3, 5 & 13]. My book [Ref. 1] is a synthesis of all my previous research, representing a state-of-the-art review of theory, policy and practice in the fields of child abuse and protection in sport. Ch. 7 proposes an original Contingency Model of Sexual Exploitation, based on multiple case analysis, which should enable sport organisations to develop more effective risk management strategies

Using Intelligent Agents to understand organisational behaviour

This paper introduces two ongoing research projects which seek to apply computer modelling techniques in order to simulate human behaviour within organisations. Previous research in other disciplines has suggested that complex social behaviours are governed by relatively simple rules which, when identified, can be used to accurately model such processes using computer technology. The broad objective of our research is to develop a similar capability within organisational psychology

Policy gaps in addressing social determinants of health for Australians with a disability

Compared to non-disabled people, Australians with a disability have poorer health and experience greater levels of socio-economic disadvantage e.g. unemployment, housing insecurity, and social exclusion. Reducing these inequities could significantly improve the health of Australians with a disability. However, in Australia there is a lack of knowledge on how to target health and social policies which address the social determinants of health for people with a disability in order to reduce social and economic disadvantage

A biodegradable system for the tailored delivery of growth factors and its application to bone morphogenetic protein-2 delivery for bone repair

The repair of bone defects and fracture non-unions remain a challenge for clinicians. Current materials have limitations regarding quality, availability and there are long-term complications. Alternative graft materials, often in combination with growth factors have been investigated, but, poor retention of growth factors has lead to the clinical use of high doses and/or frequent injections, putting the patient at risk of adverse effects. The aim was to develop and evaluate a controlled bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) delivery system based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) that would improve current therapies by controlling the dose and localisation of BMP-2 at the treatment site as well as providing a biodegradable scaffold to support the newly formed tissue. Reproducible procedures to manufacture spherical PLGA microparticles of defined sizes within a 1-100 µm range were developed. Lysozyme was used to model rhBMP-2 and it was successfully encapsulated with human serum albumin into PLGA microparticles with high entrapment efficiency and retained its activity upon subsequent release. Release rate was manipulated by the use of a PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock copolymer and resulted in a number of distinctly different but reproducible cumulative release curves which were applicable to the delivery of different growth factors to mimic in-vivo kinetics. A sustained release profile over one month was chosen for rhBMP-2 delivery and it was shown to remain active upon release demonstrated by up-regulation of alkaline phosphate expression in murine C2C12 myoblast cells and human mesenchymal stem cells. It also induced murine primary calvarial cells to produce a mineralised matrix and caused localised ossification in the epiphysis of an embryonic chick femur. This work has developed a robust, novel method of tailoring protein release and applied it to rhBMP-2. The technology could be transferred to different growth factors and the regeneration of different tissues

Understanding the Impact of Management Practices and Other Factors on Productivity in the UK Retail Sector

Insights into how management practices and other factors impact upon company productivity in the UK retail sector. Creating a sound base of applied knowledge and understanding to inform other components of our project

Agent based simulation as a novel decision support tool for retail managers

Intelligent agents offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. We apply agent-based simulation to investigate a set of problems in a retail context. Specifically, we are working to understand the relationship between human resource management practices and retail productivity. Our multi-disciplinary research team draws upon expertise from work psychologists and computer scientists. Our research so far has led us to conduct case study work with a top ten UK retailer. Based on our case study experience and data we are developing a simulator that can be used to investigate the impact of management practices (e.g. training, empowerment, teamwork) on customer satisfaction and retail productivity

Understanding Retail Productivity by Simulating Management Practices

Intelligent agents offer a new and exciting way of understanding the world of work. In this paper we apply agent-based modeling and simulation to investigate a set of problems in a retail context. Specifically, we are working to understand the relationship between human resource management practices and retail productivity. Despite the fact we are working within a relatively novel and complex domain, it is clear that intelligent agents could offer potential for fostering sustainable organizational capabilities in the future. Our research so far has led us to conduct case study work with a top ten UK retailer, collecting data in four departments in two stores. Based on our case study data we have built and tested a first version of a department store simulator. In this paper we will report on the current development of our simulator which includes new features concerning more realistic data on the pattern of footfall during the day and the week, a more differentiated view of customers, and the evolution of customers over time. This allows us to investigate more complex scenarios and to analyze the impact of various management practices