Service quality at the London 2012 Games – a Paralympics Athletes Survey

Purpose – This paper reports on aspects of service quality at the London 2012 Paralympic Games,from a rather unusual perspective, the athletes. To date there has been little evidence captured about athlete’s satisfaction at sporting events, and specifically about their perceptions of the service quality provided. Design/methodology/approach – Unique ‘full’ access to the London 2012 Paralympics allowed to the collection of data directly from the athletes. The study reports the questionnaire findings from a sample of 250 respondents. Findings – From this study an operational assessment and performance framework has been generated composed of 10 criteria and 73 items or sub-criteria, which can be used as a benchmarking tool to plan, design and compare future sport mega-event. Moreover, the study evidence based the high quality of the 2012 Paralympics Games, as he athletes rated, on a 5 point Likert scale, 64 items in the ‘very satisfied’ category, a very positive set of feedback for the Games organisers. Research limitations/implications – The methodology applied was appropriate, generating data to facilitate discussion and draw specific conclusions from. A perceived limitation is the single case approach; however, this can be enough to add to the body of knowledge where very little evidence has been captured so far and where the objectives were to explore the Paralympics games service quality and performance. Practical implications – This research provides a tangible evidence base to support future sport event decision-makers, planners and designers in this highly complex ‘arena’. In any system, there are always areas for improvement (AFIs), these are highlighted within the paper for further investigation. Originality/value – This is the first paper to identify and synthesize aspects of sport mega event service quality from the athletes viewpoint and informs how well designed, organised and managed the London 2012 Games were from a primary user perspective. The paper makes a defined contribution by developing evidence based recommendations for this important yet under researched area

Anis - Ertragsverhalten im kontrollierten ökologischen Anbau

Versuchsbericht zum Ertragsverhalten von Anis im ökologischen Anbau: Die Kultur von Anis zeigte sich im Versuchsjahr 1999 mit überwiegend niederschlagsarmer, warmer Witterung als relativ unproblematisch. Lediglich der Pilzbefall zur Reife bedeutete Ertrags- und Qualitätseinbußen. Mit 4,1ml/100g i.T. lag der Gehalt an ätherischem Öl weit über dem geforderten Mindestgehalt von 2% laut DAB 9

Improving access to health services – Challenges in Lean application

Purpose: Healthcare organisations face significant productivity pressures and are undergoing major service transformation. This paper serves to disseminate findings from a Lean healthcare project using a NHS Single Point of Access environment as the case study. It demonstrates the relevance and extent that Lean can be applied to this type of healthcare service setting. Design/methodology/approach: Action research was applied and Lean tools used to establish current state processes, identify wastes and develop service improvement opportunities based upon defined customer values. Findings: The quality of referral information was found to be the root cause of a number of process wastes and causes of failure for the service. Understanding the relationship and the nature of interaction between the service‟s customer/supplier led to more effective and sustainable service improvement opportunities and the co-creation of value. It was also recognised that not all the Lean principles could be applied to this type of healthcare setting. Practical implications: The study is useful to organisations using Lean to undertake service improvement activities. The paper outlines how extending the value stream beyond the organisation to include suppliers can lead to improved co-production and generation of service value. Originality/value: The study contributes to service productivity research by demonstrating the relevance and limitations of Lean application in a new healthcare service setting. The case study demonstrates the practical challenges of implementing Lean in reciprocal service design models and adds validity to existing contextual models

Lean Thinking: Theory, Application and Dissemination

This book was written and compiled by the University of Huddersfield to share the learnings and experiences of seven years of Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded projects with the National Health Service (NHS). The focus of these projects was the implementation of Lean thinking and optimising strategic decision making processes. Each of these projects led to major local improvements and this book explains how they were achieved and compiles the lessons learnt. The book is split into three chapters; Lean Thinking Theory, Lean Thinking Applied and Lean Thinking Dissemination

Deformation modes of an oil-water interface under a local electric field: From Taylor cones to surface dimples

Fluidic interfaces disintegrate under sufficiently strong electric fields, leading to electrohydrodynamic (EHD) tip streaming. Taylor cones, which emit charged droplets from the tip of a conical cusp, are among the most prominent and well-studied examples of EHD instabilities. In liquid-liquid systems, more complex interface deformation modes than simple Taylor cones can be observed, with the interface being pushed away from the electrode, and additional cone structures emerging from the rim of the dimple. In this article, we investigate the mechanisms behind these deformation modes experimentally and numerically, and demonstrate that the presence of droplets triggers the dimple at the interface. In order to characterize the underlying processes, we replace the pin electrode by a hollow metallic needle with a prescribed electrolyte volume flow. The submerged electrospray introduces droplets of an aqueous KCl solution with varying ion concentrations into silicone oils with varying viscosities. By measuring the corresponding electric current and by optical investigation of the interface deformation, we study the system response to variations of the ionic concentration, viscosity, applied voltage as well as flow rate. In addition to the experiments, we use a finite element solver and compute the charge transport due to the droplets in the oil phase. Further, we compute the electric potential distribution, flow field and interface deformation. After calibration of our model with particle tracking velocimetry data of the flow inside the oil phase, we reproduce the experimentally observed dimple at the liquid-liquid interface. In summary, this work highlights the importance of charged droplets for the complex dynamic modes observed when a liquid-liquid interface is exposed to a local electric field.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures; Revised version of the pape

Where is the competitive edge in Knowledge Transfer?: the impact of KTPs

The need for technology transfer from universities to industry is a theme that resonates throughout many advanced countries of the world. This paper explores the effectiveness and efficiency of Business and Management schools in transferring technology through formal Knowledge Transfer schemes; it examines the value and impact of these activities by reporting on the outputs from thirteen major case studies across two sectors, manufacturing and healthcare. The paper assesses the impact of knowledge transfer, in relation to the development of a competitive edge and proposes some initial frameworks for potential application and use

Orientation to work: comparison between the British workforce and Polish migrant workers

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between Polish migrant workers and British labour in relation to their orientation to work. Using a sample of 128 employees in the industrial sector in the UK, we examined the orientation to work among the workforce. The results show a difference in orientation towards employment between the employees in the industrial sector, in the UK. Polish workers reveal characteristics of intrinsic orientation to work, while British employees reveal characteristics of instrumental orientation to work. Unexpectedly, the results suggest that individuals with intrinsic orientation to work expose higher need for recuperation

Transport processes and instabilities induced by electric fields acting on fluidic interfaces

Electrohydrodynamics (EHD) describes the area of research, which studies the interactions of fluid motion and electric fields. In liquids with non-negligible conductivity, charged regions are confined to thin layers closest to boundaries, where EHD effects are most pronounced. In the present work, different phenomena that involve the actuation of fluidic interfaces by electric fields are studied. Electro-osmosis describes the fluid flow due to electric fields acting on charged regions close to the interface of a fluidic domain. When a liquid is deposited above a microstructured superhydrophobic surface, additional charges can be brought to the enclosed gas-liquid interface by placing a gate electrode below the surface. In this work, the production of a superhydrophobic surface with both micro- and nano-scales is described. In addition to inducing charges, a gate electrode exerts a force on the gas-liquid interface, pulling it in between the structures. Experimentally, the wetting state stability is characterized using reflection microscopy, revealing a continuous range of wetting states at dual-scale surfaces. By using non-constant electro-osmotic flow, complex height-averaged flow fields can be induced in a Hele-Shaw cell, which is characterized by a small distance between the parallel bounding walls compared to a characteristic lateral length scale. The governing equations for of the flow field are derived, accounting both for stationary and oscillatory electric fields. The electro-osmotic flow field is characterized above a single disc-shaped gate electrode in a microfluidic channel, using particle tracking velocimetry. In addition, using proof-of-principle experiments, the ability to create complex flow patterns is demonstrated. In order to use flow shaping in biochemical applications, a height-averaged transport model for a passive species is derived using a perturbation method, accounting for advection, diffusion and sample dispersion. The effects of sample dispersion are represented by a non-isotropic dispersion tensor. The reduced-order model shows good agreement to three-dimensional simulations, and potential applications are discussed. Electric fields lead to forces on fluidic interfaces, and in this work, two different EHD instabilities at an interface between a dielectric and a conducting liquid are investigated. Upon application of a spatially homogeneous, harmonically oscillating electric field, a resonant response of the interface can be observed above a critical amplitude. An experimental setup with a circular domain is used to observe the spatial structure of the instability, which is extracted from light-refraction at the liquid-liquid interface. The resulting dominant wavelengths and instability modes show good agreement to an analytical model. Furthermore, the role of the domain boundary is investigated. Upon applying a spatially inhomogeneous, but time-constant electric field, the interface exhibits EHD tip streaming above a critical voltage, emitting droplets into the dielectric phase. The presence of conducting droplets alters the spatial structure from a Taylor cone located centric below the pin electrode to a surface depression, where the interface moves away from the electrode and cones emerge from the rim. By experimentally characterizing a submerged electrospray and using additional numerical modeling, it is shown that the droplets induce a flow in the dielectric liquid, which is responsible for the change of the spatial structure of the instability

Mechanische Unkrautbekämpfung im ökologischen Landbau - Zwischenbericht 2005

Maßnahmen zur Unkrautregulierung im Ökologischen Landbau, in dem chemisch-synthetische Herbizide nicht eingesetzt werden, basieren v.a. auf den Zusammenhängen von Fruchtfolge, angepasster Bodenbearbeitung, sowie mechanischen (Striegel- und Hacktechniken) und thermischen Maßnahmen (Abflammen). Mit Hack- und Striegeltechniken zur direkten Bekämpfung werden i.d.R. gute Ergebnisse erreicht. Schwierigkeiten bereiten Unkräuter u.a. noch in Reihenkulturen mit Feinsämereien, wie sie im Feldgemüsebau und dem Anbau von Heil- und Gewürzkräutern vorkommen. Aber auch in späten und langsam wachsenden, spät deckenden Sommerkulturen wie in Mais und Sojabohnen stellt Unkrautwuchs ein Problem dar. In einem Praxis/Demonstrationsversuch im Biolandbetrieb Hofgemeinschaft Mechtersheim wurden in der Saison 2005 die Hacktechniken Yetter Sternhacke (Firma Yetter), Torsions-hacke (Firma Frato), Fingerhacke (Firma Kress) und Gänsefußhacke getestet, jeweils in Kombination mit der Gänsefußhacke. Ihr Einsatz in Körnerfenchel und Sojabohnen wurde vor allem über die Erfassung des Unkrautdeckungsgrades hinsichtlich ihrer Wirkung gegenüber Unkraut bewertet. Der Versuch war als Praxisversuch geplant und wurde als Streifenversuch angelegt (s. Skizze Versuchsplan, S. 57) Die Wirkung der Fingerhacke als auch der Torsionshacke wurde eingeschränkt durch den zu den Hackterminen sehr festen und verkrusteten Boden. Während die Zinken der Tor-sionshacke nicht mehr in den Boden dringen konnten, fasste die Fingerhacke zwar das Unkraut, was aber zu fest saß, um entwurzelt zu werden. Der Einsatz der Yetter Sternhak-ke war zeitlich auf etwa 6 Wochen (Körnerfenchel) bzw. zwei Wochen (Soja) nach der Saat begrenzt, weil sie darüber hinaus Schäden an den Kulturpflanzen verursacht hätte

Koriander - Ertragsverhalten im kontrollierten ökologischen Anbau

Zusammenfassung der Versuchsergebnisse: Im Versuchsjahr 1999 zeigte sich der Anbau von Koriander als unproblematisch. Die trockene Witterung wirkte sich günstig auf den Ertrag und den Gehalt an ätherischem Öl bei der Sorte `Jantar` aus. Den günstigen Anbaueigenschaften steht derzeit die marktwirtschaftliche Situation gegenüber, die einen Korianderanbau unrentabel machen