bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Service Scaling on Hyper-Networks
Authors: Chan Wai Kin Victor , Hsu Cheng
Published: April 2012

Service scaling is concerned with service productivity, and hyper-networks with the design of service scaling. This new model uniquely explains Internet-based economic activities, such as e-commerce/e-business and social networking, which are quintessential new genres of service for Knowledge Economy. These activities possess unprecedented promises for scaling: up (reaching the population), down (personalization), and transformational (new business designs). The concept of hyper-networks has been proposed recently by one of the authors to help explain the analytical nature of such scaling. It establishes the principle of designing multiple simultaneous layers of digital connections (networking) of persons and organizations on the same basic networks (e.g., the Internet), and interrelating them through “value worm holes” to inflate value propositions (business spaces) and enable massive, simultaneous value cocreations across the life cycles of persons and organizations. This paper further analyzes the mathematical properties of hyper-networks in the context of a person's multiple roles in his/her life cycle, where each role sparks a particular network. Agent-based simulation experiments confirm that multi-layered networking (e.g., simultaneous multiple social networks) decreases exponentially the degrees of separation, and thereby increases the possibility for value proposition and cocreation in the community.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Service-Dominant Logic as a Foundation for Service Science: Clarifications
Authors: Vargo Stephen L. , Akaka Melissa Archpru
Published: April 2012

Service science is an emerging discipline concerned with the evolution, interaction, and reciprocal cocreation of value among service systems (Maglio and Spohrer [Maglio, P. P., J. Spohrer. 2008. Fundamentals of Service Science. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 36(1) 18–20.]; Spohrer et al. [Spohrer, J., S. Vargo, N. Caswell, P. Maglio. 2008. The Service System is the Basic Abstraction of Service Science. 41st Annual HICSS Conference Proceedings.]). Service-dominant (S-D) logic (Vargo and Lusch [Vargo, S., R. F. Lusch. 2004a. Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing 68(1) 1–17.] [Vargo, S., R. F. Lusch. 2008. Service-Dominant Logic: Continuing the Evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 36(1) 1–10.]) is an alternative to the traditional, goods-dominant (G-D) paradigm for understanding economic exchange and value creation. This service-centered view is based on the idea that service – the application of competences for the benefit of another – is the basis of all exchange. S-D logic has been identified as an appropriate philosophical foundation for the development of service science (Maglio et al. [Maglio, P. P., S. L. Vargo, N. Caswell, J. Spohrer, 2009. The Service System is the Basic Abstraction of Service Science. Information Systems and e-business Management (in press).]). However, perhaps partly because S-D logic is first necessarily encountered through the G-D logic paradigm to which it runs counter, it is sometimes misinterpreted and thus misrepresented. This paper discusses S-D logic as a foundation for service science by reviewing the foundational premises of S-D logic and clarifying several misinterpretations related to (1) the S-D logic meaning of “service,” (2) the role of service in economic exchange, and (3) the nature of value cocreation. Drawing on these clarifications, implications of an S-D logic foundation for service science are proposed.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Computational Thinking of Service Systems: Dynamics and Adaptiveness Modeling
Authors: Qiu Robin G.
Published: April 2012

Service is broadly considered as an application of specialized knowledge, skill, and experience, performed for co-creation of respective values of both consumer and provider. Services are engineered and delivered through a heterogeneous service system. Compared to physical goods in manufacturing, resources, largely people (end users as the service consumer and employees as the service provider) – the main focus of a service system, cannot be held and are more complex to model and manage as people participating in service production and consumption have physiological and psychological issues, cognitive capability, and sociological constraints, etc. As the world becomes more complex and uncertain socially and economically, this research proposes a computational thinking approach to modeling of the dynamics and adaptiveness of a service system, aimed at fully leveraging today's ubiquitous digitalized information, computing capability and computational power so that the service system can be studied qualitatively and quantitatively. Ultimately, with this foundation we will successively and successfully develop the following mechanisms to implement and enhance service systems:

A mechanism to timely capture end users' requirements, changes, expectation and satisfaction in a variety of technical, social, and cultural aspects; A mechanism to efficiently and cost-effectively provide employees right means and assistances to engineer services while promptly responding the changes; A mechanism to allow involved people consciously infuse as much intelligence as possible into all levels and aspects of decision-making to assure necessary system adaptiveness for smarter operations.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
The Consequences of Information Overload in Knowledge Based Service Economies: An Empirical Research Conducted in Geneva
Authors: Dubosson Magali , Fragniere Emmanuel
Published: April 2012

We have conducted survey research to measure the perception of the Genevese population regarding the problem of information overload. The sample size is 581. Main findings indicate that information overload is a real concern in Geneva and seems to affect the efficiency of companies. Themes like sources and mediums of communications, utility of information, information pollution are investigated. In the first part of the analysis, we propose descriptive statistics. In the second part we explore a few hypotheses that are tested.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
iFAO: Facility Network Transformation Services for Specific Customer Oriented Service Industries
Authors: Dong Jin , Bai Xinxin , Yin Wenjun , Xie Ming , Fasano JP , Li Thomas
Published: April 2012

Facility Network Transformation (FNT) is a strategic approach to assess and optimize industrial facility networks for new site selection, demand forecasting, and performance evaluation in customer oriented service industries such as banking and retail. In practice, FNT requirements are often diverse, dynamic and industry specific. It is often difficult to implement a generic FNT service fully integrated with legacy systems. The heterogeneity of spatial information further calls for a loosely coupled architecture. An innovative spatial decision support system, iFAO (Intelligent Facility Network Analytics and Optimization), for FNT problems using Service Oriented Architecture principles was developed. In this paper, key FNT service patterns are identified and modeled to provide an industry independent solution, and an SOA-based framework for iFAO is proposed. An underlying data model design is elaborated which acts as a common language for experts from different domains to communicate and help speed up the solution development. A retail case is presented to illustrate how SOA based iFAO services are integrated to address real industrial problems, especially for quick decisions on business strategy in the competitive and ever-changing marketplace.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Editorial Column—Welcome to Our Declaration of Interdependence
Authors: Spohrer Jim
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] As the nations, businesses, non-profits, and people of the world become more interdependent, value creation and conflict resolution mechanisms, both historically evolved and consciously designed, are becoming more diverse, complex, and unfortunately, more susceptible to cascade failures and the law of unintended consequences. Service science is emerging as the study of value-cocreation phenomena in a globally integrated and connected world, which has the potential to become significantly smarter and more sustainable. In a service world, diverse entities create, abandon, utilize, ignore, configure, reconfigure, specialize, integrate, protect, and share resources and relationships to cocreate benefits with and for each other, both as individuals and collectives, both for the short-term and the long-term.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Homeworking and Service Delivery: A Win Win Arrangement?
Authors: Beaumont Phil , Pate Judy , Paton Robert A. , Stewart Sandra
Published: April 2012

In order to meet the ever-increasing demands of the market place, many organizations have sought to become more agile and flexible. One potential route to increased flexibility is home working. However, in a service dominant world what is less well considered is the impact of such flexible work practices on co-workers, partners and customers. Some of the human resource management literature provides a positive stance, where both employee and employer benefit from home working arrangements, whereas other studies have challenged and questioned the practice and suggest that the benefits of home working have been overstated. This paper draws on results of a case study investigation to appraise, for the various stakeholders, the qualitative benefits and costs of homeworking.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Editorial Column—Service Science and Network Science
Authors: Hsu Cheng
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] Service science is a big umbrella under which many new and traditional results can find their comfortable places. However, as a creditable scientific field, it has to provide the premium that comes from the coalescence of the parts: the uniquely service science results that come from, e.g., the intersection of science, management and engineering. Jim Spohrer's declaration of interdependence (see the editorial column, Service Science, 1(1)) squarely places the focus on value cocreation in a digitally connected world. I concur.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Cloud Software Service: Concepts, Technology, Economics
Authors: Katzan Harry
Published: April 2012

Cloud software service is a modality for providing computer facilities and deploying software via the Internet. The concept combines Cloud Computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Cloud computing represents a contextual shift in how computers are provisioned and accessed. Software-as-a-service is an architectural continuum that represents a democratization of access to software, computing platforms, and data through network effects, and the monetization of its value to customers and end users. One of the defining characteristics of cloud software service is the transfer of control from the client domain to the service provider. Another is that the client benefits from economy of scale on the part of the provider. There are many different examples of cloud software service, and this paper seeks to combine the salient elements into a composite picture of the subject matter.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
A Stochastic Model of Resource Allocation for Service Systems
Authors: Badinelli Ralph
Published: April 2012

Purpose: In this paper we develop a resource allocation model for a service system. The uncertainty of the relationship between inputs and outputs of a process of co-creation of value by a service provider and a service recipient is modeled with a stochastic form of the technology function of each service process of the system. The model development is directed at providing useful policy prescription for service providers and a foundation for research into the nature of resource allocation policies in service industries.

Design/methodology/approach: The model development makes use of concepts of probability theory, optimization theory and extant DEA models.

Findings: A practical optimization for allocating resources to service processes as well as insights into the complexity of service resource management are obtained.

Research limitations/implications: The model presented in this paper is based on constant returns to scale of the service process. Nonlinear technology functions will be the subject of future research.

Originality/value: To date, service science lacks models for resource management that approach the usefulness of resource-management models for manufacturing enterprises even though the service economy in the industrialized world is larger than the manufacturing economy. This paper initiates a stream of model-building research.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Service Systems and Requisite Variety
Authors: Godsiff Phil
Published: April 2012

Purpose: This conceptual paper will explore the application of an aspect of systems theory, the Law of Requisite Variety (LRV) to service organisations.

Design/methodology/approach: The notion of a system has a strong history in management; in searching for theory to provide substance to service systems research the concept can provide valuable insights. Systems theory and thinking is the study of complex adaptive wholes; the focus is on the whole rather than the parts. The LRV, introduced by Ashby, concerns the behaviour of systems. The LRV states that the organisation must be able to deal with the variety introduced by the external environment, in order to remain viable. Understanding the nature of customer variety and how to deal with it is important for service organisations since variety provides both a challenge and an opportunity. This paper seeks to explore and operationalise variety in a service context.

Findings: A new service systems model is proposed building on the LRV, systems concepts and on current developments in service classification.

Originality/value: To further the use of systems thinking in service science and to explore how the LRV could be applied in this context.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Dynamic Pricing and Inventory Policies: A Strategic Analysis of Dual Channel Supply Chain Design
Authors: Moon Yongma , Yao Tao , Friesz Terry L.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents a continuous time optimization model for a dynamic pricing and inventory control problem in a dual-channel supply chain system. We consider a manufacturer's redesign of traditional channel structures, based on customer behaviors, by engaging in direct Internet sales. While the manufacturer and its retailer set optimal pricing and inventory policies dynamically, this study considers both vertical integration and competition of two channels. For the former case, a continuous time optimal control problem is modeled, while for the latter a differential quasi-variational inequality (DQVI) formulation is applied to solve as a Cournot-Nash-Bertrand game. We provide implications for optimal strategies and note the effect of a customer acceptance index.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Markov Decision Processes for Optimizing Human Workflows
Authors: Espinosa Enrique D. , Frausto Juan , Rivera Ernesto J.
Published: April 2012

Workflows are used by domain analysts as a tool to describe the synchronization of activities in a business domain. The Business Process Management Notation (BPMN) has become a standard to characterize Workflows. Nevertheless, BPMN alone does not provide tools for aligning business models and IT architectures. Currently, there is not a method which promotes making decisions based on a technique with a probabilistic basis for providing financial value to a [human] workflow. If such method could exist, it would help the domain analyst to understand what sections of the business and IT architecture could be re-engineered for adding value. Markov Decision Processes (MDP's) can be the centerpiece of such a method. MDP's are introduced as a means to pinpoint assets to be designed, managed, and continuously improved, while enhancing business agility and operational performance.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Discovering Experts, Experienced Persons and Specialists for IT Infrastructure Support
Authors: Palshikar Girish Keshav , Vin Harrick M. , Saradhi V. Vijaya , Mudassar Mohammed
Published: April 2012

Workforce analytics (i.e., statistical analysis, modeling and mining of HR data) is particularly important in service industries. Service industries are people-intensive and the knowledge and expertise of the people within an organization is a strategic resource critical for success. Performance of employees in a service organization is directly related to the customer satisfaction and creation of value. In this paper, we adopt a domain-driven data mining approach and begin by raising specific business questions in workforce the analysis with a focus on IT Infrastructure Support (ITIS) services and then propose solutions for them. We distinguish between three aspects of what makes people valuable in an ITIS organization: expertise, specialization and experience. We propose novel formalizations of these notions and discuss rigorous statistical and optimization based algorithms to discover these 3 types of people (along with their work areas). In particular, for the important problem of expert discovery, we propose two separate algorithms: one statistical and another based on data envelopment analysis technique from optimization. The approaches have been implemented and have produced satisfactory results on more than 25 real-life ITIS datasets, one of which we use for illustration.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Optimization of Multi-skill Call Centers Contracts and Work-shifts
Authors: Cordone Roberto , Piselli Andrea , Ravizza Paolo , Righini Giovanni
Published: April 2012

Call centers are complex systems in which it is essential to optimize the trade-off between the service level provided to the customers and the cost for the personnel. In this paper we describe a quantitative approach to choose the most suitable contracts to hire the call center operators. The aim is to organize their work-shifts and their rest periods, including lunch-breaks, in such a way that the mix of skills obtained in each time slot is as close as possible to a desired level, estimated according to demand forecasts. The approach here proposed is based on a heuristic method which exploits a general purpose linear programming solver.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
A SAT View on New Service Development
Authors: Lin Fu-Ren , Hsieh Pei-Shan
Published: April 2012

New service development (NSD) is getting important for companies that wish to gain a competitive advantage on service-driven markets. While research on NSD has grown rapidly over the last decade, many studies have been highly fragmented and concentrated on different innovation issues. Few studies have focused on the stages, activities, and techniques of NSD. In addition, the NSD process is delivered through service value net, and can often be carried out by multiple companies. Therefore, this study aims to provide a SAT (Stage-Activity-Technique) framework for NSD stages, activities, and techniques based on a literature review and trend analysis. This study divides the NSD process into five stages: service identification, service value net formation, service modeling, service implementation, and service commercialization. In addition, the NSD process is more likely to be spiral in form for new services that are examined. The NSD process is also likely to be refined by service providers and customers to incorporate their detailed requirements and integrate service value into future development processes. The SAT model can assist service designers and engineers in developing new services by providing a structured NSD process and identifying techniques for activities in the NSD process.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Better Place: A Case Study of the Reciprocal Relations Between Sustainability and Service
Authors: Wolfson Adi , Tavor Dorith , Mark Shlomo , Schermann Michael , Krcmar Helmut
Published: April 2012

Facing rising energy costs and the heightened awareness of environmental issues expressed by society and encapsulated in regulations, sustainability is a major requirement for designing and operating future service systems. In addition, sustainability serves as a key driver for profitable services. Restructuring service processes to meet environmental regulations should be seen as the opportunity to design processes that consume less and thus cost less. Furthermore, sustainable services require service providers to incorporate a holistic perspective that incorporates service provisioning, the service network, and the service customer. In addition, designing sustainable services now promotes the transfer of sustainability as a service from the current generation to the next. We analyze Better Place, a company in the electric mobility industry, to demonstrate the potentials and challenges of sustainable services. We show that sustainability is a major driver of service design. Furthermore, Better Place shows that understanding and clarifying sustainability raises important methodological issues for service design by highlighting the complexity of designing services in a multi-actor value network.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Offshoring of Information-Based Services: Structural Breaks in Industry Life Cycles
Authors: Hahn Eugene D. , Bunyaratavej Kraiwinee
Published: April 2012

The emergence of widespread offshoring of information-based services is arguably one of the more transformative business phenomena of the last ten years. A growing body of research has examined the firm-level drivers and location factors (i.e., the “whys” and “wheres”) of services offshoring. However, little empirical research has examined the temporal dynamics (or “whens”) of services offshoring. Adopting industry life cycle theory as a framework and a Bayesian methodological approach, we explore two key research questions: (i) when do different categories of offshoring services provision change from being emergent sectors to more mature ones relative to one another? and (ii) how do different types of offshoring activity differentially progress through this sequence? Employing a database of 1,420 offshore services FDI projects, we find that the relative skill level and the information sensitivity of the specific service category are associated with the temporal sequence of industry life cycle progression such that activities with decreased information sensitivity are offshored earlier than those with greater information sensitivity. We draw implications for our findings in terms of future waves of service offshoring.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Scenario Analysis of Web Service Composition based on Multi-Criteria Mathematical Goal Programming
Authors: Cui LiYing , Kumara Soundar , Lee Dongwon
Published: April 2012

This paper addresses the web service composition problem considering multi-criteria regarding quality of services (QoS). Three different scenarios of multi-criteria mathematical programming models are explored under the framework of network based analysis in web service composition. This work takes care of the issues pertaining to inputs and outputs matching of web services and Quality-of-Service (QoS) at the same time. The multi-criteria programming models are explored to select the desirable service composition in a variety of categories in accordance with customers' preferences in three different scenarios: (1) Optimal, (2) Compromised optimal, and (3) Acceptable. This set of multi-criteria models have both advantages and disadvantages comparing with each other, and can be used as different solvers in the network based service composition framework. The proposed regular multi-criteria programming (MCP) models are used in Scenario (1): Optimal. The proposed multi-criteria goal programming for optimal composition (MCGPO) and multi-criteria goal programming for non-optimal solution (MCGPN) models are designed for Scenarios (2): Compromised optimal and (3) Acceptable respectively. And they can find a compromised composition based on the trade-off of customer's preference on the QoS goals in case that the optimal composition satisfying both functional and QoS constraints does not exist in the network.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Hyper-Networking of Customers, Providers, and Resources Drives New Service Business Designs: e-Commerce and Beyond
Authors: Hsu Cheng
Published: April 2012

What drives new service business designs? More precisely, what could be a generic strategy to grow value cocreation among persons? The emerging network science and service science may offer an answer: comprehensively connecting, or hyper-networking, the customers, providers, and resources via digital means. This connectionist perspective has led to the Digital Connections Scaling (DCS) theory, which suggests that new service business designs arise from thrusting the connections up to span the population, deepening down to facilitate individual persons' life cycle needs, and cutting across business designs and domains to transform them. This paper develops the DCS theory into a generic strategy for designing new service businesses and justifies the strategy with empirical evidence taken from the field of e-commerce and social networking. The study then applies the proposed strategy to analyze what new models and paradigms may come next. An information systems design framework for implementing the strategy is also proposed.

[Service Science, ISSN 2164-3962 (print), ISSN 2164-3970 (online), was published by Services Science Global (SSG) from 2009 to 2011 as issues under ISBN 978-1-4276-2090-3.]
Two Audits of the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer and the Two-Week Rule following Referrals from Primary Care Practitioners in Newcastle
Authors: Miller Cara CS , Hierons Rebecca J
Published: April 2012

Aim

The aim of the two audits was to evaluate the success of the two-week rule in the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) department at the Newcastle General Hospital (NGH) and then subsequently in the oral surgery and oral medicine departments at Newcastle Dental Hospital (NDH).

Methods

All two-week referrals seen at the NGH over a one-year period were examined retrospectively. An identical subsequent audit was carried out at the NDH over a second one-year period, also retrospectively.

Results

In the initial audit at the NGH, a total of 63 two-week referrals were received during the one-year period analysed. Of these, 57 (90%) were seen within the appropriate time period, and 60 (95%) conformed to the Department of Health guidelines. Seven (11%) of the 63 referred patients were diagnosed with head and neck cancer, indicating a positive oncology detection rate of 11%. In the later audit at the NDH, 49 urgent referrals were assessed. Forty-three of the 49 referrals (88%) were seen within the appropriate time period and thirty-nine (80%) were compliant with the referring guidelines. Forty-five patients attended for assessment and the resultant positive oncology detection rate for these patients was 7%. In both audits, the patients diagnosed as having positive oncology results all had referrals that were compliant with the Department of Health guidelines.

Conclusions

Both of these audits indicated that the national guidelines for two-week referrals were usually appropriately followed in the two departments that were audited. However, in the future, further education of referring practitioners should ensure that these guidelines are followed better, making the service provided more efficient for all concerned.
Barriers Encountered Using Skill-Mix to Deliver Caries Prevention in Dental Practices
Authors: Hatim Eman , Kendall Nick
Published: April 2012

This opinion paper provides an analysis of the barriers and successes experienced when developing and implementing a pilot scheme to deliver caries prevention using skill-mix in the National Health Service (NHS) General Dental Services. A training programme was initiated to develop the skills of extended duties dental nurses to deliver fluoride varnish to patients in selected dental practices in Croydon, London, UK. In the light of the evaluation of this programme, a recommendation is made that similar preventive schemes should be delivered in the future within the NHS dental contract.
Positioning, Identity and Professionalism: A Searching Question for Dental Faculties
Authors: Holt Vernon P
Published: April 2012

As the new Joint Dental Council appointed by the two Dental Faculties of The Royal College of Surgeons of England begins its work to improve inter-faculty collaboration, this paper suggests some of the issues that will need to be addressed. Drawing on the concepts of ‘positioning’, ‘identity’ and ‘professionalism’, the question is raised as to how the Faculties may seek to engage more meaningfully with dental professionals at large. The need for all Dental Faculties in the British Isles to learn to work together is emphasised. Attention is drawn to the importance, in the rapidly evolving social context in which dental professionals work, of reflecting deeply on the nature of professionalism in contemporary society, and the moral and humanitarian issues that need to be addressed if dentists are to continue to be deemed worthy of the status ‘profession’.
Brutal Mathematics: Narrative Structure in the Films of Chang Cheh
Authors: de Seife Ethan
Published: April 2012

In the years shortly before Chang Cheh's death, the not-insubstantial segment of the Internet populated by Hong Kong film enthusiasts lit up with the possibly apocryphal news that the director, who had made scores of dynamic martial-arts films from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, had proclaimed that he would retire only after he had directed his 101st film.1 Alas, Chang did not live to see that milestone: he died in 2002, nine years removed from directing his 97th and final film, Ninja in Ancient China. The fact that he or someone else allegedly suggested as the capstone to his career a bold numerical marker is oddly suggestive of a curious patterning that recurs in Chang's many films.
Cinema, Historiography, and Identities in Taiwan: Hou Hsiao-Hsien's A City of Sadness
Authors: Rawnsley Ming-Yeh T.
Published: April 2012

In 1989, Hou Hsiao-Hsien's A City of Sadness (beiqing chengshi) won the Golden Lion Award in Venice. As the first Taiwanese movie that received the highest recognition by a major European film festival, A City of Sadness attracted serious media attention on the island. Nevertheless, Taiwan viewers' immediate reaction towards the film was polarized. For example, Liao (1999: 85-114) was bitterly disappointed that it did not seize the historical moment of democratization of the 1980s and produce a more aggressive Taiwanese nationalist discourse. On the other hand, Qi (2000: 331-332) argued that Hou's work has become a critical social text and thus it has inspired multidimensional discourses. A City of Sadness sparked a fierce cultural debate about Taiwan's past and its relationship with mainland China that is paralleled only by the passionate deliberation triggered by nativist literature in the 1970s.
Are we any good at it: Using risk as a tool for reflection and critical enquiry: Report of research in progress
Authors: Hanney Roy
Published: April 2012

Typically, risk is a difficult idea to communicate to undergraduates as it requires a conceptual engagement with a project’s process. Without the experience of several project iterations it is difficult for students to see the value such a tool can bring to their work. The article
will look at the use of ‘risk’ in relation to promoting deeper reflection and critical enquiry by student groups engaged in media practice project work. It will offer a model for best practice that has emerged from the author’s own action research into the topic and present
for discussion a range of emergent insights.
Fostering creativity in the design studio: A framework towards effective pedagogical practices
Authors: Hargrove Ryan
Published: April 2012

Design is a discipline of innovation: its essence is the creation of something new and unique. An assumption has been that the inclination and ability of a person to respond in novel and useful ways is largely inherited. Present research refutes this view, and it is now believed by
many that, however creativity is defined, it is a form of behaviour that can be taught. Acknowledging this point leads to the questioning of how creativity is situated in the design curriculum. If, as present research suggests, most creativity training programmes are successful in that they
encourage the development of metacognitive abilities, then the study of creativity as a self-regulatory metacognitive process is timely and important to design education.
The Education Center at The Wall and the Rewriting of History
Authors: Lair Meredith H.
Published: April 2012

This article examines plans for “The Education Center at The Wall,” a new facility on the National Mall that will present the history of the Vietnam War as a series of military engagements devoid of political opposition. I argue that this commemorative site promises the intellectual weight of a museum while providing only the emotional impact of a patriotic shrine. By focusing on individual acts of heroism and sacrifice by American soldiers, the Education Center will enable visitors to re-imagine the Vietnam War, which was once regarded as an American tragedy, as both a “good war” and the ennobling “lost cause” of the twentieth century.
Red blood cell transfusions worsen the outcomes even in critically ill patients undergoing a restrictive transfusion strategy
Authors: Silva Junior João Manoel da , Rezende Ederlon , Amendola Cristina Prada , Tomita Rafael , Torres Daniele , Ferrari Maria Tereza , Toledo Diogo Oliveira , Oliveira Amanda Maria Ribas Rosa , Marques Juliana Andreia
Published: April 2012

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Anemia and blood transfusions are common in intensive care. This study aimed to evaluate epidemiology and outcomes among critically ill patients under a restrictive transfusion strategy. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational cohort study in an intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary hospital. METHODS: All adults admitted to the ICU over a one-year period who remained there for more than 72 hours were included, except those with acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, acute hemorrhage, prior transfusion, pregnant women and Jehovah's Witnesses. The restrictive strategy consisted of transfusion indicated when hemoglobin levels were less than or equal to 7.0 g/dl. RESULTS: The study enrolled 167 patients; the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score was 28.9 ± 6.5. The baseline hemoglobin level was 10.6 ± 2.2 g/dl and on day 28, it was 8.2 ± 1.3 g/dl (P < 0.001). Transfusions were administered to 35% of the patients. In the transfusion group, 61.1% did not survive, versus 48.6% in the non-transfusion group (P = 0.03). Transfusion was an independent risk factor for mortality (P = 0.011; odds ratio, OR = 2.67; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.25 to 5.69). ICU stay and hospital stay were longer in the transfusion group: 20.0 (3.0-83.0) versus 8.0 (3.0-63.0) days (P < 0,001); and 24.0 (3.0-140.0) versus 14.0 (3.0-80.0) days (P = 0.002), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients, there was a reduction in hemoglobin with increasing length of ICU stay. Moreover, transfusion was associated with worse prognoses.
Dimensões da aprendizagem em organizações: validação do Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) no contexto brasileiro
Authors: Menezes Elisabeth Aparecida Corrêa , Guimarães Tomas de Aquino , Bido Diógenes de Souza
Published: April 2012

Este artigo descreve resultados de um estudo que teve por objetivo validar a escala de medida de cultura de aprendizagem e sua relação com desempenho em organização brasileira. O instrumento dimensions of the learning organization questionnaire (Dloq) ou questionário das dimensões da organização que aprende, proposto por Marsick e Watkins (2003), foi traduzido da língua inglesa para a portuguesa e em seguida semanticamente validado. O questionário foi respondido por 566 empregados de uma organização do setor elétrico. Os dados foram coletados via intranet da organização pesquisada no segundo semestre de 2005. O instrumento, em sua versão completa, possui 55 itens, sendo 43 da cultura de aprendizagem e 12 do desempenho organizacional. O referencial teórico discute inicialmente conceitos de cultura de aprendizagem organizacional e apresenta estudos que utilizaram o Dloq em outros contextos. Na sequência, são discutidos conceitos de desempenho organizacional utilizados por Marsick e Watkins (2003) na construção do instrumento. A aplicação do Dloq no contexto brasileiro com sua versão completa apresentou validade convergente e confiabilidade adequada, no entanto não apresentou validade discriminante (CORRÊA; GUIMARÃES, 2006). Para resolver esse problema, neste estudo foi utilizada uma versão simplificada desse instrumento, criada por Yang (2003), chamado pela autora de Dloq-A. Essa versão é composta de 27 itens distribuídos nas sete dimensões da cultura de aprendizagem - oportunidades para a aprendizagem contínua, questionamento e diálogo, colaboração e aprendizagem em equipe, sistemas para capturar e compartilhar a aprendizagem, delegação de poder e responsabilidade, desenvolvimento da visão sistêmica da organização e estímulo à liderança estratégica para a aprendizagem - e nas duas dimensões do desempenho organizacional - desempenho financeiro e ganho de conhecimento organizacional. Os resultados deste estudo apresentaram validade convergente, validade discriminante, confiabilidade e validade de critério, além de ser parcimonioso. Dessa forma, conclui-se que o Dloq-A foi validado no contexto brasileiro. Os resultados da pesquisa mostraram que a cultura de aprendizagem explica 43% da variância do desempenho organizacional.
Empreendedorismo institucional: uma análise de caso no setor de energia elétrica brasileiro
Authors: Avrichir Ilan , Chueke Gabriel Vouga
Published: April 2012

Este artigo busca contribuir para o entendimento do papel, das características e estratégias de indivíduos denominados na literatura acadêmica como empreendedores institucionais. Apesar do crescimento recente de pesquisas acerca do tema, os trabalhos sobre o nível do indivíduo são escassos. Para a consecução dos objetivos propostos, buscamos estudos que descrevessem a atuação de indivíduos como empreendedores institucionais. Revisamos cinco artigos publicados, no período de 2006 a 2009, em revistas internacionais de alto impacto. Identificamos as características atribuídas aos empreendedores individuais nesses trabalhos, principalmente aquelas relacionadas às ações desses atores, em que etapa da mudança institucional atuaram e quais atributos lhes foram imputados. Confrontamos os resultados encontrados na revisão de literatura com o papel desempenhado por três empresários que criaram uma empresa privada pioneira no campo da comercialização de energia elétrica no Brasil, contribuindo para as transformações em curso no setor desde a década de 1990. Descrevemos o contexto institucional em que atuaram, suas trajetórias pessoais e a atuação no campo. Como metodologia de pesquisa, adotamos o método de estudo de caso de caráter qualitativo-descritivo. A fase de coleta de dados contou com múltiplas fontes de evidência, valendo-se principalmente de entrevistas em profundidade. Encontramos resultados predominantemente convergentes entre a literatura pesquisada e o caso analisado. Como contribuição, nosso estudo sugere que a atuação de agentes que promovem mudanças pode ser dividida em duas categorias principais quanto à sua extensão. Além disso, a análise do caso conduzido aponta para certo consenso sobre aspectos relacionados à atuação de indivíduos considerados na literatura acadêmica como empreendedores institucionais.
Política na terra do "jeitinho": consequências dos comportamentos políticos em organizações no Brasil
Authors: Mansur Juliana Arcoverde , Sobral Filipe João Bera de Azevedo
Published: April 2012

Os comportamentos políticos nas organizações representam um domínio singular das relações interpessoais no ambiente de trabalho, sendo considerado um fenômeno complexo, persuasivo e por vezes ambíguo. As organizações são instituições intrinsecamente políticas, já que são conjuntos de pessoas com interesses diversos e potencialmente conflituosos, imperando relações entre tais interesses, conflitos e, como sistemas de atividade política, a influência e o poder. De modo geral, a percepção de política na empresa parece ter um efeito negativo e, assim, desmotivador sobre as pessoas. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo explorar a influência das percepções sobre o comportamento político na satisfação, no desempenho, nos comportamentos negligentes e nas intenções de saída de funcionários em um contexto cultural pouco explorado pelas pesquisas sobre comportamentos políticos: as organizações brasileiras. Para testar empiricamente a validade do modelo de pesquisa, foi realizado um survey e analisaram-se as percepções de 157 funcionários de três organizações brasileiras, a partir de regressões lineares. Os resultados sugerem que, no Brasil, a política influencia negativamente a satisfação e o desempenho individual e positivamente as intenções de saída e os comportamentos negligentes. Ou seja, quanto maior for a percepção de política no ambiente de trabalho, menor a satisfação e o desempenho individual dos funcionários, maior o seu engajamento em comportamentos negligentes no trabalho e maior a sua intenção de abandono da organização. Algumas limitações são apresentadas, além das contribuições práticas e teóricas do estudo para a administração. Numa perspectiva prática, a presente pesquisa evidencia os efeitos negativos do comportamento político, objetivando estimular a gerência, líderes e tomadores de decisão para responder a tais efeitos. Numa perspectiva teórica, as contribuições giram em torno do envolvimento do fator cultural para explicação da ação política. Finalmente, de acordo com os resultados encontrados, a política aparentemente tem importantes impactos nos resultados do trabalho, mesmo na terra do jeitinho.
Suporte à aprendizagem informal no trabalho: uma proposta de articulação conceitual
Authors: Coelho Junior Francisco Antonio , Mourão Luciana
Published: April 2012

Quando se analisou o estado da arte em comportamento organizacional, verificou-se a falta de distinção entre os tipos de ação esperados nas distintas etapas do ato de apoiar a ocorrência da aprendizagem, além da necessidade de uma proposição teórica sistemática sobre o suporte à aprendizagem informal em suas diferentes fases. O presente artigo objetiva propor um modelo teórico baseado no ordenamento das etapas de suporte psicossocial à aprendizagem informal, segundo as características e as qualidades das distintas etapas do conceito de aprendizagem informal do trabalho. Com ênfase teórica para a aprendizagem social, a teoria cognitiva social e a hierarquia das formas de aprender, este trabalho enfatiza a importância do suporte psicossocial, com base na teoria da reciprocidade nas relações sociais. Com base em extensa revisão de literatura, propõe-se uma classificação do conceito de suporte, considerando as fases distintas pelas quais o conceito de aprendizagem ocorre, desde a aquisição pelo indivíduo até sua aplicação no trabalho. O suporte à aprendizagem é discutido considerando as etapas processuais de aquisição, retenção, manutenção, generalização e transferência de conhecimentos, habilidades e competências que devem ser expressos nas rotinas de trabalho, ou seja, expressos em desempenho tangível e observável. Assim, torna-se relevante investigar, com base nas etapas do conceito de aprendizagem, qual o tipo específico de ação de suporte que melhor aumentará as possibilidades de ocorrência da ação de aprendizagem e sua transferência para o trabalho. Na literatura, há maior ênfase no estudo da aprendizagem formal, por meio dos programas de treinamento, desenvolvimento e educação. Pouca ênfase é dada ao estudo da aprendizagem informal. A principal limitação deste trabalho é o fato de a classificação do conceito de suporte à aprendizagem proposta ainda não ter sido testada empiricamente, embora a literatura aponte-a como principal variável explicativa de impacto do treinamento no trabalho. Como contribuição, espera-se que a proposta teórica de classificação do conceito de suporte à aprendizagem seja o primeiro passo na sistematização desse conceito. Como agenda de pesquisa, sugere-se a testagem empírica da classificação proposta por meio da elaboração e validação psicométrica de instrumento(s) de pesquisa voltado(s) à operacionalização e investigação de cada uma das etapas propostas.