bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
miR-146a, an IL-1β responsive miRNA, induces vascular endothelial growth factor and chondrocyte apoptosis by targeting Smad4
Authors: Li Jing , Huang Jingang , Dai Liming , Yu Degang , Chen Qian , Zhang Xiaoling , Dai Kerong
Published: April 2012

Introduction

miR-146a is one of the first identified miRNAs expressed differentially in osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage. However, the role it plays in OA pathogenesis is not clear. The aim of this study is to identify a molecular target of miR-146a, thereby elucidating its function in chondrocytes during OA pathogenesis.

Methods

Primary chondrocytes from Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with IL-1β before the expression levels of miR-146a, Smad4 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were quantified by real-time PCR and/or western blotting. The effect of miR-146a on cellular response to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 was quantified by a luciferase reporter harboring TGF-β1 responsive elements and by extracellular signal-regulated kinase assay. The effect of miR-146a on apoptosis was quantified by the TUNEL assay. OA pathogenesis was surgically induced with joint instability in rats, evaluated by histopathological analysis with safranin O staining, and the expression levels of miR-146a, Smad4, and VEGF were quantified using real-time PCR and/or immunohistochemistry.

Results

IL-1β treatment of chondrocytes increased the expression levels of miR-146a and VEGF and decreased the levels of Smad4 in a time-dependent manner. miR-146a upregulated VEGF expression and downregulated Smad4 expression in chondrocytes, while a miR-146a inhibitor acted in a converse manner. Smad4, a common mediator of the TGF-β pathway, is identified as a direct target of miR-146a by harboring a miR-146a binding sequence in the 3'-UTR region of its mRNA. Mutation of the binding sequence significantly relieved the inhibition of the Smad4 reporter activity by miR-146a. Furthermore, miR-146a upregulation of VEGF is mediated by Smad4. Expression of miR-146a led to a reduction of cellular responsiveness to TGF-β and an increase of apoptosis rate in chondrocytes. In vivo, cartilage from surgically induced OA rats displayed higher levels of miR-146a and VEGF compared with the sham group. In contrast, Smad4 expression level was lower in the OA group than the sham group.

Conclusion

IL-1β responsive miR-146a is overexpressed in an experimentally induced OA model, accompanied by upregulation of VEGF and downregulation of Smad4 in vivo. miR-146a may contribute to OA pathogenesis by increasing VEGF levels and by impairing the TGF-β signaling pathway through targeted inhibition of Smad4 in cartilage.
Enoxaparin sodium prevents intestinal microcirculatory dysfunction in endotoxemic rats
Authors: Yeh Yu-Chang , Wang Ming-Jiuh , Lin Chih-Peng , Fan Shou-Zen , Tsai Jui-Chang , Sun Wei-Zen , Ko Wen-Je
Published: April 2012

Introduction

During severe sepsis or septic shock, activation of the inflammatory and coagulatory systems can result in microcirculatory dysfunction as well as microvascular thrombosis, culminating in multiple organ dysfunction and death. Enoxaparin can inhibit factor Xa and attenuate endothelial damage. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of enoxaparin on intestinal microcirculation in endotoxemic rats.

Methods

Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into the following three groups: sham operated (OP); lipopolysaccharide (LPS); and LPS + Enoxaparin group. The rats received a midline laparotomy to exteriorize a segment of terminal ileum for microcirculation examination by full-field laser perfusion imager and sidestream dark field video microscope on mucosa, muscle, and Peyer's patch. In the LPS and LPS + Enoxaparin groups, 15 mg/kg LPS was administered intravenously to induce endotoxemia, and 400 IU/kg enoxaparin sodium was also administered in the LPS + Enoxaparin group.

Results

At 240 minutes, the mean arterial pressure was higher in the LPS + Enoxaparin group than in the LPS group (93 ± 9 versus 64 ± 16 mm Hg, P < 0.001). Microcirculatory blood flow intensity was higher in the LPS + Enoxaparin group than in the LPS group as follows: mucosa (1085 ± 215 versus 617 ± 214 perfusion unit [PU], P < 0.001); muscle (760 ± 202 versus 416 ± 223 PU, P = 0.001); and Peyer's patch (1,116 ± 245 versus 570 ± 280 PU, P < 0.001). Enoxaparin inhibited LPS-induced reduction in perfused small vessel density and increase in heterogeneity of microcirculation.

Conclusions

Enoxaparin can prevent intestinal microcirculatory dysfunction in endotoxemic rats by preventing microvascular thrombosis formation and maintaining normal mean arterial pressure.
Time and Dependency in Latin America Today
Authors: Lomnitz Claudio
Published: April 2012

Since the 1980s Latin Americans have had acute difficulties placing their national societies in time—with various narratives competing among each other as available, but often unconvincing, framing devices. Progressive and developmentalist narratives generally lost traction, but emancipatory rhetoric, too, has tended to cede to sentimental gesture and gesticulation, even though it benefits from the backwind of the disasters that were wrought by the Washington consensus. Moreover, the aggressive neoliberal discourse of the 1980s and 1990s conjured up a revival of nineteenth-century political language, including, most prominently, a revival of nineteenth-century republicanism, with its characteristic obsession with corruption, love of country, and republican virtue, but also lesser—but nonetheless perfectly audible—revivals of revolutionary nationalism, anarchism, and various strands of national-popular discourse. In short, there has been a contested arena emerging around the location of Latin America in time—we do not currently know when we are. This essay explores the problem of dependency, neodependency, and chronotopes of development in contemporary Latin American historicities.
The Attack on Education as a Social Right
Authors: Holmwood John , Bhambra Gurminder K.
Published: April 2012

The essay addresses recent government proposals for higher education in England. It argues that they represent a neoliberal attack on the idea of public higher education. Where public higher education had previously been widely accepted as a social right and a condition of liberal citizenship, higher education is now to be understood as a private responsibility, an investment in human capital necessary to secure positional advantage in a deeply unequal society.
What do surgical trainees think about patient safety culture, and is this different from their consultants?
Authors: Bethune Rob , Canter Richard , Abrams Paul
Published: April 2012

Introduction

Little is known about the patient safety culture within surgical departments in UK hospitals. What has been done to date is to survey only permanent senior staff opinion of the safety culture in their institution. This study surveyed both consultant and trainee views on perceived patient safety and compared the results between these two groups.

Material and methods

The previously validated Team Work and Safety Climate Questionnaire was configured in Survey Monkey format and sent to all surgical trainees and consultant surgeons in the South West Strategic Health Authority. Two reminders were sent to achieve as high a return rate as possible.

Results

Two hundred and ninety-six replies were received. Forty-four percent of trainees and 30% of consultants responded to the survey. Consultants consistently rated a higher safety culture than surgical trainees. Only 2.9% of trainees believe their patient safety concerns would be acted upon by hospital management. There is notable variation in perceived patient safety culture between hospitals.

Conclusion

This study has suggested that the patient safety culture in hospitals, within a Strategic Health Authority, is variable and sub-optimal when viewed by surgical trainees and their consultants. This study also provides some evidence that the perception of patient safety in an organization varies according to clinical experience. As trainees deliver a great deal of clinical care, surveys of safety culture should include this group. As perceived patient safety culture is correlated to clinical outcomes, validated safety surveys might form part of the assessment of a hospital's performance, along with outcome and patient satisfaction.
Causation: the last refuge in a weak case?
Authors: Korn Adam , Matthews Julian
Published: April 2012

Adam Korn and Julian Matthews of 7 Bedford Row examine legal issues in the area of causation.
Research Note—Some Characteristics of Human Resources in the Service Sector
Authors: Berg Daniel , Einspruch Norman G.
Published: April 2012

As part of an ongoing study of the similarities and differences between the Goods and Services Sectors of the economy, a technique labelled “Data Surface Mining” (DSM) was used to analyze three independently generated and previously published data sets that focused on three different aspects of human resources. The three aspects are: in which economic sector to launch a career (young people), the relative presence of powerful women in the two sectors (women) and the relative presence of seniors in top positions in the two sectors (aging). Such matters are of major managerial significance in light of the fact that the Services Sector represents 80% (GDP and/or employment) of the United States economy and is of increasing importance in the global economy.

[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.]
Structural Analysis of a Business Enterprise
Authors: Leung Ying Tat , Bockstedt Jesse
Published: April 2012

A business enterprise is composed of a number of entities, such as resources, people, activities, and products. These entities are sometimes collectively called the business architecture of the enterprise and are clearly useful for information system design and integration. In this paper we show how these entities can be useful far beyond information system related purposes. We introduce the concept of structural analysis, which is a methodology for analyzing the different relationships between these entities. One or few selected relationships give rise to a representation or view of the enterprise. As we demonstrate through a simple yet illustrative example of a hypothetical coffee shop business, these different views can provide many insights and points of analysis valuable for various purposes. Structural analysis provides an interactive, analytical environment for a user to examine an enterprise from multiple perspectives, an approach not unlike On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) but for analyzing the qualitative or structural aspects of the enterprise.

[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.]
Communication Paper—Common Assumptions that are Barriers to Service Improvement
Authors: Goodman John
Published: April 2012

[Modified excerpt] There is an ongoing drumbeat of service innovation in approximately the top twenty percent of companies. These innovations can be classified into three areas: (1) Delivering products and services that completely meet customer expectations, (2) Enhanced customer service delivery and problem solving process, (3) An enhanced use of Voice of the Customer (VOC) to improve the basic product and service delivery 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.]
Editorial Column—Service Innovation: Is it Part of the Service Science Discipline?
Authors: Fragnière Emmanuel
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] The Taylor organizational model, which originated in the industrial world, no longer has a place in today's service sector. In fact, the modern service sector is actually less standardized, and has begun to incorporate specific expertise and skills more and more heavily. This evolution supposes a different organizational model that relies more on creativity and on “implicit knowledge,” which is the essence of expertise. This new organizational model, which is starting to be sketched out in certain larger service enterprises, has yet to be fully created.

[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.]
ER-SERVCOMPSQUAL: A Measure of E-Retailing Service Components Quality
Authors: Rossiter John R.
Published: April 2012

In a recent article in this Journal, S. Vargo, the service-dominant logic theorist, makes the unarguable claim that “What is needed is a true science of service (Vargo and Akaka, Service Science, 2009, p. 39, emphasis in original). To constitute a true science of service, services research must use valid measures. The sine qua non requirement for a valid measure is content validity, which comprises item-content validity and answer-scale validity (see Rossiter, International Journal of Research in Marketing, 2002, and C-OAR-SE Construct Measurement for the Social Sciences, Springer, forthcoming). The present article begins by criticizing the content validity of E-S-QUAL (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra [Parasuraman, A., V. A. Zeithaml, A. Malhotra. 2005. E-S-QUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Assessing Electronic Service Quality. Journal of Service Research 7(3) 213–233.]), the principal academic measure of e-retailer service quality, which is probably the most important construct in contemporary services research. Rossiter's (Rossiter, J. R. 2002. The C-OAR-SE Procedure for Scale Development in Marketing. International Journal of Research in Marketing 19(4) 305–335.) C-OAR-SE construct measurement theory is then applied to develop a new and more valid measure, called ER-SERVCOMPSQUAL. This new measure seeks potential customers' and current customers' judgments about the quality of the components of e-retail service (thus ensuring high item-content validity), which are rated in terms of behavioral answer categories (which have high answer-scale validity). The new measure clearly shows e-retail managers where to make improvements in their service quality.

[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.]
Multi-Level Coordination and Decision-Making in Service Operations
Authors: Wernz Christian , Henry Andrew
Published: April 2012

Decisions in service operations are complex since they involve various interdependent decision-makers (agents) at different hierarchical levels, ranging from customer representatives over account managers to top executives. We formulate a three-level maintenance service problem as a stochastic decision-making model, with an account manager, supervisor, and worker at each of the three levels. The proposed incentive mechanism aligns the interests of lower level agents with the goals of the top agent. The agents' strategic interactions are analyzed game-theoretically and results show that a Pareto-efficient Nash equilibrium can be attained given certain organizational properties. Furthermore, we show that local information can be sufficient for organization-wide optimal decisions. In a final step, the three-level model is generalized for multi-level, i.e., multi-organizational-scale, systems.

[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 as Mutualism: A Question of Viability in Systems
Authors: Metcalf Gary S.
Published: April 2012

Service-based industries now dominate the most advanced economies of the world. There is, however, no fully interdisciplinary foundation for research into the development of service, per se. The creation of a service science has been proposed, which would bring into question many traditional assumptions about economics. This paper explores service as a science, and proposes that the biological concept of mutualism be used as one aspect for developing a foundation of service science.

[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 Through the Prism of Conceptual Modeling
Authors: Stanicek Zdenko , Winkler Marek
Published: April 2012

We seek means of further improving the process of service innovation by providing conceptual framework that would uniformly model information about a service system. Since value co-creation is achieved through knowledge-based interactions, such a framework should be a connection-oriented one. We propose uniform approach to context-sensitive relationships modeling and representation, based on semantic conceptual modeling, suitable for modeling both service system interactions and information about a service system itself. Its application is illustrated on digital libraries domain. The proposed representation may be combined with goal-driven development methods to allow closer interconnection of goals and value proposition. The paper presents application of an original conceptual reference model of service system, which may provide more elaborated background for service innovation 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.]
A Brief Review of Systems Theories and Their Managerial Applications
Authors: Mele Cristina , Pels Jacqueline , Polese Francesco
Published: April 2012

[Modified excerpt] Systems theory is an interdisciplinary theory about every system in nature, in society and in many scientific domains as well as a framework with which we can investigate phenomena from a holistic approach. Systems thinking comes from the shift in attention from the part to the whole, considering the observed reality as an integrated and interacting unicuum of phenomena where the individual properties of the single parts become indistinct. In contrast, the relationships between the parts themselves and the events they produce through their interaction become much more important, with the result that system elements are rationally connected towards a shared purpose. The systemic perspective argues that we are not able to fully comprehend a phenomenon simply by breaking it up into elementary parts and then reforming it; we instead need to apply a global vision to underline its functioning. Although we can start from the analysis of the elementary components of a phenomenon, in order to fully comprehend the phenomenon in its entirety we have to observe it also from a higher level: a holistic perspective.

[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.]
Smart Service Systems and Viable Service Systems: Applying Systems Theory to Service Science
Authors: Barile Sergio , Polese Francesco
Published: April 2012

The objective of this paper is to review recent developments in service theory and systems theory with a view to identifying common features between the two. In particular, the study explores the issue of whether so-called ‘smart service systems’ can be understood in terms of the ‘viable systems approach’ of systems theory. The paper begins with a review of recent developments in service theory by examining the fundamental principles of service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and service science (SS). The similarities and differences of the two are explored, with particular emphasis on the common feature of the service system. The study then moves to the realm of systems theory by exploring the main proposals of the viable systems approach (VSA), which is an interdisciplinary systems theory that includes elements derived from resource-based theory, biology, sociology, and mechanics. The paper then draws together service theory and systems theory by examining whether ‘smart service systems’ can be best understood in terms of ‘viable service systems.’ The most important finding of the study is that the VSA provides valuable insights into the design and management of smart service systems, especially with regard to harmonisation, systems governance, and successful value co-creation processes.

[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 VSA-SS Approach to Healthcare Service Systems the Triple Target of Efficiency, Effectiveness and Sustainability
Authors: Saviano Marialuisa , Bassano Clara , Calabrese Mario
Published: April 2012

The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the new opportunities that the Viable Systems Approach (VSA) can provide for observing complex service systems and explaining social phenomena through general schemes of interpretation. At the same time, it explores methodological links with the Service Science (SS) approach in order to propose (VSA)'s contribution to moulding a unified vision of complex objects of analysis, and to evidence the many converging elements that emerge from the two perspectives as well as the benefits that derive from different interpretation schemes.

In particular, in our paper we analyze healthcare service complexity in a relational perspective, using a VSA-SS conceptual framework to interpret the emergent systems instability in the Italian Health Service. The application of principles and concepts proper to the (VSA) and the SS approaches to articulated service structures, such as healthcare, identifies critical features and interesting new “therapeutic” prospects for healthcare service systems in order to guarantee their viability.

The paper proposes an innovative methodological basis for evaluating the level of appropriateness of the healthcare service and, at the same time, evidences the need for achieving a balanced triple target of efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability (EES) in healthcare service systems governance. As a result, a new area of cross fertilization for collaborative research emerges.

[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.]
Descriptive Evidence on the Role of Corporate Brands in Marketing Higher Education Services
Authors: Mourad Maha , Ennew Christine , Kortam Wael
Published: April 2012

The intangible and inseparable nature of services is generally thought to increase the risk perceived by consumers when making purchase decisions. This higher level of perceived risk arises because, relative to physical goods, services are characterized by higher levels of experience and credence qualities and lower levels of search qualities. Building brand equity for a service is increasingly recognized as a means of mitigating that risk and creating a strong identity for a service in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The service sector chosen for the empirical research was higher education services in Egypt. In essence, higher education is a professional service characterized by a high level of experience qualities which make the purchase risky and means that branding is important as a source of reassurance to students about the quality of what they will receive. The paper begins with a brief overview of relevant literature and then proceeds to outline the components of brand equity providing the conceptual framework which guides the research. Subsequently, the empirical work is presented, focusing on the comparison between experienced and inexperienced consumers to assess the extent to which corporate brands are able to communicate information about key features of a service. Finally, the results of the survey are discussed and the managerial implications are presented.

[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.]
Quality of University Services: Dimensional Structure of SERVQUAL VS. ESQS
Authors: Salvador-Ferrer Carmen María
Published: April 2012

Analysis of service quality from the perspective of the customer has generated much attention. The scale most used to develop such studies is the SERVQUAL. This tool has undergone much criticism, mainly focusing on the situational instability shown by the dimensions in certain cases. This work does not reject the proposals of that instrument, but attempts to improve its internal consistency and assess its dimensional structure. To do this, the Enlarged Service Quality Scale (ESQS) has been designed and applied to the university context. The ESQS is mainly characterized by compensating the number of items in all the dimensions, seeking better intra-dimensional consistency. The results confirm the applicability of this scale in non-educational university services, show considerable improvement in its consistency and, further, indicate that the traditional dimensions of SERVQUAL can be reduced and clustered in the macro categories, interactive quality and physical quality. The data also demonstrate the importance of the dimensions related to personalized treatment and interaction in user satisfaction.

[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.]
Discovery of New Service Concepts for Diverse Markets
Authors: Cassab Harold , Tuunanen Tuure , Peffers Ken , Gengler Charles E. , Hui Wendy , Virtanen Ville
Published: April 2012

A major challenge in service design is the ability to generate useful service concepts for development. New service concepts, however, are often difficult for customers to articulate. In this study we address the idea generation stage of the service development process and suggest the integration of customer scripts to facilitate service concept discovery with the customer. We examine the process using data from in-depth laddering interviews with lead users of mobile services across three geographically diverse markets. Results show that the new service concepts generated in this study are applicable in all three markets although usage motivations differ by market. Advanced service design and development methods need to incorporate global customer differences explicitly in order to meet market needs.

[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.]
How Hyper-Network Analysis Helps Understand Human Networks?
Authors: Chan Wai Kin Victor , Hsu Cheng
Published: April 2012

Service enterprises are value cocreation networks. From this perspective, we analyze how hyper-network models can lead to new understanding for service science. A hyper-network is an integration of multi-layered (role-based) connections of members in a community, such as the Internet and an ecosystem. Hyper-network analysis provides new results of multi-dimensional understanding of human networks, such as identifying the centers of connections between layers (the hyper-hubs or “value wormholes”) and the shortened distance between nodes (or, the centrality of members) due to such value wormholes. This paper shows that the common practices of adding new links to an existing random graph (e.g., merging a Website with other social networking/ecommerce sites) is equivalent to creating a hyper-network; and hyper-network analysis may reveal otherwise hidden social structures and thereby yield more accurate estimates for network performance. Estimation formulae are provided for determining the average vertex-vertex distance and average vertex degree. On this basis, the paper proves that hyper-networks enhance ordinary random graphs in these measures, and hence can probably model real-world social networks better than two-dimensional graphs. The paper suggests that all human networks, including social and economical, may be fundamentally hyper-networks.

[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.]
Analytic Network Process Analysis of an Indian Telecommunication Service Supply Chain: A Case Study
Authors: Pramod V. R. , Banwet D. K.
Published: April 2012

The major intent of this research is to analyze the performance quality dimensions of a telecom service company Supply Chain in the Indian context. Currently a rapid boom has been experienced in telecom sectors. While dealing with more and more sophisticated technologies and better change management schemes, one of the crucial problems faced by the top management is the comparative evaluation of various alternatives in the telecom service supply. ANP is a powerful multi-criteria decision-making tool to encapsulate the interdependencies among and between levels of decision attributes. It structures the decision problem in a hierarchical form and links the determinants, dimensions, and enablers with alternatives available to the decision maker. Therefore, in the current study undertaken in a public sector unit in India, the dimensions of telecom service sector have been captured in four perspectives viz. customer, internal business, innovation and learning, and finance, which mimic a balanced score card. Three services of the public sector telecom organization that have been analyzed are (i) Consultancy (ii) Project Execution (iii) Training and quality control. Here the determinants, dimensions and enablers have been derived based on the combination of literature review and insights gained through exploratory interviews with the appropriate experts/ professionals. It was observed that criteria, sub-criteria, determinants, etc. were interrelated. The comparative evaluation between alternatives was done based on the feedback of ten relevant executives. Geometric mean of their response was considered as the combined evaluation score. Later super matrices were formed. Further, a quantified value named as overall weighted service index, which would give an indication of the performance of an organization and provide directions to managers where the improvement efforts has been derived. This was highest for consultancy and lowest for training and quality control. The article concludes with managerial implication and scope for future work.

[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.]
Driving Supply Chain Transformation Through a Business Process Oriented Approach
Authors: Ren Changrui , He Miao , Wang Qinhua , Shao Bing , Dong Jin
Published: April 2012

In recent years, clients from various industries have been seeking help from IBM in their supply chain transformation to gain competitive advantage. We have developed a comprehensive tool, SmartSCOR, which integrates the cross-industry process standard SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) model and a variety of operations research techniques to facilitate our clients' end-to-end supply chain transformation. SmartSCOR enables structured supply chain modeling as analysis basis and analyzes both static and dynamic aspects of a supply chain. Static analysis includes benchmarking with best practices, root-cause analysis, etc. Dynamic analysis evaluates the performance and robustness of alternative supply chain designs through simulation. SmartSCOR has been successfully applied in IBM customer projects. We present two cases in this paper.

[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.]
Workforce Planning over the Service Life Cycle
Authors: Qin Ruwen
Published: April 2012

Services usually have a limited life under modern conditions of competition. The life cycle phenomenon is characterized by time-varying demand and a learning curve of workforce efficiency, making it difficult to determine staffing requirements. This paper initiates a study of the service life cycle phenomenon, from which the learning curve is found to be manageable through workforce planning. Therefore, optimal control is employed to model workforce planning over a service life cycle. An iterative approach is developed, allowing for an optimal trajectory of staff size that can be efficiently identified. Results from this study suggest that the learning curve should be considered in service workforce planning if the learning process lasts sufficiently long, in comparison to the service's life. Under such conditions, staffing requirements are determined by the dynamics of demand, workforce efficiency, and learning efficiency. Compared to the practice of allowing learning to occur autonomously, the control approach has the ability to strategically turn a small incremental investment in service workers into attractive savings in life cycle costs. Merits of the proposed methodology are also highlighted by its robustness in various life cycle conditions. This paper establishes a foundation for studying advanced problems, including training of a service workforce under life cycle conditions, planning the workforce for a complex service system, and managing the workforce under the uncertainties in service delivery, demand, learning, and turnover.

[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.]
New Project Staffing for Outsourced Call Centers with Global Service Level Agreements
Authors: Robbins Thomas R. , Harrison Terry P.
Published: April 2012

We consider the issue of new project staffing in an outsourced call center required to meet a monthly Service Level Agreement (SLA). We present empirical analysis generated during a field study with a provider of outsourced call center services to illustrate the unique issues related to staffing a new project. Our work shows that during the start-up phase of a project agents experience significant improvements in productivity that reduce the staffing requirements over time. We also find that turnover, which is typically high in a call center environment, may be even higher for a project launch dominated by newly hired agents. These factors interact with the uncertainty of call volumes and talk time to create a difficult hiring challenge. We develop a model that finds the level of hiring with the lowest total expected cost of operation while meeting service level commitments.

[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 Growth and Performance Diagnostics Initiative: A Multi-Dimensional Framework for Sales Performance Analysis and Management
Authors: Singh Moninder , Bhattacharjya Debarun , Deleris Léa , Katz-Rogozhnikov Dmitriy , Squillante Mark , Ray Bonnie , Mojsilovic Aleksandra , Kakrania Deepika , Saha Avijit , Fu Jing , Barrera Christian , Richard Jonathan
Published: April 2012

Often there is substantial disparity in sales performance across various units of an organization. It is crucial to model the effects of various drivers/inhibitors on sales performance, particularly those that can be acted upon, since insight into such drivers/inhibitors is essential for determining optimal actions for improving performance. We present a framework for sales performance diagnostics which focuses on: (1) modeling and quantifying the effects of various factors on multiple sales performance metrics to help identify actionable factors that can impact performance; and (2) providing scenario analysis and optimization capabilities to understand the effects of taking various actions on sales performance, as well as to suggest the best possible actions to achieve certain objectives given current constraints. We describe an implementation of this framework at IBM and provide examples of analyses to demonstrate how it can be used to support sales performance initiatives.

[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—Quantitative Methods in Workforce Management in Service
Authors: Lu Yingdong
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] It is widely accepted that workforce management is critical to the profitability, growth and client satisfaction of companies in the service industry. Considerable amount of resources have been devoted in improving workforce management in industry practices. New methodologies emerge at a very fast pace in various areas. Meanwhile, at the theory front, just like the development of supply chain management theory for the manufacturing industry, exciting new research topics on workforce management are being investigated from multiple angles by researchers from different fields.

[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 Impact of Operations Performance on Customer Loyalty
Authors: Kumar Vikas , Batista Luciano , Maull Roger
Published: April 2012

This research develops a longitudinal study that builds upon previous findings that operations performance of service delivery can positively affect customer satisfaction, further extending this verdict to point out operations performance as a direct determinant of customer loyalty. Path Analysis is used as a methodological framework. This paper reports the findings of an empirical research conducted in a large telecommunications company operating in the UK. Regarding operations performance impact on customer loyalty, the research findings support the conclusion that while operations speed may help to acquire customers, it is the operations dependability that more strongly drives customer loyalty in 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.]
Editorial Column—Shared Services: Libraries, Universities and More
Authors: Larson Richard C.
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] Name three service sectors whose costs to customers have exceeded the rate of inflation by more than a factor of three: health care, higher education and some sectors of government. The public is becoming exasperated and involved. Isn't it time to rethink some of the decades long (and in some cases, centuries long) traditional organizational forms in these heretofore protected sectors?

[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.]
Reducing Risk or Increasing Profit? Provider Decisions in Agreement Networks
Authors: Michalk Wibke , Filipova-Neumann Lilia , Blau Benjamin , Weinhardt Christof
Published: April 2012

The rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) composition platforms and so called Compute Clouds demonstrates the growing demand for the agile composition of Web Services. In order to facilitate the composition of services and value-creation, service providers need to collaborate. This collaboration is regulated by means of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) where the parties, the executed service as well as guarantees on the service execution are specified. This work presents the concept of Service Value Networks and Agreement Networks as the underlying legal structure. Furthermore, an approach is introduced that allows a service provider to select the risk-minimal SLA portfolio. In a further step, the approach is extended in order to allow for a tradeoff between risk and expected profit from the service execution. Finally, the computational complexity of the optimization model is discussed and solutions 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.]
Neutralism and Entrepreneurship
Authors: Stangler Dane
Published: April 2012

[Excerpt] One of the ideas underlying the field of Service Science is that we can recognize, understand, and, hence, improve the various systems in which humans operate. Many of the systems studied are, understandably, those intentionally designed and built by humans. Yet just as important are those systems whose structures emerge unintentionally from various actions and that subsequently shape our behavior. One such system is the macro-economy, which is perpetually changing and shaping individual activity in an ever-evolving recursive 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.]
Defining Service and Non-Service Exchanges
Authors: Kayastha Sandeep
Published: April 2012

Clear-cut classification of exchanges into services and non-services is vital for governments to estimate contributions of service and other sectors to national incomes, for businesses to know their tax and tortious liabilities and for researchers to develop new theories and concepts of services. Unfortunately, the definitions and schema they use to classify exchanges have serious shortcomings.

This paper proposes a legal approach to classify exchanges. Whereas existing definitions and schema are concerned with trading of acts or goods, the proposed approach is concerned with trading of legal rights and obligations. The time taken by contracting parties to fulfill their contractual obligations has been used to define service and non-service exchanges. The proposed definitions are unambiguous and they overcome the shortcomings of two most-cited definitions of services.

[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—Modeling Complex Service Systems
Authors: Maglio Paul P.
Published: April 2012

[Modified excerpt] Several years ago, colleagues and I at IBM Research suggested that one key challenge in developing a new science of service is in finding appropriate methods for modeling service systems. Service systems are arrangements of people, technology, organizations, and shared information connected by value propositions to other such arrangements. A service system incorporates multiple interacting entities, for instance, a firm and a customer working together to create mutual value. Both firm and customer bring together resources—including capabilities and competences—and take joint actions that, when working effectively towards value cocreation, leave one another better off. How can we model something so complex as a service system, taking account of all relevant interactions among all its parts? Here, I report briefly on a promising new approach for modeling complex service systems that aims to enable the effective collaboration among many disciplines to model service.

[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.]
Mentoring and Dental Foundation Training
Authors: Mauthe Peter W
Published: April 2012

This paper is based on an assignment written as part of the work required for the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)'s Certificate in Mentoring in Dentistry. Its author is currently a trainer for the first year of foundation training in a general dental practice in Kent. The paper commences by defining mentoring. It explores the relationship between postgraduate trainers and trainees and goes on to explain how it is the trainer's role to help trainees to use their strengths to overcome weaknesses. It details the person-centred approach, mentoring theories, helping models, the application of Kolb's learning cycle, the Inner Game theory, and the GROW model. It explores the role of foundation dental trainers as mentors to aid their trainee's ability to use reflective learning, and goes on to consider the implications of the changes that may result in the relationship between trainers and trainees as a consequence of the introduction of national recruitment. Finally, the author reflects on his experiences as a foundation dental trainer.
Projecting Thailand: Thai Cinema and the Public Sphere
Authors: Owens William M. , Dissanayake Wimal
Published: April 2012

Thai royal anthem before artistic performances and sporting events. In the air conditioned and upholstered theaters and movie houses throughout the kingdom, the royal anthem is accompanied by a montage of images in celebration of the king's many achievements over the course of an illustrative reign. While these montages change from year to year, they are nonetheless spectacular (in the performative sense of the term) testaments to the power and the endurance of the royal image and the advanced filmmaking techniques employed to project it. As is customary for the duration of the anthem, the audience is expected to stand in order to formally and ritually pay respects to the king. The pacing of the sequence of images, paired with the reverential tempo of the anthem itself, allow for a moment of introspection before the presentation.
One Recollection of the Beginnings of Asian Cinema Studies Society and Asian Cinema
Authors: Lent John A.
Published: April 2012

Recently, there were erroneous statements made about the founding of Asian Cinema Studies Society and what later became Asian Cinema. Let the record show that the founder of ACSS was Mira Reym Binford of Quinnipiac College, Hamden, CT. She used two venues to solicit interest in the society the annual meetings of the Association for Asian Studies and the Society for Cinema Studies. Confusion as to those involved at the beginning, besides Mira, probably set in because the same people did not necessarily attend both conferences. However, in the first issue of Asian Cinema Studies Society Newsletter, Mira made it clear that ACSS was started at the annual meeting of AAS in 1984, "for the purpose of encouraging academic study and general awareness of the cinemas of Asia" (Fig. 1).
Landscape, Allegory, and Historical Trauma in Postwar Japanese Cinema: Recapitulating Existential Horror in Onibaba (1964) and Woman in the Dunes (1964)
Authors: Kumar Akshaya
Published: April 2012

Perhaps no national cinema has more thoroughly and consciously explored the crises of its nation's history and culture than the Japanese. The collapse of the old warrior class in the 19th Century, the bitter struggle between traditional values and western economics, the crisis of identity that Japan faced, all led Japanese cinema to sword swaggering samurai to gangster films, disaster epics to primitive pasts, wartime propaganda to traumatic representations of defeat, nuclear holocaust, and occupation. Japan's preoccupation with cultural choices and Japanese identity has always managed to surface onto the film screen.
From Cellular to Connected: Tracing a Global and Transcultural Odyssey
Authors: Williams Tony
Published: April 2012

According to most sources, Connected (2008) is popularly known as the first Chinese remake of a Hollywood film. Although Hong Kong cinema has long borrowed and reworked Hollywood cinema in its own inimitable way as Herman Yau's Taxi Hunter (1993) does from its 1993 Hollywood source Falling Down (to name one film among many), Connected differs from this usual practice as being the first official and legitimate remake of a Hollywood film (He, 2010: 179-183). As Hilary Hongjin He has pointed out, Connected belongs to a new category of remake, namely those involving "legal purchase of the copyright and public acknowledgement of the original film before the release of the remake" (180).