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The quest for service excellence and competitive edge by firms result in the constant search for effective process and information systems management methods. The recent emergence of the application service provision (ASP) business model has promised firms remote‐access to industry robust business processes and “best of breed” enterprise applications on a rental basis. This paper examines how the ASP business model facilitates business process and information systems improvements in firms through effective process management. This is pursued through a review of relevant literature and empirical evidence gathered from a case study‐based investigation in six firms in the UK. By examining the features of remote application and business process outsourcing in the context of business process management, this paper outlines how firms can improve their business and IT performance. Findings from empirical evidence are used to substantiate the arguments and suggest areas for future research.

By adopting a “peer approach,” the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the adult support and protection process in North Ayrshire from the perspective of patients, service users and carers.

A research design was co-produced by health and social care staff and people with lived experience of ASP processes and experiences. The semi-structured interview design explored the ASP inquiry, investigation and case conference stages of the ASP process.

The study found some examples of good practice as well as some areas for improvement. The variability of experience, the provision of information, use of advocacy services and plans for future systematic evaluation of experiences were identified for possible improvement.

The design somewhat limits generalizability; the sample size is small and although the findings and innovative approach involving those with lived experience may have wider appeal, the specific recommendations pertain to a specific local authority area in Scotland though these too may interest practitioners and researchers in other authorities.

The recommendations stand to improve services and process accessed and experienced by adults at risk of harm. Working with people with lived experience takes services closer to co-producing, designing and evaluating services and processes.

This study has high originality. Local value is high and is also likely to be valuable to those interested in adult support in protection generally and peer approaches across fields.

Mismanagement of supply chain operations may lead to waste of products and incur substantial monetary losses. This is particularly true for products with attributes that hasten deterioration, e.g. time, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. Attribute-sensitive products must be carefully monitored throughout all supply chain processes to ensure acceptable quality to the end customers. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on attribute sensitive products and on attribute sensitive supply chains. The collected studies were reviewed using the content analysis method, focusing on the following aspects of attribute sensitive products: (1) industries; (2) product categories; (3) decisions involved; (4) processes; (5) current issues; (6) sustainability concerns; (7) research methods used; (8) objectives of decision makers; (9) solution approaches used; (10) incentives driving management and (11) future research issues. Based on the analysis of findings, gaps are identified, and future research directions are proposed.

Literature review and content analysis.

The authors discovered that, while the importance of product attributes vary from one industry to the other, overall the time attribute was critical in all of the industries considered in this literature review. Coordination, customer satisfaction, reliability and safety were key issues in attribute sensitive product supply chains (asp-SCs). Similar to the typical supply chains, asp-SCs face economic, social and environmental sustainability issues. However, the majority of the studies in our analysis emphasized importance of the social sustainability. The majority of the papers were reviewed and analyzed and adopted the modeling approach as a research method. Furthermore, it was found that asp-SCs were mostly driven with customer demands and social pressure.

Based on the literature review and content analysis, there are a number of directions for the work conducted in this study to be extended in several directions. First, the literature search could be expanded by relaxing some of the restrictions (e.g. include the conference papers and articles from on-line business journals). Second, additional scientific publishers can be considered (e.g. Emerald Insight–www.emeraldinsight.com; Inderscience–www.inderscience.com). The latter two extensions would allow a more precise assessment of published to date work on asp-SC operations. Third, our findings could be validated based on interviews with professionals and executives from companies dealing with asp-SCs. Such validation will allow identification of the differences between the state of the art and the state of practice.

Supply chains that handle attribute sensitive products (asps) must consider the complexity of products that significantly change their properties due to factors such as time, temperature, barometric pressure, humidity. Mismanagement of operations within such supply chains may lead to significant product waste, as well as substantial monetary losses.

This study presented a comprehensive literature review and content analysis of studies dealing with asps in the following industries: fashion, food, healthcare, humanitarian and pharmaceutical industries

During the design of a new product, the generation of assembly sequences plans (ASPs) has become one of the most important problems taken into account by researchers. In fact, a good mounting order allows the time decrease of the assembly process which leads to the reduction of production costs. In this context, researchers developed several methods to generate and optimize ASP based on various criteria. Although this paper aims to improve the quality of ASP it is necessary to increase the number of criteria which must be taken into account when generating ASPs.

In this paper, an ASP generation approach, which is based on three main algorithms, is proposed. The first one generates a set of assembly sequences based on stability criteria. The obtained results are treated by the second algorithm which is based on assembly tools (ATs) workspace criterion. An illustrative example is used to explain the different steps of this proposed approach. Moreover, a comparative study is done to highlight its advantages.

The proposed algorithm verifies, for each assembly sequence, the minimal required workspace of used AT and eliminates the ASPs non-respecting this criterion. Finally, the remaining assembly sequences are treated by the third algorithm to reduce the AT change during the mounting operation.

The proposed approach introduces the concept of AT workspace to simulate and select ASPs that respect this criterion. The dynamic interference process allows the eventual collision detection between tool and component and avoids it. The proposed approach reduces the AT change during the mounting operations.

The purpose of the paper is to discuss how adult support and protection (ASP) work might support or further damage an adult's strengths, skills and sense of self. There is a particular focus on adults who require some support with decision‐making.

Forum theatre and other creative techniques were used to discuss ASP with 42 people who access support. A range of advice for practitioners was generated, a portion of which is reported here. The research design was participatory, with ten people who access support being members of the research team.

ASP work can support or undermine an adult's strengths, skills and sense of self, depending on the way it is performed. Three inter‐locking themes are presented to illustrate this finding. First, participants thought it might be intimidating to be “singled out”, and wished to be understood in the context of their relationships. Second, ASP was thought likely to be experienced as a judgement on the person and their problem‐solving skills. Third, people wanted to be “really listened to” and acknowledged as a person with preferences and strengths.

It is important for practitioners to be mindful of the process of ASP work, as well as of its outcomes. Ways must be found to keep the person central, and to maintain and develop their strengths and sense of self.

The perspectives of adults actually or potentially affected by ASP have been under‐researched. This study adds substantially to the available evidence.

This paper seeks to understand effects of ASP utilization on organization performance measured in terms of satisfaction and educational effectiveness on the part of the customer firm.

This study follows the positivist approach. After a research framework was developed and hypotheses defined, based on a thorough ASP literature review, data were collected from small firms which use ASP services. Results were discussed to suggest strategic directions of ASPs.

The results show that when customer firms perceive good service at a reasonable fee, they exhibit a high level of satisfaction with the service provider. Customer satisfaction is found to be significantly related to organizational performance. Also, the education content of training programs significantly influences educational effectiveness, which in turn contributes to organizational performance by impacting customer service.

The results of the study would help practitioners and researchers better understand ASP customers. The scope of this study is limited to leading IT adoption countries.

Based on the customer perspective, this paper delineates factors of ASP services that support small firms to be more successful.

Application service providers (ASPs) represent the new wave of business information technology delivery. However, there is little formal literature that helps us understand the distinctions among different ASP‐client relationships and how they need to be managed. This paper adopts a socio‐technical perspective to distinguish among ASP relationships. This distinction is based on the levels of organizational change that the ASP relationship will evoke. This paper then proposes levels of resource allocation that best “fit” each type of relationship. Three specific resources important to ASP‐client relationships are economic outlays, social networks, and knowledge. The model developed in this paper provides academics and practitioners with a tool with which to diagnose the capabilities of a prospective ASP and a model for making resource allocation decisions once the ASP is selected. It raises empirical questions for researchers with regard to resource allocations that best fit specific levels of organizational change following an ASP adoption.

Organizations, both large and small, are increasingly outsourcing their applications to application service providers (ASPs) for a variety of reasons such as cost reduction, shortened time‐to‐market, lack of internal expertise, and risk reduction. However, the adoption of the ASP model has not been smooth sailing for many organizations, and only a few organizations have a formal approach to making ASP outsourcing decisions. Partially to fill this void, develops a value‐driven approach to outsourcing using ASP based on outsourcing theories and the industry’s best practices. The value‐driven approach is an adaptation and extension of Simon’s decision‐making process. It is designed to guide IS managers systematically through the complex process of identifying outsourcing opportunities, evaluating the viability of using the ASP model, making outsourcing decisions, managing contractual and implementation issues, and assessing the service quality of ASP vendors. Provides important implications for research and practice. For researchers, identifies ample research opportunities in this new field. For practitioners, the value‐driven approach gives them an invaluable tool to manage today’s complex information technology outsourcing.

The purpose of this paper is to consider independent advocates’ perspectives on their roles in Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) work, and the facilitators and barriers impacting on these roles in practice.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 managers and staff from six independent advocacy agencies operating across nine local authority areas.

Participants described key roles in supporting individuals to understand their rights and to negotiate ASP processes. They conceptualised their independence to be the key distinguishing feature of their role. Participants noted lower than expected rates of referral of ASP concerns to advocacy and variable experiences of communication with the statutory services. Particular emphasis was placed on the late stage at which many referrals are received. Awareness, understanding and acceptance of advocacy amongst the statutory services was felt to vary at both practice and strategic levels.

The sample is not a representative one. However, some commonalities are worthy of note: particularly the participants’ commitment to ASP work and the perceived impact of statutory agencies on their involvement in it. The issue of late referrals merits some consideration at a national level. Issues of awareness and understanding amongst the statutory services, and their links with referral rates, are for further local-level exploration. The independent advocacy community might wish to discuss further the impacts on them of incorporation into statutory frameworks.

Advocacy perspectives have been little drawn on in pre-existing ASP research.

This article aims to focus on one of the most intriguing issues related to the public sector reforms: the accountability systems. In particular the paper aims to deal with the relationships between accounting‐based reforms, forms of accountability, and people‐changing or people‐processing approaches to service provision within Italian social work.

The paper draws on the accountability and people changing/processing literature to interpret and discuss the evidence gathered in an in‐depth longitudinal case study conducted in a social service public organization between 2007 and 2009.

The article reveals that the case study site had developed two distinct groups of services: “Territoriali” and “Residenziali”. “Territoriali” engage in a traditional mode of social care, they provide professional support to clients with, sometimes, quite intractable problems, and aim to modify clients' characteristics, behaviour and attitudes. In contrast, “Residenziali” deal with, and often outsource, more standardized care packages in the form of residential care, day care and some home‐based services. The accounting reforms were received very differently in these two areas. “Territoriali” was resistant to the changes but, in large part, “Residenziali” embraced them. The article then argues that this reflected the extent to which each service area was willing and able to implement a people‐processing rather than a people‐changing approach. The adoption of the people‐processing method had profound implications for the ways that accountability was both experienced and delivered in the services.

This article deals with the under‐researched area of social care. It integrates two literatures not previously articulated together: accountability and people changing/processing. A three‐year longitudinal study is presented, enabling an in‐depth appreciation of the changes affecting social services and the differential responses to accounting and consequent shifts in accountability in two contrasting service areas.