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Service excellence has been recognized as a crucial means of achieving customer delight. Several recent studies have argued that redundant services may be perceived as unnecessary by customers; however, few studies have explored the construct of service redundancy. This study aims to identify and classify service redundancy in the foodservice industry.

This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 72 participants, namely, 36 customers and 36 managers of fine dining restaurants in Taiwan. Content analysis of the data yielded the classification of service redundancy.

This study determined 16 categories of service redundancy categorized under three themes: service behavior, service regulations and environmental factors. Furthermore, six causes and four consequences of service redundancy were identified.

Customers and managers of fine dining restaurants were interviewed; thus, the findings may not be fully generalizable to service redundancy in other restaurant types.

The contribution of this research is the construction of a model of service redundancy, which could serve as a theoretical foundation for further examination of service redundancy and the relationships between the related constructs.

Examines the phenomenon of worker displacement resulting from redundancies within defence‐related industries. Focuses on responses to an extensive survey of people made redundant over a three‐year period in four defence‐dependent companies in Scotland. Examines individuals’ experiences immediately following the announcement of redundancy and in the course of attempting to find re‐employment, this evidence questions the adequacy of redundancy support measures offered both by the companies themselves and by external services. Outlines key finding that individuals’ experiences of the advice and support they received, as well as their success in finding re‐employment, differ depending on gender, age and skill level. Discusses how the nature of re‐employment found by these workers is typically temporary, part‐time and lower skilled, highlighting substantial skill underutilisation. Draws conclusions about how the support and advisory services might be improved for these types of workers and especially for particular groups facing difficulties adapting to redundancy.

In response to the problem of insufficient traction/braking adhesion force caused by the existence of the third-body medium on the rail surface, this study aims to analyze the utilization of wheel-rail adhesion coefficient under different medium conditions and propose relevant measures for reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion to ensure the traction/braking performance and operation safety of trains.

Based on the PLS-160 wheel-rail adhesion simulation test rig, the study investigates the variation patterns of maximum utilized adhesion characteristics on the rail surface under different conditions of small creepage and large slip. Through statistical analysis of multiple sets of experimental data, the statistical distribution patterns of maximum utilized adhesion on the rail surface are obtained, and a method for analyzing wheel-rail adhesion redundancy based on normal distribution is proposed. The study analyzes the utilization of traction/braking adhesion, as well as adhesion redundancy, for different medium under small creepage and large slip conditions. Based on these findings, relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived.

When the third-body medium exists on the rail surface, the train should adopt the low-level service braking to avoid the braking skidding by extending the braking distance. Compared with the current adhesion control strategy of small creepage, adopting appropriate strategies to control the train’s adhesion coefficient near the second peak point of the adhesion coefficient-slip ratio curve in large slip can effectively improve the traction/braking adhesion redundancy and the upper limit of adhesion utilization, thereby ensuring the traction/braking performance and operation safety of the train.

Most existing studies focus on the wheel-rail adhesion coefficient values and variation patterns under different medium conditions, without considering whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train. Therefore, there is a risk of traction overspeeding/braking skidding. This study analyzes whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train and whether there is redundancy. Based on these findings, relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived to further ensure operation safety of the train.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel approach of designing, specifying, and describing the behavior of software systems in a way that helps to predict their reliability from the reliability of the components and their interactions.

Design imperatives and relevant mathematical documentation techniques for improved reliability predictability of software systems are identified.

The design approach, which is named design for reliability predictability (DRP), integrates design for change, precise behavioral documentation and structure based reliability prediction to achieve improved reliability predictability of software systems. The specification and documentation approach builds upon precise behavioral specification of interfaces using the trace function method (TFM) and introduces a number of structure functions or connection documents. These functions capture both the static and dynamic behavior of component‐based software systems and are used as a basis for a novel document driven structure based reliability predication model.

Decades of research effort have been spent in software design, mathematical/formal specification and description and reliability prediction of software systems. However, there has been little convergence among these three areas. This paper brings a new direction where the three research areas are unified to create a new design paradigm.

Ever since the colonial era, the US government has been influenced by a market-orientated intellectual tradition. Under such a tradition, an ideal social structure is a lean government in contrast to a robust private sector. The recent surge of neoliberalism has advanced the development of a market model of governance, which distinguishes itself from the traditional state-centered bureaucracy in fundamental dimensions. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the contract city, which has pursued many of the market principles to an extreme. The article traces the evolution of contract cities in California, examines closely the structure, operation, and management of contract city using the City of Highland as an example, and discusses the implications of this new form of governance for public management, organizational theory, and American political economy.

In recent years corporate identity has become a fashionable and much talked about, if little understood, management process. Provides a brief overview of the literature on corporate identity and discusses the importance of corporate identity in UK banking. Examines the historical evolution of the Co‐operative Bank’s identity and its attempts to position itself within the context of two generic identities; that of the Co‐operative Movement and the generic identity of the banking industry. Argues that the Co‐operative Bank has achieved differentiation by drawing on the philosophy of the Co‐operative Movement ‐ a generic identity ‐ in order to position itself within the generic identity of the banking industry. Senior managers having responsibility for an organization’s corporate brand might usefully contemplate on Balmer’s assertion that organizations, in examining their past sometimes find their future.

Discusses the long existing and confusing problems of establishing the relationship of who is, and who if not, a dependent worker. Reflects developments which have occurred in British law as it affects the employment field, plus an evaluation and analysis of some of the different types of employment relationships which have evolved by examining, where possible, the status of each of these relationships. Concludes that the typical worker nowadays finds himself in a vulnerable position both economically and psychologically owing to the insecurity which exists.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain key training needs regarding redundancy handling which is increasingly affecting people, often for the first time

The authors use their background in the employee relations area to identify and explain key skills that are involved in redundancy handling. While knowledge of relevant law is part of what is required, it is only one aspect. Managers can suddenly find that they are thrust into a complicated conflict situation, in a deteriorating workplace atmosphere when they may also be unsure about their own job security.

Staff surpluses do not automatically mean redundancy. Options can include re‐deployment, short‐time working, temporary lay‐offs and temporary closure and pay cuts. However, in these situations, as with redundancy, managers may find that the situation may be very stressful. This may be aggravated by a collapse in morale combined with a need to maintain a reduced level of production and/or services. Policies of multi‐skilling may both help avoid redundancy in the first place and failing that help with the re‐deployment of surplus staff. Training and development may also have a crucial role in helping an organisation adapt to the circumstances that caused a staff surplus. Adaptation is likely to need to include the positive management of redundancy survivors.

There are two main features of the paper – it explains the key issues in redundancy handling for people who may be unexpectedly involved in it – which is increasingly likely; it also focuses on the training issues – especially for those having to implement redundancy.

At the end of this chapter, learners should be able to:

• Explain what redundancy is.

• Understand how to manage redundancy.

• Calculate redundancy pay.

• Understand the support available for surviving employees.

Explain what redundancy is.

Understand how to manage redundancy.

Calculate redundancy pay.

Understand the support available for surviving employees.

October 21, 1969 Master and Servant — Redundancy — Calculation of payment — Continuous employment — “Temporary cessation of work” — Employers' work shortage — Dismissal — Re‐employment — Whether period of qualifying service broken — Contracts of Employment Act, 1963 (c.49), Sch. 1, para. 5(1)(b) — Redundancy Payments Act, 1965 (c.62), s.1 (1), Sch. 1, para. 1(1).