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1 – 10 of 249Looks at the interface between people and automation and considers which tasks are best suited to machines and which to people. Notes particularly the cost factors…
Abstract
Looks at the interface between people and automation and considers which tasks are best suited to machines and which to people. Notes particularly the cost factors involved and the prime concerns of price and quality. Points to a balance in the interface between operator and machine in order to ensure maximum effectiveness. Focuses on three examples of the use of automation and concludes that the future holds increased automation, leading to improved working environments and better products.
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David Rush, Greg Bankoff, Sarah-Jane Cooper-Knock, Lesley Gibson, Laura Hirst, Steve Jordan, Graham Spinardi, John Twigg and Richard Shaun Walls
Globally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or…
Abstract
Purpose
Globally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or death is particularly high. This paper examines fire risks in informal settlements in New Delhi and Cape Town, and tented informal settlements in Lebanon.
Design/methodology/approach
Our analysis draws on primary sources, secondary literature, statistical data and qualitative interviews.
Findings
The distribution of fire risk across urban societies is a fundamentally political issue. Residential fire risk can be tackled by accessible, affordable, safety-compliant housing. That said, important interim measures can be taken to mitigate fire risk. Some of the risks requiring attention are similar across our case studies, driven by high population densities; flammable housing materials; unreliable or inaccessible access to safe power sources; and – in the case of Cape Town and New Delhi particularly – the inability of fire services to reach sites of fire. However, these common risks are embedded in distinct social, economic and political contexts that must be placed at the center of any intervention. Interventions must also be aware that the risk of fire is not spread evenly within informal settlements, intersecting as it does with factors like gender, age, health and disability.
Originality/value
Informal settlement fires have been under-studied to date. The studies that do exist tend to operate within disciplinary silos. This paper represents an important interdisciplinary approach to fire within informal settlements, which grounds technical data, modeling and experiments in political, social and economic realities.
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Suggests that when building assembly machines a systematic approach is required for optimum accuracy, repeatability and performance. Accepts that all assembly machines…
Abstract
Suggests that when building assembly machines a systematic approach is required for optimum accuracy, repeatability and performance. Accepts that all assembly machines will differ depending on the operations but believes that a more modular approach should be followed. Cites Modular Automation Ltd as an example of a bespoke machine manufacturer which uses a modular approach and also records improvements and changes in designs so they can be accessed by anyone in the organization and built into other machines. Gives examples of the company’s modular philosophy.
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James Shein, Rebecca Frazzano and Evan Meagher
The case briefly describes the history of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) under Ross Perot and GM before turning to the beginning of a tumultuous decade in the late 1990s…
Abstract
The case briefly describes the history of Electronic Data Systems (EDS) under Ross Perot and GM before turning to the beginning of a tumultuous decade in the late 1990s. As the turn of the century approached, EDS made critical strategic missteps such as missing opportunities in the Internet space, overlooking the onset of client-server computing, and failing to obtain major Y2K-related projects. The company attempted a turnaround by replacing the CEO with Dick Brown, whose leadership helped streamline the sprawling company. Despite initial successes, Brown's tenure ultimately ended in failure, due largely to his failure to recognize the growing Indian market and his willingness to buy business at the expense of the company's margin. The disastrous multibillion-dollar Navy & Marine Corp Intranet contract typified the type of high-profile transactions that Brown pursued, often boosting EDS's stock price in the short term while eroding its cash flow short term and its profitability over the long term. EDS management went through several stages of the turnaround process: the blinded phase, the inactive phase, and the faulty action phase, until Michael Jordan replaced Brown as CEO and enacted a three-tiered operational, strategic, and financial turnaround.
EDS's near-decade of turnaround efforts takes students through every phase of the turnaround process and demonstrates that even initially successful turnaround efforts can become distracted, rendering them ineffective. The case will show both a failed turnaround and a subsequent successful one, while adding an international component with respect to EDS's overlooking an important, growing Indian market.
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Steve Bullough and James Jordan
From the 2006-2007 season, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) introduced regulation into European football by imposing “home-grown” quotas on clubs. The…
Abstract
Purpose
From the 2006-2007 season, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) introduced regulation into European football by imposing “home-grown” quotas on clubs. The purpose of this paper is to remedy partial market failure by influencing issues in the game, namely reducing opportunities for “local” players and stockpiling players. Rule changes have amplified the importance of developing “home-grown” players; however, the UEFA rule is not limited by nationality, which is an inhibiting factor.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample used was the ten seasons from the introduction of the legislation (2006-2007 to 2015-2016). The results quantify English player production in these ten seasons, focusing on outputs (number of players, top-flight playing statistics, academy attended, club played for, age and international experience). Clubs are also categorised and analysed by the number of seasons played.
Findings
A total of 369 English players have debuted since 2006-2007, although only 141 developed through the eight “category 1” (ever-present) clubs. A high proportion of players are developing at elite clubs but having limited playing time and subsequently transferring to lower ranked clubs. The clubs promoted to the English Premier League (EPL) each season have introduced more English players into the EPL (167) than “category 1” clubs (112), and these clubs account for a minority of minutes played by new entrants (13 per cent). Furthermore, clubs outside the EPL are producing a significant number of English players, including those progressing to the national team.
Originality/value
Competing organisational purposes between the EPL, the FA and professional clubs have combined to create a complex environment and options for the future are discussed.
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Layla Hasan, Anne Morris and Steve Probets
The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodological usability evaluation approach for e‐commerce websites in developing countries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodological usability evaluation approach for e‐commerce websites in developing countries.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi‐faceted usability evaluation of three Jordanian e‐commerce websites was used, where three usability methods (user testing, heuristic evaluation and web analytics) were applied to the sites.
Findings
A four‐step approach was developed to facilitate the evaluation of e‐commerce sites, mindful of the advantages and disadvantages of the methods used in identifying specific usability problems.
Research limitations/implications
The approach was developed and tested using Jordanian users, experts and e‐commerce sites. The study compared the ability of the methods to detect problems that were present, however, usability issues not present on any of the sites could not be considered when creating the approach.
Practical implications
The approach helps e‐commerce retailers evaluate the usability of their websites and understand which usability method(s) best matches their need.
Originality/value
This research proposes a new approach for evaluating the usability of e‐commerce sites. A novel aspect is the use of web analytics (Google Analytics software) as a component in the usability evaluation in conjunction with heuristics and user testing.
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The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB218680
ISSN: 2633-304X
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Geographic
Topical
Lisa Fedina, Bethany L. Backes, Hyun-Jin Jun, Jordan DeVylder and Richard P. Barth
The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship among police legitimacy/trust and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), including victims’ decisions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship among police legitimacy/trust and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), including victims’ decisions to report IPV to police and police responses to IPV.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were drawn from the 2017 Survey of Police–Public Encounters II – a cross-sectional, general population survey of adults from New York City and Baltimore (n=1,000). Regression analyses were used to examine associations among police legitimacy/trust, IPV exposure, police reporting of IPV, and perceived police responses to IPV and interaction effects.
Findings
Higher levels of IPV exposure were significantly associated with lower levels of police legitimacy/trust; however, this relationship was stronger among African–American participants than non-African–American participants. Higher levels of police legitimacy/trust were significantly associated with more positive police responses to IPV and this relationship was stronger among heterosexual participants than sexual minority participants.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should examine prospective relationships to understand causal mechanisms linking individual perceptions of police legitimacy/trust, experiences with IPV and victims’ interactions with police.
Practical implications
Low levels of legitimacy/trust between police and citizens may result, in part, if police are engaged in negative or inadequate responses to reports of IPV. Police–social work partnerships can enhance effective police responses to IPV, particularly to racial/ethnic and sexual minority individuals.
Originality/value
This study provides empirical evidence linking police legitimacy/trust to the experiences of IPV and perceived police responses to reports of IPV, including important group differences among victims based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation.
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Victor Balassiano and Steve Bullough
This study quantifies academy productivity within English football clubs that have competed in the second tier (Championship) between 2017 and 2020. Previous research has…
Abstract
Purpose
This study quantifies academy productivity within English football clubs that have competed in the second tier (Championship) between 2017 and 2020. Previous research has outlined that clubs situated underneath the top leagues have an important role in the development of elite professional players. This study aims to examine that level of the pathway further in England.
Design/methodology/approach
The utilisation of academy players was conducted with data from 33 eligible clubs, from 2017/2018 to 2019/2020. Two measures of productivity are defined for comparison: “Utilisation” (the total minutes played by academy graduates) and “Starts” (the number of times an academy player started for the first team). To quantify these measures, players and clubs’ indices were also defined through two perspectives: “global” (proportion of all games played from 2017/2018 to 2019/2020) and “local” (proportion of games the player featured only). Nationality and position were also included.
Findings
Headline findings demonstrate large differences between clubs for the type and proportion of playing opportunities created. The data outlines that academy graduates have greater utilisation and starts in cup competitions, particularly the English Football League cup. Clubs in the sample being relegated from the Premier League into the Championship recorded weaker “utilisation” and “starts” compared to those that competed in the lower divisions. Academies are producing and using a greater proportion of defensive players (goalkeepers, defenders, defensive midfielders) compared to more attacking sectors of the pitch.
Originality/value
This offers useful insight for academy managers, allowing comparisons between clubs. It has implications for future strategies around the role of the academy and approaches to generating player opportunity.
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Steve Noone, Alison Branch and Melissa Sherring
Positive behavioural support (PBS) as a framework for delivering quality services is recognised in important policy documents (CQC, 2020; NICE, 2018), yet there is an…
Abstract
Purpose
Positive behavioural support (PBS) as a framework for delivering quality services is recognised in important policy documents (CQC, 2020; NICE, 2018), yet there is an absence in the literature on how this could be implemented on a large scale. The purpose of this paper is to describe a recent implementation of a workforce strategy to develop PBS across social care and health staff and family carers, within the footprint of a large integrated care system.
Design/methodology/approach
A logic model describes how an initial scoping exercise led to the production of a regional workforce strategy based on the PBS Competence Framework (2015). It shows how the creation of a regional steering group was able to coordinate important developmental stages and integrate multiple agencies into a single strategy to implement teaching and education in PBS. It describes the number of people who received teaching and education in PBS and the regional impact of the project in promoting cultural change within services.
Findings
This paper demonstrates a proof of concept that it is possible to translate the PBS Competency Framework (2015) into accredited courses. Initial scoping work highlighted the ineffectiveness of traditional training in PBS. Using blended learning and competency-based supervision and assessment, it was possible to create a new way to promote large-scale service developments in PBS supported by the governance of a new organisational structure. This also included family training delivered by family trainers. This builds on the ideas by Denne et al. (2020) that many of the necessary building blocks of implementation already exist within a system.
Social implications
A co-ordinated teaching and education strategy in PBS may help a wide range of carers to become more effective in supporting the people they care for.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt to describe the implementation of a framework for PBS within a defined geographical location. It describes the collaboration of health and social care planners and a local university to create a suite of courses built around the PBS coalition competency framework.
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