Drug utilization research and risk management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mazzaglia, Giampiero; Mol, Peter G. M.; Elseviers, Monique; Wettermark, Björn; Almarsdóttir, Anna Birna; Andersen, Morten; Benko, Ria; Bennie, Marion; Eriksson, Irene; Godman, Brian; Krska, Janet; Poluzzi, Elisabetta; Taxis, Katja; Vlahovic-Palcevski, Vera; Stichele, Robert Vander

2016-01-01

Good risk management requires continuous evaluation and improvement of planned activities. The evaluation impact of risk management activities requires robust study designs and carefully selected outcome measures. Key learnings and caveats from drug utilization research should be applied to the

Leveraging management information in improving call centre productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manthisana Mosese

2016-04-01

Objectives: This research explored the use of management information and its impact on two fundamental functions namely, improving productivity without compromising the quality of service, in the call centre of a well-known South African fashion retailer, Edcon. Following the implementation of the call centre technology project the research set out to determine how Edcon can transform their call centre to improve productivity and customer service through effective utilisation of their management information. Method: Internal documents and reports were analysed to provide the basis of evaluation between the measures of productivity prior to and post the implementation of a technology project at Edcon’s call centre. Semi-structured in-depth and group interviews were conducted to establish the importance and use of management information in improving productivity and customer service. Results: The results indicated that the availability of management information has indeed contributed to improved efficiency at the Edcon call centre. Although literature claims that there is a correlation between a call centre technology upgrade and improvement in performance, evident in the return on investment being realised within a year or two of implementation, it fell beyond the scope of this study to investigate the return on investment for Edcon’s call centre. Conclusion: Although Edcon has begun realising benefits in improved productivity in their call centre from their available management information, information will continue to play a crucial role in supporting management with informed decisions that will improve the call centre operations. [pdf to follow

Process Improvement for Interinstitutional Research Contracting.

Science.gov (United States)

Varner, Michael; Logan, Jennifer; Bjorklund, Todd; Whitfield, Jesse; Reed, Peggy; Lesher, Laurie; Sikalis, Amy; Brown, Brent; Drollinger, Sandy; Larrabee, Kristine; Thompson, Kristie; Clark, Erin; Workman, Michael; Boi, Luca

2015-08-01

Sponsored research increasingly requires multiinstitutional collaboration. However, research contracting procedures have become more complicated and time consuming. The perinatal research units of two colocated healthcare systems sought to improve their research contracting processes. The Lean Process, a management practice that iteratively involves team members in root cause analyses and process improvement, was applied to the research contracting process, initially using Process Mapping and then developing Problem Solving Reports. Root cause analyses revealed that the longest delays were the individual contract legal negotiations. In addition, the "business entity" was the research support personnel of both healthcare systems whose "customers" were investigators attempting to conduct interinstitutional research. Development of mutually acceptable research contract templates and language, chain of custody templates, and process development and refinement formats decreased the Notice of Grant Award to Purchase Order time from a mean of 103.5 days in the year prior to Lean Process implementation to 45.8 days in the year after implementation (p = 0.004). The Lean Process can be applied to interinstitutional research contracting with significant improvement in contract implementation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Using social-network research to improve outcomes in natural resource management.

Science.gov (United States)

Groce, Julie E; Farrelly, Megan A; Jorgensen, Bradley S; Cook, Carly N

2018-05-08

The conservation and management of natural resources operates within social-ecological systems, in which resource users are embedded in social and environmental contexts that influence their management decisions. Characterizing social networks of resource users has received growing interest as an approach for understanding social influences on decision-making, and social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a useful technique to explore these relationships. In this review, we synthesize how SNA has been used in studies of natural resource management. To present our findings, we developed a theory of change which outlines the influence between social networks and social processes (e.g., interactions between individuals), which in turn influence social outcomes (e.g., decisions or actions) that impact environmental outcomes (e.g., improved condition). Our review of 85 studies demonstrate frequent use of descriptive methods to characterize social processes, yet few studies considered social outcomes or examined network structure relative to environmental outcomes. Only 4 studies assessed network interventions intended to impact relevant processes or outcomes. The heterogeneity in case studies, methods, and analyses preclude general lessons. Thus, we offer a typology of appropriate measures for each stage of our theory of change, to structure and progress our learning about the role of social networks in achieving environmental outcomes. In addition, we suggest shifts in research foci towards intervention studies, to aid in understanding causality and inform the design of conservation initiatives. We also identify the need for developing clearer justification and guidance around the proliferation of network measures. The use of SNA in natural resource management is expanding rapidly, thus now is the ideal time for the conservation community to build a more rigorous evidence base to demonstrate the extent to which social networks can play a role in achieving desired

Building the Science of Research Management: What Can Research Management Learn from Education Research?

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jun Song; Hung, Wei Loong

2018-01-01

Research management is an emerging field of study and its development is significant to the advancement of research enterprise. Developing the science of research management requires investigating social mechanisms involved in research management. Yet, studies on social mechanisms of research management is lacking in the literature. To address…

Procurement management in scientific research and production project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Yi

2008-01-01

To meet the requirement of development trend of scientific research and production, it is necessary to incorporate the modern procurement management theory in the whole procurement process for the items used in scientific research and production.This paper provided some suggestions to improve the procurement management by introducing the experiences in the application of the modern procurement management methods in the procurement of parts production. (author)

Meeting global health challenges through operational research and management science.

Science.gov (United States)

Royston, Geoff

2011-09-01

This paper considers how operational research and management science can improve the design of health systems and the delivery of health care, particularly in low-resource settings. It identifies some gaps in the way operational research is typically used in global health and proposes steps to bridge them. It then outlines some analytical tools of operational research and management science and illustrates how their use can inform some typical design and delivery challenges in global health. The paper concludes by considering factors that will increase and improve the contribution of operational research and management science to global health.

Improved low-level radioactive waste management practices for hospitals and research institutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-07-01

This report provides a general overview and a compendium of source material on low-level radioactive waste management practices in the institutional sector. Institutional sector refers to hospitals, universities, clinics, and research facilities that use radioactive materials in scientific research and the practice of medicine, and the manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals and radiography devices. This report provides information on effective waste management practices for institutional waste to state policymakers, regulatory agency officials, and waste generators. It is not intended to be a handbook for actual waste management, but rather a sourcebook of general information, as well as a survey of the more detailed analysis

75 FR 58400 - Donor Management Research: Improvements in Clinical Management of Deceased Organ Donors

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-24

... needed. Upon review of research possibilities being discussed in meetings and in the literature, HRSA... their experiences and opinions regarding the importance of further study into donor management and its...

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OBJECT AS AN OBJECT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mykola Bondar

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research is to highlight the main areas of the system of strategic management accounting, improvement of the principles on which it operates. Subject of research is theoretical and practical aspects of functioning and development of strategic management accounting. Subject area is focused on strategic management information support towards the implementation of the principle of balancing of activity of the entities. Objectives of the research is to determine the place and role of strategic management accounting in the creation of information infrastructure management in the current economic conditions; disclosure of decomposition problems and improvement of the functioning of the system of strategic management accounting, prioritization of development. Hypothesis of the research is based on the assumption that the effectiveness of entities management adapted to the needs of the market environment of complete, accurate and timely information, which is formed in properly organized system of strategic management accounting. Methodology is based on analysis of data of respondents from 125 industrial entities of Kharkiv region. Data was collected through direct surveys and in the preparation of Kharkiv Oblast Development Strategy for the period until 2020. Respondents were asked a number of questions that determine: results of the system of information support of strategic management in enterprises employing respondents; direction of the system of strategic management accounting in enterprises employing respondents. By means of expert assessments was evaluated important source of information for making strategic management decisions. General system of research methodology is based on a systematic approach. Conclusion. During the research was confirmed the role and importance of strategic management accounting information for the purpose of strategic management. According to the results outlined challenges facing the leaders of

Improving sales management of agricultural enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Balko S. V.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available the article discusses the effective sales of agricultural products. The authors recommend the directions of improving sales management system. Moreover, the research proves that sales and production activity should be based on complex analysis and monitoring of the market conditions.

Basic Project Management Methodologies for Survey Researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Robert H.

To be effective, project management requires a heavy dependence on the document, list, and computational capability of a computerized environment. Now that microcomputers are readily available, only the rediscovery of classic project management methodology is required for improved resource allocation in small research projects. This paper provides…

Using principles from emergency management to improve emergency response plans for research animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogelweid, Catherine M

2013-10-01

Animal research regulatory agencies have issued updated requirements for emergency response planning by regulated research institutions. A thorough emergency response plan is an essential component of an institution's animal care and use program, but developing an effective plan can be a daunting task. The author provides basic information drawn from the field of emergency management about best practices for developing emergency response plans. Planners should use the basic principles of emergency management to develop a common-sense approach to managing emergencies in their facilities.

Ageing Management for Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-10-15

good practice. This Safety Guide is intended for use by operating organizations in establishing, implementing and improving ageing management programmes for research reactors. It may be used by regulatory bodies in verifying that ageing of research reactors is being effectively managed. While the intention is not to recommend ways in which to make the operation of a research reactor more effective or more efficient, the recommendations provided in this Safety Guide on managing ageing of SSCs to ensure safety will undoubtedly contribute to the enhancement of their long term reliability and availability. SCOPE. This Safety Guide covers all aspects relating to the establishment, implementation and continuous improvement of an ageing management programme. It not only focuses on managing the physical ageing of SSCs important to safety but also provides guidance on safety aspects of managing obsolescence (non-physical ageing)

Ageing Management for Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

good practice. This Safety Guide is intended for use by operating organizations in establishing, implementing and improving ageing management programmes for research reactors. It may be used by regulatory bodies in verifying that ageing of research reactors is being effectively managed. While the intention is not to recommend ways in which to make the operation of a research reactor more effective or more efficient, the recommendations provided in this Safety Guide on managing ageing of SSCs to ensure safety will undoubtedly contribute to the enhancement of their long term reliability and availability. SCOPE. This Safety Guide covers all aspects relating to the establishment, implementation and continuous improvement of an ageing management programme. It not only focuses on managing the physical ageing of SSCs important to safety but also provides guidance on safety aspects of managing obsolescence (non-physical ageing)

Improving Business Communication in the Field of Management in Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cvetka Peterlin

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Research Question (RQ: The topic area of this research study is to improve the quality of business communication in education.Purpose: This article presents a framework of procedures to improve business communication in a public institution in the field of education and its aim is to involve all fields of management. The added value relates to the field of business communication inside and outside a public institution.The focus of this research is based on the administrative management of the institution in relation to business communication and quality management with an emphasis on preparing the documentation to comply with the quality management system ISO 9001:2008.Method: Interview.Results: All employees whose work is related to administrative management of the institution will be considered as indicators to improve the quality management, communication excellence and ethical principles and are going to be informed in written form. The results of this research study will be evaluated at least once a year. Thefindings indicate a willingness to engage employees to improve thecurrent state of business communication.Organization: The institute carries out business communication among all employees involved in the implementation of basic education activities within the institution but also externally. Employees are aware that the equality of business communication is the basis for communication both in the business world, the workplace, at home, and abroad.Society: To ensure users satisfaction of the education services provided by the public education institution, it is necessary to create a user-friendly environment in business communication, which is trusted by users. Business excellence, good communication, and values will convince society to look at the institution as competitive, devoted to ethical values and professional work.Originality: The research is based on personal experience within the workplace and is currently limited to one

Improvement of Construction Project Management Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazarko, J.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The common denominator of the five papers published in the current edition of the Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management is the improvement of construction project management processes for effective use of resources. Execution of proper project management processes is widely recognized as a key success factor influencing likelihood of project success (Alleman, 2014. It is noticeable that four out of five papers in this issue of the Journal are authored or co-authored by Iranian researchers from the same Institute but their conclusions bear importance that cannot be limited to the authors’ region.

Improving the relevance and impact of decision support research: A co-production framework and water management case study

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, R.; Kasprzyk, J. R.; Dilling, L.; Basdekas, L.; Kaatz, L.

2016-12-01

In light of the unpredictable effects of climate change and population shifts, responsible resource management will require new types of information and strategies going forward. For water utilities, this means that water supply infrastructure systems must be expanded and/or managed for changes in overall supply and increased extremes. Utilities have begun seeking innovative tools and methods to support planning and decision making, but there are limited channels through which they can gain exposure to emerging tools from the research world, and for researchers to uptake important real-world planning and decision context. A transdisciplinary team of engineers, social and climate scientists, and water managers designed this study to develop and apply a co-production framework which explores the potential of an emerging decision support tool to enhance flexibility and adaptability in water utility planning. It also demonstrates how to improve the link between research and practice in the water sector. In this study we apply the co-production framework to the use of Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs). MOEAs have shown promise in being able to generate and evaluate new planning alternatives but they have had little testing or application in water utilities. Anchored by two workshops, this study (1) elicited input from water managers from six water suppliers on the Front Range of Colorado, USA, to create a testbed MOEA application, and (2) evaluated the managers' responses to multiobjective optimization results. The testbed consists of a Front Range-relevant hypothetical water supply model, the Borg MOEA, hydrology and demand scenarios, and a set of planning decisions and performance objectives that drive the link between the algorithm and the model. In this presentation we describe researcher-manager interactions at the initial workshop that served to establish relationships and provide in-depth information to researchers about regional water management

Customer-Supplier Roles and Relationships in the Management of Research Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Ian M.

2007-01-01

Recognising the existence of customer-supplier roles and relationships in the performance of research can lead to an improvement in the management, and hence delivery, of research. Research, especially university-based research, is often managed with a light touch, with the researchers operating independently, and neither their institution nor…

Arctic Risk Management (ARMNet) Network: Linking Risk Management Practitioners and Researchers Across the Arctic Regions of Canada and Alaska To Improve Risk, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Through Comparative Analysis and Applied Research

Science.gov (United States)

Garland, A.

2015-12-01

The Arctic Risk Management Network (ARMNet) was conceived as a trans-disciplinary hub to encourage and facilitate greater cooperation, communication and exchange among American and Canadian academics and practitioners actively engaged in the research, management and mitigation of risks, emergencies and disasters in the Arctic regions. Its aim is to assist regional decision-makers through the sharing of applied research and best practices and to support greater inter-operability and bilateral collaboration through improved networking, joint exercises, workshops, teleconferences, radio programs, and virtual communications (eg. webinars). Most importantly, ARMNet is a clearinghouse for all information related to the management of the frequent hazards of Arctic climate and geography in North America, including new and emerging challenges arising from climate change, increased maritime polar traffic and expanding economic development in the region. ARMNet is an outcome of the Arctic Observing Network (AON) for Long Term Observations, Governance, and Management Discussions, www.arcus.org/search-program. The AON goals continue with CRIOS (www.ariesnonprofit.com/ARIESprojects.php) and coastal erosion research (www.ariesnonprofit.com/webinarCoastalErosion.php) led by the North Slope Borough Risk Management Office with assistance from ARIES (Applied Research in Environmental Sciences Nonprofit, Inc.). The constituency for ARMNet will include all northern academics and researchers, Arctic-based corporations, First Responders (FRs), Emergency Management Offices (EMOs) and Risk Management Offices (RMOs), military, Coast Guard, northern police forces, Search and Rescue (SAR) associations, boroughs, territories and communities throughout the Arctic. This presentation will be of interest to all those engaged in Arctic affairs, describe the genesis of ARMNet and present the results of stakeholder meetings and webinars designed to guide the next stages of the Project.

GREEN BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT: A RESEARCH AGENDA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aditya Ghose

2010-01-01

Full Text Available There is a global consensus on the need to reduce our collective carbon footprint. While much research attention has focused on developing alternative energy sources, automotive technologies or waste disposal techniques, we often ignore the fact that the ability to optimize (existing operations to reduce their emissions impact is fundamental to this exercise. Business process management (BPM technology, with its focus on understanding, modelling and improving/optimizing business processes, is a key starting point. Process modelling technology has applications beyond what we would traditionally describe as business processes - we can also model and improve manufacturing and other "physical" processes. This paper describes the contours of the emerging research landscape in green business process management and presents some early results in this area.

Compliance Culture or Culture Change? The role of funders in improving data management and sharing practice amongst researchers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cameron Neylon

2017-06-01

Full Text Available There is a wide and growing interest in promoting Research Data Management (RDM and Research Data Sharing (RDS from many stakeholders in the research enterprise. Funders are under pressure from activists, from government, and from the wider public agenda towards greater transparency and access to encourage, require, and deliver improved data practices from the researchers they fund. Funders are responding to this, and to their own interest in improved practice, by developing and implementing policies on RDM and RDS. In this review we examine the state of funder policies, the process of implementation and available guidance to identify the challenges and opportunities for funders in developing policy and delivering on the aspirations for improved community practice, greater transparency and engagement, and enhanced impact. The review is divided into three parts. The first two components are based on desk research: a survey of existing policy statements drawing in part on existing surveys and a brief review of available guidance on policy development for funders. The third part addresses the experience of policy implementation through interviews with funders, policy developers, and infrastructure providers. In our review we identify, in common with other surveys, that RDM and RDS policies are increasingly common. The most developed are found amongst funders in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and European Union. However many other funders and nations have aspirational statements or are developing policy. There is a broad pattern of policy development moving from aspiration, to recommendations, to requirements, and finally reporting and auditing of data management practice. There are strong similarities across policies: a requirement for data management planning, often in grant submissions, expectations that data supporting published articles will be made available, and in many cases requirements for data archiving and availability

Compliance Culture or Culture Change? The role of funders in improving data management and sharing practice amongst researchers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cameron Neylon

2017-10-01

Full Text Available There is a wide and growing interest in promoting Research Data Management (RDM and Research Data Sharing (RDS from many stakeholders in the research enterprise. Funders are under pressure from activists, from government, and from the wider public agenda towards greater transparency and access to encourage, require, and deliver improved data practices from the researchers they fund. Funders are responding to this, and to their own interest in improved practice, by developing and implementing policies on RDM and RDS. In this review we examine the state of funder policies, the process of implementation and available guidance to identify the challenges and opportunities for funders in developing policy and delivering on the aspirations for improved community practice, greater transparency and engagement, and enhanced impact. The review is divided into three parts. The first two components are based on desk research: a survey of existing policy statements drawing in part on existing surveys and a brief review of available guidance on policy development for funders. The third part addresses the experience of policy implementation through interviews with funders, policy developers, and infrastructure providers. In our review we identify, in common with other surveys, that RDM and RDS policies are increasingly common. The most developed are found amongst funders in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and European Union. However many other funders and nations have aspirational statements or are developing policy. There is a broad pattern of policy development moving from aspiration, to recommendations, to requirements, and finally reporting and auditing of data management practice. There are strong similarities across policies: a requirement for data management planning, often in grant submissions, expectations that data supporting published articles will be made available, and in many cases requirements for data archiving and availability

Research and development of methods/utilities and rules for managing cooperation for performance improvement in government offices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurstedt, H.A.

1993-03-01

Purpose is to help managers approach their responsibilities proactively, so that they can anticipate problems and take actions to alleviate or eliminate those problems. Continuous performance improvement, the philosophy behind total quality management, requires working cooperatively to do a little better each day. The most effective tools are working through a closed set of 9 methods: setting expectations, charting, defining indicators and standards, collecting and logging data, converting data to information, organizing and presenting information, reviewing status and progress, self-management, and appraising. In addition, there are 8 rules: focus on what you can do, supply physical evidence of progress, pay attention to detail, inspect (don't expect), review progress routinely and frequently, face ''success/fail'' squarely, communicate crisply, and conduct honest, open appraisals. Scope and plans of the draft research plan (study areas) are described.

Application of the enterprise management tools Lean Six Sigma and PMBOK in developing a program of research management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hors, Cora; Goldberg, Anna Carla; Almeida, Ederson Haroldo Pereira de; Babio Júnior, Fernando Galan; Rizzo, Luiz Vicente

2012-01-01

Introduce a program for the management of scientific research in a General Hospital employing the business management tools Lean Six Sigma and PMBOK for project management in this area. The Lean Six Sigma methodology was used to improve the management of the institution's scientific research through a specific tool (DMAIC) for identification, implementation and posterior analysis based on PMBOK practices of the solutions found. We present our solutions for the management of institutional research projects at the Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein. The solutions were classified into four headings: people, processes, systems and organizational culture. A preliminary analysis of these solutions showed them to be completely or partially compliant to the processes described in the PMBOK Guide. In this post facto study, we verified that the solutions drawn from a project using Lean Six Sigma methodology and based on PMBOK enabled the improvement of our processes dealing with the management of scientific research carried out in the institution and constitutes a model to contribute to the search of innovative science management solutions by other institutions dealing with scientific research in Brazil.

Improving Soil Seed Bank Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Haring, Steven C; Flessner, Michael L

2018-05-08

Problems associated with simplified weed management motivate efforts for diversification. Integrated weed management uses fundamentals of weed biology and applied ecology to provide a framework for diversified weed management programs; the soil seed bank comprises a necessary part of this framework. By targeting seeds, growers can inhibit the propagule pressure on which annual weeds depend for agricultural invasion. Some current management practices affect weed seed banks, such as crop rotation and tillage, but these tools are often used without specific intention to manage weed seeds. Difficulties quantifying the weed seed bank, understanding seed bank phenology, and linking seed banks to emerged weed communities challenge existing soil seed bank management practices. Improved seed bank quantification methods could include DNA profiling of the soil seed bank, mark and recapture, or 3D LIDAR mapping. Successful and sustainable soil seed bank management must constrain functionally diverse and changing weed communities. Harvest weed seed controls represent a step forward, but over-reliance on this singular technique could make it short-lived. Researchers must explore tools inspired by other pest management disciplines, such as gene drives or habitat modification for predatory organisms. Future weed seed bank management will combine multiple complementary practices that enhance diverse agroecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Meta-analysis constrained by data: Recommendations to improve relevance of nutrient management research

Science.gov (United States)

Five research teams received funding through the North American 4R Research Fund to conduct meta-analyses of the air and water quality impacts of on-farm 4R nutrient management practices. In compiling or expanding databases for these analyses on environmental and crop production effects, researchers...

Improving natural resource management in Viet Nam's Hong Ha ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-07-15

Jul 15, 2011 ... Improving natural resource management in Viet Nam's Hong Ha commune ... In this work, the research team helped local farmers improve their land ... with a home garden economy, limit forest destruction, diversify crop production, ... low female participation rates in decision making; limited education; rapid ...

Learning from collaborative research on sustainably managing fresh water: implications for ethical research-practice engagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret L. Ayre

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Since the mid-2000s, there has been increasing recognition of the promise of collaborative research and management for addressing complex issues in sustainably managing fresh water. A large variety of collaborative freshwater research and management processes is now evident around the world. However, how collective knowledge development, coproduction, or cocreation is carried out in an ethical manner is less well known. From the literature and our experiences as applied, transdisciplinary researchers and natural resource management practitioners, we seek to describe and explore these aspects of empirical cases of collaborative freshwater research and management. Drawing on cases from Indigenous community-based natural resource management in northern Australia, flood and drought risk management in Bulgaria, water management and climate change adaptation in the Pacific, and regional catchment and estuary management in Victoria and New South Wales in Australia, we identify lessons to support improved collaborative sustainable freshwater management research and practice. Cocreation represents an emerging approach to participation and collaboration in freshwater management research-practice and can be seen to constitute four interlinked and iterative phases: coinitiation, codesign, coimplementation, and coevaluation. For freshwater researchers and managers and their collaborators, paying attention to these phases and the ethical dilemmas that arise within each phase will support the cocreation of more effective and ethical research-practice through: sensitizing collaborators to the need for reflexivity in research-practice, proposing action research codesign as a method for managing emergent questions and outcomes, and supporting more equitable outcomes for collaborators through an emphasis on coevaluation and collaborative articulation of the links between research outputs and practice outcomes.

From transformative learning to social change? Using action research to explore and improve informal complaints management in an NHS trust

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anki Odelius

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: The number of complaints from patients and/or carers concerning aspects of care has increased over time. Yet, in spite of a growing body of national and international literature on healthcare complaints, there is a lack of knowledge around how nurses and midwives manage informal complaints at ward level, or staff needs in relation to this. Aim: Using an action research approach with mixed methods, four phases and four cycles, the aim was to explore informal complaints management by nurses and midwives at ward level. We discuss the action research process primarily in connection with learning and service change, drawing from the qualitative data in this paper. Findings: The analysis of the collected qualitative data resulted in three main themes, related to the complexities of complaints and complaints management, staff support needs and the existing ambiguous complaints systems, which are hard for staff and service users to negotiate. The action research approach facilitated learning and change in participants in relation to complaints management, in the collaborating trust. Conclusions: The extant body of research on complaints does not sufficiently recognise the complexity of complaints and informal complaints management, or the complaints systems that are in place. Needs-based staff training can help support staff to manage informal complaints more effectively. Implications for practice: • There needs to be recognition of the complexities involved in complaints management • Complaints systems need to be clearer for the benefit of service users and staff • Staff need training and support that is tailored to their needs to improve their response to complaints, leading to a better patient experience • Limited interventions, informed by staff needs, can lead to change and act as a catalyst for a wider change in informal complaints management

Benefits and organization of cooperative research for fisheries management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Johnson, T.R.; Densen, van W.L.T.

2007-01-01

Drawing on research in the northeastern USA and northwestern Europe, a description is given of how cooperative research is organized and a statement made of how involving fishers in research can contribute to better fisheries management. The focus is on improving stock assessments through the

A Perspective on NASA Ames Air Traffic Management Research

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeder, Jeffery A.

2012-01-01

This paper describes past and present air-traffic-management research at NASA Ames Research Center. The descriptions emerge from the perspective of a technical manager who supervised the majority of this research for the last four years. Past research contributions built a foundation for calculating accurate flight trajectories to enable efficient airspace management in time. That foundation led to two predominant research activities that continue to this day - one in automatically separating aircraft and the other in optimizing traffic flows. Today s national airspace uses many of the applications resulting from research at Ames. These applications include the nationwide deployment of the Traffic Management Advisor, new procedures enabling continuous descent arrivals, cooperation with industry to permit more direct flights to downstream way-points, a surface management system in use by two cargo carriers, and software to evaluate how well flights conform to national traffic management initiatives. The paper concludes with suggestions for prioritized research in the upcoming years. These priorities include: enabling more first-look operational evaluations, improving conflict detection and resolution for climbing or descending aircraft, and focusing additional attention on the underpinning safety critical items such as a reliable datalink.

The prevention research centers' managing epilepsy well network.

Science.gov (United States)

DiIorio, Colleen K; Bamps, Yvan A; Edwards, Ariele L; Escoffery, Cam; Thompson, Nancy J; Begley, Charles E; Shegog, Ross; Clark, Noreen M; Selwa, Linda; Stoll, Shelley C; Fraser, Robert T; Ciechanowski, Paul; Johnson, Erica K; Kobau, Rosemarie; Price, Patricia H

2010-11-01

The Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network was created in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Prevention Research Centers and Epilepsy Program to promote epilepsy self-management research and to improve the quality of life for people with epilepsy. MEW Network membership comprises four collaborating centers (Emory University, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Michigan, and University of Washington), representatives from CDC, affiliate members, and community stakeholders. This article describes the MEW Network's background, mission statement, research agenda, and structure. Exploratory and intervention studies conducted by individual collaborating centers are described, as are Network collaborative projects, including a multisite depression prevention intervention and the development of a standard measure of epilepsy self-management. Communication strategies and examples of research translation programs are discussed. The conclusion outlines the Network's role in the future development and dissemination of evidence-based epilepsy self-management programs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The use of Reference Management tools to improve Citation

OpenAIRE

Ebrahim, Nader Ale

2016-01-01

Reference Management tools offer an easy way of finding relevant literature, collecting references, organizing them in a database, and insert citations works in a manuscript with proper citation style. Most of the new Reference Management tools provide facility to connect with other researchers that you can’t find on other platforms. A Web-based reference management provide easier collaboration and use across multiple devices and assist you to improve publication visibility.

Interventions to Improve Asthma Management of the School-Age Child.

Science.gov (United States)

Friend, Mary; Morrison, Amber

2015-06-01

Improvement of medication adherence in the school-age child can lead to improvement in quality of life, decreased morbidity, and a potential decreased risk of deferred academic, social, and emotional development. The objective of this article is to review barriers to asthma medication adherence and identify evidence-based techniques that improve medication management of the asthmatic child 5 to 12 years of age. A literature review was performed and articles were obtained through database searches within Medline, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and PubMed. Research indicates that barriers to the adherence of medication regimens required for asthmatic children include poor understanding of the medication regimen, substandard education on symptom recognition and environmental triggers, rejection of the diagnosis, and a lack of support or understanding within the community. Researched techniques aimed to improve medication management in 5- to 12-year-olds include: computer-based education; workshops for parents, teachers, and children; incorporation of asthma education into classroom lessons; use of case managers; the introduction of a nurse practitioner in the school to provide care, including medication prescriptions for the asthmatic child; and assessment and evaluation of environmental and emotional triggers in the home and school. Collaboration of current data may help lead to a successful interventional model that can improve asthma management in this population. © The Author(s) 2014.

Embedding organisational quality improvement through middle manager ownership.

Science.gov (United States)

Balding, Cathy

2005-01-01

To strengthen the middle manager role in a hospital quality improvement (QI) program, with a view to increasing and sustaining organisational QI implementation. Case study based action research project, combining pre- and post-action quantitative and qualitative data collection, relating to a QI program intervention in an Australian metropolitan specialist teaching hospital. A model for enhancing the middle manager role in QI was developed and then implemented as the action over a 12-month period. Middle manager understanding and ownership of the QI program and organisational QI implementation significantly increased, although their perceived enjoyment of being involved in QI decreased. This case-study based action research project was limited to one organisation of a specific type - a large specialist metropolitan teaching hospital. The composition of the middle manager group, therefore, is necessarily limited to particular specialties. It is acknowledged that findings from case study and action research methodologies are limited in their generalisability, but assist in the development of knowledge and principles that can be adapted to different settings. This QI implementation model can increase levels of organisational QI implementation by effecting a positive change in middle manager attitude to and involvement in QI. There are many theories regarding the importance of the middle manager role in QI, but little empirical research into exactly what this role may be and how it may be strengthened. This research adds to the knowledge base, and provides clear steps for achieving increased staff involvement and QI implementation.

Using Action Research to Teach Students to Manage Team Learning and Improve Teamwork Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Scott-Ladd, Brenda; Chan, Christopher C. A.

2008-01-01

This article reports on a study investigating strategies that students can use to develop skills in managing team learning. Two groups of second-year management students participated in a semester-long action research project over two semesters. The students were educated on team development, team processes and conflict management and how to…

Strengthening health district management competencies in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda: lessons from using action research to improve health workforce performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Martineau, Tim; Raven, Joanna; Aikins, Moses; Alonso-Garbayo, Alvaro; Baine, Sebastian; Huss, Reinhard; Maluka, Stephen; Wyss, Kaspar

2018-01-01

To achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), more health workers are needed; also critical is supporting optimal performance of existing staff. Integrated human resource management (HRM) strategies, complemented by other health systems strategies, are needed to improve health workforce performance, which is possible at district level in decentralised contexts. To strengthen the capacity of district management teams to develop and implement workplans containing integrated strategies for workforce performance improvement, we introduced an action-research-based management strengthening intervention (MSI). This consisted of two workshops, follow-up by facilitators and meetings between participating districts. Although often used in the health sector, there is little evaluation of this approach in middle-income and low-income country contexts. The MSI was tested in three districts in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. This paper reports on the appropriateness of the MSI to the contexts and its effects. Documentary evidence (workshop reports, workplans, diaries, follow-up visit reports) was collected throughout the implementation of the MSI in each district and interviews (50) and focus-group discussions (6) were conducted with managers at the end of the MSI. The findings were analysed using Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework to identify effects at different levels. The MSI was appropriate to the needs and work patterns of District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) in all contexts. DHMT members improved management competencies for problem analysis, prioritisation and integrated HRM and health systems strategy development. They learnt how to refine plans as more information became available and the importance of monitoring implementation. The MSI produced changes in team behaviours and confidence. There were positive results regarding workforce performance or service delivery; these would increase with repetition of the MSI. The MSI is appropriate to the contexts where tested and

Waste Management Process Improvement Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atwood, J.; Borden, G.; Rangel, G. R.

2002-01-01

The Bechtel Hanford-led Environmental Restoration Contractor team's Waste Management Process Improvement Project is working diligently with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Richland Operations Office to improve the waste management process to meet DOE's need for an efficient, cost-effective program for the management of dangerous, low-level and mixed-low-level waste. Additionally the program must meet all applicable regulatory requirements. The need for improvement was highlighted when a change in the Groundwater/Vadose Zone Integration Project's waste management practices resulted in a larger amount of waste being generated than the waste management organization had been set up to handle

Leadership – The Key Element in Improving Quality Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iveta Paulová

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The present contribution is processed partial results of the survey application of leadership as one of the fundamental principles of quality management in organizations in the Slovak Republic. This survey was conducted in the research project VEGA No. 1/0229/08 Perspectives of quality management development in coherence with requirements of Slovak republic market. Results from the survey were the basis for proposals to improve the quality management in Slovak industrial organizations

An overview of Quality Management System implementation in a research laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Molinéro-Demilly, Valérie; Charki, Abdérafi; Jeoffrion, Christine; Lyonnet, Barbara; O'Brien, Steve; Martin, Luc

2018-02-01

The aim of this paper is to show the advantages of implementing a Quality Management System (QMS) in a research laboratory in order to improve the management of risks specific to research programmes and to increase the reliability of results. This paper also presents experience gained from feedback following the implementation of the Quality process in a research laboratory at INRA, the French National Institute for Agronomic Research and details the various challenges encountered and solutions proposed to help achieve smoother adoption of a QMS process. The 7Ms (Management, Measurement, Manpower, Methods, Materials, Machinery, Mother-nature) methodology based on the Ishikawa `Fishbone' diagram is used to show the effectiveness of the actions considered by a QMS, which involve both the organization and the activities of the laboratory. Practical examples illustrate the benefits and improvements observed in the laboratory.

Researchers' experience with project management in health and medical research: Results from a post-project review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Project management is widely used to deliver projects on time, within budget and of defined quality. However, there is little published information describing its use in managing health and medical research projects. We used project management in the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project (2006-2008) http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/alcoholandpregnancy and in this paper report researchers' opinions on project management and whether it made a difference to the project. Methods A national interdisciplinary group of 20 researchers, one of whom was the project manager, formed the Steering Committee for the project. We used project management to ensure project outputs and outcomes were achieved and all aspects of the project were planned, implemented, monitored and controlled. Sixteen of the researchers were asked to complete a self administered questionnaire for a post-project review. Results The project was delivered according to the project protocol within the allocated budget and time frame. Fifteen researchers (93.8%) completed a questionnaire. They reported that project management increased the effectiveness of the project, communication, teamwork, and application of the interdisciplinary group of researchers' expertise. They would recommend this type of project management for future projects. Conclusions Our post-project review showed that researchers comprehensively endorsed project management in the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project and agreed that project management had contributed substantially to the research. In future, we will project manage new projects and conduct post-project reviews. The results will be used to encourage continuous learning and continuous improvement of project management, and provide greater transparency and accountability of health and medical research. The use of project management can benefit both management and scientific outcomes of health and medical research projects. PMID:21635721

IMPROVEMENT OF FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION PROCESS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT MECHANISM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. V. Martsenyuk

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. For Ukraine as for a post-socialist state there is an objective need of reforming on railway transport. In order to meet the requirements of consumers both within the country and outside of it, it is necessary to solve transport problems in time and to introduce new technologies, without lagging behind the developed European states. The purpose of this article is identification of problems in the process of freight transportations and development of ways of their overcoming, formation of the principles of economic efficiency increase for the use of freight cars using the improvement of management mechanism of freight transportations in the conditions of reforming. Methodology. Methods of strategic planning, system approach for research on improvement of the management mechanism of freight transportations, as well as the organizational-administrative method for structure of management construction were used in this research. Findings. Authors have explored the problems arising in the process of transportation of goods and measures, which will increase the efficiency of goods transportation. Advanced mechanism of freight transportation management for its application in the conditions of the railway transport reforming was developed. It is based on management centralization. Originality. The major factors, which slow down process of cargo transportations, are investigated in the article. The principles of management mechanism improvement of freight transportations are stated. They are based on association of commercial and car-repair activity of depots. All this will allow reducing considerably a car turn by decrease in duration of idle times on railway transport, increasing the speed of freight delivery and cutting down a transport component in the price of delivered production. Practical value. The offered measures will improve the efficiency of rolling stock use and increase cargo volumes turnover, promote links of Ukraine with

A Quality Improvement Collaborative Program for Neonatal Pain Management in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoo, Kyoko; Funaba, Yuuki; Fukushima, Sayo; Fukuhara, Rie; Uchida, Mieko; Aiba, Satoru; Doi, Miki; Nishimura, Akira; Hayakawa, Masahiro; Nishimura, Yutaka; Oohira, Mitsuko

2017-01-01

Background: Neonatal pain management guidelines have been released; however, there is insufficient systematic institutional support for the adoption of evidence-based pain management in Japan. Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a collaborative quality improvement program on the implementation of pain management improvements in Japanese neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods: Seven Japanese level III NICUs participated in a neonatal pain management quality improvement program based on an Institute for Healthcare Improvement collaborative model. The NICUs developed evidence-based practice points for pain management and implemented these over a 12-month period. Changes were introduced through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, and throughout the process, pain management quality indicators were tracked as performance measures. Jonckheere's trend test and the Cochran-Armitage test for trend were used to examine the changes in quality indicator implementations over time (baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months). Findings: Baseline pain management data from the 7 sites revealed substantial opportunities for improvement of pain management, and testing changes in the NICU setting resulted in measurable improvements in pain management. During the intervention phase, all participating sites introduced new pain assessment tools, and all sites developed electronic medical record forms to capture pain score, interventions, and infant responses to interventions. Implications for Practice: The use of collaborative quality improvement techniques played a key role in improving pain management in the NICUs. Implications for Research: Collaborative improvement programs provide an attractive strategy for solving evidence-practice gaps in the NICU setting. PMID:28114148

Researchers' participation in and motivations for engaging with research information management systems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Besiki Stvilia

Full Text Available This article examined how researchers participated in research information management systems (RIMSs, their motivations for participation, and their priorities for those motivations. Profile maintenance, question-answering, and endorsement activities were used to define three cumulatively increasing levels of participation: Readers, Record Managers, and Community Members. Junior researchers were more engaged in RIMSs than were senior researchers. Postdocs had significantly higher odds of endorsing other researchers for skills and being categorized as Community Members than did full and associate professors. Assistant professors were significantly more likely to be Record Managers than were members of any other seniority categories. Finally, researchers from the life sciences showed a significantly higher propensity for being Community Members than Readers and Record Managers when compared with researchers from engineering and the physical sciences, respectively.When performing activities, researchers were motivated by the desire to share scholarship, feel competent, experience a sense of enjoyment, improve their status, and build ties with other members of the community. Moreover, when researchers performed activities that directly benefited other members of a RIMS, they assigned higher priorities to intrinsic motivations, such as perceived self-efficacy, enjoyment, and building community ties. Researchers at different stages of their academic careers and disciplines ranked some of the motivations for engaging with RIMSs differently. The general model of research participation in RIMSs; the relationships among RIMS activities; the motivation scales for activities; and the activity, seniority, and discipline-specific priorities for the motivations developed by this study provide the foundation for a framework for researcher participation in RIMSs. This framework can be used by RIMSs and institutional repositories to develop tools and design

Researchers' participation in and motivations for engaging with research information management systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Stvilia, Besiki; Wu, Shuheng; Lee, Dong Joon

2018-01-01

This article examined how researchers participated in research information management systems (RIMSs), their motivations for participation, and their priorities for those motivations. Profile maintenance, question-answering, and endorsement activities were used to define three cumulatively increasing levels of participation: Readers, Record Managers, and Community Members. Junior researchers were more engaged in RIMSs than were senior researchers. Postdocs had significantly higher odds of endorsing other researchers for skills and being categorized as Community Members than did full and associate professors. Assistant professors were significantly more likely to be Record Managers than were members of any other seniority categories. Finally, researchers from the life sciences showed a significantly higher propensity for being Community Members than Readers and Record Managers when compared with researchers from engineering and the physical sciences, respectively. When performing activities, researchers were motivated by the desire to share scholarship, feel competent, experience a sense of enjoyment, improve their status, and build ties with other members of the community. Moreover, when researchers performed activities that directly benefited other members of a RIMS, they assigned higher priorities to intrinsic motivations, such as perceived self-efficacy, enjoyment, and building community ties. Researchers at different stages of their academic careers and disciplines ranked some of the motivations for engaging with RIMSs differently. The general model of research participation in RIMSs; the relationships among RIMS activities; the motivation scales for activities; and the activity, seniority, and discipline-specific priorities for the motivations developed by this study provide the foundation for a framework for researcher participation in RIMSs. This framework can be used by RIMSs and institutional repositories to develop tools and design mechanisms to increase

The impact of middle manager affective commitment on perceived improvement program implementation success.

Science.gov (United States)

Fryer, Ashley-Kay; Tucker, Anita L; Singer, Sara J

Recent literature suggests that middle manager affective commitment (emotional attachment, identification, and involvement) to an improvement program may influence implementation success. However, less is known about the interplay between middle manager affective commitment and frontline worker commitment, another important driver of implementation success. We contribute to this research by surveying middle managers who directly manage frontline workers on nursing units. We assess how middle manager affective commitment is related to their perceptions of implementation success and whether their perceptions of frontline worker support mediate this relationship. We also test whether a set of organizational support factors foster middle manager affective commitment. We adapt survey measures of manager affective commitment to our research context of hospitals. We surveyed 67 nurse managers from 19 U.S. hospitals. We use hierarchical linear regression to assess relationships among middle manager affective commitment to their units' falls reduction program and their perceptions of three constructs related to the program: frontline worker support, organizational support, and implementation success. Middle manager affective commitment to their unit's falls reduction program is positively associated with their perception of implementation success. This relationship is mediated by their perception of frontline worker support for the falls program. Moreover, middle managers' affective commitment to their unit's falls program mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support for the program and perceived implementation success. We, through this research, offer an important contribution by providing empirical support of factors that may influence successful implementation of an improvement program: middle manager affective commitment, frontline worker support, and organizational support for an improvement program. Increasing levels of middle manager affective

Setting and measuring team goals and objectives for improved management of forestry research

Science.gov (United States)

Scott J. Josiah

1999-01-01

As our world becomes more complex and diverse, many forestry research organizations are responding by adopting more interdisciplinary and collaborative research programs. Our rapidly increasing knowledge of the ecological, social, and economic factors affecting forestry and natural resource management makes it simply untenable to expect that complex problems can be...

The Knowledge Management Research of Agricultural Scientific Research Institution

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2010-01-01

Based on the perception of knowledge management from experts specializing in different fields,and experts at home and abroad,the knowledge management of agricultural scientific research institution can build new platform,offer new approach for realization of explicit or tacit knowledge,and promote resilience and innovative ability of scientific research institution.The thesis has introduced functions of knowledge management research of agricultural science.First,it can transform the tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge.Second,it can make all the scientific personnel share knowledge.Third,it is beneficial to the development of prototype system of knowledge management.Fourth,it mainly researches the realization of knowledge management system.Fifth,it can manage the external knowledge via competitive intelligence.Sixth,it can foster talents of knowledge management for agricultural scientific research institution.Seventh,it offers the decision-making service for leaders to manage scientific program.The thesis also discusses the content of knowledge management of agricultural scientific research institution as follows:production and innovation of knowledge;attainment and organizing of knowledge;dissemination and share of knowledge;management of human resources and the construction and management of infrastructure.We have put forward corresponding countermeasures to further reinforce the knowledge management research of agricultural scientific research institution.

Quality programs for waste management research and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hood, F.C.

1990-01-01

This paper deals with the application of total quality management principles to waste management research and development activities at PNL. The PNL Quality Program has evolved with expanding expectations for 'error-free' performance from the client and the public sector; it describes the management controls needed to achieve desired levels of product quality and to verify they are reached. It includes the definition of work requirements, performance objectives, roles and responsibilities, performance indicators and measurement, performance feedback mechanisms, and process improvement methodologies. (orig.)

Severe accident research and management in Nordic Countries - A status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frid, W.

2002-01-01

The report describes the status of severe accident research and accident management development in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The emphasis is on severe accident phenomena and issues of special importance for the severe accident management strategies implemented in Sweden and in Finland. The main objective of the research has been to verify the protection provided by the accident mitigation measures and to reduce the uncertainties in risk dominant accident phenomena. Another objective has been to support validation and improvements of accident management strategies and procedures as well as to contribute to the development of level 2 PSA, computerised operator aids for accident management and certain aspects of emergency preparedness. Severe accident research addresses both the in-vessel and the ex-vessel accident progression phenomena and issues. Even though there are differences between Sweden and Finland as to the scope and content of the research programs, the focus of the research in both countries is on in-vessel coolability, integrity of the reactor vessel lower head and core melt behaviour in the containment, in particular the issues of core debris coolability and steam explosions. Notwithstanding that our understanding of these issues has significantly improved, and that experimental data base has been largely expanded, there are still important uncertainties which motivate continued research. Other important areas are thermal-hydraulic phenomena during reflooding of an overheated partially degraded core, fission product chemistry, in particular formation of organic iodine, and hydrogen transport and combustion phenomena. The development of severe accident management has embraced, among other things, improvements of accident mitigating procedures and strategies, further work at IFE Halden on Computerised Accident Management Support (CAMS) system, as well as plant modifications, including new instrumentation. Recent efforts in Sweden in this area

DataUp 2.0: Improving On a Tool For Helping Researchers Archive, Manage, and Share Their Tabular Data

Science.gov (United States)

Strasser, C.; Borda, S.; Cruse, P.; Kunze, J.

2013-12-01

There are many barriers to data management and sharing among earth and environmental scientists; among the most significant are a lack of knowledge about best practices for data management, metadata standards, or appropriate data repositories for archiving and sharing data. Last year we developed an open source web application, DataUp, to help researchers overcome these barriers. DataUp helps scientists to (1) determine whether their file is CSV compatible, (2) generate metadata in a standard format, (3) retrieve an identifier to facilitate data citation, and (4) deposit their data into a repository. With funding from the NSF via a supplemental grant to the DataONE project, we are working to improve upon DataUp. Our main goal for DataUp 2.0 is to ensure organizations and repositories are able to adopt and adapt DataUp to meet their unique needs, including connecting to analytical tools, adding new metadata schema, and expanding the list of connected data repositories. DataUp is a collaborative project between the California Digital Library, DataONE, the San Diego Supercomputing Center, and Microsoft Research Connections.

Nurse managers' experiences in continuous quality improvement in resource-poor healthcare settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakyo, Tracy Alexis; Xiao, Lily Dongxia

2017-06-01

Ensuring safe and quality care for patients in hospitals is an important part of a nurse manager's role. Continuous quality improvement has been identified as one approach that leads to the delivery of quality care services to patients and is widely used by nurse managers to improve patient care. Nurse managers' experiences in initiating continuous quality improvement activities in resource-poor healthcare settings remain largely unknown. Research evidence is highly demanded in these settings to address disease burden and evidence-based practice. This interpretive qualitative study was conducted to gain an understanding of nurse managers' Continuous Quality Improvement experiences in rural hospitals in Uganda. Nurse managers in rural healthcare settings used their role to prioritize quality improvement activities, monitor the Continuous Quality Improvement process, and utilize in-service education to support continuous quality improvement. The nurse managers in our sample encountered a number of barriers during the implementation of Continuous Quality Improvement, including: limited patient participation, lack of materials, and limited human resources. Efforts to address the challenges faced through good governance and leadership development require more attention. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Teaching Improvement Model Designed with DEA Method and Management Matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Montoneri, Bernard

2014-01-01

This study uses student evaluation of teachers to design a teaching improvement matrix based on teaching efficiency and performance by combining management matrix and data envelopment analysis. This matrix is designed to formulate suggestions to improve teaching. The research sample consists of 42 classes of freshmen following a course of English…

Research Contributing to Improvements in Controlling Florida’s Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases

OpenAIRE

Walter J. Tabachnick

2016-01-01

Research on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases has contributed to improvements in providing effective, efficient, and environmentally proper mosquito control. Florida has benefitted from several research accomplishments that have increased the state?s mosquito control capabilities. Research with Florida?s mosquitoes has resulted in the development of ecologically sound management of mosquito impoundments on Florida?s east coast. This strategy, called Rotational Impoundment Management (RIM...

Integrated climate and land change research to improve decision-making and resource management in Southern Africa: The SASSCAL approach

Science.gov (United States)

Helmschrot, J.; Olwoch, J. M.

2017-12-01

The ability of countries in southern Africa to jointly respond to climate challenges with scientifically informed and evidence-based actions and policy decisions remains low due to limited scientific research capacity and infrastructure. The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL; www.sasscal.org) addresses this gap by implementing a high-level framework to guide research and innovation investments in climate change and adaptive land management interventions in Southern Africa. With a strong climate service component as cross-cutting topic, SASSCAL's focus is to improve the understanding of climate and land management change impacts on the natural and socio-economic environment in Southern Africa. The paper presents a variety of SASSCAL driven activities which contribute to better understand climate and long-term environmental change dynamics at various temporal and spatial scales in Southern Afrika and how these activities are linked to support research and decision-making to optimize agricultural practices as well as sustainable environmental and water resources management. To provide consistent and reliable climate information for Southern Africa, SASSCAL offers various climate services ranging from real-time climate observation across the region utilizing the SASSCAL WeatherNet to regional climate change analysis and modelling efforts at seasonal-to-decadal timescales using climate data from various sources. SASSCAL also offers the current state of the environment in terms of recent data on changes in the environment that are necessary for setting appropriate adaptation strategies . The paper will further demonstrate how these services are utilized for interdisciplinary research on the impact of climate change on natural resources and socio-economic development in the SASSCAL countries and how this knowledge can be effectively used to mitigate and adapt to climate change by informed decision-making from

Management Information Systems Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Research on management information systems is illusive in many respects. Part of the basic research problem in MIS stems from the absence of standard...decision making. But the transition from these results to the realization of ’satisfactory’ management information systems remains difficult indeed. The...paper discusses several aspects of research on management information systems and reviews a selection of efforts that appear significant for future progress. (Author)

Timber productivity research gaps for extensive forest management

Science.gov (United States)

L.C. Irland

2011-01-01

On extensive areas of small scale forests, significant opportunities for improving the value of future timber harvests while also improving other resource values are now being missed. A new focus on practical extensive management research is needed, especially as implementation of intensive practices has been declining in many areas, and new ‘‘close to nature’’...

PROGER - radioactive waste management in Brazilian research institutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pontedeiro, E.; Ramos, A.C.; Reis e Vaz, S.; Ferreira, R.S.

1998-01-01

This article demonstrates the feasibility of a programme, called PROGER, which is aimed at improving the radioactive waste management activities of research institutions in Brazil. PROGER involves the implementation, correction and updating of waste management techniques in those institutions where a waste management system is already being carried out or the introduction and full deployment of such a system in those where a system does not exist. The methodology utilized by the PROGER programme is discussed, and partial results are presented bearing in mind the characteristics and quantities of wastes. (author)

European Community research on improving the governance of nuclear waste management and other risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsstroem, H.; Kelly, N.

2002-01-01

Increasing attention is being given to broader socio-economic issues (eg, science and society, governance of risk, etc) within the European Commission's research programmes. This reflects the recognition of the importance of such issues for science policy and decision making with respect to nuclear and other technologies. This paper summarises those projects, supported by the Commission's Euratom research programme, which focus on socio-economic as opposed to narrower technical issues. These projects are concerned with risk governance in general, the governance of nuclear waste management and stakeholder involvement in the off-site management of accidents. (author)

Improving Operational Risk Management Using Business Performance Management Technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bram Pieket Weeserik

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Operational Risk Management (ORM comprises the continuous management of risks resulting from: human actions, internal processes, systems, and external events. With increasing requirements, complexity and a growing volume of risks, information systems provide benefits for integrating risk management activities and optimizing performance. Business Performance Management (BPM technologies are believed to provide a solution for effective Operational Risk Management by offering several combined technologies including: work flow, data warehousing, (advanced analytics, reporting and dashboards. BPM technologies can be integrated with an organization’s Planning & Control cycle and related to strategic objectives. This manuscript aims to show how ORM can benefit from BPM technologies via the development and practical validation of a new maturity model. The B4ORM maturity model was developed following the Design Science Research approach. The maturity model relates specific maturity levels of ORM processes with BPM technologies applicable for a specific maturity stage. There appears to be a strong relationship (0.78 with ORM process maturity and supporting BPM technologies. The B4ORM maturity model as described in this manuscript provides an ideal path of BPM technologies related to six distinctive stages of ORM, leading towards technologies suitable for continuous improvement of ORM processes and organization-wide integration.

Preliminary Study on Management of Agricultural Scientific Research Projects in the New Situation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Haiyan LUO; Qingqun YAO; Lizhen CHEN; Yu ZHENG

2015-01-01

Project management of agricultural scientific research institutions is an important section of agricultural scientific research plan management. It is of great significance for sustainable development of scientific research work of scientific research institutions. According to a series of opinions and notices about scientific and technological system reform issued by the state,and combining current situations of management of scientific research projects in scientific research institutions,this paper made a preliminary study on management of agricultural scientific research projects in the new trend. Finally,on the basis of the current situations of management of agricultural scientific research projects,it came up with pertinent recommendations,including strengthening communication and cooperation and actively declaring projects,strengthening preliminary planning of projects and establishing project information database,reinforcing project process management,ensuring on-time and high quality completion of projects,and strengthening learning and improving quality of management personnel.

Research on Improved NSGA-II Algorithm and Its Application in Emergency Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi Fang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper constructs a dynamic multiobjective location model; three objectives are considered: the first objective maximizes the total utility of relief supplies, the second objective minimizes the number of temporary facilities needed to operate, and the third objective maximizes the satisfaction for all demand points. We propose an improved NSGA-II to solve the optimization problem. The computational experiments are divided into two sections: In the first procedure, the numerical experiment is constructed by the classical functions ZDT1, ZDT2, and DTLZ2; the results show that the proposed algorithm generates the exact Pareto front, and the convergence and uniformity of the proposed algorithm are better than the NSGA-II and MOEA/D. In the second procedure, the simulation experiment is constructed by a case in emergency management; the results show that the proposed algorithm is more reasonable than the traditional algorithms NSGA-II and MOEA/D in terms of the three objectives. It is proved that the improved NSGA-II algorithm, which is proposed in this paper, has high precision application for the sudden disaster crisis and emergency management.

Improving productivity through more effective time management.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Edwin; Pulich, Marcia

2004-01-01

Effective time management has become increasingly important for managers as they seek to accomplish objectives in today's organizations, which have been restructured for efficiency while employing fewer people. Managers can improve their ability to manage time effectively by examining their attitudes toward time, analyzing time-wasting behaviors, and developing better time management skills. Managers can improve their performance and promotion potential with more effective time utilization. Strategies for improving time management skills are presented.

PROGER - Management program for radioactive wastes in research institutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, Rubemar S.; Costa, Maria Regina Ferro; Ramos Junior, Anthenor C.; Esposito, Irapoan; Vaz, Solange dos Reis e; Pontedeiro, Elizabeth May; Gomes, Carlos de Almeida

1997-01-01

This article demonstrates the feasibility of a program, denominated PROGER, and aimed at the improvement of radioactive waste management activities in research institutions in Brazil. This program involves implementation, correction and updating of waste management techniques in those institutions that already possess a waste management system or its full set-up for the institutions where it is non-existent. Partial results are presented, concerning characteristics and quantities of wastes, and the methodology utilized by PROGER discussed

Research Contributing to Improvements in Controlling Florida's Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabachnick, Walter J

2016-09-28

Research on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases has contributed to improvements in providing effective, efficient, and environmentally proper mosquito control. Florida has benefitted from several research accomplishments that have increased the state's mosquito control capabilities. Research with Florida's mosquitoes has resulted in the development of ecologically sound management of mosquito impoundments on Florida's east coast. This strategy, called Rotational Impoundment Management (RIM), has improved the ability to target the delivery of pesticides and has helped to reduce non-target effects and environmental damage. Research has led to the development of an arbovirus surveillance system which includes sentinel chicken surveillance, real time use of environmental contributing factors like meteorology and hydrology to target mosquito control, as well as public health efforts to mitigate disease outbreaks to areas with risk of disease. These research driven improvements have provided substantial benefits to all of Florida. More research is needed to meet the future challenges to reduce emerging pathogens like Zika virus and the consequences of environmental changes like global climate change that are likely to influence the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens on human health and well-being.

Improving Project Portfolio Management (PPM) for Improvement Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Jan; Jakobsen, Peter M.; Korsaa, Morten

2017-01-01

Project Portfolio Management (PPM) focus on the integration and alignment of projects with the business operation in order to achieve most value and cost-efficiency for the investment in projects. PPM is often a challenge and especially so for improvement projects where PPM is considerably...... of evaluating a portfolio of improvement projects and combine this evaluation with the effect they have on the CMMI maturity level. Further, the paper demonstrates how the combination of a strong senior management requirement for improved maturity and the focus on getting the most value out of PPM made...

Trust, performance and well-being in Nordic working life and management research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Ole Henning; Hasle, Peter; Madsen, Christian Uhrenholdt

2014-01-01

In the last decades there has been a growing focus in working life and management research on sustainable organizational development that simultaneously improve organizational outcomes such as productivity and quality and employee outcomes such as well-being and job-satisfaction. Research has...... pointed to trust as an important component of participatory management practices having simultaneous positive outcomes for organizational productivity and employee well-being. The aim of this paper is to establish an overview of the results of Nordic working life and man-agement research inquiring...

Solutions to Improve Educational Management Quality

OpenAIRE

Ramezan Jahanian; Masoomeh Motahari

2013-01-01

Nowadays, enhancing the quality in educational systems of different countries has gained especial importance and stand. Improving utilizing and increasing the quality in our country’s educational system is felt too. One of the utilizing factors in education system is to improve the educational management quality.In this article, effective factors in educational management quality and one of its improving solutions, thorough management quality, is analyzed.

Improvement of Structural Life Management System(SLMS) for N.P.P. Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Myung Sug; Noh, Jae Myung; Lee, Jong Suk; Kim, Do Gyeum

2009-01-01

The first investigation on the degradation mechanism and establishment of systematic inspection procedure for nuclear power plant (NPP) structures in Korea were conducted through a research project performed from 1993 to 19961). Accordingly, the Structural Life Management System (SLMS) was developed in 1998. Currently, SLMS is still operating for the lifetime management of NPP structures. However, the function of currently operating SLMS is focusing essentially on the management of degradation data detected during periodical inspections. Such limited function is today stressing the necessity to supplement its functions by improving the inefficiency of D/B due to the huge volume of data as well as by reflecting additional requirements. Accordingly, this research intends to develop a system improving the former SLMS so as to accommodate to the various demands of the users like integrated D/B system exploiting web-server, integrity assessment and durability management

Improving post-hospital medication management in a Danish municipality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kollerup, Mette Geil; Curtis, Tine; Schantz Laursen, Birgitte

2018-01-01

implementation rate, which involved 31 out of the 38 patients in the target group. CONCLUSION: For patients with complex care needs, post-hospital medication management may be improved by a reconsideration of the activity-based funding of home healthcare, a recognition of the importance of organising work......AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates an intervention developed to improve patient safety in post-hospital medication management carried out by visiting nurses working in a municipality in Denmark. The intervention consisted of three elements: an initial inter-disciplinary home visit by nurses...... management is identified as the most challenging component of a discharge from the hospital to the home, in which discrepancies have been found in up to 94% of medication lists. DESIGN: A process evaluation inspired by the UK Medical Research Council's guidance. METHODS: The process evaluation was conducted...

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service research in application technology for pest management.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, L A; Thomson, S J

2003-01-01

A research summary is presented that emphasizes ARS achievements in application technology over the past 2-3 years. Research focused on the improvement of agricultural pesticide application is important from the standpoint of crop protection as well as environmental safety. Application technology research is being actively pursued within the ARS, with a primary focus on application system development, drift management, efficacy enhancement and remote sensing. Research on application systems has included sensor-controlled hooded sprayers, new approaches to direct chemical injection, and aerial electrostatic sprayers. For aerial application, great improvements in on-board flow controllers permit accurate field application of chemicals. Aircraft parameters such as boom position and spray release height are being altered to determine their effect on drift. Other drift management research has focused on testing of low-drift nozzles, evaluation of pulsed spray technologies and evaluation of drift control adjuvants. Research on the use of air curtain sprayers in orchards, air-assist sprayers for row crops and vegetables, and air deflectors on aircraft has documented improvements in application efficacy. Research has shown that the fate of applied chemicals is influenced by soil properties, and this has implications for herbicide efficacy and dissipation in the environment. Remote sensing systems are being used to target areas in the field where pests are present so that spray can be directed to only those areas. Soil and crop conditions influence propensity for weeds and insects to proliferate in any given field area. Research has indicated distinct field patterns favorable for weed growth and insect concentration, which can provide further assistance for targeted spraying.

Quality programs for waste management research and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hood, F.C.

1990-06-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is a US Department of Energy (DOE) multi-program national laboratory. PNL develops waste management processes and techniques as well as providing management services for characterization and remediation of radioactive and/or hazardous waste sites for the DOE. This paper deals with the application of total quality management principles to waste management research and development activities at PNL. The PNL Quality Program has evolved with expanding expectations for ''error-free'' performance from the client and the public sector; it describes the management controls needed to achieve desired levels of product quality and to verify they are reached. It includes the definition of work requirements, performance objectives, roles and responsibilities, performance indicators and measurement, performance feedback mechanisms, and process improvement methodologies. 6 refs

To what extent do site-based training, mentoring, and operational research improve district health system management and leadership in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Belrhiti, Zakaria; Booth, Andrew; Marchal, Bruno; Verstraeten, Roosmarijn

2016-04-27

District health managers play a key role in the effectiveness of decentralized health systems in low- and middle-income countries. Inadequate management and leadership skills often hamper their ability to improve quality of care and effectiveness of health service delivery. Nevertheless, significant investments have been made in capacity-building programmes based on site-based training, mentoring, and operational research. This systematic review aims to review the effectiveness of site-based training, mentoring, and operational research (or action research) on the improvement of district health system management and leadership. Our secondary objectives are to assess whether variations in composition or intensity of the intervention influence its effectiveness and to identify enabling and constraining contexts and underlying mechanisms. We will search the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, CRD database (DARE), Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) group, ISI Web of Science, Health Evidence.org, PDQ-Evidence, ERIC, EMBASE, and TRIP. Complementary search will be performed (hand-searching journals and citation and reference tracking). Studies that meet the following PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) criteria will be included: P: professionals working at district health management level; I: site-based training with or without mentoring, or operational research; C: normal institutional arrangements; and O: district health management functions. We will include cluster randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, interrupted time series analysis, quasi-experimental designs, and cohort and longitudinal studies. Qualitative research will be included to contextualize findings and identify barriers and facilitators. Primary outcomes that will be reported are district health management and leadership functions. We will assess risk of bias with the Cochrane Collaboration's tools for randomized

Research Data Management and the Canadian Academic Library: An Organizational Consideration of Data Management and Data Stewardship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Steeleworthy

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Research data management (RDM has become a professional imperative for Canada’s academic librarians. Recent policy considerations by our national research funding agencies that address the ability of Canadian universities to effectively manage the massive amounts of research data they now create has helped library and university administrators recognize this gap in the research enterprise and identify RDM as a solution. RDM is not new to libraries, though. Rather, it draws on existing and evolving organizational functions in order to improve data collection, access, use, and preservation. A successful research data management service requires the skills and knowledge found in a library’s research liaisons, collections experts, policy analysts, IT experts, archivists and preservationists. Like the library, research data management is not singular but multi-faceted. It requires collaboration, technology and policy analysis skills, and project management acumen. This paper examines research data management as a vital information, technical, and policy service in academic libraries today. It situates RDM not only as actions and services but also as a suite of responsibilities that require a high level of planning, collaboration, and judgment, thereby binding people to practice. It shows how RDM aligns with the skill sets and competencies of librarianship and illustrates how RDM spans the library’s organizational structure and intersects with campus stakeholders allied in the research enterprise.

Improving the medical records department processes by lean management.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajami, Sima; Ketabi, Saeedeh; Sadeghian, Akram; Saghaeinnejad-Isfahani, Sakine

2015-01-01

Lean management is a process improvement technique to identify waste actions and processes to eliminate them. The benefits of Lean for healthcare organizations are that first, the quality of the outcomes in terms of mistakes and errors improves. The second is that the amount of time taken through the whole process significantly improves. The purpose of this paper is to improve the Medical Records Department (MRD) processes at Ayatolah-Kashani Hospital in Isfahan, Iran by utilizing Lean management. This research was applied and an interventional study. The data have been collected by brainstorming, observation, interview, and workflow review. The study population included MRD staff and other expert staff within the hospital who were stakeholders and users of the MRD. The MRD were initially taught the concepts of Lean management and then formed into the MRD Lean team. The team then identified and reviewed the current processes subsequently; they identified wastes and values, and proposed solutions. The findings showed that the MRD units (Archive, Coding, Statistics, and Admission) had 17 current processes, 28 wastes, and 11 values were identified. In addition, they offered 27 comments for eliminating the wastes. The MRD is the critical department for the hospital information system and, therefore, the continuous improvement of its services and processes, through scientific methods such as Lean management, are essential. The study represents one of the few attempts trying to eliminate wastes in the MRD.

Safety culture and quality management of Kartini research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syarip; Hauptmanns, Ulrich

1999-01-01

The evaluation for assessing the safety culture and quality of safety management of Kartini research reactor is presented. The method is based on the concept of management control of safety (audit) as well as by using the developed method i.e. the questionnaires concerning areas of relevance which have to be answered with value statements. There are seven statements or qualifiers in answering the questions. Since such statements are vague, they are represented by fuzzy numbers. The weaknesses can be identified from the different areas contemplated. The evaluation result show that the quality of safety management of Kartini research reactor is globally rated as 'Average'. The operator behavior in the implementation of 'safety culture' concept is found as a weakness, therefore this area should be improved. (author)

Dryden Flight Research Center Critical Chain Project Management Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Hines, Dennis O.

2012-01-01

In Fiscal Year 2011 Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) implemented a new project management system called Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM). Recent NASA audits have found that the Dryden workforce is strained under increasing project demand and that multi-tasking has been carried to a whole new level at Dryden. It is very common to have an individual work on 10 different projects during a single pay period. Employee surveys taken at Dryden have identified work/life balance as the number one issue concerning employees. Further feedback from the employees indicated that project planning is the area needing the most improvement. In addition, employees have been encouraged to become more innovative, improve job skills, and seek ways to improve overall job efficiency. In order to deal with these challenges, DFRC management decided to adopt the CCPM system that is specifically designed to operate in a resource constrained multi-project environment. This paper will discuss in detail the rationale behind the selection of CCPM and the goals that will be achieved through this implementation. The paper will show how DFRC is tailoring the CCPM system to the flight research environment as well as laying out the implementation strategy. Results of the ongoing implementation will be discussed as well as change management challenges and organizational cultural changes. Finally this paper will present some recommendations on how this system could be used by selected NASA projects or centers.

Improving Smallholder Farmer Biosecurity in the Mekong Region Through Change Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, J R; Evans-Kocinski, S; Bush, R D; Windsor, P A

2015-10-01

Transboundary animal diseases including foot-and-mouth disease and haemorrhagic septicaemia remain a major constraint for improving smallholder large ruminant productivity in the Mekong region, producing negative impacts on rural livelihoods and compromising efforts to reduce poverty and food insecurity. The traditional husbandry practices of smallholders largely exclude preventive health measures, increasing risks of disease transmission. Although significant efforts have been made to understand the social aspects of change development in agricultural production, attention to improving the adoption of biosecurity has been limited. This study reviews smallholder biosecurity risk factors identified in the peer-reviewed literature and from field research observations conducted in Cambodia and Laos during 2006-2013, considering these in the context of a change management perspective aimed at improving adoption of biosecurity measures. Motivation for change, resistance to change, knowledge management, cultural dimensions, systems theory and leadership are discussed. Due to geographical, physical and resource variability, the implementation of biosecurity interventions suitable for smallholders is not a 'one size fits all'. Smallholders should be educated in biosecurity principles and empowered to make personal decisions rather than adopt prescribed pre-defined interventions. Biosecurity interventions should be aligned with smallholder farmer motivations, preferably offering clear short-term risk management benefits that elicit interest from smallholders. Linking biosecurity and disease control with improved livestock productivity provides opportunities for sustainable improvements in livelihoods. Participatory research and extension that improves farmer knowledge and practices offers a pathway to elicit sustainable broad-scale social change. However, examples of successes need to be communicated both at the 'evidence-based level' to influence regional policy

Using perceptions as evidence to improve conservation and environmental management.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Nathan James

2016-06-01

The conservation community is increasingly focusing on the monitoring and evaluation of management, governance, ecological, and social considerations as part of a broader move toward adaptive management and evidence-based conservation. Evidence is any information that can be used to come to a conclusion and support a judgment or, in this case, to make decisions that will improve conservation policies, actions, and outcomes. Perceptions are one type of information that is often dismissed as anecdotal by those arguing for evidence-based conservation. In this paper, I clarify the contributions of research on perceptions of conservation to improving adaptive and evidence-based conservation. Studies of the perceptions of local people can provide important insights into observations, understandings and interpretations of the social impacts, and ecological outcomes of conservation; the legitimacy of conservation governance; and the social acceptability of environmental management. Perceptions of these factors contribute to positive or negative local evaluations of conservation initiatives. It is positive perceptions, not just objective scientific evidence of effectiveness, that ultimately ensure the support of local constituents thus enabling the long-term success of conservation. Research on perceptions can inform courses of action to improve conservation and governance at scales ranging from individual initiatives to national and international policies. Better incorporation of evidence from across the social and natural sciences and integration of a plurality of methods into monitoring and evaluation will provide a more complete picture on which to base conservation decisions and environmental management. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Improved Customer Churn and Retention Decision Management Using Operations Research Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sulaimon Olanrewaju Adebiyi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The relevance of operations research cannot be overemphasized, as it provides the best possible results in any given circumstance, through analysis of operations and the use of scientific method thus, this paper explore the combination of two operations research models (analytic hierarchy process and Markov chain for solving subscribers’ churn and retention problem peculiar to most service firms. A conceptual model for unraveling the problem customer churn and retention decision management was proposed and tested with data on third level analysis of AHP for determining appropriate strategies for customer churn and retention in the Nigeria telecommunication industries. A survey was conducted with 408 subscribers; the sample for the study was selected through multi-stage sampling. Two analytical tools were proposed for the analysis of data. These include: Expert Choice/Excel Solver (using Microsoft Excel and Windows based Quantitative System for Business (WinQSB. This paper plays important role in understanding various strategies for effective churn and retention management and the ranking of churn and retention drivers in order of importance to stakeholders` decision-making. The study provided a framework for understanding the application of AHP and Markov chain for modeling, analysing and proffering solution to problem of churn and retention. The study recommends organizational strategies (corporate, business and functional that reverse the churn alternatives with high priority and equally strengthen service delivery on high priority retention alternatives in order to ensure firms sustainable competitive advantage.

Improvement of the Model of Enterprise Management Process on the Basis of General Management Functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruslan Skrynkovskyy

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to improve the model of the enterprise (institution, organization management process on the basis of general management functions. The graphic model of the process of management according to the process-structured management is presented. It has been established that in today's business environment, the model of the management process should include such general management functions as: 1 controlling the achievement of results; 2 planning based on the main goal; 3 coordination and corrective actions (in the system of organization of work and production; 4 action as a form of act (conscious, volitional, directed; 5 accounting system (accounting, statistical, operational-technical and managerial; 6 diagnosis (economic, legal with such subfunctions as: identification of the state and capabilities; analysis (economic, legal, systemic with argumentation; assessment of the state, trends and prospects of development. The prospect of further research in this direction is: 1 the formation of a system of interrelation of functions and management methods, taking into account the presented research results; 2 development of the model of effective and efficient communication business process of the enterprise.

Research Contributing to Improvements in Controlling Florida’s Mosquitoes and Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Tabachnick, Walter J.

2016-01-01

Research on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases has contributed to improvements in providing effective, efficient, and environmentally proper mosquito control. Florida has benefitted from several research accomplishments that have increased the state’s mosquito control capabilities. Research with Florida’s mosquitoes has resulted in the development of ecologically sound management of mosquito impoundments on Florida’s east coast. This strategy, called Rotational Impoundment Management (RIM), has improved the ability to target the delivery of pesticides and has helped to reduce non-target effects and environmental damage. Research has led to the development of an arbovirus surveillance system which includes sentinel chicken surveillance, real time use of environmental contributing factors like meteorology and hydrology to target mosquito control, as well as public health efforts to mitigate disease outbreaks to areas with risk of disease. These research driven improvements have provided substantial benefits to all of Florida. More research is needed to meet the future challenges to reduce emerging pathogens like Zika virus and the consequences of environmental changes like global climate change that are likely to influence the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens on human health and well-being. PMID:27690112

Research Contributing to Improvements in Controlling Florida’s Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walter J. Tabachnick

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Research on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases has contributed to improvements in providing effective, efficient, and environmentally proper mosquito control. Florida has benefitted from several research accomplishments that have increased the state’s mosquito control capabilities. Research with Florida’s mosquitoes has resulted in the development of ecologically sound management of mosquito impoundments on Florida’s east coast. This strategy, called Rotational Impoundment Management (RIM, has improved the ability to target the delivery of pesticides and has helped to reduce non-target effects and environmental damage. Research has led to the development of an arbovirus surveillance system which includes sentinel chicken surveillance, real time use of environmental contributing factors like meteorology and hydrology to target mosquito control, as well as public health efforts to mitigate disease outbreaks to areas with risk of disease. These research driven improvements have provided substantial benefits to all of Florida. More research is needed to meet the future challenges to reduce emerging pathogens like Zika virus and the consequences of environmental changes like global climate change that are likely to influence the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens on human health and well-being.

A roadmap to improve the quality of atrial fibrillation management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirchhof, Paulus; Breithardt, Günter; Bax, Jeroen

2016-01-01

. Hence, there are important unmet clinical and research needs in the evaluation and management of AF patients. The ensuing needs and opportunities for improving the quality of AF care were discussed during the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference...

Risk Management Improvement of Engineering Projects in Woodworking Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Bartkutė

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Risk is a complex phenomenon that has physical, monetary, cultural and social dimensions. Every company wants tosave money, time, increase quality, optimise manufacturing, but each factor may involve different risks with different influenceto company, its reputation. The aim of the research is to find better risk management improvement decisions, using techniquesthat could help to reduce risk impact in wood-based nonstandard production with shorter project time, smoother design process,lower costs, better project coordination, increased ability to manage problems, technical solutions.

Safety culture and quality management of Kartini research reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syarip [Yogyakarta Nuclear Research Centre, Yogyakarta (Indonesia); Hauptmanns, Ulrich [Department of Plant Design and Safety, Otto-Von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg (Germany)

1999-10-01

The evaluation for assessing the safety culture and quality of safety management of Kartini research reactor is presented. The method is based on the concept of management control of safety (audit) as well as by using the developed method i.e. the questionnaires concerning areas of relevance which have to be answered with value statements. There are seven statements or qualifiers in answering the questions. Since such statements are vague, they are represented by fuzzy numbers. The weaknesses can be identified from the different areas contemplated. The evaluation result show that the quality of safety management of Kartini research reactor is globally rated as 'Average'. The operator behavior in the implementation of 'safety culture' concept is found as a weakness, therefore this area should be improved. (author)

Improving Field-Based Experimental Research to Compliment Contemporary Management

Science.gov (United States)

Rangeland management has long been described as both a science and an art (Stoddart et al. 1975). Certainly, the management of rangeland resources, especially during the last half of the 20th century, can be characterized as practices commonly informed by science. There are a number of management...

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES USED BY MANAGERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raþiu Patricia

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: There are many situations in professional life when for various reasons we are employed in jobs that do not meet our emotional expectations our professional capabilities, our passions and therefore performance on that job will not be high. Analysis of the causes of under-utilization of human potential and adoption of appropriate strategies according to employee needs help reduce staff turnover costs. The main objective of the present paper consists in identifying managerial strategies which contribute to the improvement of the employees’ performances by stimulating their motivation, and the extent to which they are used in the managerial practice. Based on literature review we realized an integrated model and developed a classification, that present our own vision regarding performance improvement strategies. Our classification divides strategies for improving employees’ performances into four main groups: by employees’ development, by rewarding employees, by modifying the job description, by employee involvement in the organization. Starting from this model, through two types of questionnaires we have made an empirical research among managers as well as among office personnel, in order to capture both perspectives regarding the pursued objectives. For the present paper we will present only research results obtained for performance improvement strategies by employees’ development because support a higher degree of generality and do not depend on the organization characteristics. A quantitative data analize from the two samples show that there are differences between managers and employees perception when it comes to strategies used in their organizations and also manager did not know which determines employees to strive in order to improve their performance and obtain better results. The strategies to improve the employee’s performances, proposed within this article have the role to show the fact that managers cannot

How IDRC-funded research has improved lives in the developing ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

January: Public Health · February: Informed Policies · March: Improving Women's Lives · April: Livelihoodes and the Economy · May: Bridging the Digital Divide · June: Countries in Transition · July: Innovations in Research · August: Appropriate Technology · September: Managing Natural Resources · October: Food Security ...

Improvement of industrial efficiency by knowledge management in maintenance engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Alberto Mariotoni

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article shows research and studies dealing with the management of knowledge in industrial maintenance engineering, developed in the field of applied research in real industrial companies of Europe, which are the consequences of  having knowledge on islands, as well as measures improvements when there is an adequate knowledge management. The peculiarities which are given in the maintenance of the company departments, knowledge of operators and technicians operating in these areas, is heavily based on their experiences (strong tacit component, what is difficult to measure and articulate, and however, on numerous occasions, this break from the knowledge, can impose a high cost for the industry.

Developing and Managing University-Industry Research Collaborations through a Process Methodology/Industrial Sector Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Philbin, Simon P.

2010-01-01

A management framework has been successfully utilized at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom to improve the process for developing and managing university-industry research collaborations. The framework has been part of a systematic approach to increase the level of research contracts from industrial sources, to strengthen the…

Depression Care Management: Can Employers Purchase Improved Outcomes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn Rost

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Fourteen vendors are currently selling depression care management products to US employers after randomized trials demonstrate improved work outcomes. The research team interviewed 10 (71.4% of these vendors to compare their products to four key components of interventions demonstrated to improve work outcomes. Five of 10 depression products incorporate all four key components, three of which are sold by health maintenance organizations (HMOs; however, HMOs did not deliver these components at the recommended intensity and/or duration. Only one product delivered by a disease management company delivered all four components of care at the recommended intensity and duration. This “voltage drop,” which we anticipate will increase with product implementation, suggests that every delivery system should carefully evaluate the design of its depression product before implementation for its capacity to deliver evidence-based care, repeating these evaluations as new evidence emerges.

Using a Forest Health Index as an Outreach Tool for Improving Public Understanding of Ecosystem Dynamics and Research-Based Management

Science.gov (United States)

Osenga, E. C.; Cundiff, J.; Arnott, J. C.; Katzenberger, J.; Taylor, J. R.; Jack-Scott, E.

2015-12-01

An interactive tool called the Forest Health Index (FHI) has been developed for the Roaring Fork watershed of Colorado, with the purpose of improving public understanding of local forest management and ecosystem dynamics. The watershed contains large areas of White River National Forest, which plays a significant role in the local economy, particularly for recreation and tourism. Local interest in healthy forests is therefore strong, but public understanding of forest ecosystems is often simplified. This can pose challenges for land managers and researchers seeking a scientifically informed approach to forest restoration, management, and planning. Now in its second iteration, the FHI is a tool designed to help bridge that gap. The FHI uses a suite of indicators to create a numeric rating of forest functionality and change, based on the desired forest state in relation to four categories: Ecological Integrity, Public Health and Safety, Ecosystem Services, and Sustainable Use and Management. The rating is based on data derived from several sources including local weather stations, stream gauge data, SNOTEL sites, and National Forest Service archives. In addition to offering local outreach and education, this project offers broader insight into effective communication methods, as well as into the challenges of using quantitative analysis to rate ecosystem health. Goals of the FHI include its use in schools as a means of using local data and place-based learning to teach basic math and science concepts, improved public understanding of ecological complexity and need for ongoing forest management, and, in the future, its use as a model for outreach tools in other forested communities in the Intermountain West.

Management of research and development project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Go, Seok Hwa; Hong Jeong Yu; Hyun, Byeong Hwan

2010-12-01

This book introduces summary on management of research and development project, prepare of research and development with investigation and analysis of paper, patent and trend of technology, structure of project, management model, management of project, management of project range, management of project time, management of project cost, management of project goods, management of project manpower, management of communication, management of project risk, management of project supply, management of outcome of R and D, management of apply and enroll of patent and management of technology transfer.

How Wageningen University and Research Centre Managed to Influence Researchers Publishing Behaviour Towards more Quality, Impact and Visibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fondermann, Philipp; Togt, van der P.L.

2017-01-01

Wageningen University and Research Center (WUR) is one of the most prestigious research institutions in the world in life sciences and improved significantly in several rankings over the last years. One of the ‘drivers’ of this success story is a comprehensive quality management exercise based on

How Wageningen University and Research Center managed to influence researchers publishing behaviour towards more quality, impact and visibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fondermann, Philipp; Togt, van der P.L.

2016-01-01

Wageningen University and Research Center (WUR) is one of the most prestigious research institutions in the world in life sciences and improved significantly in several rankings over the last years. One of the `drivers` of this success story is a comprehensive quality management exercise based on

Improving the raw management in Ukraine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, H.G.; Koever, M. [NUKEM Technologies GmbH, Alzenau (Germany)

2013-07-01

In Ukraine 13 VVER-1000 and 2 VVER-440 reactor units generate about 50 % of the country's energy production. By contrast, when looking at the large volume of radioactive waste of all categories, which is produced by these nuclear power plants (NPP), the radioactive waste (RAW) management - onsite of NPP, towards interim storage as well as towards final disposal - is still not adequately developed. Currently all operational waste of Ukrainian NPP is incompletely treated/conditioned and stored onsite, though insufficient storage capacity is available at the NPP. As no effective Ukraine-wide strategy is yet established to manage RAW beyond NPP a serious situation could arise, which even leads to constrained temporary shut-down of reactor units, threatening the energy supply of whole the country. In addition large quantities of RAW, partly badly sorted, derive from decommissioning of the shut-down Chernobyl NPP. Also other sources of RAW contribute to the whole volume, which has to be managed in Ukraine, as research reactors, reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and other nuclear facilities and applications. Nevertheless, operational and shut-down NPP in Ukraine are by far the largest producers. To support Ukraine in managing their radioactive waste NUKEM Technologies GmbH was appointed to provide technical support for the improvement of the current situation in cooperation with responsible Ukrainian experts towards a targeted, comprehensive and effective RAW management. (orig.)

Continuous improvement processes using Lean Management tools. A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pârv Luminița

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describes how Lean Management may be applied in the university setting to improve the management processes. The correlation of didactic, educational and research activities with the stakeholders needs is one of the main objectives of the university. In this respect, an indicator used to analyse a university, for the purposes of fulfilling its mission, respectively for the purposes of streamlining its didactic and scientific activity, is related to the number of graduates on the labour market, acting in their area of specialization. This work presents a best practice of Lean Management at Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania.

Self-management tasks to improve mobility and reduce fall risk are not leading to lower research participation in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Bongers, Kim T J; Schoon, Yvonne; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M

2018-05-31

The first aim is to evaluate, in a sub-study, the recruitment process of the Senior Step Study, which was an intervention study on the self-management of mobility and fall risk; the second aim is to explore the reasons mentioned by older people, from three different settings, for (not) participating. Subjects were community-dwelling older persons, residents of homes for the elderly, and older persons regularly visiting community centres. The effectiveness of different recruitment procedures was analysed for each setting separately. We also analysed reasons for accepting and declining participation between the settings. The total inclusion rate was 27.9%. A personal initial approach (i.e., first contact was face-to-face or in a group meeting) did not improve the inclusion rate. More subjects consented to participate after an introductory meeting (which was planned after the first face-to-face contact) compared to persons not having one (p < 0.01). At different settings, subjects gave different reasons for participation. No differences were found in the reasons for refusing participation. Especially in homes for the elderly, people refused to participate because the research was too burdensome. The inclusion rates in this study are comparable to other self-management studies with older people. An introductory meeting during which the study design and benefits of participating are explained and formal interim evaluations of the recruitment process may benefit recruitment. Recruiting older persons for self-management tasks is possible with the appropriate recruitment process, enabling more research on this increasingly important research topic. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research Needs for Carbon Management in Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses

Science.gov (United States)

Negra, C.; Lovejoy, T.; Ojima, D. S.; Ashton, R.; Havemann, T.; Eaton, J.

2009-12-01

Improved management of terrestrial carbon in agriculture, forestry, and other land use sectors is a necessary part of climate change mitigation. It is likely that governments will agree in Copenhagen in December 2009 to incentives for improved management of some forms of terrestrial carbon, including maintaining existing terrestrial carbon (e.g., avoiding deforestation) and creating new terrestrial carbon (e.g., afforestation, soil management). To translate incentives into changes in land management and terrestrial carbon stocks, a robust technical and scientific information base is required. All terrestrial carbon pools (and other greenhouse gases from the terrestrial system) that interact with the atmosphere at timescales less than centuries, and all land uses, have documented mitigation potential, however, most activity has focused on above-ground forest biomass. Despite research advances in understanding emissions reduction and sequestration associated with different land management techniques, there has not yet been broad-scale implementation of land-based mitigation activity in croplands, peatlands, grasslands and other land uses. To maximize long-term global terrestrial carbon volumes, further development of relevant data, methodologies and technologies are needed to complement policy and financial incentives. The Terrestrial Carbon Group, in partnership with UN-REDD agencies, the World Bank and CGIAR institutions, is reviewing literature, convening leading experts and surveying key research institutions to develop a Roadmap for Terrestrial Carbon: Research Needs for Implementation of Carbon Management in Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses. This work will summarize the existing knowledge base for emissions reductions and sequestration through land management as well as the current availability of tools and methods for measurement and monitoring of terrestrial carbon. Preliminary findings indicate a number of areas for future work. Enhanced information

Waste management research abstracts. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned. Vol. 28

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-11-01

This issue contains 184 abstracts that describe research in progress in the field of radioactive waste management. The research abstracts contained in the Waste Management Research Abstracts Volume 28 (WMRA 28) were collected between October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003. The abstracts reflect research in progress, or planned, in the field of radioactive waste management. They present ongoing work in various countries and international organizations. Although the abstracts are indexed by country, some programmes are actually the result of cooperation among several countries. Indeed, a primary reason for providing this compilation of programmes, institutions and scientists engaged in research into radioactive waste management is to increase international co-operation and facilitate communications

DESIGNING STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfian Nur Ubay

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This research was aimed at designing strategies for improving total quality management at CV XYZ and PT HIJ. The research locations were selected intentionally with the consideration that the company is a middle class company that started to apply a study in line with the research topic. The experts were chosen using an approach method. This research used a descriptive approach and quantitative analysis through questionnaires using purposive sampling. The stages began with data processing, i.e. testing the questionnaire quality through validity and reliability tests, making a causality diagram, evaluating the implementation levels of each company by giving evaluation scales based on the existing condition, making House of Quality (HOQ using QFD methods, and then analyzing the problem solutions produced from the QFD methods with 5W + IH analysis, and finally determining the improvement priorities using Fuzzy AHP methods. The results were the strategies for improving total quality management /TQM of CV XYZ, namely the factor that plays the most important role was improving the quality management performance. The actor that has the competence to carry out the TQM improvement is the director. The prioritized goal to be achieved is a commitment to improve the quality of goods and services.  The prioritized strategy used in improving TQM is carrying out SOP consistently.Keywords: strategies, improvement, TQM, manufacturing company, fuzzy AHPABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan merancang strategi peningkatan manajemen mutu terpadu pada CV XYZ dan PT HIJ. Pemilihan lokasi penelitian dilakukan secara sengaja dengan pertimbangan bahwa perusahaan tersebut merupakan perusahaan kelas menengah yang mulai menerapkan kajian sesuai dengan topik penelitian. Penentuan pakar dilakukan dengan metode pendekatan secara sengaja. Adapun penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif dan analisa kuantitatif dengan menyebarkan kuesioner secara sengaja (purposive sampling

Implementation of quality management in early stages of research and development projects at a university.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiehe, Sandra; Wagner, Georg; Schlanstein, Peter; Rosefort, Christiane; Kopp, Rüdger; Bensberg, Ralf; Knipp, Peter; Schmitz-Rode, Thomas; Steinseifer, Ulrich; Arens, Jutta

2014-04-01

The ultimate objective of university research and development projects is usually to create knowledge, but also to successfully transfer results to industry for subsequent marketing. We hypothesized that the university technology transfer requires efficient measures to improve this important step. Besides good scientific practice, foresighted and industry-specific adapted documentation of research processes in terms of a quality management system might improve the technology transfer. In order to bridge the gap between research institute and cooperating industry, a model project has been accompanied by a project specific amount of quality management. However, such a system had to remain manageable and must not constrain the researchers' creativity. Moreover, topics and research team are strongly interdisciplinary, which entails difficulties regarding communication because of different perspectives and terminology. In parallel to the technical work of the model project, an adaptable quality management system with a quality manual, defined procedures, and forms and documents accompanying the research, development and validation was implemented. After process acquisition and analysis the appropriate amount of management for the model project was identified by a self-developed rating system considering project characteristics like size, innovation, stakeholders, interdisciplinarity, etc. Employees were trained according to their needs. The management was supported and the technical documentation was optimized. Finally, the quality management system has been transferred successfully to further projects.

Knowledge Exchange and Management Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bager, Torben

2018-01-01

for ‘interesting’ discoveries has a potential to lift off papers with a high level of scientific rigor as well as a high level of relevance for practice. Originality: An outcome focus on the relationship between knowledge exchange activities and management research is to our knowledge new in the debate about......Purpose: The growing involvement of management researchers in knowledge exchange activities and collaborative research does not seem to be reflected in a growing academic output. The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers for academic output from these activities as well as the potential...... derived from knowledge exchange activities and Mode 2 research into academic papers such as low priority of case study research in leading management journals, a growing practice orientation in the research funding systems, methodological challenges due to limited researcher control, and disincentives...

Using Lean to Advance Quality Improvement Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackmore, Christopher Craig; Williams, Barbara L; Ching, Joan M; Chafetz, Lynne A; Kaplan, Gary S

2016-01-01

Quality improvement research skills are not commonplace among quality improvement practitioners, and research on the effectiveness of quality improvement has not always kept pace with improvement innovation. However, the Lean tools applied to quality improvement should be equally relevant to the advancement of quality improvement research. We applied the Lean methods to develop a simplified quality improvement publication pathway enabling a small research methodology group to increase quality improvement research throughout the institution. The key innovations of the pathway are horizontal integration of the quality improvement research methods group across the institution, implementation of a Lean quality improvement research pathway, and application of a just-in-time quality improvement research toolkit. This work provides a road map and tools for the acceleration of quality improvement research. At our institution, the Lean quality improvement research approach was associated with statistically significant increases in the number (annual mean increase from 3.0 to 8.5, p = .03) and breadth of published quality improvement research articles, and in the number of quality improvement research projects currently in process. Application of Lean methods to the quality improvement research process can aid in increasing publication of quality improvement articles from across the institution.

IMPROVING MARKETING LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES OF AGRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

OpenAIRE

Raisa Bilovol; Alina Chaikina

2016-01-01

The Purpose of the paper is to prove the need of improving marketing logistics management at enterprises of agro-industrial complex with the use of balanced scorecard method that will allow objectively evaluate its effectiveness. Methodology. The survey is based on the use of general scientific research methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, method of abstraction. Results. Research of state sales of agricultural products in agrarian enterprises helped us to identify and organize the foll...

Improving and ensuring best practice continence management in residential aged care.

Science.gov (United States)

Heckenberg, Gayle

2008-06-01

Background  Continence Management within residential aged care is an every day component of care that requires assessment, implementation of strategies, resource allocation and evaluation. At times the management of incontinence of aged residents can be challenging and unsuccessful. The project chosen through the Clinical Fellowship program was Continence Management with the aim of raising awareness of best practice to assist in improving and providing person-centred resident care. Aims/objectives •  Review the literature on best practice management of incontinence •  Evaluate current practice in continence management for elderly residents within residential aged care services •  Improve adherence to best practice strategies of care for incontinence •  Raise awareness within the nursing home of the best practice management of incontinence •  Promote appropriate and effective use of resources for continence management •  Deliver individualised person-centred care to residents. •  Ensure best practice in continence management Methods  The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System clinical audit tool was utilised to measure current practice against best practice. The results identify gaps that require improvement. The Getting Research into Practice process then allowed analysis of the level of compliance with each of the audit criteria, which would identify any barriers in implementing a selected course of action and aim to improve compliance. The project team was consulted with additional stakeholder consultation to form an action plan and implement strategies to improve practice. Results  Although 100% compliance with all audit criteria in audit 1 and 2 was not achieved, there was improvement in the criteria concerning the documented fluid intake for residents. Further strategies have been identified and implemented and this continues to be a 'work in progress'. Staff now have an acute awareness

Research in Hospitality Management

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research in Hospitality Management (RHM) is a peer-reviewed journal ... to the quintessential managerial areas of Finance, Human Resources, Operations, ... competency and career development of hospitality management students · EMAIL ...

University energy management improvement on basis of standards and digital technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Novikova Olga

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays to implement the energy management system it is important to fulfill not only the legal requirements but also to follow the set of recommendations prepared by international and national management standards. The purpose of this article is to prepare the concept and methodology for the optimization and improvement of the energy management system (EMS for Universities with implementation of legal requirements and recommendations from international and national management standards with the help of digital technologies. During the research the systematic analysis, complex approach, logical sampling and analogy were used. It is shown that this process should be done with the help of the process-based approach, in accordance with ISO 9001, and energy management ISO 50001. The authors developed the structure of the basic standard of energy management: "Guidelines for the energy management system". It is proved that the involvement of the technical senior students in the project of EMS improvement allows to expand their competencies for new technics and technologies. Cloud service Bitrix24 was chosen for IT-support of the project. During the study, a list of characteristics was used as a basis for creating a query to the technology department of the university. DBMS Microsoft Access was chosen for its creation. In addition, the possible results of initiating a single database containing all the information needed for accounting and control of energy supply were listed. Moreover, the possibility of automated energy management system implementation and its results were considered. The required actions described in this research can be implemented in any University, that will extend energy management to any University worldwide.

Improving HIV/AIDS Knowledge Management Using EHRs.

Science.gov (United States)

Malmberg, Erik D; Phan, Thao M; Harmon, Glynn; Nauert, Richard F

2012-01-01

A primary goal for the development of EHRs and EHR-related technologies should be to facilitate greater knowledge management for improving individual and community health outcomes associated with HIV / AIDS. Most of the current developments of EHR have focused on providing data for research, patient care and prioritization of healthcare provider resources in other areas. More attention should be paid to using information from EHRs to assist local, state, national, and international entities engaged in HIV / AIDS care, research and prevention strategies. Unfortunately the technology and standards for HIV-specific reporting modules are still being developed. A literature search and review supplemented by the author's own experiences with electronic health records and HIV / AIDS prevention strategies will be used. This data was used to identify both opportunities and challenges for improving public health informatics primarily through the use of latest innovations in EHRs. Qualitative analysis and suggestions are offered for how EHRs can support knowledge management and prevention strategies associated with HIV infection. EHR information, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, and other vital statistics can help public health practitioners to more quickly identify at-risk populations or environments; allocate scarce resources in the most efficient way; share information about successful, evidenced-based prevention strategies; and increase longevity and quality of life. Local, state, and federal entities need to work more collaboratively with NGOs, community-based organizations, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to implementation including cost, interoperability, accessibility, and information security.

Waste Management Improvement Initiatives at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited - 13091

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Nicholas; Adams, Lynne; Wong, Pierre [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Chalk River Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, K0J 1J0 (Canada)

2013-07-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL) Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) has been in operation for over 60 years. Radioactive, mixed, hazardous and non-hazardous wastes have been and continue to be generated at CRL as a result of research and development, radioisotope production, reactor operation and facility decommissioning activities. AECL has implemented several improvement initiatives at CRL to simplify the interface between waste generators and waste receivers: - Introduction of trained Waste Officers representing their facilities or activities at CRL; - Establishment of a Waste Management Customer Support Service as a Single-Point of Contact to provide guidance to waste generators for all waste management processes; and - Implementation of a streamlined approach for waste identification with emphasis on early identification of waste types and potential disposition paths. As a result of implementing these improvement initiatives, improvements in waste management and waste transfer efficiencies have been realized at CRL. These included: 1) waste generators contacting the Customer Support Service for information or guidance instead of various waste receivers; 2) more clear and consistent guidance provided to waste generators for waste management through the Customer Support Service; 3) more consistent and correct waste information provided to waste receivers through Waste Officers, resulting in reduced time and resources required for waste management (i.e., overall cost); 4) improved waste minimization and segregation approaches, as identified by in-house Waste Officers; and 5) enhanced communication between waste generators and waste management groups. (authors)

Identifying critical issues in recreation planning and management: improving the management-research partnership

Science.gov (United States)

John H. Schomaker; David W. Lime

1988-01-01

The "nominal group" process is a proven technique to systematically arrive at a consensus about critical information needs in recreation planning and management. Using this process, 41 managers who attended a 1983 conference on river management identified 114 specific information needs grouped under 11 general questions. Clearly, some concerns of...

Researchers' Roles in Patient Safety Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietikäinen, Elina; Reiman, Teemu; Heikkilä, Jouko; Macchi, Luigi

2016-03-01

In this article, we explore how researchers can contribute to patient safety improvement. We aim to expand the instrumental role researchers have often occupied in relation to patient safety improvement. We reflect on our own improvement model and experiences as patient safety researchers in an ongoing Finnish multi-actor innovation project through self-reflective narration. Our own patient safety improvement model can be described as systemic. Based on the purpose of the innovation project, our improvement model, and the improvement models of the other actors in the project, we have carried out a wide range of activities. Our activities can be summarized in 8 overlapping patient safety improvement roles: modeler, influencer, supplier, producer, ideator, reflector, facilitator, and negotiator. When working side by side with "practice," researchers are offered and engage in several different activities. The way researchers contribute to patient safety improvement and balance between different roles depends on the purpose of the study, as well as on the underlying patient safety improvement models. Different patient safety research paradigms seem to emphasize different improvement roles, and thus, they also face different challenges. Open reflection on the underlying improvement models and roles can help researchers with different backgrounds-as well as other actors involved in patient safety improvement-in structuring their work and collaborating productively.

African Journal of Management Research

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Topics and themes appropriate for African Journal of Management Research will ... of management and organisational disciplines including: Finance, Operations, ... Marketing Services, Public Administration, Health Services Management, and ...

Nonprofit, payload process improvement through lean management

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Melissa

Organizations that are successful and competitive long-term have learned to efficiently utilize their resources, such as money, people, facilities, and time. Over the last half-century, there have been a variety of theories and techniques put forth on how to do this. One recent theory applied in the aerospace industry is Lean Management (LM), which emphasizes a customer focus and a rigorous elimination of activities that do not add value from the customer's perspective. LM has not, until now, been evaluated for small, nonprofit, one-off production organizations (NOPOs). Previous research on LM focused on for-profit companies and large-scale production organizations, producing relatively similar products repetitively (e.g. automobiles, commercial satellites, aircraft, and launch vehicles). One-off production organizations typically create one-of-a-kind products. The purpose of this research is to examine the applicability of LM to a NOPO. LM will improve resource utilization and thereby competitiveness, as well as exploring a new area of knowledge and research. The research methodology consists of conducting case studies, formal and informal interviews, observation and analysis in order to assess whether and how LM may be beneficial. The research focuses on one particular NOPO, BioServe Space Technologies (BST): a nonprofit, payload development organization. Additional NOPOs were interviewed in order to draw more generalized conclusions about LM benefits. The research demonstrates that LM is applicable to NOPOs, thus providing a tool to improve efficiency and competitiveness. Results from this research are guidelines for payload development organizations to implement LM, and highlighting potential LM weaknesses. A major conclusion is that LM needs some minor modifications to be applicable and useful to NOPOs, particularly in terms of value stream mapping. The LM implementation roadmap developed for NOPOs introduces customized metrics, as well as including standard

Improvements in the use of aquatic herbicides and establishment of future research directions

Science.gov (United States)

Getsinger, K.D.; Netherland, M.D.; Grue, C.E.; Koschnick, T.J.

2008-01-01

Peer-reviewed literature over the past 20 years identifies significant changes and improvements in chemical control strategies used to manage nuisance submersed vegetation. The invasive exotic plants hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata L.f. Royle) and Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) continue to spread and remain the plant species of greatest concern for aquatic resource managers at the national scale. Emerging exotic weeds of regional concern such as egeria (Egeria densa Planch.), curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.), and hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T. Anders), as well as native plants such as variable watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum Michx), and cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana Gray) are invasive outside their home ranges. In addition, there is always the threat of new plant introductions such as African elodea (Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss) or narrow-leaf anacharis (Egeria najas Planchon). The registration of the bleaching herbicide fluridone in the mid 1980s for whole-lake and large-scale management stimulated numerous lines of research involving reduction of use rates, plant selectivity, residue monitoring, and impacts on fisheries. In addition to numerous advances, the specificity of fluridone for a single plant enzyme led to the first documented case of herbicide resistance in aquatic plant management. The resistance of hydrilla to fluridone has stimulated a renewed interest by industry and others in the registration of alternative modes of action for aquatic use. These newer chemistries tend to be enzyme-specific compounds with favorable non-target toxicity profiles. Registration efforts have been facilitated by increased cooperation between key federal government agencies that have aquatic weed control and research responsibilities, and regulators within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). We reviewed past and current research efforts to identify areas in need of further investigation and to establish

Relation Analysis of Knowledge Management, Research, and Innovation in University Research Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heyder Paez-Logreira

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Knowledge is a competitive advantage for companies. Knowledge Management helps to keep this competitiveness. Universities face with challenges in research, innovation and international competitiveness. The purpose of this paper includes studying Knowledge Management Models, and Innovation Models apply to Research Groups of Universities, through an analysis of relation in inter-organizational level. Some researchers and leaders of research groups participated in a survey about knowledge management and innovation. Here we show the relationship between knowledge management, innovation and research, including processes and operations performed by universities around these. We organize the results in three dimensions: Knowledge Management perception, the relationship between Knowledge Management and Innovation, and Strategic Knowledge organization. Too, we identify a generality of good practices, challenges, and limitations on Research Groups for Knowledge Management.

Current state of research base improvement relating to decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamura, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

'Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF)' is responsible for the strategic planning and research and development planning for the important issues such as fuel debris removal and waste management, and for support for the progress management of important issues. The research and development are conducted by 'International Research Institute for Decommissioning (IRID)' and 'Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).' In the medium- and long-term roadmap, it is described that 'as for the facilities JAEA is improving, application to the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is the first choice, but depending on necessity, the linkage with Fukushima Innovation Coast plan is put into consideration.' In consideration of other backgrounds and with a focus on the contribution to regional industry creation, the research centers that can play the following functions are being developed. (1) Performance of bridging function as a 'place' to promote mutually beneficial university-industry collaborative creation, while sharing a wide variety of users and goals, (2) bridge between basic infrastructure research and social implementation as the demonstration test base, (3) bridge between the research and development of Japan and foreign countries using the world network of the research base, and (4) intensive promotion of demonstration experiments that are difficult for private agencies, and the formulation of robot testing standards. (A.O.)

The improving processes in the human resources management

OpenAIRE

Darja Holátová

2002-01-01

The quality management of the human resources management, the quality of the products, services and prosperities of the firms is among others dependent on the quality management. Managers convey a leadership and commitment necessary for creating the environment for quality improvement. The managers are responsible for their own actions, development and improvement of their own work processes.

Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program(SANREM CRSP)

OpenAIRE

Moore, Keith M.

2007-01-01

This presentation describes the history and current program of the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (SANREM CRSP). SANREM Objectives include increasing stakeholder income generation capacity, empowering stakeholders, particularly women, enhancing decentralized resource management, strengthening local institutions, improving market access for smallholders and communities, and promoting sustainable and environmentally sound developme...

Research and technology programmes supporting waste management in BNFL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fairhall, G.A.; Horner, A.M.

2000-01-01

Waste Management is a major activity of BNFL in the UK and at various locations internationally. To support these activities extensive programmes of Research and Technology have been undertaken for many years. This involves practical studies involving active and non-active work at laboratory and pilot plant scale. Extensive use is also made of theoretical and modelling techniques. Current work is aimed at underpinning and improving current operations supporting the design and safety cases of new plant and addressing waste management activities of the future including decommissioning. (authors)

Patient information, education and self-management in bronchiectasis: facilitating improvements to optimise health outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hester, Katy L M; Newton, Julia; Rapley, Tim; De Soyza, Anthony

2018-05-22

Bronchiectasis is an incurable lung disease characterised by irreversible airway dilatation. It causes symptoms including chronic productive cough, dyspnoea, and recurrent respiratory infections often requiring hospital admission. Fatigue and reductions in quality of life are also reported in bronchiectasis. Patients often require multi-modal treatments that can be burdensome, leading to issues with adherence. In this article we review the provision of, and requirement for, education and information in bronchiectasis. To date, little research has been undertaken to improve self-management in bronchiectasis in comparison to other chronic conditions, such as COPD, for which there has been a wealth of recent developments. Qualitative work has begun to establish that information deficit is one of the potential barriers to self-management, and that patients feel having credible information is fundamental when learning to live with and manage bronchiectasis. Emerging research offers some insights into ways of improving treatment adherence and approaches to self-management education; highlighting ways of addressing the specific unmet information needs of patients and their families who are living with bronchiectasis. We propose non-pharmacological recommendations to optimise patient self-management and symptom recognition; with the aim of facilitating measurable improvements in health outcomes for patients with bronchiectasis.

Quality procedure management for improved nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forzano, P.; Castagna, P.

1995-01-01

Emergency Operating Procedures and Accident Management Procedures are the next step in the computerization of NPP control rooms. Different improvements are presently conceivable for this operator aid tool, and research activities are in development. Undergoing activities regard especially formal aspects of knowledge representation, Human-Machine interface and procedure life cycle management. These aspects have been investigated deeply by Ansaldo, and partially incorporated in the DIAM prototype. Nuclear Power Plant Procedures can be seen from essentially two viewpoints: the process and the information management. From the first point of view, it is important to supply the knowledge apt to solve problems connected with the control of the process, from the second one the focus of attention is on the knowledge representation, its structure, elicitation and maintenance, and formal quality assurance. These two aspects of procedure representation can be considered and solved separately. In particular, methodological, formal and management issues require long and tedious activities, that in most cases constitute a great barrier for procedures development and upgrade. To solve these problems, Ansaldo is developing DIAM, a wide integrated tool for procedure management to support in procedure writing, updating, usage, and documentation. One of the most challenging features of DIAM is AUTO-LAY, a CASE sub-tool that, in a complete automatical way, structures parts or complete flow diagram. This is the feature that is partial present in some other CASE products, that, anyway, do not allow complex graph handling and isomorphism between video and paper representation. AUTO-LAY has the unique prerogative to draw graphs of any complexity to section them in pages, and to automatically compose a document. This has been recognized in the literature as the most important a second-generation CASE improvement. (Author) 9 Figs., 5 Refs

Data management for environmental research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, R.H.

1976-01-01

The objective of managing environmental research data is to develop a resource sufficient for the study and potential solution of environmental problems. Consequently, environmnetal data management must include a broad spectrum of activities ranging from statistical analysis and modeling, through data set archiving to computer hardware procurement. This paper briefly summarizes the data management requirements for environmental research and the techniques and automated procedures which are currently used by the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Included in these requirements are readily retrievable data, data indexed by categories for retrieval and application, data documentation (including collection methods), design and error bounds, easily used analysis and display programs, and file manipulation routines. The statistical analysis system (SAS) and other systems provide the automated procedures and techniques for analysis and management of environmental research data

Waste management research abstracts volume 27. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-10-01

This issue of the Waste Management Research Abstracts (WMRA) contains 148 abstracts that describe research in progress in the field of radioactive waste management. The research abstracts contained in Volume 27 (WMRA 27) were collected between July 1, 2001 and September 30, 2002. The abstracts present ongoing work in various countries and international organizations. Although the abstracts are indexed by country, many programmes are actually the result of co-operation among several countries. Indeed, a primary reason for providing this compilation of programmes, institutions and scientists engaged in research into radioactive waste management is to increase international co-operation and facilitate communications

Researching critical reflection in management education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elkjaer, Bente; Nickelsen, Niels Christian Mossfeldt

2016-01-01

Critical reflection for professionals involves the ability to learn directly from their practice experience, so that they can improve their own work in an ongoing and flexible way. By examining the fundamental bases of what they do systematically, critical reflection can also function as a form...... to deal with change and critical reflection provides one method for being able to incorporate changes in a way which allows individuals to preserve a sense of what is fundamentally important to them as professionals. Since many different professionals work together in most organisations, research...... of education, management, health and social work....

Managing students' learning in classrooms: Reframing classroom research

Science.gov (United States)

Fawns, Rod; Salder, Jo

1996-06-01

Research on improving teaching typically focuses on the public statements of teachers and students. In the treatment of transcripts only the public “on task” utterances are usually coded and formally enter the research. In this paper the authors analysed Year 8 students' public and private statements to themselves and their peers collected in the course of their multi-year study of teacher management of communication in cooperative learning groups. The authors analysed the students' utterances as data about their cognitive and emotional responses to the management strategies The data reflect how the students perceived and responded to subtle features in the public enactment of the curriculum, the task and the setting during the ongoing lesson. The approach allows a better understanding of students' actual experiences, their responses to the overt and covert curriculum, their use of prior knowledge and their strategies for engaging with the science curriculum.

Positioning and Priorities of Growth Management in Construction Industrialization: Chinese Firm-Level Empirical Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingxiao Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to quantitatively evaluate the growth phase, position, and priorities of the industrialization policy management of the construction industry at firm level. The goal is to integrate quantitative dynamics into the policy-making process for sustainable policy development in future China. This research proposes an integrated framework, including growth management model and industrial policy evaluation method, to identify the challenges of construction industrialization and policy management. The research applies the mixed system method, which includes entropy method and average score method, to analyze the growth stage and major impact indexes targeting 327 survey samples. The empirical results show that the proposed conceptual framework and policy evaluation method could effectively determine the growth position and directions of the construction industrialization. For verification purpose, the study uses the local industry data from Shaanxi Province, China. The calculation results substantiate that the construction industry is in the middle section of the third growth phase. The comparison of the results from statistical methods shows that the local construction industry still needs substantial effort in policy management to improve its sustainable industrialization level. As countermeasures, the policy priorities should concentrate on: (1 enhancing effective cooperation among universities, research institutions and enterprises; (2 improving actions towards technology transfer into productivity; and (3 encouraging market acceptance of construction industrialization. This research complements the existing literature of policy evaluation of construction industrialization. Moreover, it provides theoretical and operational steps on industry policy evaluation and growth management framework, with accurate and ample data analysis on firm-level survey. Researchers and policy makers can use this research for further

A platform for quality management in research institutes (part II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klembalska Agnieszka

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the recent years there has been a particularly strong pressure on changing old structures and management models in research institutes. Contemporary research institutes are scientific units which are commercial in character – almost 80% of funds come from companies and contractual research activity and services. They are the basic sector of science aiming at cooperation with the economy, applied and innovative research. In order to maintain the current and start new cooperation it is necessary to pay particular attention to maintaining, improving and exposing high level of quality of conducted activity. Taking into consideration the necessity of carrying out ever more complex research projects, conducting activity requiring fast reaction to change, risk analysis, which is assessed every year by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education – it seems that it is necessary to apply tools supporting the assessment of quality. In the proposed three-aspect perspective the following scopes of activity are emphasized: implemented quality management systems, area of scientific information and the sphere of cooperation with the client. This article constitutes the continuation of the subjects discussed in the first part – an extension of issues associated with the scope of responsibilities of particular Sections of the proposed Quality Management Platform in research institutes.

Improved self-management of datacenter systems applying machine learning

OpenAIRE

Berral García, Josep Lluís

2013-01-01

Autonomic Computing is a Computer Science and Technologies research area, originated during mid 2000's. It focuses on optimization and improvement of complex distributed computing systems through self-control and self-management. As distributed computing systems grow in complexity, like multi-datacenter systems in cloud computing, the system operators and architects need more help to understand, design and optimize manually these systems, even more when these systems are distributed along the...

Managing dry spell risks to improve rainfed maize productivity in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This empirical research was conducted on-station during June to September main growing season over two years (2000 and 2001) to substantiate that, managing dry spell risks through development of compatible technologies can improve rainfed maize productivity in the semi-arid zones of Ethiopia. Firstly, two soil water ...

[QUIPS: quality improvement in postoperative pain management].

Science.gov (United States)

Meissner, Winfried

2011-01-01

Despite the availability of high-quality guidelines and advanced pain management techniques acute postoperative pain management is still far from being satisfactory. The QUIPS (Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Management) project aims to improve treatment quality by means of standardised data acquisition, analysis of quality and process indicators, and feedback and benchmarking. During a pilot phase funded by the German Ministry of Health (BMG), a total of 12,389 data sets were collected from six participating hospitals. Outcome improved in four of the six hospitals. Process indicators, such as routine pain documentation, were only poorly correlated with outcomes. To date, more than 130 German hospitals use QUIPS as a routine quality management tool. An EC-funded parallel project disseminates the concept internationally. QUIPS demonstrates that patient-reported outcomes in postoperative pain management can be benchmarked in routine clinical practice. Quality improvement initiatives should use outcome instead of structural and process parameters. The concept is transferable to other fields of medicine. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Big data management challenges in health research-a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoming; Williams, Carolyn; Liu, Zhen Hua; Croghan, Joe

2017-08-07

Big data management for information centralization (i.e. making data of interest findable) and integration (i.e. making related data connectable) in health research is a defining challenge in biomedical informatics. While essential to create a foundation for knowledge discovery, optimized solutions to deliver high-quality and easy-to-use information resources are not thoroughly explored. In this review, we identify the gaps between current data management approaches and the need for new capacity to manage big data generated in advanced health research. Focusing on these unmet needs and well-recognized problems, we introduce state-of-the-art concepts, approaches and technologies for data management from computing academia and industry to explore improvement solutions. We explain the potential and significance of these advances for biomedical informatics. In addition, we discuss specific issues that have a great impact on technical solutions for developing the next generation of digital products (tools and data) to facilitate the raw-data-to-knowledge process in health research. Published by Oxford University Press 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

NCCDS configuration management process improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Shay, Kathy

1993-01-01

By concentrating on defining and improving specific Configuration Management (CM) functions, processes, procedures, personnel selection/development, and tools, internal and external customers received improved CM services. Job performance within the section increased in both satisfaction and output. Participation in achieving major improvements has led to the delivery of consistent quality CM products as well as significant decreases in every measured CM metrics category.

A management framework for training providers to improve workplace skills development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Govender

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, says a skills revolution is necessary for South Africa’s (SA skills crisis. The SA skills revolution began with the skills legislation of 1998-9 when the Departments of Labour (DOL and Education (DOE intended a seamless, integrated approach to rapid skills development. The National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS, the Sector Education and Training Providers (SETAs, the South African Qualifications Authorities (SAQA and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF were established to drive the human resource and skills development revolutionary strategy. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the 2001-3 research investigating an internal management framework for training providers, employers and managers to accelerate workplace skills development. Design/Methodology/Approach: An integrated, multi-method research model was employed to gather empirical evidence on skills practices. A robust quantitative survey was conducted within 600 organisations. Simultaneously, rich, descriptive data was gathered from managers and employees using a structured qualitative interview strategy. The integrated data pool was factor analysed. The research findings, conclusion and recommended framework were reported in a PhD thesis. Findings: The research findings reveal major gaps in the effectiveness of SA training providers to radically accelerate and improve workplace skills development as per national skills legislation, implementation and management criteria. Implications: If the skills revolution in SA is to succeed, training providers especially, must become less complacent, more assertive and fully equipped when participating in the skills development arena. Originality/Value: Via this research, training providers will gain critical, reflective insight into their management framework for meeting skills legislative criteria and for managing training interventions and skills projects.

The improving of methodological principles of enterprise competitiveness management under the crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Dyadyuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is methodological bases improving and forming of practical tools for enterprise competitiveness management under the crisis. The specific features of the competitive environment of enterprises in Ukraine under the global and national crisis are researched in the article. From this it is concluded that any enterprise must have a greater degree of flexibility than in periods of stability or economic growth for obtaining and maintaining of competitive advantages in the current period of global instability. Flexibility and adaptability of the economic system is the main prerequisite for obtaining and developing of enterprise competitive advantages and stem component of competitiveness. We identified and characterized the methodological components of adaptive management process on the base of systematic approach and with taking into account views of scientists. The obtained scientific results are the basis for conceptual model of integrated system of enterprise adaptive management in terms of dynamic and uncertainty environment. We propose to implement this kind of control on three levels: strategic (preventive management, functionality (tactical management and operational (symptomatic management on the base of analyzing economically grounded views and existing positions. It all together will ensure effective adaptation at the macroeconomic, meso and micro levels of management. The main purpose of the proposed integrated management system is ensuring the stability and integrity of enterprises activity in terms of variability and uncertainty of the environment. The implementation of such management system provides the enterprise with certain competitive advantages. It will allow to Ukrainian enterprises maintaining the competitive position in unfavorable external conditions, but also maintaining and improving the competitiveness.

The influence of human resource management on improvement of business ethics

OpenAIRE

Radenko Maric; Jelena Vemic- Djurkovic

2010-01-01

In this paper the importance of practice of human resource management as of a significant driver of business ethics in companies has been considered. The basic premise of the paper is the fact that the company’s main source of unethical behaviour is situated in its people’s activities which further implies that many measures aimed to apply and improve business ethics belong to the domain of human resource management. Based on research results on a sample of 36 enterprises, the paper attempts...

Teacher Research as Continuous Process Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Charles; Castle, Kathryn

2010-01-01

Purpose: Teacher research (inquiry) has been characterized as practice improvement, professional development and action research, among numerous names and descriptions. The purpose of this paper is to support the case that teacher research is also a form of quality improvement known as continuous process improvement (CPI).…

Developing a Web-Based Nursing Practice and Research Information Management System: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jeeyae; Lapp, Cathi; Hagle, Mary E

2015-09-01

Many hospital information systems have been developed and implemented to collect clinical data from the bedside and have used the information to improve patient care. Because of a growing awareness that the use of clinical information improves quality of care and patient outcomes, measuring tools (electronic and paper based) have been developed, but most of them require multiple steps of data collection and analysis. This necessitated the development of a Web-based Nursing Practice and Research Information Management System that processes clinical nursing data to measure nurses' delivery of care and its impact on patient outcomes and provides useful information to clinicians, administrators, researchers, and policy makers at the point of care. This pilot study developed a computer algorithm based on a falls prevention protocol and programmed the prototype Web-based Nursing Practice and Research Information Management System. It successfully measured performance of nursing care delivered and its impact on patient outcomes successfully using clinical nursing data from the study site. Although Nursing Practice and Research Information Management System was tested with small data sets, results of study revealed that it has the potential to measure nurses' delivery of care and its impact on patient outcomes, while pinpointing components of nursing process in need of improvement.

Industrial Energy Management Decision Making for Improved Energy Efficiency—Strategic System Perspectives and Situated Action in Combination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrik Thollander

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Improved industrial energy efficiency is a cornerstone in climate change mitigation. Research results suggest that there is still major untapped potential for improved industrial energy efficiency. The major model used to explain the discrepancy between optimal level of energy efficiency and the current level is the barrier model, e.g., different barriers to energy efficiency inhibit adoption of cost-effective measures. The measures outlined in research and policy action plans are almost exclusively technology-oriented, but great potential for energy efficiency improvements is also found in operational measures. Both technology and operational measures are combined in successful energy management practices. Most research in the field of energy management is grounded in engineering science, and theoretical models on how energy management in industry is carried out are scarce. One way to further develop and improve energy management, both theoretically as well as practically, is to explore how a socio-technical perspective can contribute to this understanding. In this article we will further elaborate this potential of cross-pollinating these fields. The aim of this paper is to relate energy management to two theoretical models, situated action and transaction analysis. We conclude that the current model for energy management systems, the input-output model, is insufficient for understanding in-house industrial energy management practices. By the incorporation of situated action and transaction analysis to the currently used input-output model, an enhanced understanding of the complexity of energy management is gained. It is not possible to find a single energy management solution suitable for any industrial company, but rather the idea is to find a reflexive model that can be adjusted from time to time. An idea for such a reflexive model would contain the structural elements from energy management models with consideration for decisions being

Construct Measurement in Management Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Bo Bernhard

2014-01-01

Far too often do management scholars resort to crude and often inappropriate measures of fundamental constructs in their research; an approach which calls in question the interpretation and validity of their findings. Scholars often legitimize poor choices in measurement with a lack of availability......, this research note raises important questions about the use of proxies in management research and argues for greater care in operationalizing constructs with particular attention to matching levels of theory and measurement....

A participatory action research approach to strengthening health managers' capacity at district level in Eastern Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Tetui, Moses; Coe, Anna-Britt; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; Bennett, Sara; Kiwanuka, Suzanne N; George, Asha; Kiracho, Elizabeth Ekirapa

2017-12-28

Many approaches to improving health managers' capacity in poor countries, particularly those pursued by external agencies, employ non-participatory approaches and often seek to circumvent (rather than strengthen) weak public management structures. This limits opportunities for strengthening local health managers' capacity, improving resource utilisation and enhancing service delivery. This study explored the contribution of a participatory action research approach to strengthening health managers' capacity in Eastern Uganda. This was a qualitative study that used open-ended key informant interviews, combined with review of meeting minutes and observations to collect data. Both inductive and deductive thematic analysis was undertaken. The Competing Values Framework of organisational management functions guided the deductive process of analysis and the interpretation of the findings. The framework builds on four earlier models of management and regards them as complementary rather than conflicting, and identifies four managers' capacities (collaborate, create, compete and control) by categorising them along two axes, one contrasting flexibility versus control and the other internal versus external organisational focus. The findings indicate that the participatory action research approach enhanced health managers' capacity to collaborate with others, be creative, attain goals and review progress. The enablers included expanded interaction spaces, encouragement of flexibility, empowerment of local managers, and the promotion of reflection and accountability. Tension and conflict across different management functions was apparent; for example, while there was a need to collaborate, maintaining control over processes was also needed. These tensions meant that managers needed to learn to simultaneously draw upon and use different capacities as reflected by the Competing Values Framework in order to maximise their effectiveness. Improved health manager capacity is

Strengthening links between waterfowl research and management

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Anthony J.; Eadie, John M.; Howerter, David; Johnson, Fred A.; Nichols, James; Runge, Michael C.; Vrtiska, Mark; Williams, Byron K.

2018-01-01

Waterfowl monitoring, research, regulation, and adaptive planning are leading the way in supporting science-informed wildlife management. However, increasing societal demands on natural resources have created a greater need for adaptable and successful linkages between waterfowl science and management. We presented a special session at the 2016 North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis, Maryland, USA on the successes and challenges of linking research and management in waterfowl conservation, and we summarize those thoughts in this commentary. North American waterfowl management includes a diversity of actions including management of harvest and habitat. Decisions for waterfowl management are structured using decision analysis by incorporating stakeholder values into formal objectives, identifying research relevant to objectives, integrating scientific knowledge, and choosing an optimal strategy with respect to objectives. Recently, the consideration of the value of information has been proposed as a means to evaluate the utility of research designed to meet objectives. Despite these advances, the ability to conduct waterfowl research with direct management application may be increasingly difficult in research institutions for several reasons including reduced funding for applied research and the lower perceived value of applied versus theoretical research by some university academics. In addition, coordination between researchers and managers may be logistically constrained, and communication may be ineffective between the 2 groups. Strengthening these links would help develop stronger and more coordinated approaches for the conservation of waterfowl and the wetlands upon which they depend.

Pediatric CT quality management and improvement program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, David B.; Chan, Frandics P.; Newman, Beverley; Fleischmann, Dominik; Molvin, Lior Z.; Wang, Jia

2014-01-01

Modern CT is a powerful yet increasingly complex technology that continues to rapidly evolve; optimal clinical implementation as well as appropriate quality management and improvement in CT are challenging but attainable. This article outlines the organizational structure on which a CT quality management and improvement program can be built, followed by a discussion of common as well as pediatric-specific challenges. Organizational elements of a CT quality management and improvement program include the formulation of clear objectives; definition of the roles and responsibilities of key personnel; implementation of a technologist training, coaching and feedback program; and use of an efficient and accurate monitoring system. Key personnel and roles include a radiologist as the CT director, a qualified CT medical physicist, as well as technologists with specific responsibilities and adequate time dedicated to operation management, CT protocol management and CT technologist education. Common challenges in managing a clinical CT operation are related to the complexity of newly introduced technology, of training and communication and of performance monitoring. Challenges specific to pediatric patients include the importance of including patient size in protocol and dose considerations, a lower tolerance for error in these patients, and a smaller sample size from which to learn and improve. (orig.)

Pediatric CT quality management and improvement program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larson, David B.; Chan, Frandics P.; Newman, Beverley; Fleischmann, Dominik [Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Stanford, CA (United States); Molvin, Lior Z. [Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA (United States); Wang, Jia [Stanford University, Environmental Health and Safety, Stanford, CA (United States)

2014-10-15

Modern CT is a powerful yet increasingly complex technology that continues to rapidly evolve; optimal clinical implementation as well as appropriate quality management and improvement in CT are challenging but attainable. This article outlines the organizational structure on which a CT quality management and improvement program can be built, followed by a discussion of common as well as pediatric-specific challenges. Organizational elements of a CT quality management and improvement program include the formulation of clear objectives; definition of the roles and responsibilities of key personnel; implementation of a technologist training, coaching and feedback program; and use of an efficient and accurate monitoring system. Key personnel and roles include a radiologist as the CT director, a qualified CT medical physicist, as well as technologists with specific responsibilities and adequate time dedicated to operation management, CT protocol management and CT technologist education. Common challenges in managing a clinical CT operation are related to the complexity of newly introduced technology, of training and communication and of performance monitoring. Challenges specific to pediatric patients include the importance of including patient size in protocol and dose considerations, a lower tolerance for error in these patients, and a smaller sample size from which to learn and improve. (orig.)

Managing science developing your research, leadership and management skills

CERN Document Server

Peach, Ken

2017-01-01

Managing science, which includes managing scientific research and, implicitly, managing scientists, has much in common with managing any enterprise, and most of these issues (e.g. annual budget planning and reporting) form the background. Equally, much scientific research is carried in universities ancient and modern, which have their own mores, ranging from professorial autocracy to democratic plurality, as well as national and international with their missions and styles. But science has issues that require a somewhat different approach if it is to prosper and succeed. Society now expects science, whether publicly or privately funded, to deliver benefits, yet the definition of science presumes no such benefit. Managing the expectations of the scientist with those of society is the challenge of the manager of science. The book addresses some issues around science and the organizations that do science. It then deals with leadership, management and communication, team building, recruitment, motivation, managin...

Quality in Qualitative Management Accounting Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørreklit, Hanne

2014-01-01

, the paper has implications for contemporary discussions on doing research that is relevant for practice. Originality/value: The paper provides novel insight into the analysis of quality in management accounting research. Additionally, it provides a framework for reflecting on the accumulation of practice......Purpose: The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the quality of Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management (QRAM) is manifested through the conceptualization of knowledge about functioning actions that are applicable for local management accounting practices. Design...... to the development of a performativity in management accounting topos that integrates facts, possibilities, value and communication. Findings: The analysis documents that the three QRAM articles on inter-organizational cost management make a common contribution to the knowledge related to what to do to make...

An action research study; cultural differences impact how manufacturing organizations receive continuous improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Kattman, Braden R.

National culture and organizational culture impact how continuous improvement methods are received, implemented and deployed by suppliers. Previous research emphasized the dominance of national culture over organizational culture. The countries studied included Poland, Mexico, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Estonia, India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The research found that Canada was most receptive to continuous improvement, with China being the least receptive. The study found that organizational culture was more influential than national culture. Isomorphism and benchmarking is driving continuous-improvement language and methods to be more universally known within business. Business and management practices are taking precedence in driving change within organizations.

Has management accounting research been critical?

OpenAIRE

Hopper, Trevor; Bui, Binh

2016-01-01

This paper examines the contributions Management Accounting Research (MAR) has (and has not) made to social and critical analyses of management accounting in the twenty-five years since its launch. It commences with a personalised account of the first named author’s experiences of behavioural, social and critical accounting in the twenty-five years before MAR appeared. This covers events in the UK, especially the Management Control Workshop, Management Accounting Research conferences at Aston...

Workshop presentation: research guidelines for Construction Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Alvise Bragadin

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Nowadays the European economic system challenges the construction sector to take part to industrial recovery of western countries. In co-operation with the Construction Production research group of the Tampere University of of research about construction management tools and methods were detected. Research guidelines: 1 Construction management: tools and methods to manage construction projects 2 environmental impact of construction projects 3 construction management and safety 4 project procurement 5 construction management for major public works & complex projects

Improving the Library Homepage through User Research — Without a Total Redesign

OpenAIRE

Amy Deschenes

2014-01-01

Conducting user research doesn't have to be difficult, time consuming, or expensive. Your Library website can be improved through user research even if you have design restrictions because of a prescribed branding scheme, content management system, or any other reason. At Simmons College in Boston, we recently performed a user research study that took an in-depth look at the content organization and wording of links on the Library homepage. We conducted an in-person paper survey using paper p...

The 2000 DOD Financial Management Improvement Plan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2001-01-01

The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 requires DoD financial management systems to comply substantially with Federal financial management system requirements, Federal accounting standards, and the U.S...

Indigenous Research on Chinese Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Peter Ping; Leung, Kwok; Chen, Chao C.

2012-01-01

We attempt to provide a definition and a typology of indigenous research on Chinese management as well as outline the general methodological approaches for this type of research. We also present an integrative summary of the four articles included in this special issue and show how they illustrate...... our definition and typology of indigenous research on Chinese management, as well as the various methodological approaches we advocate. Further, we introduce a commentary on the four articles from the perspective of engaged scholarship, and also three additional articles included in this issue....... Finally, we conclude with our suggestions for future indigenous research....

Research Methodologies in Supply Chain Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kotzab, Herbert

. Within the 36 chapters 70 authors bring together a rich selection of theoretical and practical examples of how research methodologies are applied in supply chain management. The book contains papers on theoretical implications as well as papers on a range of key methods, such as modelling, surveys, case...... studies or action research. It will be of great interest to researchers in the area of supply chain management and logistics, but also to neighbouring fields, such as network management or global operations.......While supply chain management has risen to great prominence in recent year, there are hardly related developments in research methodologies. Yet, as supply chains cover more than one company, one central issue is how to collect and analyse data along the whole or relevant part of the supply chain...

Workshop presentation: research guidelines for Construction Management

OpenAIRE

Marco Alvise Bragadin

2013-01-01

Nowadays the European economic system challenges the construction sector to take part to industrial recovery of western countries. In co-operation with the Construction Production research group of the Tampere University of of research about construction management tools and methods were detected. Research guidelines: 1) Construction management: tools and methods to manage construction projects 2) environmental impact of construction projects 3) construction management and safety 4) project p...

Evaluating research recruitment strategies to improve response rates amongst South African nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasha Khamisa

2014-03-01

Research purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate three research recruitment methods for their impact on recruitment and participation rates amongst South African nurses. Motivation for the study: A limited number of studies exist that formally evaluates different recruitment strategies to improve participation in research amongst nurses within developing contexts, especially South Africa. Research approach, design and method: Participants were recruited using three different methods. Of the 250 nurses randomly selected and invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey, 201 agreed and 162 (81% returned the questionnaires. Main findings: Nursing management participation in the recruitment and data collection process produces more favourable response rates. Reminders and the use of shorter questionnaires also aid higher response rates. Practical/managerial implications: Reminders as well as face-to-face recruitment strategies (especially by a familiar person successfully improved participation rates amongst South African nurses in this study. Contribution/value-add: This study identifies some strategies that could be used more widely to increase the recruitment and participation of South African nurses in research whilst potentially improving their work situation.

Synergy between research activity and management procedures in an industrial waste treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertanza, G.; Collivignarelli, M.C.; Zanaboni, S.

2006-01-01

The optimization of operation criteria for centralized industrial waste treatment plants is a difficult task. Experimental research can be a useful tool for understanding how to carry out this optimization process; however, in order to obtain proper solution, a very close connection must been observed activity and the field (e.g. practical application at the full scale). In this paper a three years successful experience is described: the research was carried out in an industrial waste treatment facility located in Northern Italy. Thanks to a close interaction between management and research activities, a significant synergy was achieved: in fact, interesting and original suggestions for the research arose from plant monitoring, and the first findings of the research have already led to important improvements in the full scale plant management [it

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENCE PROGRAM RESEARCH PROJECTS TO IMPROVE DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISIONING OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FACILITIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, Ann Marie

2003-01-01

This paper describes fourteen basic science projects aimed at solving decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) problems within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Funded by the Environmental Science Management Program (EMSP), these research projects address D and D problems where basic science is needed to expand knowledge and develop solutions to help DOE meet its cleanup milestones. EMSP uses directed solicitations targeted at identified Environmental Management (EM) needs to ensure that research results are directly applicable to DOE's EM problems. The program then helps transition the projects from basic to applied research by identifying end-users and coordinating proof-of-principle field tests. EMSP recently funded fourteen D and D research projects through the directed solicitation process. These research projects will be discussed, including description, current status, and potential impact. Through targeted research and proof-of-principle tests, it is hoped that EMSP's fourteen D and D basic research projects will directly impact and provide solutions to DOE's D and D problems

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SCIENCE PROGRAM RESEARCH PROJECTS TO IMPROVE DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISIONING OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FACILITIES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Ann Marie

2003-02-27

This paper describes fourteen basic science projects aimed at solving decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) problems within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Funded by the Environmental Science Management Program (EMSP), these research projects address D&D problems where basic science is needed to expand knowledge and develop solutions to help DOE meet its cleanup milestones. EMSP uses directed solicitations targeted at identified Environmental Management (EM) needs to ensure that research results are directly applicable to DOE's EM problems. The program then helps transition the projects from basic to applied research by identifying end-users and coordinating proof-of-principle field tests. EMSP recently funded fourteen D&D research projects through the directed solicitation process. These research projects will be discussed, including description, current status, and potential impact. Through targeted research and proof-of-principle tests, it is hoped that EMSP's fourteen D&D basic research projects will directly impact and provide solutions to DOE's D&D problems.

Handbook of Collaborative Management Research

CERN Document Server

Shani, A B Rami B; Pasmore, William A A; Stymne, Dr Bengt; Adler, Niclas

2007-01-01

This handbook provides the latest thinking, methodologies and cases in the rapidly growing area of collaborative management research. What makes collaborative management research different is its emphasis on creating a close partnership between scholars and practitioners in the search for knowledge concerning organizations and complex systems. In the ideal situation, scholars and their managerial partners would work together to define the research focus, develop the methods to be used for data collection, participate equally in the analysis of data, and work together in the application and dis

Project Hanford management contract quality improvement project management plan; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ADAMS, D.E.

1999-01-01

On July 13, 1998, the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) Manager transmitted a letter to Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) describing several DOE-RL identified failed opportunities for FDH to improve the Quality Assurance (QA) Program and its implementation. In addition, DOE-RL identified specific Quality Program performance deficiencies. FDH was requested to establish a periodic reporting mechanism for the corrective action program. In a July 17, 1998 response to DOE-RL, FDH agreed with the DOE concerns and committed to perform a comprehensive review of the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) QA Program during July and August, 1998. As a result, the Project Hanford Management Contract Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) (FDH-3508) was issued on October 21, 1998. The plan identified corrective actions based upon the results of an in-depth Quality Program Assessment. Immediately following the scheduled October 22, 1998, DOE Office of Enforcement and Investigation (EH-10) Enforcement Conference, FDH initiated efforts to effectively implement the QIP corrective actions. A Quality Improvement Project (QI Project) leadership team was assembled to prepare a Project Management Plan for this project. The management plan was specifically designed to engage a core team and the support of representatives from FDH and the major subcontractors (MSCs) to implement the QIP initiatives; identify, correct, and provide feedback as to the root cause for deficiency; and close out the corrective actions. The QI Project will manage and communicate progress of the process

Research reactor management. Safety improvement activities in HANARO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jong-Sup; Jung, Hoan-Sung; Hong, Sung Taek; Ahn, Guk-Hoon

2012-01-01

Safety activities in HANARO have been continuously conducted to enhance its safe operation. Great effort has been placed on a normalization and improvement of the safety attitude of the regular staff and other employees working at the reactor and other experimental facilities. This paper introduces the activities on safety improvement that were performed over the last few years. (author)

Brief biopsychosocially informed education can improve insurance workers' back pain beliefs: Implications for improving claims management behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Beales, Darren; Mitchell, Tim; Pole, Naomi; Weir, James

2016-11-22

Biopsychosocially informed education is associated with improved back pain beliefs and positive changes in health care practitioners' practice behaviours. Assess the effect of this type of education for insurance workers who are important non-clinical stakeholders in the rehabilitation of injured workers. Insurance workers operating in the Western Australian workers' compensation system underwent two, 1.5 hour sessions of biopsychosocially informed education focusing on understanding and identifying barriers to recovery of injured workers with musculoskeletal conditions. Back pain beliefs were assessed pre-education, immediately post-education and at three-month follow-up (n = 32). Self-reported and Injury Management Advisor-reported assessment of change in claims management behaviours were collected at the three-month follow-up. There were positive changes in the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (p = 0.009) and Back Beliefs Questionnaire (p = 0.049) immediately following the education that were sustained at three-month follow-up. Positive changes in claims management behaviours were supported by self-reported and Injury Management Advisor-reported data. This study provides preliminary support that a brief biopsychosocially informed education program can positively influence insurance workers' beliefs regarding back pain, with concurrent positive changes in claims management behaviours. Further research is required to ascertain if these changes result in improved claims management outcomes.

The Improvement of HR-management as a Factor of Increasing of Companies’ Competitiveness in the Labour Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buyar Kateryna

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In my article were researched market economy mechanisms for increasing the competitiveness of companies in the labour market. The paper target was to prove the need to use economic and administrative mechanisms to improve a level of competitiveness of the company in the labour market. Such researches become more important today, because after my empirical analyse of literature I can only conclude that not a lot of researchers studied in this field of science and the most theories suggest that only employees must be competitive on the labour market. But as a result of my research I can deny this one-sided view and can confirm that nowadays not just employees, but also employers compete with each other in the labour market. So, successful organizations must pay big attention to the processes of HR-management, which must be improved. But not enough attention is paid to the system of management and its impact on workers. It is important to form close links between existing system management with inherent for company effective economic management mechanisms in the companies with the level of competitiveness of the company in the labour market. So the results of my research showed that companies must develop economic and administrative mechanisms to improve their competitiveness in the labour market. These mechanisms are a set of applied styles and methods of management that have a direct impact on the loyalty of workers and consequently, enhance its competitiveness both inside the company and in external labour markets. So I can conclude that the paper target was achieved.

Qinshan NPP in-core fuel management improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong Deping; Liao Zejun; Wu Xifeng; Wei Wenbin; Wang Yongming; Li Hua

2006-01-01

In the 10-year operation of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, the initial designed reloading strategy has been improved step by step based on the operation experiences and the advanced domestic and international fuel management methods. Higher burnup has been achieved and more economic operation gained through the loading pattern improvement and the fuel enrichment increased. The article introduces the in-core fuel management strategy improvement of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in its 10-year operation. (authors)

Improving the training of managers in the sphere of physical culture and sports in Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stadnik S.O.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Analyzed contemporary research on the training of managers in the sphere of physical culture and sports in Ukraine and abroad. Analyzed 50 references, which dealt with various aspects of the preparation of sports managers. It was found that in higher education of Great Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Russia is working to prepare managers for the sphere of physical culture and sports. It was found that training of managers in Ukraine is carried out only on the basis of two universities. Found that the content of the training of sports managers in our country needs to be improved, taking into account international experience and current market conditions of the functioning of sports organizations. Identified the main ways of improving the training of managers in the sphere of physical culture and sports in Ukraine.

Self-monitoring and self-management: new interventions to improve blood pressure control.

Science.gov (United States)

McCartney, David E; McManus, Richard J

2016-11-01

This article reviews recent developments in self-monitoring and self-management of hypertension aimed at the improvement of blood pressure (BP) control. There is an increasing body of evidence examining the effects of self-monitoring on BP control. Several landmark studies in recent years have demonstrated clinically relevant benefit from self-monitoring based interventions. Self-management of BP with self-titration has shown particular promise, as has self-monitoring combined with intensive health-care led support. There is a lack of evidence on the benefits of self-monitoring for those with important comorbidity such as coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes and previous stroke, and future research should be directed towards this. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of self-monitoring along with additional intervention including telemonitoring and self-titration in improving BP control. Further research is needed to understand which patients are likely to benefit most and how this is best integrated with routine care.

Strategies to control costs and quality: a focus on outcomes research for disease management.

Science.gov (United States)

Villagra, Victor

2004-04-01

Rapid adoption of disease management has outpaced systematic evaluation of its net value in improving health outcomes and mitigating healthcare cost. This article identifies areas in which outcomes research in disease management is needed to demonstrate its value or to enhance its performance. Patient identification for disease management relies on administrative database queries but the trade-offs in sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of alternative queries are not well known. Large-scale deployment, rapid patient engagement, and repeated interactions between patients and nurses could be important attributes for attaining measurable improvements in quality and cost reduction over short periods of time, but these hypothesis need to be tested. There is a trend toward integration of multiple chronic disease management programs onto a single platform. To support this trend, there is a need for a corresponding set of integrated clinical guidelines or "meta-guidelines" that combine the contents of individual practice guidelines. The relative contribution of various disease management interventions in improving clinical results, lowering costs, and their respective ease of implementation is not known. Research leading to a better understanding of tradeoffs could lead to more rational resource allocation and better overall outcomes. Coordination between disease management programs and physician practices is lacking. Research aimed at defining operational and technical interfaces and cultural and behavioral professional adjustments necessary to achieve integration and coordination is needed. The lack of a consistent analytical framework for evaluating clinical and financial outcomes has made comparisons of reported results impossible and has rendered many reports unreliable. Theoretical work on a standard methodology that integrates clinical and financial outcomes and empiric validation is needed.

Improving the accuracy of admitted subacute clinical costing: an action research approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakkennes, Sharon; Arblaster, Ross; Lim, Kim

2017-08-01

Objective The aim of the present study was to determine whether action research could be used to improve the breadth and accuracy of clinical costing data in an admitted subacute setting Methods The setting was a 100-bed in-patient rehabilitation centre. Using a pre-post study design all admitted subacute separations during the 2011-12 financial year were eligible for inclusion. An action research framework aimed at improving clinical costing methodology was developed and implemented. Results In all, 1499 separations were included in the study. A medical record audit of a random selection of 80 separations demonstrated that the use of an action research framework was effective in improving the breadth and accuracy of the costing data. This was evidenced by a significant increase in the average number of activities costed, a reduction in the average number of activities incorrectly costed and a reduction in the average number of activities missing from the costing, per episode of care. Conclusions Engaging clinicians and cost centre managers was effective in facilitating the development of robust clinical costing data in an admitted subacute setting. Further investigation into the value of this approach across other care types and healthcare services is warranted. What is known about this topic? Accurate clinical costing data is essential for informing price models used in activity-based funding. In Australia, there is currently a lack of robust admitted subacute cost data to inform the price model for this care type. What does this paper add? The action research framework presented in this study was effective in improving the breadth and accuracy of clinical costing data in an admitted subacute setting. What are the implications for practitioners? To improve clinical costing practices, health services should consider engaging key stakeholders, including clinicians and cost centre managers, in reviewing clinical costing methodology. Robust clinical costing data has

Improving Service Management in the Internet of Things

Science.gov (United States)

Sammarco, Chiara; Iera, Antonio

2012-01-01

In the Internet of Things (IoT) research arena, many efforts are devoted to adapt the existing IP standards to emerging IoT nodes. This is the direction followed by three Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Working Groups, which paved the way for research on IP-based constrained networks. Through a simplification of the whole TCP/IP stack, resource constrained nodes become direct interlocutors of application level entities in every point of the network. In this paper we analyze some side effects of this solution, when in the presence of large amounts of data to transmit. In particular, we conduct a performance analysis of the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), a widely accepted web transfer protocol for the Internet of Things, and propose a service management enhancement that improves the exploitation of the network and node resources. This is specifically thought for constrained nodes in the abovementioned conditions and proves to be able to significantly improve the node energetic performance when in the presence of large resource representations (hence, large data transmissions).

Dynamic models in research and management of biological invasions.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchadas, Ana; Vaz, Ana Sofia; Honrado, João P; Alagador, Diogo; Bastos, Rita; Cabral, João A; Santos, Mário; Vicente, Joana R

2017-07-01

Invasive species are increasing in number, extent and impact worldwide. Effective invasion management has thus become a core socio-ecological challenge. To tackle this challenge, integrating spatial-temporal dynamics of invasion processes with modelling approaches is a promising approach. The inclusion of dynamic processes in such modelling frameworks (i.e. dynamic or hybrid models, here defined as models that integrate both dynamic and static approaches) adds an explicit temporal dimension to the study and management of invasions, enabling the prediction of invasions and optimisation of multi-scale management and governance. However, the extent to which dynamic approaches have been used for that purpose is under-investigated. Based on a literature review, we examined the extent to which dynamic modelling has been used to address invasions worldwide. We then evaluated how the use of dynamic modelling has evolved through time in the scope of invasive species management. The results suggest that modelling, in particular dynamic modelling, has been increasingly applied to biological invasions, especially to support management decisions at local scales. Also, the combination of dynamic and static modelling approaches (hybrid models with a spatially explicit output) can be especially effective, not only to support management at early invasion stages (from prevention to early detection), but also to improve the monitoring of invasion processes and impact assessment. Further development and testing of such hybrid models may well be regarded as a priority for future research aiming to improve the management of invasions across scales. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Management systems, patient quality improvement, resource availability, and substance abuse treatment quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, Dail; Roman, Paul M; Blum, Terry C

2012-06-01

To examine the relationships among general management systems, patient-focused quality management/continuous process improvement (TQM/CPI) processes, resource availability, and multiple dimensions of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Data are from a nationally representative sample of 221 SUD treatment centers through the National Treatment Center Study (NTCS). The design was a cross-sectional field study using latent variable structural equation models. The key variables are management practices, TQM/continuous quality improvement (CQI) practices, resource availability, and treatment center performance. Interviews and questionnaires provided data from treatment center administrative directors and clinical directors in 2007-2008. Patient-focused TQM/CQI practices fully mediated the relationship between internal management practices and performance. The effects of TQM/CQI on performance are significantly larger for treatment centers with higher levels of staff per patient. Internal management practices may create a setting that supports implementation of specific patient-focused practices and protocols inherent to TQM/CQI processes. However, the positive effects of internal management practices on treatment center performance occur through use of specific patient-focused TQM/CPI practices and have more impact when greater amounts of supporting resources are present. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Surgery and Research: A Practical Approach to Managing the Research Process

Science.gov (United States)

Swiatek, Peter R.; Chung, Kevin C.; Mahmoudi, Elham

2016-01-01

Following a practical project management method is essential in completing a research project on time and within budget. Although this concept is well developed in the business world, it has yet to be explored in academic surgical research. Defining and adhering to a suitable workflow would increase portability, reusability, and therefore, efficiency of the research process. In this article, we briefly review project management techniques. We specifically underline four main steps of project management: (1) definition and organization, (2) planning, (3) execution, and (4) evaluation, using practical examples from our own multidisciplinary plastic surgery research team. PMID:26710037

Research and Development Management System (RDMS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Azidi Abdul Rahman; Abdul Muin Abdul Rahman; Sufian Norazam Mohamed Aris; Saaidi Ismail; Mohamad Safuan Sulaiman; Maizura Ibrahim; Hazizi Omar; Roslan Mohd Ali

2010-01-01

Research and Development (R and D) is a main activity carried out at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency particularly in the physical science and nuclear field. The R and D activity that is carried out needs to be managed more efficiently and systematically. Until now all research management activities are carried out manually or semi electronically, beginning from filling in application forms to when the project is completed. Therefore a computerized system is needed in order to manage and monitor R and D projects. The R and D system is capable of giving access information concerning R and D projects which are carried out to users inside and outside the agency. The R and D management system (RDMS) can increase the capability of the Malaysian Nuclear Agency in managing, researching and developing, innovating and inventing technology as well as commercializing the R and D produced. (author)

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF NURSING DOCUMENTATION BASED ON KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT THROUGH SECI CONCEPT MODEL’S

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Arief Santoso

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Documentation of nursing care in Kalianget RSI in 2011 was totaled average 58,1% and in 2012 achieve was still low. According the lowest component was nursing diagnosis. This research aims to improve the performance of nursing care documentation based on knowledge management through the SECI Model’s concept in Garam Kalianget RSI Sumenep District. Method: Design of this research was action research. Population and sample in the research of knowledge, motivation and work responsibility were all nurses total ed 29 people. The dependent variable were knowledge, performance, motivation, work responsibility, and performance after intervention knowledge management (KM and as independent variable in this research was knowledge, performance, and intervention research knowledge management in documentation nursing care. Data were collected by using questionnaires and checklists. Result: The results after the SECI model’s intervention and using Paired t Test with a 95% confidence level of knowledge obtained p = 0.0001 which means that there was a significant knowledge difference between before and after intervention, comparison of performance documenting of nursing care obtained value ρ = 0.004, which means there was a difference significant performance between before and after intervention. Comparison of SBAR effective communication performance values obtained ρ = 0.001, which means there was a significant performance difference between before and after intervention. Discussion: Knowledge management through SECI model’s has important role in improving performance documentation of nursing care and SBAR effective communication. It is recommended to do in forum sharing nurse’s experience or informant in practical communication in periodic, recording, documentation, and keep document well and doing supervision continously especially form nursing care and SBAR effective communication.

TeamSTEPPS for health care risk managers: Improving teamwork and communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Marcia

2016-07-01

Ineffective communication among the health care team is a leading cause of errors in the patient care setting. Studies assessing training related to communication and teamwork in the clinical team are prevalent, however, teamwork training at the administrative level is lacking. This includes individuals in leadership positions such as health care risk managers. The purpose was to determine the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge and attitudes related to communication and teamwork in the health care risk management population. The educational intervention was an adaptation of a national teamwork training program and incorporated didactic content as well as video vignettes and small group activities. Measurement of knowledge and attitudes were used to determine the impact of the education program. Knowledge and attitudes were assessed pre- and postcourse. Findings indicate that teamwork education tailored to the needs of the specific audience resulted in knowledge gained and improved attitudes toward the components of teamwork. The attitudes that most significantly improved were related to team structure and situation monitoring. There was no improvement in participants' attitudes toward leadership, mutual support, and communication. Team training has been shown to improve safety culture, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. Including risk managers in training on teamwork, communication, and collaboration can serve to foster a common language among clinicians and management. In addition, a measurement related to implementation in the health care setting may yield insight into the impact of training. Qualitative measurement may allow the researcher to delve deeper into how these health care facilities are using team training interventions. © 2016 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

FOSS Tools for Research Data Management

Science.gov (United States)

Stender, Vivien; Jankowski, Cedric; Hammitzsch, Martin; Wächter, Joachim

2017-04-01

Established initiatives and organizations, e.g. the Initiative for Scientific Cyberinfrastructures (NSF, 2007) or the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI, 2008), promote and foster the development of sustainable research infrastructures. These infrastructures aim the provision of services supporting scientists to search, visualize and access data, to collaborate and exchange information, as well as to publish data and other results. In this regard, Research Data Management (RDM) gains importance and thus requires the support by appropriate tools integrated in these infrastructures. Different projects provide arbitrary solutions to manage research data. However, within two projects - SUMARIO for land and water management and TERENO for environmental monitoring - solutions to manage research data have been developed based on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) components. The resulting framework provides essential components for harvesting, storing and documenting research data, as well as for discovering, visualizing and downloading these data on the basis of standardized services stimulated considerably by enhanced data management approaches of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). In order to fully exploit the potentials of these developments for enhancing data management in Geosciences the publication of software components, e.g. via GitHub, is not sufficient. We will use our experience to move these solutions into the cloud e.g. as PaaS or SaaS offerings. Our contribution will present data management solutions for the Geosciences developed in two projects. A sort of construction kit with FOSS components build the backbone for the assembly and implementation of projects specific platforms. Furthermore, an approach is presented to stimulate the reuse of FOSS RDM solutions with cloud concepts. In further projects specific RDM platforms can be set-up much faster, customized to the individual needs and tools can be added during the run-time.

Barriers and opportunities for integrating social science into natural resource management: lessons from National Estuarine Research Reserves.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Patrick; Genskow, Ken; Shaw, Bret; Shepard, Robin

2012-12-01

The need for cross-disciplinary scientific inquiries that facilitate improved natural resource management outcomes through increased understanding of both the biophysical and human dimensions of management issues has been widely recognized. Despite this broad recognition, a number of obstacles and barriers still sometimes challenge the successful implementation of cross-disciplinary approaches. Improving understanding of these challenges and barriers will help address them and thereby foster appropriate and effective utilization of cross-disciplinary approaches to solve natural resource management challenges. This research uses a case study analysis of the United States National Estuarine Research Reserve System to improve understanding of the critical factors that influence practitioners' decisions related to incorporating social science into their natural resource management work. The case study research is analyzed and evaluated within a Theory of Planned Behavior framework to (1) determine and describe the factors that predict practitioners' intent to incorporate social science into their natural resource related activities and (2) recommend potential strategies for encouraging and enabling cross-disciplinary approaches to natural resource management. The results indicate that National Estuarine Research Reserve practitioners' decisions related to incorporating social science are primarily influenced by (1) confidence in their own capability to incorporate social science into their work and (2) beliefs about whether the outcomes of incorporating social science into their work would be valuable or beneficial.

Research on the Method of Enterprise Knowledge Management Based on Web 2.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Chengyi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available [Purpose/significance] It is the key for the research of enterprise knowledge management to improve the efficiency of enterprise knowledge management by using the advantages of Web 2.0, such as its fastness, public participation and strong interaction. [Method/process] Based on the analysis of the characteristics and main technologies of Web 2.0, this paper discussed the role and application of Web 2.0 related technologies in the enterprise knowledge management, and then put forward the enterprise knowledge management methods based on Web 2.0, including knowledge acquisition method, knowledge classification and organization method, knowledge sharing and evaluation method by usingWeb2 .0. [Result/conclusion] Through the introduction of Web 2.0 related technologies into the knowledge management of enterprises, the research provides convenient and low-cost tools and methods for knowledge management related activities, and helps all users to participate in enterprise knowledge management activities quickly and easily.

Initial robotics research for environmental restoration and waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamel, W.R.; Mann, R.C.

1990-01-01

This paper describes the initial research and development activities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) that will support the technology development component of the overall National Robotics Technology Development Program (NRTDP). The NRTDP is a subelement of the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (ER and WM) 5-Year Applied Research, Development, Demonstration, Testing, and Evaluation Plan and of overall efforts at DOE operational sites around the country. ORNL research will focus on fundamental improvement of remote manipulation through enhancements of the human man/machine interface, integration of automated functions, and the incorporation of machine intelligence to increase productivity. Background and goals for these activities are presented in this paper

Waste management research abstracts. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned. Vol. 29

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-11-01

The twenty-ninth issue of the Waste Management Research Abstracts (WMRA) contains 96 abstracts that describe research in progress in the field of radioactive waste management. These abstracts were collected between May 1 and October 15, 2004 and present ongoing work in Brazil(1), Finland (1), Germany (7), India (11), Mauritius (1), republic of Korea (1), Russian Federation (1) and the United States of America (70). Although the abstracts are indexed by country, some programmes are actually the result of co-operation among several countries. Indeed, a primary reason for providing this compilation of programmes, institutions and scientists engaged in research into radioactive waste management is to increase international co-operation and facilitate communications

Improving The Quality of Education Through School-Based Management: Learning From International Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Grauwe, Anton De

2005-07-01

School-based management is being increasingly advocated as a shortcut to more efficient management and quality improvement in education. Research, however, has been unable to prove conclusively such a linkage. Especially in developing countries, concerns remain about the possible detrimental impact of school-based management on school quality; equity among different schools in the same system; the motivation of and relationships between principals and teachers; and financial as well as administrative transparency. The present study defines school-based management and, in view of its implementation in different world regions, examines some of its advantages and disadvantages. In particular, the author explores the strategies which must accompany school-based management in order to ensure a positive impact on quality. These are found to include (1) guaranteeing that all schools have certain basic resources; (2) developing an effective school-support system; (3) providing schools with regular information on their performance and advice on how they might improve; and (4) emphasizing the motivational element in the management work of the school principal.

Future research in technological enablers for knowledge management: A worldwide expert study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sarka, Peter; Caldwell, Nicholas H. M.; Ipsen, Christine

2014-01-01

Information Technology (IT) is widely considered as an important part of knowledge management (KM). However, failures of KM in organisational practice have been attributed to an overemphasis of IT in KM. An improved understanding of the role of IT within KM in organisations could help to improve...... key research themes articulated by the KM experts to enhance and develop KM in relation to technological enablers....

Research in Hospitality Management: Editorial Policies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research in Hospitality Management is a peer-reviewed journal publishing papers that ... financial management, marketing, strategic management, economics, ... Articles covering social theory and the history and politics of the hospitality ...

NASA Remote Sensing Technologies for Improved Integrated Water Resources Management

Science.gov (United States)

Toll, D. L.; Doorn, B.; Searby, N. D.; Entin, J. K.; Lee, C. M.

2014-12-01

This presentation will emphasize NASA's water research, applications, and capacity building activities using satellites and models to contribute to water issues including water availability, transboundary water, flooding and droughts for improved Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). NASA's free and open exchange of Earth data observations and products helps engage and improve integrated observation networks and enables national and multi-national regional water cycle research and applications that are especially useful in data sparse regions of most developing countries. NASA satellite and modeling products provide a huge volume of valuable data extending back over 50 years across a broad range of spatial (local to global) and temporal (hourly to decadal) scales and include many products that are available in near real time (see earthdata.nasa.gov). To further accomplish these objectives NASA works to actively partner with public and private groups (e.g. federal agencies, universities, NGO's, and industry) in the U.S. and international community to ensure the broadest use of its satellites and related information and products and to collaborate with regional end users who know the regions and their needs best. Key objectives of this talk will highlight NASA's Water Resources and Capacity Building Programs with their objective to discover and demonstrate innovative uses and practical benefits of NASA's advanced system technologies for improved water management in national and international applications. The event will help demonstrate the strong partnering and the use of satellite data to provide synoptic and repetitive spatial coverage helping water managers' deal with complex issues. The presentation will also demonstrate how NASA is a major contributor to water tasks and activities in GEOSS (Global Earth Observing System of Systems) and GEO (Group on Earth Observations).

Managing scientific information and research data

CERN Document Server

Baykoucheva, Svetla

2015-01-01

Innovative technologies are changing the way research is performed, preserved, and communicated. Managing Scientific Information and Research Data explores how these technologies are used and provides detailed analysis of the approaches and tools developed to manage scientific information and data. Following an introduction, the book is then divided into 15 chapters discussing the changes in scientific communication; new models of publishing and peer review; ethics in scientific communication; preservation of data; discovery tools; discipline-specific practices of researchers for gathering and using scientific information; academic social networks; bibliographic management tools; information literacy and the information needs of students and researchers; the involvement of academic libraries in eScience and the new opportunities it presents to librarians; and interviews with experts in scientific information and publishing.

Integration of operational research and environmental management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bloemhof - Ruwaard, J.M.

1996-01-01

The subject of this thesis is the integration of Operational Research and Environmental Management. Both sciences play an important role in the research of environmental issues. Part I describes a framework for the interactions between Operational Research and Environmental Management.

EPRI research on accident management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oehlberg, R.N.; Chao, J.

1991-01-01

The paper discusses Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) efforts regarding severe reactor accident management and the Nuclear Management and Resources Council (NUMAEX), activities. (EPRI) Electric Power Research Institute accident management program consists of the two products just mentioned plus one related to severe accident plant status information and the MAAP 4.0 computer code. These are briefly discussed

Multidisciplinary Cooperation in Crisis Management Teams: a Tool to Improve Team Situation Awareness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koning, L. de; Kuijt-Evers, L.; Theunissen, N.; Rijk, R. van; Huis in 't Veld, M.

2011-01-01

When a crisis occurs, people from different organizations, on different hierarchical levels have to deal with unexpected situations that require coordinated effort. The goal of this research is to improve multidisciplinary cooperation for crisis management teams. We developed a tool, the Multi-mono

Health Technologies for the Improvement of Chronic Disease Management

Science.gov (United States)

Nikitovic, M; Brener, S

2013-01-01

Background As part of ongoing efforts to improve the Ontario health care system, a mega-analysis examining the optimization of chronic disease management in the community was conducted by Evidence Development and Standards, Health Quality Ontario (previously known as the Medical Advisory Secretariat [MAS]). Objective The purpose of this report was to identify health technologies previously evaluated by MAS that may be leveraged in efforts to optimize chronic disease management in the community. Data Sources The Ontario Health Technology Assessment Series and field evaluations conducted by MAS and its partners between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011. Review Methods Technologies related to at least 1 of 7 disease areas of interest (type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, and chronic wounds) or that may greatly impact health services utilization were reviewed. Only technologies with a moderate to high quality of evidence and associated with a clinically or statistically significant improvement in disease management were included. Technologies related to other topics in the mega-analysis on chronic disease management were excluded. Evidence-based analyses were reviewed, and outcomes of interest were extracted. Outcomes of interest included hospital utilization, mortality, health-related quality of life, disease-specific measures, and economic analysis measures. Results Eleven analyses were included and summarized. Technologies fell into 3 categories: those with evidence for the cure of chronic disease, those with evidence for the prevention of chronic disease, and those with evidence for the management of chronic disease. Conclusions The impact on patient outcomes and hospitalization rates of new health technologies in chronic disease management is often overlooked. This analysis demonstrates that health technologies can reduce the burden of illness; improve patient

When does quality improvement count as research? Human subject protection and theories of knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, J

2004-02-01

The publication of insights from a quality improvement project recently precipitated a ruling by the lead federal regulatory agency that regulations providing protection for human subjects of research should apply. The required research review process did not match the rapid changes, small samples, limited documentation, clinician management, and type of information commonly used in quality improvement. Yet quality improvement can risk harm to patients, so some review might be in order. The boundaries and processes are not clear. Efforts have been made to determine what constitutes "research", but this has proved difficult and often yields irrational guidance with regard to protection of patients. Society needs a workable way to separate activities that will improve care, on the one hand, and those that constitute research, on the other. Practitioners who lead both quality improvement and research projects claim that those which rapidly give feedback to the care system that generated the data, aiming to change practices within that system, are "quality improvement" no matter whether the findings are published, whether the project is grant funded, and whether contemporaneous controls do not have the intervention. This criterion has not previously been proposed as a possible demarcation. The quandaries of which projects to put through research review and how to ensure ethical implementation of quality improvement need to be resolved.

Air Traffic Management Research at NASA Ames

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Thomas J.

2012-01-01

The Aviation Systems Division at the NASA Ames Research Center conducts leading edge research in air traffic management concepts and technologies. This overview will present concepts and simulation results for research in traffic flow management, safe and efficient airport surface operations, super density terminal area operations, separation assurance and system wide modeling and simulation. A brief review of the ongoing air traffic management technology demonstration (ATD-1) will also be presented. A panel discussion, with Mr. Davis serving as a panelist, on air traffic research will follow the briefing.

Safety Management and Safety Culture Self Assessment of Kartini Research Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syarip, S., E-mail: syarip@batan.go.id [Centre for Accelerator and Material Process Technology, National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), Yogyakarta (Indonesia)

2014-10-15

The self-assessment of safety culture and safety management status of Kartini research reactor is a step to foster safety culture and management by identifying good practices and areas for improvement, and also to improve reactor safety in a whole. The method used in this assessment is based on questionnaires provided by the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA), then reviewed by experts. Based on the assessment and evaluation results, it can be concluded that there were several good practices in maintaining the safety status of Kartini reactor such as: reactor operators and radiation protection workers were aware and knowledgeable of the safety standards and policies that apply to their operation, readily accept constructive criticism from their management and from the inspectors of regulatory body that address safety performance. As a proof, for the last four years the number of inspection/audit findings from Regulatory Body (BAPETEN) tended to decrease while the reactor utilization and its operating hour increased. On the other hands there were also some comments and recommendations for improvement of reactor safety culture, such as that there should be more frequent open dialogues between employees and managers, to grow and attain a mutual support to achieve safety goals. (author)

Improvement Science Meets Improvement Scholarship: Reframing Research for Better Healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Cribb, Alan

2018-06-01

In this editorial essay I explore the possibilities of 'improvement scholarship' in order to set the scene for the theme of, and the other papers in, this issue. I contrast a narrow conception of quality improvement (QI) research with a much broader and more inclusive conception, arguing that we should greatly extend the existing dialogue between 'problem-solving' and 'critical' currents in improvement research. I have in mind the potential for building a much larger conversation between those people in 'improvement science' who are expressly concerned with tackling the problems facing healthcare and the wider group of colleagues who are engaged in health-related scholarship but who do not see themselves as particularly interested in quality improvement, indeed who may be critical of the language or concerns of QI. As one contribution to that conversation I suggest that that the increasing emphasis on theory and rigour in improvement research should include more focus on normative theory and rigour. The remaining papers in the issue are introduced including the various ways in which they handle the 'implicit normativity' of QI research and practice, and the linked theme of combining relatively 'tidy' and potentially 'unruly' forms of knowledge.

Annual report of the Management Research Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

Research on the management of new forms of automation; industrial management; the definition of a new product range; economic management; personnel management; and management of cultural enterprises is presented [fr

MANAGING OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT IN ROMANIAN PUBLIC SERVICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BALOI IONUT-COSMIN

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to develop a pleading for the transfer of best practices to improving the operational activity in the Romanian public institutions. The practice of implementation demonstrates that the perception of many executives in the Romanian private enterprises regarding the set of tools to improve processes and assimilation of lean philosophy is not a very favorable and encouraging one. It can be said that only some large enterprises had successfully introduced in their daily practice and organization the improvement principles, the operational optimization and the elimination of waste sources. In the SMEs, and especially in the services the experiences are isolated, but they have demonstrated the usefulness (the frequency of saving goals indicate, indeed, the need for proliferation of continuous improvement principles. Regarding the public organizations, the implementation of the new management system of designing and operating the current practices is pretty unknown, accepted at declarative level, but becomes, when is planned and implemented rather a burden on managers who should take on this challenge. Both in public management and private management, today the focus is on people and relationships (processes and projects, starting of course with the work organization. The good practices successfully proved in the private management in the recent decades are transferred today to public institutions; and the Romanian public organizations tend to adapt, also in terms of processes optimization. The study aims to analyze the functioning of the hypothetical management system of processes improvements, respectively the applying of lean tools and principles within the public Romanian institution. They are treated some dysfunctions observed within the process of understanding the utility aspects and throughout the assuming of operational improvement goals within these organizations. The qualitative observations, the critical interpretations and

Research management: the case of RN4CAST.

Science.gov (United States)

Zikos, Dimitrios; Mantas, John

2011-01-01

Successful research management requires multifunctional, equal teamwork and efficient coordination, aiming to increase the impact of the research outcomes. Aim of this paper is to present the strategies that have been followed to successfully manage the RN4CAST study, one of the largest multi country research projects ever conducted. The paper focuses on the core research strategies rather than on the administrative management activities also required for the success of this case report. Management of a multi-country nursing survey requires the use of common data collection tools, applicable to every context, research protocols supporting the scope of the research, data models for multi-country analyses and global dissemination strategies.

Research priorities for coordinating management of food safety and water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Crohn, David M; Bianchi, Mary L

2008-01-01

Efforts to exclude disease organisms from farms growing irrigated lettuce and leafy vegetables on California's central coast are conflicting with traditionally accepted strategies to protect surface water quality. To begin resolving this dilemma, over 100 officials, researchers, and industry representatives gathered in April 2007 to set research priorities that could lead to effective co-management of both food safety and water quality. Following the meeting, research priorities were refined and ordered by way of a Delphi process completed by 35 meeting participants. Although water quality and food safety experts conceptualized the issues differently, there were no deep disagreements with respect to research needs. Top priority was given to investigating the fate of pathogens potentially present on farms. Intermediate priorities included characterizing the influence of specific farm management practices on food safety and improving our understanding of vector processes. A scientific subdiscipline focusing on competing risks is needed to characterize and resolve conflicts between human and environmental health.

African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > African Journal of Management Research: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Research management at the Central Electricity Generating Board

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broom, T.

1986-01-01

CEGB is responsible for power generation and transmission in England and Wales, and has a yearly production of some 230 TWh. There are three main fields of research: conventional generation and transmission, nuclear generation and environmental consequences of electricity generation. All laboratories carry out research in each field, though there are definite concentrations of specialities. The organisation of the research management changed emphasis in 1981 from an 'areal' (managing of individual institutes) to a topical approach (responsibilities for research fields). Good research requires good personnel, but also care on the part of the manager for the personal interests of the staff. There must be good cooperation between the researchers themselves, between researchers and managers, and between CEGB staff and researchers elsewhere. It is considered of prime importance that the researchers be true experts in their fields and that they maintain their scientific integrity. Other information is obtained by exchanging reports with comparable organisations, e.g. the KEMA in The Netherlands. Such an exchange requires mutual trust and research managers must therefore behave as true ambassadors. (Auth.)

The 2000 DOD Financial Management Improvement Plan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2001-01-01

.... As a result, DoD has prepared the Financial Management Improvement Plan (the Plan), which is a strategic framework that includes the Departments financial management concept of operations for the future...

Models of community care for severe mental illness: a review of research on case management.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueser, K T; Bond, G R; Drake, R E; Resnick, S G

1998-01-01

We describe different models of community care for persons with severe mental illness and review the research literature on case management, including the results of 75 studies. Most research has been conducted on the assertive community treatment (ACT) or intensive case management (ICM) models. Controlled research on ACT and ICM indicates that these models reduce time in the hospital and improve housing stability, especially among patients who are high service users. ACT and ICM appear to have moderate effects on improving symptomatology and quality of life. Most studies suggest little effect of ACT and ICM on social functioning, arrests and time spent in jail, or vocational functioning. Studies on reducing or withdrawing ACT or ICM services suggest some deterioration in gains. Research on other models of community care is inconclusive. We discuss the implications of the findings in terms of the need for specialization of ACT or ICM teams to address social and vocational functioning and substance abuse. We suggest directions for future research on models of community care, including evaluating implementation fidelity, exploring patient predictors of improvement, and evaluating the role of the helping alliance in mediating outcome.

The National Wind Erosion Research Network: Building a standardized long-term data resource for aeolian research, modeling and land management

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Nicholas P.; Herrick, Jeffrey E.; Van Zee, Justin W; Courtright, Ericha M; Hugenholtz, Ted M; Zobeck, Ted M; Okin, Gregory S.; Barchyn, Thomas E; Billings, Benjamin J; Boyd, Robert A.; Clingan, Scott D; Cooper, Brad F; Duniway, Michael C.; Derner, Justin D.; Fox, Fred A; Havstad, Kris M.; Heilman, Philip; LaPlante, Valerie; Ludwig, Noel A; Metz, Loretta J; Nearing, Mark A; Norfleet, M Lee; Pierson, Frederick B; Sanderson, Matt A; Sharrat, Brenton S; Steiner, Jean L; Tatarko, John; Tedela, Negussie H; Todelo, David; Unnasch, Robert S; Van Pelt, R Scott; Wagner, Larry

2016-01-01

The National Wind Erosion Research Network was established in 2014 as a collaborative effort led by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, to address the need for a long-term research program to meet critical challenges in wind erosion research and management in the United States. The Network has three aims: (1) provide data to support understanding of basic aeolian processes across land use types, land cover types, and management practices, (2) support development and application of models to assess wind erosion and dust emission and their impacts on human and environmental systems, and (3) encourage collaboration among the aeolian research community and resource managers for the transfer of wind erosion technologies. The Network currently consists of thirteen intensively instrumented sites providing measurements of aeolian sediment transport rates, meteorological conditions, and soil and vegetation properties that influence wind erosion. Network sites are located across rangelands, croplands, and deserts of the western US. In support of Network activities, http://winderosionnetwork.org was developed as a portal for information about the Network, providing site descriptions, measurement protocols, and data visualization tools to facilitate collaboration with scientists and managers interested in the Network and accessing Network products. The Network provides a mechanism for engaging national and international partners in a wind erosion research program that addresses the need for improved understanding and prediction of aeolian processes across complex and diverse land use types and management practices.

Improving the Management of International Supply Chains on the Basis of Logistics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pysmak Viktoriia O.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The theoretical bases of supply chain management with the use of the logistics conception are considered. A separate emphasis is given to exploring the essence of the concept of «supply chain management», a semantic analysis of the concept is provided. The conceptual difference between the concepts of «logistics» and of «supply chain management» is substantiated. The specificity of supply chain management at the international level is researched. The basic models of supply chain management are considered, their main advantages and disadvantages are allocated. A scheme of the organization and management of supply chains is presented, which allows to integrate the main business processes and improve the quality of the logistics chain course. The implementation of logistics management of supply chains with the use of the category management methods is proposed. The problems above the marked subjects, requiring theoretical and methodical decision, are allocated.

Wastewater and sludge management and research in Oman: An overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffar Abdul Khaliq, Suaad; Ahmed, Mushtaque; Al-Wardy, Malik; Al-Busaidi, Ahmed; Choudri, B S

2017-03-01

It is well recognized that management of wastewater and sludge is a critical environmental issue in many countries. Wastewater treatment and sludge production take place under different technical, economic, and social contexts, thus requiring different approaches and involving different solutions. In most cases, a regular and environmentally safe wastewater treatment and associated sludge management requires the development of realistic and enforceable regulations, as well as treatment systems appropriate to local circumstances. The main objective of this paper is to provide useful information about the current wastewater and sludge treatment, management, regulations, and research in Oman. Based on the review and discussion, the wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman has been evolving over the years. Further, the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman. Wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman have been evolving over the years. Sludge utilization has been a challenge due to its association with human waste. Therefore, composting of sewage sludge is the best option in agriculture activities. Sludge and wastewater utilization can add up positively in the economic aspects of the country in terms of creating jobs and improving annual income rate. The number of research projects done on wastewater reuse and other ongoing ones related to the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman.

African Journal of Management Research: Editorial Policies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Topics and themes appropriate for African Journal of Management Research will ... African Journal of Management Research maintains a 2-3 month turnaround time from submission to decision. ... Emeritus Professor, Goldsmiths College, UK.

Are Leadership and Management Essential for Good Research? An Interview Study of Genetic Researchers

Science.gov (United States)

Antes, Alison L.; Mart, Adelina; DuBois, James M.

2016-01-01

Principal investigators are responsible for a myriad of leadership and management activities in their work. The practices they employ to navigate these responsibilities ultimately influence the quality and integrity of research. However, leadership and management roles in research have received scant empirical examination. Semi-structured interviews with 32 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded genetic researchers revealed that they considered leadership and management essential for effective research, but their scientific training inadequately prepared them. We also report management practices that the researchers described employing in their labs, as well as their perceptions of a proposed intervention to enhance laboratory leadership. These findings suggest best practices for the research community, future directions for scientific training, and implications for research on leadership and management in science. PMID:27646401

Are Leadership and Management Essential for Good Research? An Interview Study of Genetic Researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Antes, Alison L; Mart, Adelina; DuBois, James M

2016-12-01

Principal investigators are responsible for a myriad of leadership and management activities in their work. The practices they use to navigate these responsibilities ultimately influence the quality and integrity of research. However, leadership and management roles in research have received scant empirical examination. Semi-structured interviews with 32 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded genetic researchers revealed that they considered leadership and management essential for effective research, but their scientific training inadequately prepared them. We also report management practices that the researchers described using in their labs, as well as their perceptions of a proposed intervention to enhance laboratory leadership. These findings suggest best practices for the research community, future directions for scientific training, and implications for research on leadership and management in science.

Could Wearable and Mobile Technology Improve the Management of Essential Tremor?

Science.gov (United States)

Daneault, Jean-Francois

2018-01-01

Essential tremor (ET) is the most common movement disorder. Individuals exhibit postural and kinetic tremor that worsens over time and patients may also exhibit other motor and non-motor symptoms. While millions of people are affected by this disorder worldwide, several barriers impede an optimal clinical management of symptoms. In this paper, we discuss the impact of ET on patients and review major issues to the optimal management of ET; from the side-effects and limited efficacy of current medical treatments to the limited number of people who seek treatment for their tremor. Then, we propose seven different areas within which mobile and wearable technology may improve the clinical management of ET and review the current state of research in these areas. PMID:29725318

Increasing sustainable stormwater management adaption through transdisciplinary research

Science.gov (United States)

Wingfield, Thea; Potter, Karen; Jones, Gareth; Spees, Jack; Macdonald, Neil

2016-04-01

The Ribble Rivers Trust leads a partnership of land and water management organisations that use a holistic approach to water management in the Ribble catchment. They are interested in incorporating sustainable stormwater systems, into their program of delivery with a view to ensuring that their activities to improve the environments and habitats of the catchment also contribute to reducing flood risk. A methodology, to locate interventions that would slow water within the catchment are identified; however partner buy in, institutional caution and economic barriers are felt to be hindering delivery. In response a transdisciplinary research project in which both the academics of the University of Liverpool and the practitioners of The Ribble Rivers Trust are active investigators has been established. The project aims to increase the uptake of sustainable stormwater management techniques through the analysis of the institutional, experiential and governance processes and their interactions with the physical hydrological processes governing stormwater systems. Research that is transdisciplinary must integrate academic knowledge with practitioner, local understanding and practice. Furthermore methodologies belonging to different academic fields must be blended together to collect, analyse and interpret data in order to examine complex problems through different disciplinary lenses in an integrated way. This approach has been developed in response to the complex relationships of cause and effect of contemporary inter-related economic, environmental and societal challenges. There have been a number of challenges to overcome as transdisciplinary researchers, the first and most important was to understand the different research philosophies and theoretical assumptions behind various natural science and social science research methods. Without this understanding research methodologies could be flawed and would not be effectively integrated and the data would not be

Nordic research in logistics and supply chain management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arlbjørn, Jan Stentoft; Jonsson, Patrik; Johansen, John

2006-01-01

management and to explain how the discipline differs in terms of demographics, research areas, methodological approach, resources and publication. The analysis is conducted in a Nordic research context through a survey distributed to persons with research interest in logistics and supply chain management......This article reflects on research completed within logistics and supply chain management in the Nordic countries based on an empirical analysis. The purpose of this paper is to describe the characteristics of the Nordic academic discipline working in the field of logistics and supply chain....... The research does not provide clear empirical evidence of the contours of a Nordic research paradigm within logistics and supply chain management. The analysis shows that the significant and typical research issues among the Nordic researchers are the focus on supply chains/networks as the most important...

Improving Water Demand Management Addressing Socioeconomic ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2012-01-20

Jan 20, 2012 ... Efforts to conserve water by improving water demand management policies in the Middle East and North Africa are often slowed or even thwarted by a lack of political consensus and support for water demand management from key powerful stakeholders with vested interest in the status quo. This policy ...

Improving Water Demand Management Addressing Socioeconomic ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Efforts to conserve water by improving water demand management policies in the Middle East and North Africa are often slowed or even thwarted by a lack of political consensus and support for water demand management from key powerful stakeholders with vested interest in the status quo. This policy brief based on ...

Organization of Biomedical Data for Collaborative Scientific Research: A Research Information Management System.

Science.gov (United States)

Myneni, Sahiti; Patel, Vimla L

2010-06-01

Biomedical researchers often work with massive, detailed and heterogeneous datasets. These datasets raise new challenges of information organization and management for scientific interpretation, as they demand much of the researchers' time and attention. The current study investigated the nature of the problems that researchers face when dealing with such data. Four major problems identified with existing biomedical scientific information management methods were related to data organization, data sharing, collaboration, and publications. Therefore, there is a compelling need to develop an efficient and user-friendly information management system to handle the biomedical research data. This study evaluated the implementation of an information management system, which was introduced as part of the collaborative research to increase scientific productivity in a research laboratory. Laboratory members seemed to exhibit frustration during the implementation process. However, empirical findings revealed that they gained new knowledge and completed specified tasks while working together with the new system. Hence, researchers are urged to persist and persevere when dealing with any new technology, including an information management system in a research laboratory environment.

The Prototype Automated Research Management System (ARMS)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Prekop, Paul

2004-01-01

Automated Research Management System (ARMS) is a knowledge management application designed to address many of the knowledge management problems identified by SmartWays and FASSP's Knowledge Management Review...

Managing postgraduate research service quality: Developing and assessing a conceptual model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawn Ramroop

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on the conceptual development and empirical evaluation of a postgraduate (PG research service quality management model, through conducting an electronic survey among a cohort of master’s and doctorate graduates at one of the top three research universities in South Africa, using specifically developed and validated research instruments.By fitting the data from a sample of 117 graduates to a conceptual model using structural equation modelling, it became evident that the PG research students’ perception of the Organisational Climate for Research (OCR is associated with their perception of the PG Research Service Quality (PGSQUAL, the PG Service Experience (SERVEXP and their perception of their Role (RC. However, no association was found between the students’ perception of the research climate (OCR and their satisfaction (SERVSAT with the research service; the service experience (SERVEXP and postgraduate research service quality (PGSQUAL; service satisfaction (SERVSAT and postgraduate service quality (PGSQUAL.  The aforementioned findings imply that higher education institutions need to create a research climate which is supportive of service quality, and better manage the research climate, so that the PG students are clear about their role, which will eventually translate to a better PG service experience and improved perception of PG service quality.

Improving venous leg ulcer management

OpenAIRE

Weller, Carolina Dragica

2017-01-01

This thesis reports several different methods to develop and evaluate complex interventions designed to improve venous leg ulcer management. Chronic venous leg ulcers (VLU) are the most common chronic wound problem in the community. Its health and economic burden is predicted to increase due to ageing of the community and increase in prevalence of diabetes and obesity. Although many patients seek health care for VLU, most do not receive the most effective management. Patients with this condi...

Applying the TOC Project Management to Operation and Maintenance Scheduling of a Research Vessel

Science.gov (United States)

Manti, M. Firdausi; Fujimoto, Hideo; Chen, Lian-Yi

Marine research vessels and their systems are major assets in the marine resources development. Since the running costs for the ship are very high, it is necessary to reduce the total cost by an efficient scheduling for operation and maintenance. To reduce project period and make it efficient, we applied TOC project management method that is a project management approach developed by Dr. Eli Goldratt. It challenges traditional approaches to project management. It will become the most important improvement in the project management since the development of PERT and critical path methodologies. As a case study, we presented the marine geology research project for the purpose of operations in addition to repair on the repairing dock projects for maintenance of vessels.

Making Sense: Talking Data Management with Researchers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catharine Ward

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Incremental is one of eight projects in the JISC Managing Research Data programme funded to identify institutional requirements for digital research data management and pilot relevant infrastructure. Our findings concur with those of other Managing Research Data projects, as well as with several previous studies. We found that many researchers: (i organise their data in an ad hoc fashion, posing difficulties with retrieval and re-use; (ii store their data on all kinds of media without always considering security and back-up; (iii are positive about data sharing in principle though reluctant in practice; (iv believe back-up is equivalent to preservation. The key difference between our approach and that of other Managing Research Data projects is the type of infrastructure we are piloting. While the majority of these projects focus on developing technical solutions, we are focusing on the need for ‘soft’ infrastructure, such as one-to-one tailored support, training, and easy-to-find, concise guidance that breaks down some of the barriers information professionals have unintentionally built with their use of specialist terminology.We are employing a bottom-up approach as we feel that to support the step-by-step development of sound research data management practices, you must first understand researchers’ needs and perspectives. Over the life of the project, Incremental staff will act as mediators, assisting researchers and local support staff to understand the data management requirements within which they are expect to work, and will determine how these can be addressed within research workflows and the existing technical infrastructure.Our primary goal is to build data management capacity within the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow by raising awareness of basic principles so everyone can manage their data to a certain extent. We will ensure our lessons can be picked up and used by other institutions. Our affiliation with the Digital

Data management in clinical research: Synthesizing stakeholder perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Stephen B; Farach, Frank J; Pelphrey, Kevin; Rozenblit, Leon

2016-04-01

This study assesses data management needs in clinical research from the perspectives of researchers, software analysts and developers. This is a mixed-methods study that employs sublanguage analysis in an innovative manner to link the assessments. We performed content analysis using sublanguage theory on transcribed interviews conducted with researchers at four universities. A business analyst independently extracted potential software features from the transcriptions, which were translated into the sublanguage. This common sublanguage was then used to create survey questions for researchers, analysts and developers about the desirability and difficulty of features. Results were synthesized using the common sublanguage to compare stakeholder perceptions with the original content analysis. Individual researchers exhibited significant diversity of perspectives that did not correlate by role or site. Researchers had mixed feelings about their technologies, and sought improvements in integration, interoperability and interaction as well as engaging with study participants. Researchers and analysts agreed that data integration has higher desirability and mobile technology has lower desirability but disagreed on the desirability of data validation rules. Developers agreed that data integration and validation are the most difficult to implement. Researchers perceive tasks related to study execution, analysis and quality control as highly strategic, in contrast with tactical tasks related to data manipulation. Researchers have only partial technologic support for analysis and quality control, and poor support for study execution. Software for data integration and validation appears critical to support clinical research, but may be expensive to implement. Features to support study workflow, collaboration and engagement have been underappreciated, but may prove to be easy successes. Software developers should consider the strategic goals of researchers with regard to the

Nurse managers' strategies for feeling less drained by their work: an action research and reflection project for developing emotional intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Bev; Roberts, Sue; Smyth, Therese; Tulloch, Moira

2015-10-01

To raise nurse managers' critical awareness of practice problems; uncover practice constraints and improve work effectiveness. Nurse management requires skills and knowledge, underscored by emotional intelligence. The research improved participants' practice and personal insights. Purposive sampling targeted nurse managers interested in improving their practice. Three experienced female nurse managers met fortnightly in a group, for 1 hour, for 10 meetings. The methods included: writing and sharing de-identified journal reflections; critically analysing practice stories; identifying a thematic concern; generating action strategies; and instituting and revising the action plan. Phase One resulted in the identification of the issue of 'being drained by the intensity of nurse managers' work'. The participants adopted five strategies: debriefing problematic situations; deflecting multiple requests; diffusing issues; naming dysfunctional behaviours; and regrouping. In Phase Two, participants implemented and revised the action plan strategies, which resulted in them feeling less drained by their work. Strategies can lessen nurse managers' sense of personal depletion. However, strategies cannot guarantee success every time because the emotional intelligence is integral to nurse management. Action research and reflection assist nurse managers to improve their practice and develop their emotional intelligence. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Capacity-building for health research in developing countries: a manager's approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franklin White

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Research may be viewed as rigorous inquiry to advance knowledge and improve practices. An international commission has argued that strengthening research capacity is one of the most powerful, cost-effective, and sustainable means of advancing health and development. However, the global effort to promote research in developing countries has been mostly policy driven, and largely at the initiative of donor agencies based in developed countries. This policy approach, although essential, both contrasts with and is complementary to that of research managers, who must build capacity "from the ground up" in a variety of health service settings within countries and with differing mandates, resources, and constraints. In health organizations the concept of research is broad, and practices vary widely. However, building research capacity is not altogether different from building other kinds of organizational capacity, and it involves two major dimensions: strategic and operational. In organizations in the health field, if reference to research is not in the mission statement, then developing a relevant research capacity is made vastly more difficult. Research capacities that take years to develop can be easily damaged through inadequate support, poor management, or other negative influences associated with both internal and external environments. This paper draws from key international research policy documents and observations on the behavior of research and donor agencies in relation to developing countries. It examines capacity-building primarily as a challenge for research managers, realities underlying operational effectiveness and efficiency, approaches to resource mobilization, and the need for marketing the research enterprise. Selected examples from South Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean are presented.

ENHANCING SEISMIC CALIBRATION RESEARCH THROUGH SOFTWARE AUTOMATION AND SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruppert, S; Dodge, D A; Ganzberger, M D; Hauk, T F; Matzel, E M

2008-07-03

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring Research and Development (GNEMRD) Program at LLNL continues to make significant progress enhancing the process of deriving seismic calibrations and performing scientific integration, analysis, and information management with software automation tools. Our tool efforts address the problematic issues of very large datasets and varied formats encountered during seismic calibration research. New information management and analysis tools have resulted in demonstrated gains in efficiency of producing scientific data products and improved accuracy of derived seismic calibrations. The foundation of a robust, efficient data development and processing environment is comprised of many components built upon engineered versatile libraries. We incorporate proven industry 'best practices' throughout our code and apply source code and bug tracking management as well as automatic generation and execution of unit tests for our experimental, development and production lines. Significant software engineering and development efforts have produced an object-oriented framework that provides database centric coordination between scientific tools, users, and data. Over a half billion parameters, signals, measurements, and metadata entries are all stored in a relational database accessed by an extensive object-oriented multi-technology software framework that includes stored procedures, real-time transactional database triggers and constraints, as well as coupled Java and C++ software libraries to handle the information interchange and validation requirements. Significant resources were applied to schema design to enable management of processing methods and station parameters, responses and metadata. This allowed for the development of merged ground-truth (GT) data sets compiled by the NNSA labs and AFTAC that include hundreds of thousands of events and tens of millions of arrivals. The

Distributed cognition and process management enabling individualized translational research: The NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda E Links

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program (NIH UDP applies translational research systematically to diagnose patients with undiagnosed diseases. The challenge is to implement an information system enabling scalable translational research. The authors hypothesized that similarly complex problems are resolvable through process management and the distributed cognition of communities. The team therefore built the NIH UDP Integrated Collaboration System (UDPICS to form virtual collaborative multidisciplinary research networks or communities. UDPICS supports these communities through integrated process management, ontology-based phenotyping, biospecimen management, cloud-based genomic analysis, and an electronic laboratory notebook. UDPICS provided a mechanism for efficient, transparent, and scalable translational research and thereby addressed many of the complex and diverse research and logistical problems of the NIH UDP. Full definition of the strengths and deficiencies of UDPICS will require formal qualitative and quantitative usability and process improvement measurement.

Distributed Cognition and Process Management Enabling Individualized Translational Research: The NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Links, Amanda E; Draper, David; Lee, Elizabeth; Guzman, Jessica; Valivullah, Zaheer; Maduro, Valerie; Lebedev, Vlad; Didenko, Maxim; Tomlin, Garrick; Brudno, Michael; Girdea, Marta; Dumitriu, Sergiu; Haendel, Melissa A; Mungall, Christopher J; Smedley, Damian; Hochheiser, Harry; Arnold, Andrew M; Coessens, Bert; Verhoeven, Steven; Bone, William; Adams, David; Boerkoel, Cornelius F; Gahl, William A; Sincan, Murat

2016-01-01

The National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program (NIH UDP) applies translational research systematically to diagnose patients with undiagnosed diseases. The challenge is to implement an information system enabling scalable translational research. The authors hypothesized that similar complex problems are resolvable through process management and the distributed cognition of communities. The team, therefore, built the NIH UDP integrated collaboration system (UDPICS) to form virtual collaborative multidisciplinary research networks or communities. UDPICS supports these communities through integrated process management, ontology-based phenotyping, biospecimen management, cloud-based genomic analysis, and an electronic laboratory notebook. UDPICS provided a mechanism for efficient, transparent, and scalable translational research and thereby addressed many of the complex and diverse research and logistical problems of the NIH UDP. Full definition of the strengths and deficiencies of UDPICS will require formal qualitative and quantitative usability and process improvement measurement.

Building Perinatal Case Manager Capacity Using Quality Improvement

OpenAIRE

Fitzgerald, Elaine

2015-01-01

Improving breastfeeding rates among Black women is a potential strategy to address disparities in health outcomes that disproportionately impact Black women and children. This quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed to improve perinatal case manager knowledge and self-efficacy to promote breastfeeding among Black, low-income women who use services through Boston Healthy Start Initiative. QI methodology was used to develop and test a two-part strategy for perinatal case managers to promote a...

The relation between project management education and newer streams in project management research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leimbach, Timo; Goodall, Julie Bladt

2017-01-01

In the last decades, research in project management (PM) has experienced significant new inputs from a range of new PM methodologies and critical research streams. As a consequence, members of the more critical streams have called for the education of project managers to advance from that of trai......In the last decades, research in project management (PM) has experienced significant new inputs from a range of new PM methodologies and critical research streams. As a consequence, members of the more critical streams have called for the education of project managers to advance from...... that of training technicians, to fostering reflective practitioners that are better equipped to handle the increasing complexity of the profession. This paper is based on a recently commenced re-search project titled "Rethinking Project Management Education – the Role of Universities" that is aimed at analysing...... how the development of PM research is reflected in the education of project managers. On the basis of a short overview of the state of the art of PM education research and practices, the possible challenges for the development of PM education are discussed, and, finding that there is a lack...

Hospital management training and improvement in managerial skills: Serbian experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Supic, Zorica Terzic; Bjegovic, Vesna; Marinkovic, Jelena; Milicevic, Milena Santric; Vasic, Vladimir

2010-06-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the improvement of managerial skills of hospitals' top managers after a specific management training programme, and to explore possible predictors and relations. The study was conducted during the years 2006 and 2007 with cohort of 107 managers from 20 Serbian general hospitals. The managers self-assessed the improvement in their managerial skills before and after the training programme. After the training programme, all managers' skills had improved. The biggest improvement was in the following skills: organizing daily activities, motivating and guiding others, supervising the work of others, group discussion, and situation analysis. The least improved were: applying creative techniques, working well with peers, professional self-development, written communication, and operational planning. Identified predictors of improvement were: shorter years of managerial experience, type of manager, type of profession, and recognizing the importance of the managerial skills in oral communication, evidence-based decision making, and supervising the work of others. Specific training programme related to strategic management can increase managerial competencies, which are an important source of competitive advantage for organizations. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moving improvement research closer to practice: the Researcher-in-Residence model

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Martin; Pagel, Christina; French, Catherine; Utley, Martin; Allwood, Dominique; Fulop, Naomi; Pope, Catherine; Banks, Victoria; Goldmann, Allan

2014-01-01

The traditional separation of the producers of research evidence in academia from the users of that evidence in healthcare organisations has not succeeded in closing the gap between what is known about the organisation and delivery of health services and what is actually done in practice. As a consequence, there is growing interest in alternative models of knowledge creation and mobilisation, ones which emphasise collaboration, active participation of all stakeholders, and a commitment to shared learning. Such models have robust historical, philosophical and methodological foundations but have not yet been embraced by many of the people working in the health sector. This paper presents an emerging model of participation, the Researcher-in-Residence. The model positions the researcher as a core member of a delivery team, actively negotiating a body of expertise which is different from, but complementary to, the expertise of managers and clinicians. Three examples of in-residence models are presented: an anthropologist working as a member of an executive team, operational researchers working in a front-line delivery team, and a Health Services Researcher working across an integrated care organisation. Each of these examples illustrates the contribution that an embedded researcher can make to a service-based team. They also highlight a number of unanswered questions about the model, including the required level of experience of the researcher and their areas of expertise, the institutional facilitators and barriers to embedding the model, and the risk that the independence of an embedded researcher might be compromised. The Researcher-in-Residence model has the potential to engage both academics and practitioners in the promotion of evidence-informed service improvement, but further evaluation is required before the model should be routinely used in practice. PMID:24894592

Listen to ISO 9001:2015 for organizational competitiveness: Correlation between change management and improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fonseca Luis Miguel

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In their quest to achieve superior performance and business results, organizations have extensively adopted models such as ISO 9001 Quality Managements Standards. Research supports that Quality Management System brings significant benefits for organizations competitiveness and success and more than 1 million organizations of all activity sectors worldwide have implemented ISO 9001. In a world of increasingly complexity and interconnection, the revised ISO 9001:2015 International Standard aims to ensure that Quality Management Systems are flexible while remaining reliable. The concept of Change Management was introduced in the standard and Improvement can be achieved both in a continual/incremental mode (already present in the ISO 9001:2008 edition and in a breakthrough change/disruptive mode (new in ISO 9001:2015. ISO 9001:2015 is now closer to Business Excellence Models, such as the EFQM, that highlight the need for agility and flexibility for enduring success. To access if organizations that have already implemented ISO 9001:2015 are indeed managing change and achieving improvement, and if there is a relationship between these two variables, a survey was held with IRCA ISO 9001 Registered Auditors on a worldwide basis. Sample normality was confirmed trough Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and the hypothesis was tested by using Pearson Correlation coefficient. The findings show that the auditee organizations have positively implemented ISO 9001:2015 requirements on change management and improvement. There is also a strong positive correlation between change management and improvement, suggesting that the organizations that properly manage change by planning, designing, implementing, and controlling change in an effective and efficient way, demonstrate a higher level of performance and results improvement. These conclusions have significant implications for the Quality/Organizational Excellence Management Body of Knowledge, requiring a new way of

Continuous improvement of the BNFL transport integrated management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hale, J.A.

1998-01-01

The integrated Management System of BNFL Transport and Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (PNTL) is subject to continuous improvement by the application of established improvement techniques adopted by BNFL. The technique currently being used is the application of a Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy, involving the identification of key processes, benchmarking against existing measures, initiating various improvement projects and applying process changes within the Company. The measurement technique being used is based upon the European Foundation for Quality Management Model (EFQM). A major initiative was started in 1996 to include the requirements of the Environmental Management Systems standard ISO 14001 within the existing integrated management system. This resulted in additional activities added to the system, modification to some existing activities and additional training for personnel. The system was audited by a third party certification organisation, Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), during 1997. This paper describes the arrangements to review and update the integrated management system of BNFL Transport and PNTL to include the requirements of the environmental standard ISO 14001 and it also discusses the continuous improvement process adopted by BNFL Transport. (authors)

Research management at Electricite de France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feintuch, P.

1986-01-01

Electricite de France (EdF) is organized on hierarchic lines. There are four Technical Directions at the top level, the Direction of Studies and Research being one. This Direction has a staff of some 2700 persons, spread over eight Services (six which are Technical Services) that are split into four or five Departments each. The Departments prepare R and D plans for each specific project. These plans are subsequently analysed (and modified, cancelled or extended) by the management of the Studies and Research Direction, the Committee for Research Programmes and the General Management of EdF. This procedure is followed in order to find a balance between the requirements of the various Technical Services, the needs of the Studies and Research Direction itself and the general instructions from the General Management. An Administrative Service performs regular checks in order to detect cancellations, delays or other problems at an early stage. (Auth.)

Inventory Management Strategies For Productivity Improvement In Equipment Manufacturing Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.T Amachree

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study examined and developed Inventory Management Strategies IMS which could be creatively employed for Productivity Improvement in Equipment Firms PIEMF Equipment manufacturing projects suffer from declining productivity and inability to effectively satisfy customized order batch quantity within schedules budgeted cost and quality specifications due to lack of robust and well defined IMS as well as none code classification of vast number of inventory item. Survey and expost-facto research designs were adopted on the four identified IMS in three EMF. The method used for primary data collection and measurement on four IMS and inventory management parameters was questionnaire modelled into likert five point scale from the target respondents being experts in the subject matter. The secondary data was obtained from the computerised inventory status file of the three equipment manufacturing firms. The methods of primary data analysis and test of research used were Pearsons product moment correlation coefficient and oneway. Analysis of variance ANOVA computer software via Statistical Program for Social Science SPSS version 17 ABC analysis and classification of materials was used for code categorization of secondary data also with the aid of Microsoft excel. The results of the analyses highlighted and isolated A class of inventory items which are 137 out of 543 for Siemens Nig. Ltd 154 out of 551 for Dresser-Rand Nig. Ltd and 162 of 551 for Nigerian Engineering Works Ltd. The results of Pearson product moment correlation analysis and test of research hypotheses indicate that Materials Requirements Planning MRP followed by Supply Chain Management SCM are the most significant IMS as they correlate strongly with PIEMF. The study recommends IMS adoption by code classification of materials in which MRP or SCM could be deployed for management of A class of inventories while classical IMS could be used for management B and C classes of inventory items.

A Management Tool for Improvement (Improving) IMS Stations Performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammad, D.; Pantin, A.; Quintana, E.

2011-01-01

IMS-Maintenance is a software under development by the personnel of ARN-CTBT office, intended for the technical management of IMS stations under ARN's responsibility. This software integrates the whole control of the equipment in an IMS station, including the management of consumables used in daily or periodic operation. It permits an easy retrieval (access) of the technical features, suppliers, etc. of each item of the equipment, as well as its maintenance history and scheduled task. Although this project is still in a starting phase, a preliminary version of this software is being used in radionuclide station RN01 (Buenos Aires), having already demonstrated its usefulness and potential for the improvement of IMS station management. (authors)

Effectively managing nuclear risk through human performance improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coe, R.P.

2004-01-01

is to apply the principles of Human Performance Technology, or HPT, to the nuclear workplace. HPT is a relatively new field that has been emerging over the several decades. Its principles are derived from the research and practice of behavioral and cognitive psychologist, instructional technologists training designers, organizational developers and various human resource specialists. Relying heavily on general systems theory as applied to organizations, HPT takes a systemic approach to risk assessment and performance analysis/ change as opposed to making piecemeal interventions which often happens in designing training programs intended to be the only fix specific organizational behavior problems in the short term. Specifically, HPT methodology emphasizes examining any given problem in relation to the more global aims of the setting or environment within which the problem is identified. Its consistent driver is measurable performance and the structuring of elements within the system to improve and reward desirable performance and effective risk management. In general, HPT is more than another way to look at training, HPT is a systemized process that combines selection, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to most cost effectively influence human behavior and accomplishment. By taking a systems view of organizations rather than discreetly focusing on pockets of concern within an organization, it seeks to link the actions and interventions of all the organizational elements that affect overall performance. It does this through identifying, among other things, current performance levels, required performance levels for effective risk management, exemplary performance, and developing measurements for each step in the process. It examines such things as the external and organizational environments as well as the influences that directly impact individual performance. Direct application to the nuclear industry is evident when

Emerging Good Practice in Managing Research Data and Research Information within UK Universities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidson, Joy; Jones, Sarah; Molloy, Laura

2014-01-01

Sound data intensive science depends upon effective research data and information management. Efficient and interoperable research information systems will be crucial for enabling and exploiting data intensive research however it is equally important that a research ecosystem is cultivated within...... institutions prepare to meet funding body mandates relating to research data management and sharing and to engage fully in the digital agenda.......Sound data intensive science depends upon effective research data and information management. Efficient and interoperable research information systems will be crucial for enabling and exploiting data intensive research however it is equally important that a research ecosystem is cultivated within...... research-intensive institutions that foster sustainable communication, cooperation and support of a diverse range of research-related staff. Researchers, librarians, administrators, ethics advisors, and IT professionals all have a vital contribution to make in ensuring that research data and related...

SPATIAL VARIETY AND DISTRIBUTION OF TRADITIONAL MARKETS IN SURAKARTA AS POTENTIAL FACTORS IN IMPROVING SPATIAL-BASED MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Istijabatul Aliyah

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Traditional markets function as trading place, socio-culture interaction, and recreation facility either in regional or urban scope. Distribution and variety of spatial condition influence traditional markets’ planning both physically and non-physically. Therefore, this research aimed to conduct a mapping of traditional markets’ spatial distribution and variety as potential factors to improve spatial-based management. Analysis methods including: (1 Mapping by employing Geographic Information System, (2 Category Based Analysis (CBA, and (3 Interactive Analysis were applied in Surakarta City as the research location. The result of this research signifies that spatial variety and distribution of traditional markets in Surakarta had similar pattern between one market to others; overlapping service function; specific commodity types in accordance with the market’s characteristics; diverse operating hours. Spatial variety and distribution could be potential factors to improve traditional market management as shopping service. This result was contrasted with Central Place Theory by Christaller and NÆss & Jensen’s research finding stating that distance became a key factor influencing accessibility to a number of activity facilities. Therefore, distance toward the service center is not considered as the main factor in traditional market management. The main factor in managing and controlling traditional markets’ development includes service function, commodity specification, and operating hour’s flexibility.

Improving Care And Research Electronic Data Trust Antwerp (iCAREdata): a research database of linked data on out-of-hours primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Colliers, Annelies; Bartholomeeusen, Stefaan; Remmen, Roy; Coenen, Samuel; Michiels, Barbara; Bastiaens, Hilde; Van Royen, Paul; Verhoeven, Veronique; Holmgren, Philip; De Ruyck, Bernard; Philips, Hilde

2016-05-04

Primary out-of-hours care is developing throughout Europe. High-quality databases with linked data from primary health services can help to improve research and future health services. In 2014, a central clinical research database infrastructure was established (iCAREdata: Improving Care And Research Electronic Data Trust Antwerp, www.icaredata.eu ) for primary and interdisciplinary health care at the University of Antwerp, linking data from General Practice Cooperatives, Emergency Departments and Pharmacies during out-of-hours care. Medical data are pseudonymised using the services of a Trusted Third Party, which encodes private information about patients and physicians before data is sent to iCAREdata. iCAREdata provides many new research opportunities in the fields of clinical epidemiology, health care management and quality of care. A key aspect will be to ensure the quality of data registration by all health care providers. This article describes the establishment of a research database and the possibilities of linking data from different primary out-of-hours care providers, with the potential to help to improve research and the quality of health care services.

Researchers’ participation in and motivations for engaging with research information management systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shuheng; Lee, Dong Joon

2018-01-01

Researchers’ participation in online RIMSs This article examined how researchers participated in research information management systems (RIMSs), their motivations for participation, and their priorities for those motivations. Profile maintenance, question-answering, and endorsement activities were used to define three cumulatively increasing levels of participation: Readers, Record Managers, and Community Members. Junior researchers were more engaged in RIMSs than were senior researchers. Postdocs had significantly higher odds of endorsing other researchers for skills and being categorized as Community Members than did full and associate professors. Assistant professors were significantly more likely to be Record Managers than were members of any other seniority categories. Finally, researchers from the life sciences showed a significantly higher propensity for being Community Members than Readers and Record Managers when compared with researchers from engineering and the physical sciences, respectively. Researchers’ motivations to participate in RIMSs When performing activities, researchers were motivated by the desire to share scholarship, feel competent, experience a sense of enjoyment, improve their status, and build ties with other members of the community. Moreover, when researchers performed activities that directly benefited other members of a RIMS, they assigned higher priorities to intrinsic motivations, such as perceived self-efficacy, enjoyment, and building community ties. Researchers at different stages of their academic careers and disciplines ranked some of the motivations for engaging with RIMSs differently. The general model of research participation in RIMSs; the relationships among RIMS activities; the motivation scales for activities; and the activity, seniority, and discipline-specific priorities for the motivations developed by this study provide the foundation for a framework for researcher participation in RIMSs. This framework can be

Study protocol: national research partnership to improve primary health care performance and outcomes for Indigenous peoples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McDermott Robyn

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Strengthening primary health care is critical to reducing health inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The Audit and Best practice for Chronic Disease Extension (ABCDE project has facilitated the implementation of modern Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI approaches in Indigenous community health care centres across Australia. The project demonstrated improvements in health centre systems, delivery of primary care services and in patient intermediate outcomes. It has also highlighted substantial variation in quality of care. Through a partnership between academic researchers, service providers and policy makers, we are now implementing a study which aims to 1 explore the factors associated with variation in clinical performance; 2 examine specific strategies that have been effective in improving primary care clinical performance; and 3 work with health service staff, management and policy makers to enhance the effective implementation of successful strategies. Methods/Design The study will be conducted in Indigenous community health centres from at least six States/Territories (Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Victoria over a five year period. A research hub will be established in each region to support collection and reporting of quantitative and qualitative clinical and health centre system performance data, to investigate factors affecting variation in quality of care and to facilitate effective translation of research evidence into policy and practice. The project is supported by a web-based information system, providing automated analysis and reporting of clinical care performance to health centre staff and management. Discussion By linking researchers directly to users of research (service providers, managers and policy makers, the partnership is well placed to generate new knowledge on effective strategies for improving the quality of primary

48 CFR 970.0370 - Management Controls and Improvements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Management Controls and... SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS DOE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATING CONTRACTS Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest 970.0370 Management Controls and Improvements. ...

Improvement of the material and transport component of the system of construction waste management

Science.gov (United States)

Kostyshak, Mikhail; Lunyakov, Mikhail

2017-10-01

Relevance of the topic of selected research is conditioned with the growth of construction operations and growth rates of construction and demolition wastes. This article considers modern approaches to the management of turnover of construction waste, sequence of reconstruction or demolition processes of the building, information flow of the complete cycle of turnover of construction and demolition waste, methods for improvement of the material and transport component of the construction waste management system. Performed analysis showed that mechanism of management of construction waste allows to increase efficiency and environmental safety of this branch and regions.

Prioritization of manufacturing sectors in Serbia for energy management improvement – AHP method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jovanović, Bojana; Filipović, Jovan; Bakić, Vukman

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We used AHP method to prioritize manufacturing sectors in Serbia. • Priorities for energy management improvement according to five criteria. • Rank 1 – “Manufacture of food products”. • Rank 2 – “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers”. • Rank 3 – “Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products”. - Abstract: Manufacturing, which is destined to play the most significant role in the reindustrialization of Serbia is also one of the largest energy consumers and environmental polluters. In accordance with this, a large number of energy and environment management initiatives have been implemented over the years. In developed countries, these initiatives are at an advanced level, but not in Serbia. A group of manufacturers in Serbia has recognized the significance of the environmental initiatives implementation, but the interest in energy management improvement has remained low. Although these initiatives can be used to achieve cost reduction in industry, not all the manufacturing sectors equally value the importance of energy management improvement. Among all the manufacturing sectors, it is necessary to prioritize those with the potentials for energy management improvement, which can be done using different methods. In this paper, the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method was used to prioritize manufacturing sectors in Serbia in the area of energy management improvement. Using a created AHP questionnaires criteria weights were selected. These questionnaires were completed by the experts from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, providing us with the opportunity to evaluate the Serbian manufacturing sectors based on the real life data. The results of the AHP method, which was used as the prioritization instrument, and their analysis are presented in the paper. As a part of a wider study, aimed at the improvement of the energy management in Serbia, the three manufacturing sectors with the highest

Priority interventions to improve the management of chronic non-cancer pain in primary care: a participatory research of the ACCORD program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lalonde L

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Lyne Lalonde,1–4 Manon Choinière,3,5 Elisabeth Martin,3 Lise Lévesque,3 Éveline Hudon,2,3,6 Danielle Bélanger,2 Sylvie Perreault,1,7 Anaïs Lacasse,8 Marie-Claude Laliberté1,9 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; 2Équipe de recherche en soins de première ligne, Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Laval, Laval, QC, Canada; 3Centre de recherche, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM, Montreal, QC, Canada; 4Sanofi Aventis Endowment Chair in Ambulatory Pharmaceutical Care, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal and Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Laval, QC, Canada; 5Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; 6Department of Family Medicine and Emergency, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; 7Sanofi Aventis Endowment Chair in Drug Utilization, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada; 8Département des sciences de la santé, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada; 9AbbVie Corporation, St-Laurent, QC, Canada Purpose: There is evidence that the management of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP in primary care is far from being optimal. A 1-day workshop was held to explore the perceptions of key actors regarding the challenges and priority interventions to improve CNCP management in primary care. Methods: Using the Chronic Care Model as a conceptual framework, physicians (n=6, pharmacists (n=6, nurses (n=6, physiotherapists (n=6, psychologists (n=6, pain specialists (n=6, patients (n=3, family members (n=3, decision makers and managers (n=4, and pain researchers (n=7 took part in seven focus groups and five nominal groups. Results: Challenges identified in focus group discussions were related to five dimensions: knowledge gap, “work in silos”, lack of awareness that CNCP represents an important clinical problem

JYT - Publicly financed nuclear waste management research programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuori, S.

1992-07-01

The nuclear waste management research in Finland is funded both by the state and the utilities (represented in cooperation by the Nuclear Waste Commission of the Finnish power companies). A coordinated research programme (JYT) comprising the publicly financed waste management studies was started in 1989 and continues until 1993. The utilities continue to carry out a parallel research programme according to their main financial and operational responsibility for nuclear waste management. The research programme covers the following main topic areas: (1) Bedrock characteristics, groundwater and repository, (2) Release and transport of radionuclides, (3) Performance and safety assessment of repositories, and (4) Waste management technology and costs

JYT - Publicly financed nuclear waste management research programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuori, S.

1993-06-01

The nuclear waste management research in Finland is funded both by the state and the utilities (represented in cooperation by the Nuclear Waste Commission of the Finnish power companies). A coordinated research programme (JYT) comprising the publicly financed waste management studies was started in 1989 and continues until 1993. The utilities continue to carry out a parallel research programme according to their main financial and operational responsibility for nuclear waste management. The research programme covers the following main topic areas: (1) Bedrock characteristics, groundwater and repository, (2) Release and transport of radionuclides, (3) Performance and safety assessment of repositories, and (4) Waste management technology and costs

JYT - Publicly financed nuclear waste management research programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuori, S.

1991-07-01

The nuclear waste management research in Finland is funded both by the state and the utilities (represented in cooperation by the Nuclear Waste Commission of the Finnish power companies). A coordinated research programme (JYT) comprising the publicly financed waste management studies was started in 1989 and continues until 1993. The utilities continue to carry out a parallel research programme according to their main financial and operational responsibility for nuclear waste management. The research programme covers the following main topic areas: (1) Bedrock characteristics, groundwater and repository, (2) Release and transport of radionuclides, (3) Performance and safety assessment of repositories, and (4) Waste management technology and costs

Research Managers at Jamaica's National University Are Strategically Deploying a Modest Research Development Fund in Support of Impactful Research

Science.gov (United States)

Ivey, Paul W.; Henry, Martin

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to highlight, using examples, how the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Jamaica) is strategically using a modest internal research development fund, which is managed by the research managers in its research and innovation management office, to support impactful research projects. Critical reflection and the…

Research on integrated managing system based on CIMS for nuclear power plant safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Gang

2006-01-01

In order to improve safety, economy and reliability of operation for nuclear power plant (NPP), a novel integrated managing method was proposed based on the ideas of computer and contemporary integrated manufacturing system (CIMS). The application of CIMS to nuclear power plant safety management was researched. In order to design an integrated managing system to meet the needs of NPP safety management, all work related to nuclear safety is divided into different category according to its characters. On basis of this work, general integrated managing system was designed at first. Then subsystems were designed and every subsystem implements a category of nuclear safety management work. All subsystems are independent relatively on the one hand and are interrelated on other hand by global information system. (authors)

Activities of research-reactor-technology project in FNCA from FY2005 to FY2007. Sharing neutronics calculation technique for core management and utilization of research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-07-01

RRT project (Research-Reactor-Technology Project) was carried out with the theme of 'sharing neutronics calculation technique for core management and utilization of research reactors' in the framework of FNCA (Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia) from FY2005 to FY2007. The objective of the project was to improve and equalize the level of neutronics calculation technique for the reactor core management among participating countries to assure the safe and stable operation of research reactors and the promotion of the effective utilization. Neutronics calculation codes, namely SRAC code system and MVP code, were adopted as common codes. Participating countries succeeded in applying the common codes to analyzing the core of each domestic research reactor. Some participating countries succeeded in applying the common codes to analyzing for utilization of own research reactors. Activities of RRT project have improved and equalized the level of neutronics calculation technique among participating countries. (author)

Research in Hospitality Management

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research in Hospitality Management. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 5, No 1 (2015) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

IMPROVING QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN PANIFICATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Petroman

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Consumers of panification products (as well as consumers of any other type of product or service are concerned about the quality of the products they purchase. Implementing the quality management system in the food industry is not compulsory, but it can bring about numerous, palpable benefits, particularly in reducing the amount of acryl amide. It is a modern system allowing the management analysis aiming at checking and reaching the goals to define new objectives, and the continuous improvement of the quality of processes and products.

Measures to improve nuclear power project management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Xinchao

2012-01-01

Focusing on correct application of ability level principle in setting organizational structure, the effective management system has been established, and 8 practical management regimes have been developed. Personnel training and management work shall be well done and enhanced. Experience feedback in construction management shall be well done for all systems. Exchange of construction and management techniques shall be actively carried out. All staff shall participate in safety management. KPI system is adopted for assessing stakeholders' project management method, and PDCA cycle is adopted for continued improved. Management level upgrading measures are proposed to ensure the smooth construction of nuclear power project. Setting forth and popularizing management theory can provide reference for and promote the smooth progress of various nuclear power projects. (author)

Water resources management in Tanzania: identifying research ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper aims at identifying research gaps and needs and recommendations for a research agenda on water resources management in Tanzania. We reviewed published literature on water resources management in Tanzania in order to highlight what is currently known, and to identify knowledge gaps, and suggest ...

Management of operational events in research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Heping; Yang Shuchun; Peng Xueming

2001-01-01

The author describes the tracing management process post-operational event in a research reactor based on nuclear safety code, under the background of the research reactor in Nuclear Power Institute of China. It presorts the definite measures to the event tracing and it up its management factors

Building Support for Research Data Management: Biographies of Eight Research Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine G. Akers

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Academic research libraries are quickly developing support for research data management (RDM, including both new services and infrastructure. Here, we tell the stories of how eight different universities have developed programs of RDM support, focusing on the prominent role of the library in educating and assisting researchers with managing their data throughout the research lifecycle. Based on these stories, we construct timelines for each university depicting key steps in building support for RDM, and we discuss similarities and dissimilarities among universities in motivation to provide RDM support, collaborations among campus units, assessment of needs and services, and changes in staffing.

Improving clinical leadership and management in the NHS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicol ED

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Edward D Nicol1,21Department of Cardiology, Royal Brompton Hospital and Harefield NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom; 2Clinical Leadership Academy, School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, United KingdomAbstract: The National Health Service (NHS is one of the UKs most cherished but political public institutions, providing healthcare, free at the point of delivery. The English NHS must make £20bn efficiency savings in the next 3 years whilst in the midst of fundamental structural change outlined in the government's Health and Social Care Bill. This paper will explore the history of leadership and management in the NHS; the evolution of clinical leadership; national strategies to improve NHS clinical and managerial leadership and Lord Darzi's pivotal NHS review. It defines the kind of leadership and management required for today's NHS, looking to overcome some of the main challenges such as improving healthcare quality whilst making efficiency savings and engaging grass roots workers to deliver sustainable, long term improvements. Finally this manuscript makes suggestions as to where future investment is required to improve clinical leadership and management in the NHS.Keywords: clinical leadership, healthcare management, national health service

Power Electronics Thermal Management | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Power Electronics Thermal Management Power Electronics Thermal Management A photo of water boiling in liquid cooling lab equipment. Power electronics thermal management research aims to help lower the investigates and develops thermal management strategies for power electronics systems that use wide-bandgap

Waste management research abstracts. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned. Vol. 30

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-11-01

This issue contains 90 abstracts that describe research in progress in the field of radioactive waste management. The abstracts present ongoing work in various countries and international organizations. Although the abstracts are indexed by country, some programmes are actually the result of co-operation among several countries. Indeed, a primary reason for providing this compilation of programmes, institutions and scientists engaged in research into radioactive waste management is to increase international co-operation and facilitate communications. Data provided by researchers for publication in WMRA 30 were entered into a research in progress database named IRAIS (International Research Abstracts Information System). The IRAIS database is available via the Internet at the following URL: http://www.iaea.org/programmes/irais/ This database will continue to be updated as new abstracts are submitted by researchers world-wide. The abstracts are listed by country (full name) in alphabetical order. All abstracts are in English. The volume includes six indexes: principal investigator, title, performing organization, descriptors (key words), topic codes and country

Waste management research abstracts vols. 23/24. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The research abstracts contained in this issue have been collected during recent months and cover the period between March 1994 - June 1998. The abstracts reflect research currently in progress in the field of radioactive waste management: environmental impacts, site selection, decontamination and decommissioning, environmental restoration and legal aspects of radioactive waste management. This issue contains 678 abstracts that present ongoing work in 33 countries and an international organization

Waste management research abstracts vols. 23/24. Information on radioactive waste management research in progress or planned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

The research abstracts contained in this issue have been collected during recent months and cover the period between March 1994 - June 1998. The abstracts reflect research currently in progress in the field of radioactive waste management: environmental impacts, site selection, decontamination and decommissioning, environmental restoration and legal aspects of radioactive waste management. This issue contains 678 abstracts that present ongoing work in 33 countries and an international organization.

A Survey of Knowledge Management Research & Development at NASA Ames Research Center

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Richard M.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This chapter catalogs knowledge management research and development activities at NASA Ames Research Center as of April 2002. A general categorization scheme for knowledge management systems is first introduced. This categorization scheme divides knowledge management capabilities into five broad categories: knowledge capture, knowledge preservation, knowledge augmentation, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge infrastructure. Each of nearly 30 knowledge management systems developed at Ames is then classified according to this system. Finally, a capsule description of each system is presented along with information on deployment status, funding sources, contact information, and both published and internet-based references.

Research nurse manager perceptions about research activities performed by non-nurse clinical research coordinators.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Carolynn Thomas; Hastings, Clare; Wilson, Lynda Law

2015-01-01

There has been limited research to document differences in roles between nurses and non-nurses who assume clinical research coordination and management roles. Several authors have suggested that there is no acknowledged guidance for the licensure requirements for research study coordinators and that some non-nurse research coordinators may be assuming roles that are outside of their legal scopes of practice. There is a need for further research on issues related to the delegation of clinical research activities to non-nurses. This study used nominal group process focus groups to identify perceptions of experienced research nurse managers at an academic health science center in the Southern United States about the clinical research activities that are being performed by non-nurse clinical research coordinators without supervision that they believed should only be performed by a nurse or under the supervision of a nurse. A total of 13 research nurse managers volunteered to be contacted about the study. Of those, 8 participated in two separate nominal group process focus group sessions. The group members initially identified 22 activities that they felt should only be performed by a nurse or under the direct supervision of a nurse. After discussion and clarification of results, activities were combined into 12 categories of clinical research activities that participants believed should only be performed by a nurse or under the direct supervision of a nurse. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NASA-Langley Research Center's Aircraft Condition Analysis and Management System Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Frye, Mark W.; Bailey, Roger M.; Jessup, Artie D.

2004-01-01

This document describes the hardware implementation design and architecture of Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC)'s Aircraft Condition Analysis and Management System (ACAMS), which was developed at NASA-Langley Research Center (LaRC) for use in its Airborne Research Integrated Experiments System (ARIES) Laboratory. This activity is part of NASA's Aviation Safety Program (AvSP), the Single Aircraft Accident Prevention (SAAP) project to develop safety-enabling technologies for aircraft and airborne systems. The fundamental intent of these technologies is to allow timely intervention or remediation to improve unsafe conditions before they become life threatening.

Future Research Themes in Supply Chain Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wieland, Andreas

2016-01-01

Guest post on research results published in the article "Mapping the Landscape of Future Research Themes in Supply Chain Management" by Andreas Wieland, Robert Handfield and Christian Durach ( Journal of Business Logistics (2016). Vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 205-212).......Guest post on research results published in the article "Mapping the Landscape of Future Research Themes in Supply Chain Management" by Andreas Wieland, Robert Handfield and Christian Durach ( Journal of Business Logistics (2016). Vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 205-212)....

An Integrated Mobile Application to Improve the Watershed Management in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, T. Y.; Chen, M. H.; Lee, C. Y.

2015-12-01

This study aims to focus on the application of information technology on the reservoir watershed management. For the civil and commercial water usage, reservoirs and its upstream plays a significant role due to water scarcity and inequality, especially in Taiwan. Due to the progress of information technology, apply it can improve the efficiency and accuracy of daily affairs significantly which already proved by previous researches. Taipei Water Resource District (TWRD) is selected as study area for this study, it is the first reservoir watershed which authorized as special protection district by urban planning act. This study has designed a framework of mobile application, which addressed three types of public affairs relate to watershed management, includes building management, illegal land-use investigation, and a dashboard of real time stream information. This mobile application integrated a dis-connected map and interactive interface to collect, record and calculate field information which helps the authority manage the public affairs more efficiency.

Research Data Management Training for Geographers: First Impressions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kerstin Helbig

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Sharing and secondary analysis of data have become increasingly important for research. Especially in geography, the collection of digital data has grown due to technological changes. Responsible handling and proper documentation of research data have therefore become essential for funders, publishers and higher education institutions. To achieve this goal, universities offer support and training in research data management. This article presents the experiences of a pilot workshop in research data management, especially for geographers. A discipline-specific approach to research data management training is recommended. The focus of this approach increases researchers’ interest and allows for more specific guidance. The instructors identified problems and challenges of research data management for geographers. In regards to training, the communication of benefits and reaching the target groups seem to be the biggest challenges. Consequently, better incentive structures as well as communication channels have to be established.

Improving the management of infertile acid soils in Southeast Asia: The approach of the IBSRAM Acid-Soils network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefroy, R.D.B.

2000-01-01

The IBSRAM ASIALAND Management of Acid Soils network aims to improve the understanding of the broad range of biophysical and socio-economic production limitations on infertile acid soils of Southeast Asia, and to lead to development and implementation of sustainable land-management strategies for these important marginal areas. The main activities of the network are in Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam, with associated activity in Thailand, and minor involvement in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. The main experimental focus is through researcher-managed on-farm trials, to improve the management of phosphorus nutrition with inorganic and organic amendments. A generic design is used across the eight well characterised sites that form the core of the network. The results will be analysed across time and across sites. Improved methods for laboratory analyses, experimental management, socio-economic data collection, and data analysis and interpretation are critical components. Three important initiatives are associated with the core activities. These aim to establish a broader network on maintenance of quality laboratory analyses, to assess the potential for implementation of improved strategies through farmer-managed on-farm trials, and to improve our understanding of, and ways of estimating, nutrient budgets for diverse farming systems. (author)

Improvement of public administration in the sphere of solid household waste management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. Krynychna

2017-08-01

Positive trends in the sphere of state regulation of the waste management system can be seen in recent years, but Ukraine has not created the appropriate legal and regulatory framework yet that would gradually reach the requirements of the European legislation. Conclusions of the research. The enshrined regulations of national rules on disposal and solid waste management are currently not implemented fully. This calls for the improvement of enforcement practice on this issue, as well as the introduction of amendments and additions to existing legal acts. It is necessary to develop an effective state program that would include a complex of state measures for the creation of specialized enterprises for sorting and processing of solid waste in Ukraine, to conduct a series of educational actions among citizens. Ukrainian legislation on the effective solution of the problem of solid household waste management should be based on national characteristics and positive experience of relevant European legislation in this sphere. And the attraction of foreign investments in the waste recycling industry will definitely contribute to the improvement of the ecological situation in Ukraine.

Improving ICU risk management and patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Kielty, Lucy Ann

2017-06-12

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a study which aimed to develop and validate an assessment method for the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 80001-1 (IEC, 2010) standard (the Standard); raise awareness; improve medical IT-network project risk management processes; and improve intensive care unit patient safety. Design/methodology/approach An assessment method was developed and piloted. A healthcare IT-network project assessment was undertaken using a semi-structured group interview with risk management stakeholders. Participants provided feedback via a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was undertaken. Findings The assessment method was validated as fit for purpose. Participants agreed (63 per cent, n=7) that assessment questions were clear and easy to understand, and participants agreed (82 per cent, n=9) that the assessment method was appropriate. Participant's knowledge of the Standard increased and non-compliance was identified. Medical IT-network project strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the risk management processes were identified. Practical implications The study raised awareness of the Standard and enhanced risk management processes that led to improved patient safety. Study participants confirmed they would use the assessment method in future projects. Originality/value Findings add to knowledge relating to IEC 80001-1 implementation.

Operations Research Approaches to Asset Management in Freight Rail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gorman, Michael F.; Harrod, Steven

2011-01-01

This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail.......This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail....

Engaged Research in Process Improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pries-Heje, Jan

2010-01-01

This keynote initiates from an example of engaged research; a Danish software house that made it from maturity level 1 to 5 in eight years. The organizational change implied at each step is discussed and a design theory of process improvement and change derived.......This keynote initiates from an example of engaged research; a Danish software house that made it from maturity level 1 to 5 in eight years. The organizational change implied at each step is discussed and a design theory of process improvement and change derived....

Development of a Field Management Standard for Improving Human Factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Young Su; Son, Il Moon; Son, Byung Chang; Kwak, Hyo Yean

2009-07-01

This project is to develop a management guideline for improving human performances as a part of the Human Factors Management System of Kori unit 1 which is managing all of human factors items such as man-machine system interfaces, work procedures, work environments, and human reliabilities in nuclear power plants. Human factors engineering includes an human factors suitability analysis and improvement of human works, an analysis of accidents by human error, an improvement of work environment, an establishment of human factors management rules and a development of human resources to manage and perform those things consistently. For assisting these human factors engineering tasks, we developed human factors management guidelines, checklists and work procedures to be used in staffing, qualification, training, and human information requirements and workload. We also provided a software tool for managing the above items. Additionally, contents and an item pool for a human factors qualifying examination and training programs were developed. A procedures improvement and a human factors V and V on the Kori unit 1 have been completed as a part of this project, too

Annual report of the Management Research Center, 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

Research on the management of new forms of automation; industrial management; the definition of a new product range; economic management; personnel management; and management of cultural enterprises is presented [fr

Improvements to information management systems simulator

Science.gov (United States)

Bilek, R. W.

1972-01-01

The performance of personnel in the augmentation and improvement of the interactive IMSIM information management simulation model is summarized. With this augmented model, NASA now has even greater capabilities for the simulation of computer system configurations, data processing loads imposed on these configurations, and executive software to control system operations. Through these simulations, NASA has an extremely cost effective capability for the design and analysis of computer-based data management systems.

Improving network management with Software Defined Networking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dzhunev, Pavel

2013-01-01

Software-defined networking (SDN) is developed as an alternative to closed networks in centers for data processing by providing a means to separate the control layer data layer switches, and routers. SDN introduces new possibilities for network management and configuration methods. In this article, we identify problems with the current state-of-the-art network configuration and management mechanisms and introduce mechanisms to improve various aspects of network management

MANAGEMENT PLANS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio Polo Martínez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available OECD (2015 states that management's leadership is a critical factor for implementing reforms and improving schools. Candidates are required to submit a management plan outlining the framework of a plan to be followed during their 4 year term. Despite the plan outlined in the proposal, the implicit "non aggression pact" between the participants (the teachers and the directors, who are teachers themselves, makes change difficult. As a result, management plans have little impact on improving methods of teaching and academic results achieved by the students. In this article we have tried to achieve three objectives: 1 analyze the relationship between the renewal, selection and appointment of a director with the management plan around our country, 2 analyze which aspects are those that, according to major international studies, should determine the content, development and evaluation of a management plan, and 3 to suggest how one could implement a management plan for an education center or school.

Managing scientists leadership strategies in research and development

CERN Document Server

Sapienza, Alice M

1995-01-01

Managing Scientists Leadership Strategies in Research and Development Alice M. Sapienza "I found ...this book to be exciting ...Speaking as someone who has spent 30 years grappling with these issues, I certainly would be a customer." -Robert I. Taber, PhD Senior Vice President of Research & Development Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation In today's climate of enormous scientific and technologic competition, it is more crucial than ever that scientists involved in research and development be managed well. Often trained as individual researchers, scientists can find integration into teams difficult. Managers, from both scientific and nonscientific backgrounds, who are responsible for these teams frequently find effective team building a long and challenging process. Managing Scientists offers strategies for fostering communication and collaboration among scientists. It shows how to build cohesive, productive, and focused teams to succeed in the competitive research and development marketplace. This book wil...

NASA's Impacts Towards Improving International Water Management Using Satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Toll, D. L.; Doorn, B.; Searby, N. D.; Entin, J. K.; Lawford, R. G.; Mohr, K. I.; Lee, C. M.

2013-12-01

Key objectives of the NASA's Water Resources and Capacity Building Programs are to discover and demonstrate innovative uses and practical benefits of NASA's advanced system technologies for improved water management. This presentation will emphasize NASA's water research, applications, and capacity building activities using satellites and models to contribute to water issues including water availability, transboundary water, flooding and droughts to international partners, particularly developing countries. NASA's free and open exchange of Earth data observations and products helps engage and improve integrated observation networks and enables national and multi-national regional water cycle research and applications that are especially useful in data sparse regions of most developing countries. NASA satellite and modeling products provide a huge volume of valuable data extending back over 50 years across a broad range of spatial (local to global) and temporal (hourly to decadal) scales and include many products that are available in near real time (see earthdata.nasa.gov). To further accomplish these objectives NASA works to actively partner with public and private groups (e.g. federal agencies, universities, NGO's, and industry) in the U.S. and internationally to ensure the broadest use of its satellites and related information and products and to collaborate with regional end users who know the regions and their needs best. The event will help demonstrate the strong partnering and the use of satellite data to provide synoptic and repetitive spatial coverage helping water managers' deal with complex issues. This presentation will outline and describe NASA's international water related research, applications and capacity building programs' efforts to address developing countries critical water challenges in Asia, African and Latin America. This will specifically highlight impacts and case studies from NASA's programs in Water Resources (e.g., drought, snow

Climate change and mountain water resources: overview and recommendations for research, management and policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Viviroli

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Mountains are essential sources of freshwater for our world, but their role in global water resources could well be significantly altered by climate change. How well do we understand these potential changes today, and what are implications for water resources management, climate change adaptation, and evolving water policy? To answer above questions, we have examined 11 case study regions with the goal of providing a global overview, identifying research gaps and formulating recommendations for research, management and policy.

After setting the scene regarding water stress, water management capacity and scientific capacity in our case study regions, we examine the state of knowledge in water resources from a highland-lowland viewpoint, focusing on mountain areas on the one hand and the adjacent lowland areas on the other hand. Based on this review, research priorities are identified, including precipitation, snow water equivalent, soil parameters, evapotranspiration and sublimation, groundwater as well as enhanced warming and feedback mechanisms. In addition, the importance of environmental monitoring at high altitudes is highlighted. We then make recommendations how advancements in the management of mountain water resources under climate change could be achieved in the fields of research, water resources management and policy as well as through better interaction between these fields.

We conclude that effective management of mountain water resources urgently requires more detailed regional studies and more reliable scenario projections, and that research on mountain water resources must become more integrative by linking relevant disciplines. In addition, the knowledge exchange between managers and researchers must be improved and oriented towards long-term continuous interaction.

Research of the Rio Grande Ecosystem Management Program

Science.gov (United States)

Deborah M. Finch

2000-01-01

This paper describes the mission, objectives, and preliminary results of the Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem Management Research Program managed at the Rocky Mountain Research Station's Albuquerque laboratory. This program was initiated in 1994 to address growing pressures to effectively manage the limited resources of the middle Rio Grande Basin. The program is...

Contradictions in qualitative management research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Per Richard; Dorland, Jens

2016-01-01

and remove them from the analytical work. The purpose of this paper is to re-visit and re-introduce a dissensus-based management research strategy in order to analytically be able to work with what appear to be contradictions and misinformation in qualitative research accounts, and give them a more profound...

Mask manufacturing improvement through capability definition and bottleneck line management

Science.gov (United States)

Strott, Al

1994-02-01

In 1989, Intel's internal mask operation limited itself to research and development activities and re-inspection and pellicle application of externally manufactured masks. Recognizing the rising capital cost of mask manufacturing at the leading edge, Intel's Mask Operation management decided to offset some of these costs by manufacturing more masks internally. This was the beginning of the challenge they set to manufacture at least 50% of Intel's mask volume internally, at world class performance levels. The first step in responding to this challenge was the completion of a comprehensive operation capability analysis. A series of bottleneck improvements by focus teams resulted in an average cycle time improvement to less than five days on all product and less than two days on critical products.

The match between institutional elderly care management research and management challenges - a systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kokkonen, Kaija; Rissanen, Sari; Hujala, Anneli

2012-11-08

Elderly care practice and its management together with policy and research play a crucial role in responding to increasing challenges in institutional care for elderly people. Successful dialogue between these is necessary. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to compare how institutional elderly care management research meets the care challenges currently emphasized in international long-term care policy documents. This paper was based on a systematic literature review. After screening 1971 abstracts using inclusion/exclusion criteria, 58 refereed articles published between 2000 and 2010 remained for analysis. The articles were analyzed using theory-based content analysis by comparing the results to the framework based on analysis of international long-term care management policy documents. The current challenges of long-term care management identified from policy documents were Integrated Care Management, Productivity Management, Quality Management, Workforce Management and ICT Management. The research on institutional elderly care management responded somewhat to the challenges mentioned in policy documents. However, some of the challenges were studied broadly and some were paid only minor attention. Further, only few studies focused on the core items of challenges addressed in policy documents. Institutional care management research needs to focus more on challenges in integrated care, productivity, ICT and division of labor. Managers, researchers and policy-makers should assume more active collaborative roles in processes of research, policymaking and policy implementation. In addition managers' and policymakers' scientific literacy needs to be enhanced.

Establishing Long Term Data Management Research Priorities via a Data Decadal Survey

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, A.; Uhlir, P.; Meyer, C. B.; Robinson, E.

2013-12-01

We live in a time of unprecedented collection of and access to scientific data. Improvements in sensor technologies and modeling capabilities are constantly producing new data sources. Data sets are being used for unexpected purposes far from their point of origin, as research spans projects, discipline domains, and temporal and geographic boundaries. The nature of science is evolving, with more open science, open publications, and changes to the nature of peer review and data "publication". Data-intensive, or computational science, has been identified as a new research paradigm. There is recognition that the creation of a data set can be a contribution to science deserving of recognition comparable to other scientific publications. Federally funded projects are generally expected to make their data open and accessible to everyone. In this dynamic environment, scientific progress is ever more dependent on good data management practices and policies. Yet current data management and stewardship practices are insufficient. Data sets created at great, and often public, expense are at risk of being lost for technological or organizational reasons. Insufficient documentation and understanding of data can mean that the data are used incorrectly or not at all. Scientific results are being scrutinized and questioned, and occasionally retracted due to problems in data management. The volume of data is greatly increasing while funding for data management is meager and generally must be found within existing budgets. Many federal government agencies, including NASA, USGS, NOAA and NSF are already making efforts to address data management issues. Executive memos and directives give substantial impetus to those efforts, such as the May 9 Executive Order directing agencies to implement Open Data Policy requirements and regularly report their progress. However, these distributed efforts risk duplicating effort, lack a unifying, long-term strategic vision, and too often work in

Project Management Life Cycle Models to Improve Management in High-rise Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Burmistrov, Andrey; Siniavina, Maria; Iliashenko, Oksana

2018-03-01

The paper describes a possibility to improve project management in high-rise buildings construction through the use of various Project Management Life Cycle Models (PMLC models) based on traditional and agile project management approaches. Moreover, the paper describes, how the split the whole large-scale project to the "project chain" will create the factor for better manageability of the large-scale buildings project and increase the efficiency of the activities of all participants in such projects.

Project Management Life Cycle Models to Improve Management in High-rise Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burmistrov Andrey

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describes a possibility to improve project management in high-rise buildings construction through the use of various Project Management Life Cycle Models (PMLC models based on traditional and agile project management approaches. Moreover, the paper describes, how the split the whole large-scale project to the "project chain" will create the factor for better manageability of the large-scale buildings project and increase the efficiency of the activities of all participants in such projects.

Performance improvement through management audits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arter, D.R.

1986-01-01

We should go back to the basics of what a quality assurance program is designed to accomplish and then use that program to provide confidence to the public that actions are correct. The quality assurance management audit, if done responsible with trained people, is the best tool we have to monitor the goal of conducting business safely and correctly. Audit report should be used to project future performance and should not be used as a forum for recommendations. They should be presented in such a manner as to allow the managers involved to continually improve the work activity

The Improving Way of Logistics Management in Korean Army

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

In the case of small- and mid-sized companies , they can increase the competitive power with joint- ventures. So, each company is concentrating B2B ...to improve it. An interview with the manager of a successful civilian company and relevant literature also gave ideas in improvement. This...56 1 The Improving Way of Logistics Management in the Korea Army I. Introduction 1 Background Civilian companies process customer orders in

Supply Chain Management for Improved Energy Efficiency: Review and Opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatrice Marchi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Energy efficiency represents a key resource for economic and social development, providing substantial benefits to different stakeholders, ranging from the entities which develop energy efficient measures to everyone in society. In addition to cost savings, multiple benefits can be achieved by supporting a better alignment between energy issues and strategic business priorities: e.g., improved competitiveness, profitability, quality, etc. Thus, energy efficiency can be a strategic advantage, not just a marginal issue, for companies. However, most firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs, face many problems and, in some cases, hostility when trying to effectively implement energy efficiency actions. The most dominant barriers are the access to capital and the lack of awareness (especially in terms of life cycle cost effects. The supply chain viewpoint represents one of the main opportunities for overcoming those barriers and improving energy performance even for weaker companies. Since the current literature on energy efficiency and practical approaches to ensure energy efficiency mainly focus on energy performance on a single-firm basis, this paper aims to provide a systematic review of papers on the integration of energy efficiency in supply chain design and management published in academic journal, thereby defining potential research streams to close the gaps in the literature. A number of literature reviews have been published focusing on specific aspects of sustainable or on green supply chain management; however, to the best of our knowledge, no review has focused on the energy efficiency issue. Firstly, the present paper shows how considering energy consumption in supply chain management can contribute to more energy-efficient processes from a systemic point of view. Then, the review methodology used is defined and the sampled papers are analyzed and categorized based on the different approaches they propose. From these

Improving Agricultural Water Resources Management Using Ground-based Infrared Thermometry

Science.gov (United States)

Taghvaeian, S.

2014-12-01

Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of freshwater resources in arid/semi-arid parts of the world. Meeting rapidly growing demands in food, feed, fiber, and fuel while minimizing environmental pollution under a changing climate requires significant improvements in agricultural water management and irrigation scheduling. Although recent advances in remote sensing techniques and hydrological modeling has provided valuable information on agricultural water resources and their management, real improvements will only occur if farmers, the decision makers on the ground, are provided with simple, affordable, and practical tools to schedule irrigation events. This presentation reviews efforts in developing methods based on ground-based infrared thermometry and thermography for day-to-day management of irrigation systems. The results of research studies conducted in Colorado and Oklahoma show that ground-based remote sensing methods can be used effectively in quantifying water stress and consequently triggering irrigation events. Crop water use estimates based on stress indices have also showed to be in good agreement with estimates based on other methods (e.g. surface energy balance, root zone soil water balance, etc.). Major challenges toward the adoption of this approach by agricultural producers include the reduced accuracy under cloudy and humid conditions and its inability to forecast irrigation date, which is a critical knowledge since many irrigators need to decide about irrigations a few days in advance.

Operations management research methodologies using quantitative modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bertrand, J.W.M.; Fransoo, J.C.

2002-01-01

Gives an overview of quantitative model-based research in operations management, focusing on research methodology. Distinguishes between empirical and axiomatic research, and furthermore between descriptive and normative research. Presents guidelines for doing quantitative model-based research in

The match between institutional elderly care management research and management challenges - a systematic literature review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Elderly care practice and its management together with policy and research play a crucial role in responding to increasing challenges in institutional care for elderly people. Successful dialogue between these is necessary. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to compare how institutional elderly care management research meets the care challenges currently emphasized in international long-term care policy documents. Methods This paper was based on a systematic literature review. After screening 1971 abstracts using inclusion/exclusion criteria, 58 refereed articles published between 2000 and 2010 remained for analysis. The articles were analyzed using theory-based content analysis by comparing the results to the framework based on analysis of international long-term care management policy documents. Results The current challenges of long-term care management identified from policy documents were Integrated Care Management, Productivity Management, Quality Management, Workforce Management and ICT Management. The research on institutional elderly care management responded somewhat to the challenges mentioned in policy documents. However, some of the challenges were studied broadly and some were paid only minor attention. Further, only few studies focused on the core items of challenges addressed in policy documents. Conclusions Institutional care management research needs to focus more on challenges in integrated care, productivity, ICT and division of labor. Managers, researchers and policy-makers should assume more active collaborative roles in processes of research, policymaking and policy implementation. In addition managers’ and policymakers’ scientific literacy needs to be enhanced. PMID:23137416

The match between institutional elderly care management research and management challenges - a systematic literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kokkonen Kaija

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Elderly care practice and its management together with policy and research play a crucial role in responding to increasing challenges in institutional care for elderly people. Successful dialogue between these is necessary. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to compare how institutional elderly care management research meets the care challenges currently emphasized in international long-term care policy documents. Methods This paper was based on a systematic literature review. After screening 1971 abstracts using inclusion/exclusion criteria, 58 refereed articles published between 2000 and 2010 remained for analysis. The articles were analyzed using theory-based content analysis by comparing the results to the framework based on analysis of international long-term care management policy documents. Results The current challenges of long-term care management identified from policy documents were Integrated Care Management, Productivity Management, Quality Management, Workforce Management and ICT Management. The research on institutional elderly care management responded somewhat to the challenges mentioned in policy documents. However, some of the challenges were studied broadly and some were paid only minor attention. Further, only few studies focused on the core items of challenges addressed in policy documents. Conclusions Institutional care management research needs to focus more on challenges in integrated care, productivity, ICT and division of labor. Managers, researchers and policy-makers should assume more active collaborative roles in processes of research, policymaking and policy implementation. In addition managers’ and policymakers’ scientific literacy needs to be enhanced.

Waste management research abstracts no. 13. Information on research in progress

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1982-05-01

The 222 research abstracts contained in this issue have been collected during recent months ending 15 January 1982. The abstracts reflect research currently in progress in the field of radioactive waste management: environmental impacts, site selection, decontamination and decommissioning, environmental restoration and legal aspects of radioactive waste management. The abstracts have been printed in the language and in the form of submittal and without any changes other than minor editorial ones.

Waste management research abstracts no. 13. Information on research in progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-05-01

The 222 research abstracts contained in this issue have been collected during recent months ending 15 January 1982. The abstracts reflect research currently in progress in the field of radioactive waste management: environmental impacts, site selection, decontamination and decommissioning, environmental restoration and legal aspects of radioactive waste management. The abstracts have been printed in the language and in the form of submittal and without any changes other than minor editorial ones

The Research on the Impact of Management Level's Charismatic Leadership Style on Miners' Unsafe Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hongxia; Di, Hongxi; Tian, Shuicheng; Li, Jian

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is research the impact of management level's charismatic leadership style on miners' unsafe behavior by using the questionnaires on charismatic leadership style, safety attitude and the miners' unsafe behavior measurement to investigate 200 employees in Shen Dong Company. The research results suggest that management level's charismatic leadership style have very important influence on miners' unsafe behavior and the influence is affected by the safety attitude which is the intermediary function. In the end, this study propose advice on how to improve the coal mine enterprise managers charismatic leadership style in the coal mine enterprise's safety management work, including attach great importance to a variety of incentive methods, set up safety moral models, practice of inductive leadership concept, create a good atmosphere of safety, etc for reference for coal mining enterprises.

SFB754 - data management in large interdisciplinary collaborative research projects: what matters?

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrtens, Hela; Springer, Pina; Schirnick, Carsten; Schelten, Christiane K.

2016-04-01

Data management for SFB 754 is an integral part of the joint data management team at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, a cooperation of the Cluster of Excellence "Future Ocean", the SFB 754 and other current and former nationally and EU-funded projects. The coalition successfully established one common data management infrastructure for marine sciences in Kiel. It aims to help researchers to better document the data lifecycle from acquisition to publication and share their results already during the project phase. The infrastructure is continuously improved by integration of standard tools and developing extensions in close cooperation with scientists, data centres and other research institutions. Open and frequent discussion of data management topics during SFB 754 meetings and seminars and efficient cooperation with its coordination office allowed gradual establishment of better data management practices. Furthermore a data policy was agreed on to ensure proper usage of data sets, even unpublished ones, schedules data upload and dissemination and enforces long-term public availability of the research outcome. Acceptance of the infrastructure is also backed by easy usage of the web-based platform for data set documentation and exchange among all research disciplines of the SFB 754. Members of the data management team act as data curators and assist in data publication in World Data Centres (e.g. PANGAEA). Cooperation with world data centres makes the research data then globally searchable and accessible while links to the data producers ensure citability and provide points of contact for the scientific community. A complete record of SFB 754 publications is maintained within the institutional repository for full text print publications by the GEOMAR library. This repository is strongly linked with the data management information system providing dynamic and up-to-date overviews on the various ties between publications and available data sets

Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management: Support for university research and education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownstein, A.B.

1990-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) currently sponsors two programs that provide funding to universities and graduate students. The OCRWM graduate fellowship program and the OCRWM research program for historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) are designed to enhance the involvement of universities in the nation's high-level radioactive waste program. The specific goals of these programs are to (a) attract talented young scientists and engineers into OCRWM and OCRWM support contractor high-level radioactive waste management programs, (b) improve the quality of graduate education in disciplines directly related to high-level radioactive waste management, and (c) encourage university faculty to become involved in OCRWM mission-related activities

Research and development of methods/utilities and rules for managing cooperation for performance improvement in government offices. Second Technical progress report, September 1, 1992--January 31, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurstedt, H.A.

1993-03-01

Purpose is to help managers approach their responsibilities proactively, so that they can anticipate problems and take actions to alleviate or eliminate those problems. Continuous performance improvement, the philosophy behind total quality management, requires working cooperatively to do a little better each day. The most effective tools are working through a closed set of 9 methods: setting expectations, charting, defining indicators and standards, collecting and logging data, converting data to information, organizing and presenting information, reviewing status and progress, self-management, and appraising. In addition, there are 8 rules: focus on what you can do, supply physical evidence of progress, pay attention to detail, inspect (don`t expect), review progress routinely and frequently, face ``success/fail`` squarely, communicate crisply, and conduct honest, open appraisals. Scope and plans of the draft research plan (study areas) are described.

Land and Waste Management Research Publications

Science.gov (United States)

Resources from the Science Inventory database of EPA's Office of Research and Development, as well as EPA's Science Matters journal, include research on managing contaminated sites and ground water modeling and decontamination technologies.

Facility management research in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thijssen, Thomas; van der Voordt, Theo; Mobach, Mark P.

This article provides a brief overview of the history and development of facility management research in the Netherlands and indicates future directions. Facility management as a profession has developed from single service to multi-services and integral services over the past 15 years.

Nursing clinical practice changes to improve self-management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Padilha, J M; Sousa, P A F; Pereira, F M S

2018-03-01

To propose nursing clinical practice changes to improve the development of patient self-management. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the main causes of chronic morbidity, loss of quality of life and high mortality rates. Control of the disease's progression, the preservation of autonomy in self-care and maintenance of quality of life are extremely challenging for patients to execute in their daily living. However, there is still little evidence to support nursing clinical practice changes to improve the development of self-management. A participatory action research study was performed in a medicine inpatient department and the outpatient unit of a Portuguese hospital. The sample comprised 52 nurses and 99 patients. For data collection, we used interviews, participant observation and content analysis. The main elements of nursing clinical practice that were identified as a focus for improvement measures were the healthcare model, the organization of healthcare and the documentation of a support decision-making process. The specific guidelines, the provision of material to support decision-making and the optimization of information sharing between professionals positively influenced the change process. This change improved the development of self-management skills related to the awareness of the need for 'change', hope, involvement, knowledge and abilities. The implemented changes have improved health-related behaviours and clinical outcomes. To support self-management development skills, an effective nursing clinical practice change is needed. This study has demonstrated the relevance of a portfolio of techniques and tools to help patients adopt healthy behaviours. The involvement and participation of nurses and patients in the conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of policy change are fundamental issues to improve the quality of nursing care and clinical outcomes. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

Improving the use of research evidence in guideline development: 4. Managing conflicts of interests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bero Lisa A

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The World Health Organization (WHO, like many other organisations around the world, has recognised the need to use more rigorous processes to ensure that health care recommendations are informed by the best available research evidence. This is the fourth of a series of 16 reviews that have been prepared as background for advice from the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research to WHO on how to achieve this. Objectives We reviewed the literature on conflicts of interest to answer the following questions: 1. What is the best way to obtain complete and accurate disclosures on financial ties and other competing interests? 2. How to determine when a disclosed financial tie or other competing interest constitutes a conflict of interest? 3. When a conflict of interest is identified, how should the conflict be managed? 4. How could conflict of interest policies be enforced? Methods We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Methodology Register and selectively searched for the published policies of several organizations, We did not conduct systematic reviews ourselves. Our conclusions are based on the available evidence, consideration of what WHO and other organisations are doing and logical arguments. Key questions and answers What is the best way to obtain complete and accurate disclosures on financial ties and other competing interests? • Although there is little empirical evidence to guide the development of disclosure forms, minimal or open-ended formats are likely to be uninformative. We recommend the development of specific, detailed, structured forms that solicit as much information as possible about the nature and extent of the competing interests. How to determine when a disclosed financial tie or other competing interest constitutes a conflict of interest? • There is no empirical evidence to suggest that explicit criteria are preferable to ad hoc committee decisions when deciding if a disclosed financial tie is a conflict of

Management systems improvement strategy for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shelor, D.E.

1991-01-01

To achieve the goal of permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the US DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is implementing a Management Systems Improvement Strategy (MSIS). This MSIS is structured around the systems engineering approach that separates the program mission into system and programmatic functions. OCRWM believes that this strategy will significantly improve the program and provide the framework needed to ensure successful implementation of the activities necessary to fulfill the mandate of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, as amended

Research in Hospitality Management: Contact

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Principal Contact. Dr Sjoerd A Gehrels Editor-in-Chief Stenden Hotel Management School, Academy of International Hospitality Research, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands Email: sjoerd.gehrels@stenden.com ...

Guide to effective research-management collaboration at long-term environmental research sites

Science.gov (United States)

Frederick J. Swanson; Steve Eubanks; Mary Beth Adams; John C. Brissette

2010-01-01

The Forest Service system of experimental forests and ranges (EFRs) and other sites of long-term silvicultural, watershed, and ecological research have contributed to science and natural resource management for more than a century. An important aspect of the success of EFR programs is strong collaboration between the research and land manager communities. This guide...

Collaborative Research and Behavioral Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schapiro, Steve; Brosnan, Sarah F.; Hopkins, William D

2017-01-01

The behavioral management of captive nonhuman primates (NHPs) can be significantly enhanced through synergistic relationships with noninvasive research projects. Many behavioral and cognitive research procedures are challenging and enriching (physically, cognitively, and/or socially......) for the animals (Hopper et al. 2016; Hopkins and Latzman 2017) without involving any invasive (surgical, biopsy, etc.) procedures. Noninvasive behavioral research programs present the primates with opportunities to choose to voluntarily participate (or not), providing them with greater control over...

Hypertension management research priorities from patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers: A report from the Hypertension Canada Priority Setting Partnership Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Nadia; Bacon, Simon L; Khan, Samia; Perlmutter, Sara; Gerlinsky, Carline; Dermer, Mark; Johnson, Lonni; Alves, Finderson; McLean, Donna; Laupacis, Andreas; Pui, Mandy; Berg, Angelique; Flowitt, Felicia

2017-11-01

Patient- and stakeholder-oriented research is vital to improving the relevance of research. The authors aimed to identify the 10 most important research priorities of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers (family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and dietitians) for hypertension management. Using the James Lind Alliance approach, a national web-based survey asked patients, caregivers, and care providers to submit their unanswered questions on hypertension management. Questions already answered from randomized controlled trial evidence were removed. A priority setting process of patient, caregiver, and healthcare providers then ranked the final top 10 research priorities in an in-person meeting. There were 386 respondents who submitted 598 questions after exclusions. Of the respondents, 78% were patients or caregivers, 29% lived in rural areas, 78% were aged 50 to 80 years, and 75% were women. The 598 questions were distilled to 42 unique questions and from this list, the top 10 research questions prioritized included determining the combinations of healthy lifestyle modifications to reduce the need for antihypertensive medications, stress management interventions, evaluating treatment strategies based on out-of-office blood pressure compared with conventional (office) blood pressure, education tools and technologies to improve patient motivation and health behavior change, management strategies for ethnic groups, evaluating natural and alternative treatments, and the optimal role of different healthcare providers and caregivers in supporting patients with hypertension. These priorities can be used to guide clinicians, researchers, and funding bodies on areas that are a high priority for hypertension management research for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This also highlights priority areas for improved knowledge translation and delivering patient-centered care. ©2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Research Data Management - Building Service Infrastructure and Capacity

KAUST Repository

Baessa, Mohamed A.

2018-03-07

Research libraries support the missions of their institutions by facilitating the flow of scholarly information to and from the institutions’ researchers. As research in many disciplines becomes more data and software intensive, libraries are finding that services and infrastructure developed to preserve and provide access to textual documents are insufficient to meet their institutions’ needs. In response, libraries around the world have begun assessing the data management needs of their researchers, and expanding their capacity to meet the needs that they find. This discussion panel will discuss approaches to building research data management services and infrastructure in academic libraries. Panelists will discuss international efforts to support research data management, while highlighting the different models that universities have adopted to provide a mix of services and infrastructure tailored to their local needs.

Project Experiences in Research Reactor Ageing Management, Modernization and Refurbishment. Report of a Technical Meeting on Research Reactor Ageing Management, Modernization and Refurbishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-08-01

Research reactors have played an important role in several scientific fields for around 60 years: in the development of nuclear science and technology; in the valuable generation of radioisotopes for various applications; and in the development of human resources and skills. Moreover, research reactors have been effectively utilized to support sustainable development in more than 60 countries worldwide. More than half of all operating research reactors are now over 40 years old, with many exceeding their originally conceived design life. The majority of operating research reactors face challenges due to the negative impacts of component and system ageing, which manifest in a number of forms. This situation was highlighted by a serious medical isotope supply crisis which peaked in mid-2010, when several major producing reactors underwent prolonged shutdowns due to extensive necessary overhauls of various systems. Several facilities have established a proactive systematic approach to managing ageing or mitigating its impact on safety and availability of isotopes. Others have tried to prevent or remedy the drawbacks of ageing on a case by case basis. Overall, a large body of knowledge related to ageing issues exists in many Member States. Collecting and sharing this information within the research reactor community can provide a solid foundation to develop a more systematic approach — that is, an ageing management programme to prevent negative consequences of ageing on the safety, and the operability and lifetime of operating, or even future, reactors. It may also help organizations to manage research reactors that have been in an extended shutdown state by ensuring that any required systems are operated and maintained in a safe manner prior to final decommissioning and disposal of fuel to safe storage facilities. Sharing experiences from projects undertaken to refurbish or replace equipment and systems, satisfy safety and regulatory requirements, improve

Project Experiences in Research Reactor Ageing Management, Modernization and Refurbishment. Report of a Technical Meeting on Research Reactor Ageing Management, Modernization and Refurbishment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-08-15

Research reactors have played an important role in several scientific fields for around 60 years: in the development of nuclear science and technology; in the valuable generation of radioisotopes for various applications; and in the development of human resources and skills. Moreover, research reactors have been effectively utilized to support sustainable development in more than 60 countries worldwide. More than half of all operating research reactors are now over 40 years old, with many exceeding their originally conceived design life. The majority of operating research reactors face challenges due to the negative impacts of component and system ageing, which manifest in a number of forms. This situation was highlighted by a serious medical isotope supply crisis which peaked in mid-2010, when several major producing reactors underwent prolonged shutdowns due to extensive necessary overhauls of various systems. Several facilities have established a proactive systematic approach to managing ageing or mitigating its impact on safety and availability of isotopes. Others have tried to prevent or remedy the drawbacks of ageing on a case by case basis. Overall, a large body of knowledge related to ageing issues exists in many Member States. Collecting and sharing this information within the research reactor community can provide a solid foundation to develop a more systematic approach — that is, an ageing management programme to prevent negative consequences of ageing on the safety, and the operability and lifetime of operating, or even future, reactors. It may also help organizations to manage research reactors that have been in an extended shutdown state by ensuring that any required systems are operated and maintained in a safe manner prior to final decommissioning and disposal of fuel to safe storage facilities. Sharing experiences from projects undertaken to refurbish or replace equipment and systems, satisfy safety and regulatory requirements, improve

Research on station management in subway operation safety

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yiman

2017-10-01

The management of subway station is an important part of the safe operation of urban subway. In order to ensure the safety of subway operation, it is necessary to study the relevant factors that affect station management. In the protection of subway safety operations on the basis of improving the quality of service, to promote the sustained and healthy development of subway stations. This paper discusses the influencing factors of subway operation accident and station management, and analyzes the specific contents of station management security for subway operation, and develops effective suppression measures. It is desirable to improve the operational quality and safety factor for subway operations.

Human Research Program Science Management: Overview of Research and Development Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, John B.

2007-01-01

An overview of research and development activities of NASA's Human Research Science Management Program is presented. The topics include: 1) Human Research Program Goals; 2) Elements and Projects within HRP; 3) Development and Maintenance of Priorities; 4) Acquisition and Evaluation of Research and Technology Proposals; and 5) Annual Reviews

A Mixed-Methods Research Framework for Healthcare Process Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Bastian, Nathaniel D; Munoz, David; Ventura, Marta

2016-01-01

The healthcare system in the United States is spiraling out of control due to ever-increasing costs without significant improvements in quality, access to care, satisfaction, and efficiency. Efficient workflow is paramount to improving healthcare value while maintaining the utmost standards of patient care and provider satisfaction in high stress environments. This article provides healthcare managers and quality engineers with a practical healthcare process improvement framework to assess, measure and improve clinical workflow processes. The proposed mixed-methods research framework integrates qualitative and quantitative tools to foster the improvement of processes and workflow in a systematic way. The framework consists of three distinct phases: 1) stakeholder analysis, 2a) survey design, 2b) time-motion study, and 3) process improvement. The proposed framework is applied to the pediatric intensive care unit of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. The implementation of this methodology led to identification and categorization of different workflow tasks and activities into both value-added and non-value added in an effort to provide more valuable and higher quality patient care. Based upon the lessons learned from the case study, the three-phase methodology provides a better, broader, leaner, and holistic assessment of clinical workflow. The proposed framework can be implemented in various healthcare settings to support continuous improvement efforts in which complexity is a daily element that impacts workflow. We proffer a general methodology for process improvement in a healthcare setting, providing decision makers and stakeholders with a useful framework to help their organizations improve efficiency. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Islamic Pre-School Management and Its Implications towards Students’ Learning Quality Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosniati Hakim

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Islamic education in schools had not completely assessed the development of students’ character and personality. Therefore, additional religious education through non-formal education and religious practices were needed in Islamic Pre-Schools. It provided a forum to foster, develop, cultivate, and transform the religious value of the students to improve their personality. The purpose of this research was to examine social phenomenon that occur naturally through the facts related to management activities of students. Qualitative research was used in this study where the data taken from head of Islamic pre-school and the school deputy, teacher, staffs, mosque administrators of Baitul Haadi, administrator of the school, staffs of Ministry of Religious Affairs as well as Islamic pre-school inspectors, parents, community leaders, and administrators of professional organizations. The finding showed that students’ management applied in Islamic pre-school through the management functions is able to provide the successful of student’s education and learning implementation. It was also found that student management applied in Islamic pre-school is planning activities of students’ admission process through the administration regularly with various regulations related to the success of education. Thus, it is expected that the government will provide the guidance and implement constant supervision in accordance with applicable regulations.

MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Komarov V. F.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Scientists and managers pay great attention to improving planning and accounting at the enterprise level. Significantly less attention is paid to issues of theory and methodology of the personal planning and accounting activities of the managers themselves. This reason causes companies to sustain large losses. These losses could be avoided by introducing the company management technology, within which formalized procedures of personal planning and accounting would be implemented. It is necessary to implement the technology specifically. Because only the technology allows you to synchronize and harmonize the individual steps, procedures, operations of a process. Allows you to control the process. Eliminates the concept of «management is an art» or «management is a craft». In favor of the concept of «management is regulated by the procedural process». That allows to avoid dependence on personal qualities and whims of the agents. The technology is based on the principle of decomposing every activity into its component elements. This separation, on the one hand, allows to raise efficiency of implementation of individual stages, procedures, operations. On the other hand, conscious design and implementation of a rational sequence of steps, procedures, and operations give the system effect - increase in the productivity of human activity. In addition, technologies serve as a mediator between science and practice (scientific knowledge is transmitted to the economic and social spheres through technology, and help replicate best practices, promote specialization of human activity (and hence growth of labor productivity. This article investigates the nature and properties of management technologies, the technique of their design, describes the experience of building technology for personal planning and accounting activities of managers and specialists at specific enterprises.

Improving farmyard poultry production in Africa: Interventions and their economic assessment. Proceedings of a final research coordination meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-02-01

A major objective of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is to support research projects involving nuclear and related techniques leading to improved animal production in developing countries. Chicken produced on a relatively small scale, at the farmyard level, are an important source of animal protein for human consumption in developing countries. Limiting factors to maximize this resource include infectious diseases and overall production management. A Coordinated Research Project on Small Scale Poultry Production was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the impact and cost efficacy of inputs in management and veterinary care and provide guidelines to improve the livelihood of farmers. This publication contains the results of the FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project entitled Assessment of the Effectiveness of Vaccination Strategies against Newcastle Disease (ND) and Gumboro Disease (IBR) using Immunoassay-based Technologies for Increasing Farmyard Poultry Production in Africa. Thirteen research contract holders in Africa evaluated the major constraints to poultry production in different regions of their countries, analysed the disease situation, management and marketing practises and developed improved ND vaccination and husbandry strategies with the support of the four research agreement holders. This exercise highlighted the added benefit strategic vaccination had on the survival rate and the number of birds produced. A thermostable ND-vaccine seed strain (provided by CSIRO, Australia) reduced the cost of vaccination substantially, as it could be produced locally, with the added advantage of being thermo-resistant, thus reducing the need of a prolonged cool chain. This was further improved by the training of 'village vaccinators' performing vaccine inoculations without the need of veterinary staff on place, insuring vaccination frequency. The efficacy and the level of protection resulting from vaccination were evaluated based on

Improving farmyard poultry production in Africa: Interventions and their economic assessment. Proceedings of a final research coordination meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-02-15

A major objective of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is to support research projects involving nuclear and related techniques leading to improved animal production in developing countries. Chicken produced on a relatively small scale, at the farmyard level, are an important source of animal protein for human consumption in developing countries. Limiting factors to maximize this resource include infectious diseases and overall production management. A Coordinated Research Project on Small Scale Poultry Production was initiated in 1998 to evaluate the impact and cost efficacy of inputs in management and veterinary care and provide guidelines to improve the livelihood of farmers. This publication contains the results of the FAO/IAEA Coordinated Research Project entitled Assessment of the Effectiveness of Vaccination Strategies against Newcastle Disease (ND) and Gumboro Disease (IBR) using Immunoassay-based Technologies for Increasing Farmyard Poultry Production in Africa. Thirteen research contract holders in Africa evaluated the major constraints to poultry production in different regions of their countries, analysed the disease situation, management and marketing practises and developed improved ND vaccination and husbandry strategies with the support of the four research agreement holders. This exercise highlighted the added benefit strategic vaccination had on the survival rate and the number of birds produced. A thermostable ND-vaccine seed strain (provided by CSIRO, Australia) reduced the cost of vaccination substantially, as it could be produced locally, with the added advantage of being thermo-resistant, thus reducing the need of a prolonged cool chain. This was further improved by the training of 'village vaccinators' performing vaccine inoculations without the need of veterinary staff on place, insuring vaccination frequency. The efficacy and the level of protection resulting from vaccination were evaluated based on

Improved HOR fuel management by flux measurement data feedback

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serov, I.V.; Leege, P.F.A. de; Hoogenboom, J.E.; Gibcus, H.P.M. [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Physics Dep., Interfaculty Reactor Inst., Delft (Netherlands)

1997-07-01

Flux distribution in a nuclear reactor can be obtained by utilizing different calculational and experimental methods. The obtained flux distributions are associated with uncertainties and therefore always differ from each other. By combining information from the calculation and experiment using the confluence method, it is possible to obtain a more reliable estimate of the flux distribution than exhibited by the calculation or experiment separately. As a feedback, the fuel burnup distribution, which is used as initial data to the calculation can be improved as well. The confluence method is applied to improvement of the burnup distribution estimates for the HOR research reactor of the Delft University of Technology. An integrated code system CONHOR is developed to match the CITATION results of in-core foil activation rate calculations with in-core experimental data through confluence. The system forms the basis for the advanced fuel management of the reactor. (author)

Improved HOR fuel management by flux measurement data feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serov, I.V.; Leege, P.F.A. de; Hoogenboom, J.E.; Gibcus, H.P.M.

1997-01-01

Flux distribution in a nuclear reactor can be obtained by utilizing different calculational and experimental methods. The obtained flux distributions are associated with uncertainties and therefore always differ from each other. By combining information from the calculation and experiment using the confluence method, it is possible to obtain a more reliable estimate of the flux distribution than exhibited by the calculation or experiment separately. As a feedback, the fuel burnup distribution, which is used as initial data to the calculation can be improved as well. The confluence method is applied to improvement of the burnup distribution estimates for the HOR research reactor of the Delft University of Technology. An integrated code system CONHOR is developed to match the CITATION results of in-core foil activation rate calculations with in-core experimental data through confluence. The system forms the basis for the advanced fuel management of the reactor. (author)

[The research project: financing and management].

Science.gov (United States)

Schena, F P

2003-01-01

Basic and clinical research is accomplished by projects. The design of a project is not only based on the scientific content but also on its financing and management. This article wants to illustrate the correct modalities for project financing and project management in a scientific project.

Self-management as a strategy to improve the classroom behavior of adolescents with ADHD.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, E S; DuPaul, G J; Bradley-Klug, K L

1998-01-01

This article reports on the application of a self-management strategy for improving the classroom behavior of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Based on the work of Rhode, Morgan, and Young (1983), the intervention focuses on teaching students to systematically rate their own behavior according to the rating of their teacher. Although, historically, self-management strategies based on cognitive control have not been found to be effective for students with ADHD, strategies based on contingency management have not been widely reported in the literature. A description of the intervention and two case study illustrations are provided. Potential limitations and implications for research in using this strategy are discussed.

Applying Lean Six Sigma to improve medication management.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayar, Preethy; Ojha, Diptee; Fetrick, Ann; Nguyen, Anh T

2016-01-01

A significant proportion of veterans use dual care or health care services within and outside the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In this study conducted at a VHA medical center in the USA, the authors used Lean Six Sigma principles to develop recommendations to eliminate wasteful processes and implement a more efficient and effective process to manage medications for dual care veteran patients. The purpose of this study is to: assess compliance with the VHA's dual care policy; collect data and describe the current process for co-management of dual care veterans' medications; and draft recommendations to improve the current process for dual care medications co-management. Input was obtained from the VHA patient care team members to draw a process map to describe the current process for filling a non-VHA prescription at a VHA facility. Data were collected through surveys and direct observation to measure the current process and to develop recommendations to redesign and improve the process. A key bottleneck in the process that was identified was the receipt of the non-VHA medical record which resulted in delays in filling prescriptions. The recommendations of this project focus on the four domains of: documentation of dual care; veteran education; process redesign; and outreach to community providers. This case study describes the application of Lean Six Sigma principles in one urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in the Mid-Western USA to solve a specific organizational quality problem. Therefore, the findings may not be generalizable to other organizations. The Lean Six Sigma general principles applied in this project to develop recommendations to improve medication management for dual care veterans are applicable to any process improvement or redesign project and has valuable lessons for other VAMCs seeking to improve care for their dual care veteran patients. The findings of this project will be of value to VA providers and policy makers and health

The impact of leadership qualities on quality management improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ph. D. Radoslaw Wolniak

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Currently, the importance of leadership is considered more and more often in quality management. The need of an appropriate leader has been already emphasized in ISO 9000 standards, in TQM philosophy as well as in different models of improvement which are used in the methodologies of prizing quality. Yet, it is in the concept of TQL where the attitude based on the need of leadership in an organization has achieved its best-developed, full shape. On the basis of the conducted studies, the following publication presents the analysis of the dependence between leadership qualities of managers and the improvement of quality management. There has been an attempt to define the qualities, which a manager being responsible for quality management, should have.

The impact of leadership qualities on quality management improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radoslaw Wolniak

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Currently, the importance of leadership is considered more and more often in quality management. The need of an appropriate leader has been already emphasized in ISO 9000 standards, in TQM philosophy as well as in different models of improvement which are used in the methodologies of prizing quality. Yet, it is in the concept of TQL where the attitude based on the need of leadership in an organization has achieved its best-developed, full shape. On the basis of the conducted studies, the following publication presents the analysis of the dependence between leadership qualities of managers and the improvement of quality management. There has been an attempt to define the qualities, which a manager being responsible for quality management, should have.

A regional programme to improve skin cancer management.

Science.gov (United States)

McGeoch, Graham R; Sycamore, Mark J; Shand, Brett I; Simcock, Jeremy W

2015-12-01

In 2008, public specialist and general practice services in Canterbury were unable to manage demand for skin cancer treatment. Local clinicians decided the solution was to develop a see-and-treat skin excision clinic staffed by plastic surgeons and general practitioners (GPs), and the introduction of subsidised excisions in general practice. This paper describes the collaboration between clinicians, managers and funders and the results and quality management measures of these initiatives. There is an increasing incidence of skin cancer. GPs in Canterbury were unable to meet increasing demand for skin cancer treatment because some lacked confidence and competence in skin cancer management. There was no public funding for primary care management of skin cancer, driving patients to fully funded secondary care services. Secondary care services were at capacity, with no coordinated programme across primary and secondary care. The programme has resulted in a greater number of skin cancers being treated by the public health system, a reduction in waiting times for treatment, and fewer minor skin lesions being referred to secondary care. Quality measures have been achieved and are improving steadily. Development of the programme has improved working relationships between primary and secondary care clinicians. The strategy was to facilitate the working relationship between primary and secondary care and increase the capacity for skin lesion excisions in both sectors. Skin cancer management can be improved by a coordinated approach between primary and secondary care.

Research and quality improvement experience and knowledge: a nursing survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Jolene; Bagley, Lisa; Day, Suzanne; Holleran, Renee; Handrahan, Diana

2011-07-01

To assess nursing staff's background and research and quality improvement (QI) experience. In this corporation, participation in research and QI is encouraged, but little is known about nurses' experiences. A web-based survey was distributed. Nursing staffs from an academic/teaching medical centre and other intra-corporation non-academic facilities were compared. Respondents included: 148 (52.9%) medical centre and 132 (47.1%) non-medical centre subjects. Medical centre respondents had a higher proportion previously engaged in research, currently engaged in research and previously engaged in QI. Productivity (grant, published and presented) was low for both groups but statistically lower for the non-medical centre group. Medical centre employees used research resources more often than the non-medical centre. Time was the most frequently mentioned barrier to participation in research and QI initiatives. A moderate proportion of respondents had research and QI experience, yet productivity and use of resources was low. Nurses at non-academically focused facilities were in most need of assistance. Familiarizing nurses with resources and providing protected time may increase productivity. Developing an infrastructure to support nursing research is a worthy goal. Information about interest and experience of nurses can aid management in determining how to focus financial resources. © 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

MODEL OF IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY MULTI - SOFTWARE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jelena Jovanovic

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This paper is based on doctoral dissertation which is oriented on improving environmental management system using multi - software. In this doctoral dissertation will be used key results of master thesis which is oriented on quantification environmental aspects and impacts by artificial neural network in organizations. This paper recommend improving environmental management system in organization using Balanced scorecard model and MCDM method - AHP (Analytic hierarchy process based on group decision. BSC would be spread with elements of Environmental management system and used in area of strategic management system in organization and AHP would be used in area of checking results getting by quantification environmental aspects and impacts.

Research information meets research data management … in the library?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Clements

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Research data management (RDM is a major priority for many institutions as they struggle to cope with the plethora of pronouncements including funder policies, a G8 statement, REF2020 consultations, all stressing the importance of open data in driving everything from global innovation through to more accountable governance; not to mention the more direct possibility that non-compliance could result in grant income drying up. So, at the coalface, how do we become part of this global movement? In this article the author explains the approach being taken at the University of St Andrews, building on the research information management infrastructure (data, systems and people that has evolved since 2006. Continuing to navigate through the rapidly evolving research policy and cultural landscape, they aim to establish services to support their research community as it moves to this ‘open by default’ requirement of funders and governments.

Adapting Project Management Practices to Research-Based Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Bahr, P.; Baker, T.; Corbin, B.; Keith, L.; Loerch, L.; Mullenax, C.; Myers, R.; Rhodes, B.; Skytland, N.

2007-01-01

From dealing with the inherent uncertainties in outcomes of scientific research to the lack of applicability of current NASA Procedural Requirements guidance documentation, research-based projects present challenges that require unique application of classical project management techniques. If additionally challenged by the creation of a new program transitioning from basic to applied research in a technical environment often unfamiliar with the cost and schedule constraints addressed by project management practices, such projects can find themselves struggling throughout their life cycles. Finally, supplying deliverables to a prime vehicle customer, also in the formative stage, adds further complexity to the development and management of research-based projects. The Biomedical Research and Countermeasures Projects Branch at NASA Johnson Space Center encompasses several diverse applied research-based or research-enabling projects within the newly-formed Human Research Program. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the organizational structure and environment in which these projects operate and how the projects coordinate to address and manage technical requirements. We will identify several of the challenges (cost, technical, schedule, and personnel) encountered by projects across the Branch, present case reports of actions taken and techniques implemented to deal with these challenges, and then close the session with an open forum discussion of remaining challenges and potential mitigations.

Improving Our Odds: Success through Continuous Risk Management

Science.gov (United States)

Greenhalgh, Phillip O.

2009-01-01

Launching a rocket, running a business, driving to work and even day-to-day living all involve some degree of risk. Risk is ever present yet not always recognized, adequately assessed and appropriately mitigated. Identification, assessment and mitigation of risk are elements of the risk management component of the "continuous improvement" way of life that has become a hallmark of successful and progressive enterprises. While the application of risk management techniques to provide continuous improvement may be detailed and extensive, the philosophy, ideals and tools can be beneficially applied to all situations. Experiences with the use of risk identification, assessment and mitigation techniques for complex systems and processes are described. System safety efforts and tools used to examine potential risks of the Ares I First Stage of NASA s new Constellation Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) presently being designed are noted as examples. Recommendations from lessons learned are provided for the application of risk management during the development of new systems as well as for the improvement of existing systems. Lessons learned and suggestions given are also examined for applicability to simple systems, uncomplicated processes and routine personal daily tasks. This paper informs the reader of varied uses of risk management efforts and techniques to identify, assess and mitigate risk for improvement of products, success of business, protection of people and enhancement of personal life.

Improving patient satisfaction with pain management using Six Sigma tools.

Science.gov (United States)

DuPree, Erin; Martin, Lisa; Anderson, Rebecca; Kathuria, Navneet; Reich, David; Porter, Carol; Chassin, Mark R

2009-07-01

Patient satisfaction as a direct and public measure of quality of care is changing the way hospitals address quality improvement. The feasibility of using the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology to improve patient satisfaction as it relates to pain management was evaluated. This project used the DMAIC methodology to improve patients' overall satisfaction with pain management on two inpatient units in an urban academic medical center. Pre- and postintervention patient surveys were conducted. The DMAIC methodology provided a data-driven structure to determine the optimal improvement strategies, as well as a long-term plan for maintaining any improvements. In addition, the Change Acceleration Process (CAP) was used throughout the project's various DMAIC stages to further the work of the team by creating a shared need to meet the objectives of the project. Overall satisfaction with pain management "excellent" ratings increased from 37% to 54%. Both units surpassed the goal of at least 50% of responses in the "excellent" category. Several key drivers of satisfaction with pain management were uncovered in the Analyze phase of the project, and each saw rating increases from the pre-intervention to postintervention surveys. Ongoing monitoring by the hospital inpatient satisfaction survey showed that the pain satisfaction score improved in subsequent quarters as compared with the pre-intervention period. The Six Sigma DMAIC methodology can be used successfully to improve patient satisfaction. The project led to measurable improvements in patient satisfaction with pain management, which have endured past the duration of the Six Sigma project. The Control phase of DMAIC allows the improvements to be incorporated into daily operations.

Improving Water Demand Management by Addressing ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

IDRC CRDI

Efforts to conserve water by improving water demand management policies .... First, ensure fair access to sustainable water supply, as well as, responsible water use. ... Water policy can also mandate reducing the loss of quantity or quality of ...

Self-Management Interventions on Students with Autism: A Meta-Analysis of Single-Subject Research

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Monica E.; Moore, Dennis W.; Anderson, Angelika

2014-01-01

Self-management interventions aimed at skill acquisition and/or improving behavior of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders were examined. Twenty-three single-subject research design studies met inclusion criteria. Quality assessment of these studies was conducted using the What Works Clearinghouse guidelines, and treatment effect…

Data management and global change research: Technology and infrastructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrissey, W.A.

1993-01-01

There is a consensus among many scientists who would perform global change research that global-scale scientific data management programs and enabling policies need to be developed and implemented concomitantly with, if not in advance of, global change research programs. They are hopeful that US Federal government policies for scientific and technical data and information management will provide timely archival, analysis, and dissemination of global change research data and will enable them to share that data with colleagues, internationally. Federal data managers believe that data management technology and infrastructure requirements for global change research programs can be met through existing or planned enhancements to systems in operation used for scientific data gathering, processing, and dissemination. Scientists are concerned, however, that because of the scope and diversity of global change research programs entirely new systems and approaches to data management may need to be devised

The interplay of management accounting research and NPM health initiatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malmmose, Margit

This paper investigates the development of management accounting research in the context of New Public Management (NPM) initiatives in health care. Drawing on concepts from diffusion theory and earlier literature reviews, the paper examines the interplay between management accounting research...... and health care reforms in relation to country of origin, development, theoretical approach, research method and topic. The study thus establishes a different focus; namely the interrelationship between the development of management accounting research and practical socio-political NPM innovations. The study...... shows that management accounting techniques are increasingly adopted in governmental health reforms and diffused across nations, themes and initiatives through time with the result that wider social practices become more and more integrated in management accounting research themes...

Healthcare waste management research: A structured analysis and review (2005-2014).

Science.gov (United States)

Thakur, Vikas; Ramesh, A

2015-10-01

The importance of healthcare waste management in preserving the environment and protecting the public cannot be denied. Past research has dealt with various issues in healthcare waste management and disposal, which spreads over various journals, pipeline research disciplines and research communities. Hence, this article analyses this scattered knowledge in a systematic manner, considering the period between January 2005 and July 2014. The purpose of this study is to: (i) identify the trends in healthcare waste management literature regarding journals published; (ii) main topics of research in healthcare waste management; (iii) methodologies used in healthcare waste management research; (iv) areas most frequently researched by researchers; and (v) determine the scope of future research in healthcare waste management. To this end, the authors conducted a systematic review of 176 articles on healthcare waste management taken from the following eight esteemed journals: International Journal of Environmental Health Research, International Journal of Healthcare Quality Assurance, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Hazardous Material, Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, Resources, Conservations and Recycling, Waste Management, and Waste Management & Research. The authors have applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches for analysis, and results will be useful in the following ways: (i) results will show importance of healthcare waste management in healthcare operations; (ii) findings will give a comparative view of the various publications; (c) study will shed light on future research areas. © The Author(s) 2015.

Software Process Improvement Journey: IBM Australia Application Management Services

Science.gov (United States)

2005-03-01

See Section 5.1.2) - Client Relationship Management ( CRM ) processes-specifically, Solution Design and Solution Delivery - Worldwide Project Management ...plex systems life-cycle management , rapid solutions development, custom development, package selection and implementation, maintenance, minor...CarnegieMellon ___ Software Engineering Institute Software Process Improvement Journey: IBM Australia Application Management Services Robyn Nichols

Progress in the Legitimacy of Business and Management Education Research: Rejoinder to "Identifying Research Topic Development in Business and Management Education Research Using Legitimation Code Theory"

Science.gov (United States)

Bacon, Donald R.

2016-01-01

In this rejoinder to "Identifying Research Topic Development in Business and Management Education Research Using Legitimation Code Theory," published in the "Journal of Management Education," Dec 2016 (see EJ1118407), Donald R. Bacon discusses the similarities between Arbaugh et al.'s (2016) findings and the scholarship…

Managing the accountability-autonomy tensions in university research commercialisation

OpenAIRE

Narayan, Anil K.; Northcott, Deryl; Parker, Lee D.

2017-01-01

This article investigates organisational responses to emerging concerns about how accountability–autonomy tensions can be managed within the context of university research commercialisation. The findings suggest that changed expectations of university research practices, which result from the introduction of a commercialisation logic, can be managed via the homogenisation of research goals and strategies. The successful management of accountability–autonomy tensions also depends on utilising ...

On Management Matters: Why We Must Improve Public Health Management Through Action: Comment on "Management Matters: A Leverage Point for Health Systems Strengthening in Global Health".

Science.gov (United States)

Willacy, Erika; Bratton, Shelly

2015-09-30

Public health management is a pillar of public health practice. Only through effective management can research, theory, and scientific innovation be translated into successful public health action. With this in mind, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed an innovative program called Improving Public Health Management for Action (IMPACT) which aims to address this critical need by building an effective cadre of public health managers to work alongside scientists to prepare for and respond to disease threats and to effectively implement public health programs. IMPACT is a 2-year, experiential learning program that provides fellows with the management tools and opportunities to apply their new knowledge in the field, all while continuing to serve the Ministry of Health (MoH). IMPACT will launch in 2016 in 2 countries with the intent of expanding to additional countries in future years resulting in a well-trained cadre of public health managers around the world. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Effective utilization and management of research reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muranaka, R [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). Div. of Research and Isotopes

1984-06-01

The problem of utilizing a research reactor effectively is closely related to its management and therefore should not be considered separately. Too often, attention has been focused on specific techniques and methods rather than on the overall programme of utilization, with the result that skills and equipment have been acquired without any active continuing programme of applications and services. The seminar reported here provided a forum for reactor managers, users, and operators to discuss their experience. At the invitation of the Government of Malaysia, it was held at the Asia Pacific Development Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from 7 to 11 November 1983. It was attended by about 50 participants from 19 Member States; it is hoped that a report on the seminar, including papers presented, can be published and thus reach a wider audience. Thirty-one lectures and contributions were presented at a total of seven sessions: Research reactor management; Radiation exposure and safety; Research reactor utilization (two sessions); PUSPATI Research Reactor Project Development; Core conversion to low-enriched uranium, and safeguards; Research reactor technology. In addition, a panel discussed the causes and resolutions of the under-utilization of research reactors.

Effective utilization and management of research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muranaka, R.

1984-01-01

The problem of utilizing a research reactor effectively is closely related to its management and therefore should not be considered separately. Too often, attention has been focused on specific techniques and methods rather than on the overall programme of utilization, with the result that skills and equipment have been acquired without any active continuing programme of applications and services. The seminar reported here provided a forum for reactor managers, users, and operators to discuss their experience. At the invitation of the Government of Malaysia, it was held at the Asia Pacific Development Centre, Kuala Lumpur, from 7 to 11 November 1983. It was attended by about 50 participants from 19 Member States; it is hoped that a report on the seminar, including papers presented, can be published and thus reach a wider audience. Thirty-one lectures and contributions were presented at a total of seven sessions: Research reactor management; Radiation exposure and safety; Research reactor utilization (two sessions); PUSPATI Research Reactor Project Development; Core conversion to low-enriched uranium, and safeguards; Research reactor technology. In addition, a panel discussed the causes and resolutions of the under-utilization of research reactors

Research report of fiscal 1997. Research on the projects on Activities Implemented Jointly Japan Program (feasibility research on energy saving by improving heat management for hot blast stoves and heating furnaces); 1997 nendo chosa hokokusho. `Kyodo jisshi katsudo Japan Program` ni kakawaru project chosa (neppuro, kanetsuro no netsukanri kaizen ni yoru sho energy kanosei chosa)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

Research was made on joint implementation (JI) for preventing global climate changes in China. Since such the stove and furnace consume a large amount of energy, their improvement and energy saving are important for integrated iron plants. Maanshan iron plant was selected for the research. All the furnaces were manually operated without combustion control systems, and oxygen meters for exhaust gas frequently troubled. As measures for the stoves, operation at a proper air fuel ratio, improvement of over heat storage combustion, and dust cleaning for waste heat recovery gas heaters were proposed. For the furnaces, a proper oxygen content at the end of furnaces (reduction of invasion air) was proposed to improve exhaust gas loss up to that in Japan. For this target, reinforced instrument management and standardized combustion control are essential. JI of software improvement for operation and management can reduce annual greenhouse effect gas emission to 45,900t and 6,300t in carbon equivalent for the stove and furnace, respectively. CO2 reduction is also estimated to be 1,173,000t and 205,000t in China of 107,570,000t in raw steel production, respectively. 28 figs., 32 tabs.

IMPROVEMENT OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna E. Gorokhova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The subject / topic: The subject of this article is very actual in the light of formation of post-industrial economy and need of improvement of methods, tools and mechanisms of management of economic subjects. The main reason for low efficiency of the industrial enterprises consists now that the developed stereotypes of managing and the applied methods of management don't conform to requirements of market economy. In article advantages of introduction of instruments of strategic management in activity of the industrial enterprises are considered.The purpose / objectives: The purpose of article is the analysis of the directions of improvement of strategic management of the industrial enterprise in modern economic conditions. Objectives of the article: To investigate differences of strategic management of the industrial enterprise from traditional, to analyse modern strategy of the industrial enterprises, to reveal their features and scopes.Methodology: A methodical basis of this article are comparative methods of the analysis.The Results: Difference of strategic management of the industrial enterprise from the traditional is investigated. Possibility of strategic development of the industrial companies only at systematic introduction of innovations is proved. Modern strategy of development of the industrial enterprises are analysed: modern strategy of development in retail networks of sales of mobile phones, outsourcing strategy, strategy of development of the company on the basis of a matrix «a growth / share of the market», strategy of fight for intellectual leadership, strategy of ecosystems of J. F. Moore; their features and scopes are revealed.Conclusions / significance: It is necessary to expand practical use of instruments of strategic management in activity of the industrial enterprises as they allow to increase management efficiency as a result of the accounting of opportunities and threats of environment and current state of the

Waste management research abstracts no. 21

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-12-01

The 21th issue of this publication contains over 700 abstracts from 35 IAEA Member Countries comprehending various aspects of radioactive waste management. Radioactive waste disposal, processing and storage, geochemical and geological investigations related to waste management, mathematical models and environmental impacts are reviewed. Many programs involve cooperation among several countries and further international cooperation is expected to be promoted through availability of compiled information on research programs, institutions and scientists engaged in waste management