Using Lean Six Sigma to improve mobile order fulfilment process in a telecom service sector

This study proposes and follows a specific and systematic framework for implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology in a telecom company in order to improve customer satisfaction by minimizing the company’s response time to customer requirements. The goal of this study was achieved by utilizing several LSS tools under five phases of the DMAIC methodology. Unlike previous studies in the telecom sector that used only qualitative method, in this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to draw meaningful conclusions. As a result of the implementation of the LSS methodology, the average order fulfilment lead time for sales orders (SO) and value-added service (VAS) orders was reduced from 10.3 to 5.9 days and from 1.5 to 0.5 days, respectively. The reduction in lead time resulted in an increase in the sigma level for SO and VAS orders from 0.44 to 1.26 and from 0.73 to 2.66, respectively. These improvements were expected to lead to a financial benefit in savings of over $600,000 per year in operational costs, enhancements to customer experience and an increase in revenue generating opportunities. Moreover, this article enriches the existing literature on the application of LSS concept in the service industry, and helps the company to speed up the response to customer requirements.     

Relationship between duration of second stage of labour and postpartum anaemia

Aim

To assess the relationship between the duration of the second stage of labour and postpartum anaemia during vaginal birth.

Engaging leader – Engaged employees? A cross-lagged study on employee engagement

The goal of this study is to provide a cross-lagged examination of the relationships between engaging leadership, job resources and employee work engagement. We propose a mediation model and we postulate that engaging leadership can increase perceptions of three specific job resources (i.e. autonomy, support from colleagues and opportunities for learning and development) which theoretically correspond to the three facets of engaging leadership (i.e., inspiring, connecting and strengthening, respectively). Subsequently, in keeping with the extant body of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) research, we link job resources to employee work engagement. Our hypotheses were tested on data collected at two time-points – T1 (N = 759) and T2 (N = 273) –from employees working for a hotel chain in the Netherlands. In line with our expectations, engaging leadership showed a significant cross-lagged relationship with autonomy and support from colleagues, but did not predict learning opportunities and work engagement across time. While we formulated specific hypotheses, we also tested reversed causation relationships. We found no direct effect from engaging leadership on employee work engagement, however, the reversed effect was significant; employee perceptions of engaging leadership were shaped by their own engagement experiences. Importantly, engaged employees at T1 reported more job resources at T2. By providing a cross-lagged examination of our model, we showed that engaging leaders as well as employees’ positive affective state of being engaged, are essential to shaping a resourceful work context. A comprehensive view on the triggers and outcomes of work engagement and engaging leadership is needed, as the traditional unidirectional cause-effect rationale fails to explain how these concepts relate to one another and to employee experiences of job resources.     

Squashed dreams and rare breeds: ableism and the arbiters of life and death

The week beginning 29 June 2015 is not just historic for the closure of the Independent Living Fund in the United Kingdom, but for me was the week they decided that my life is not worth investing in; they being NHS England, NICE and, with them, the Department of Health. They chose not to support the enzyme replacement therapy that has been not only keeping me alive, but giving me a quality of life – enabling me to return to finish my Disability Studies PhD exploring how Christian leaders explain disability, where ethics have become the main topic, and to rebuild my career – or so I thought.     

社会发展内涵探析

作为马克思主义哲学研究的社会发展，不是对具体的社会发展问题进行实证研究，而主要是运用逻辑手段，对复杂的社会发展现象进行抽象、概括，揭示出社会整体发展的普遍本质和一般规律。为了对社会发展有一个较为全面的理解，从社会、社会革命、社会变迁、社会转型与社会发展之间的关系入手进行了探讨。     

富裕社会中贫困的消除：加尔布雷思的探究及启示

贫困表现为人的基本需要得不到满足，“富裕社会”中的贫困表现为私人生产、物质生产的过剩和公共生产、精神生产的不足。加尔布雷思认为，美国“富裕社会”中贫困的原因是不平衡的“二元经济体系”，只要实行“新社会主义”，实现“计划体系”和“市场体系”的平衡，就能解决“富裕”背后的贫困问题。由于这一设想是以不改变资本主义的经济基础为前提的，所以，只能是一种治标不治本的改良。只有扬弃经济学的“传统智慧”，建构以促进“每个人的自由发展”为目标的“全面生产”经济学，才能从根本上消除“富裕社会”中的贫困问题。     

要素匹配与中国投资效率空间差异性——基于双层嵌套型函数的分解研究

本文基于四要素双层嵌套的生产函数，利用1990-2016年全国层面及省际层面数据测算投资效率，并分析其空间结构特征及演变轨迹，检验投资效率匹配效应影响因素。研究发现：①1990-2016年我国整体投资效率呈下降趋势，资本-技能劳动匹配效应与整体投资效率走势趋同，快速累积的资本存量和不断升级的资本质量与短缺的技能劳动之间矛盾突出。②东中西部地区投资效率增长非一致性明显。东部地区资本相对投资效率明显高于中西部，但下降幅度大于中西部，中西部与东部地区之间差距缩小，其中匹配效应是区域间投资效率非平衡的主要成因。③若产业结构升级的技能劳动需求不能满足，将引发要素错配，不利于有效投资。房价与工资提升分别通过影响技能劳动供给和需求抑制要素匹配效率；教育和公路设施会对地区要素匹配产生积极影响，改善地区间投资效率非均衡性；地区投资效率存在显著正向空间相关性，毗邻地区的要素流动和经济发展相近地区的技术溢出均对投资效率产生积极的影响。     

浙江省新生代农民工继续教育状况研究

中共中央、国务院印发的《新时期产业工人队伍建设改革方案》提出,要帮助"新生代农民工增加受教育培训机会,提高专业技能和胜任岗位能力",并将教育作为促进农民工融入城市,成为稳定就业的产业工人的重要路径。以浙江省11个地级市的服务行业、建筑行业、制造业的从业人员为主要调查对象,了解浙江省新生代农民工接受继续教育的现状与特点,发现新生代农民工存在自身接受继续教育的动力意愿不足、企业进行职业技能培训投资的动力意愿不足等问题,并据此提出要做好终身教育宣传、搭建继续教育平台、优化在职培训模式等解决办法。     

试述马克思主义大众化传播应坚持的四个基本原则

马克思主义大众化传播是一个极其复杂、艰巨的社会系统工程。学术界对于马克思主义大众化传播应该坚持什么样的原则和方法也是众说纷纭。从当代世界和中国现实情况、信息传播技术飞速发展的时代背景,以及马克思主义理论创新发展的内在规律出发,马克思主义大众化传播应坚持指导思想一元和文化价值多元的统一、理论逻辑和生活逻辑的统一、科学性与通俗性的统一、传承性和开放性的统一等四个基本原则。     

从“以人为本”到政府“公信”--新世纪初政府公信力构建的进路评析

政府公信力是政府凭籍自身信用赢得公众信任的能力，十六大以来，党在施政理念上强调"以人为本"，在执政行为上关注"民生"；在绩效上彰显公平正义，施政方略渗透着人文关怀因素，政府公信力得到了有效提升。但由于腐败现象没有得到有效控制，党风廉政与制度化建设相对滞后，政府公信力也受到了冲击。在新一代领导集体治国理政中，"改革"成为新的常态，防腐败斗争与党风廉政建设取得了伟大成就，政府公信力的重振业已开启。