An empirical assessment of the operational performance through internal benchmarking: a case of a global logistics firm

This article solves an operational performance measurement problem of a global logistics firm through an internal benchmarking tool. The intended impact is to enable logistics firms to form a deeper understanding of their own internal processes and metrics. The methodology of this in-depth action research involves a sequential approach with a series of interviews, questionnaire-based surveys, operations data collated through observations and process mapping yielding real-world data. A series of statistical tests are conducted to analyse the collated data. Strategic priorities of the firm are integrated with the firm’s operational performance to ascertain the effective performance by considering both the tangible and intangible measures. The outcomes inform both practitioners and academics how the firm could improve its freight forwarding business’s profitability by ensuring that its operations meet the prioritised criteria. The ‘best practice’ derived from internal benchmarking forms an intermediate step towards external benchmarking. The outcomes facilitate investigating the current business strategy, the standard operating procedures and the scope of improving those.     

Use of Redundant Industrial Buildings as Injections into the Cultural Sector in Norway

Prime aim is to examine the way the culture sector reuses industrial buildings to instigate cultural activities in the municipalities. The discussion of various actors’ motivation for engagement is based on results from a case study, supplemented with findings from a coarse-meshed telephone survey. At national level overarching political guidelines can be traced back to white papers concerning cultural policy, urban transformation and cultural heritage, and the municipalities’ cultural policies mirror these guidelines. What tends to decide if such initiatives are considered successful are local abilities to cross sectorial divisions and instigate cooperation between municipal planners, private entrepreneurs and NGOs.     

考虑时效与公平性的震后应急物资动态配送优化研究

大规模地震后应急物资的高效保障是应急救援有效开展的必要前提。震后应急物资运输与配送包括从区域储备仓库和外围物资集散地运输到区域应急配送中心、由区域应急配送中心配送到各个受灾点两个阶段。应急物资保障具有持续时间长、需求紧迫性强和物资相对短缺等特点。本文以应急物资保障时效性与分配公平性为目标,建立了考虑多种运输方式、多时段动态的应急物资配送中心选址与运输配送路径优化的多目标规划模型,并基于此模型设计了一种带精英策略的非支配排序的遗传算法,以九寨沟地区地震灾难情景对模型进行实证研究,验证了模型和算法的有效性,以期为震后应急物资保障提供理论指导与决策支持。     

Does compassion go viral? Social media,caring, and the Fort McMurray wildfire

ABSTRACT

In May 2016, an enormous wildfire threatened the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta and forced the evacuation of all of the city’s residents. Outpourings of support teemed in from all across Canada and over the world, prompting the largest charitable response in Canadian Red Cross history. This paper examines Albertans’ response to the wildfire by exploring caring and helping behaviors as well as the role of social media in facilitating these remarkable charitable efforts. The paper uses mixed methods including an analysis of the most popular Tweets related to the wildfire and an Alberta survey collected months after the disaster. The analysis of tweets reveals that care, concern, and invitations to help were prominent in social media discourse about the wildfire. The analysis of survey data demonstrates that those who followed news about the wildfire on social media express higher overall levels of care and concern for those affected, which led to helping those impacted by the wildfire. The findings provide important insights about the role of social media in disaster relief and recovery as well as citizens’ civic engagement.     

Understanding engagement in the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) from the perspectives of individuals receiving treatment

ABSTRACT

Engagement of individuals with serious mental illnesses in community mental health services is a significant challenge. The Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is an individual-centered and self-contained mental health program that provides psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to persons with serious mental illness who have a history of or likelihood of disengagement with services. Understanding what helps and hinders consumers’ involvement in PACT services may provide information on how to tailor engagement strategies to individuals based on their treatment needs and preferences. The current study builds on existing studies by exploring factors that help and hinder engagement in PACT services from the perspectives of individuals receiving treatment. We conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 17 individuals receiving PACT services. Nine themes were identified through thematic analysis: Desirable qualities of PACT, Focusing on positive outcomes, PACT as a safety net, Recovery orientation, Practical barriers, Conflictual relationships, and Medication side-effects. We conclude that the development of a trusting, therapeutic relationship that is collaborative and person-centered and that is facilitated by both practical and emotional support is critical to engaging individuals in treatment and maximizing positive outcomes.     

Trauma management: Chernobyl in Belarus and Ukraine

Although the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in the Soviet Union in 1986, we still do not know how the most affected states – Ukraine and Belarus – have managed this tragedy since independence. Drawing on the concept of cultural trauma, this article compares Chernobyl narratives in Belarus and Ukraine over the past 28 years. It shows that national narratives of Chernobyl differ, representing the varying ways in which the state overcomes trauma. Our understanding of post‐communist transformations can be improved by analysing trauma management narratives and their importance for new national identity construction. These narratives also bring new insights to our vision of cultural trauma by linking it to ontological insecurity. The article demonstrates how the state can become an arena of trauma process as it commands material and symbolic resources to deal with trauma. In general, it contributes to a better understanding of how the same traumatic event can become a source of solidarity in one community, but a source of hostility in another.     

英语写作策略分类探讨

英语写作策略分类研究是一个基础研究课题,对英语写作研究及写作教学实践具有实际价值和现实意义。本文分析了目前研究中的英语写作策略分类存在的问题,并回顾了英语写作及策略的相关理论,提出了英语写作及写作策略的学习和产出性质,最后文章提出了一个便于取舍同时也便于实证研究展开与操作的英语写作策略分类框架。     

可预测性灾害中网民情感传播特征研究

以台风“山竹”为例,基于微博数据,综合运用社会网络分析、文本情感分析等方法,分析网民情感传播网络的结构特征、传播层次及路径,探究关键节点的情感影响力和传播路径上的情感变化,并总结出网民情感传播特征。研究结果表明：可预测性灾害中灾前阶段的网民情感传播最为活跃,变化也更为复杂;网民情感传播路径较长,情感倾向会受到多个传播节点直接和间接的综合影响;网民情感传播路径上转发量较大的关键节点对网民情感的影响力更为显著。     

基于全球供应链的产业集群发展战略

产业集群和供应链管理是提升地区或产业竞争力的两种重要途径。将两种竞争战略结合在一起,可以最大化地获得分工经济和规模经济,促进地域专业化分工体系的形成,并强化地区或产业链持续的竞争优势。     

产品设计与文化策略

随着社会经济的发展,人们对现代产品已不再满足产品功能带来的物质享受,而是更多地追求产品的文化内涵和艺术价值。因此,现代产品设计应加强文化策略,赋予产品以文化品格,从而体现产品设计的独特文化风格和精神魅力,使现代产品设计在国际市场竞争中立于不败之地。