Co-production and co-creation using self-service technology: the application of service-dominant logic

Research on how customers engage in the co-creation processes envisaged by the Servicedominant logic paradigm is currently limited and even less work has been published on frameworks for organizations to manage the co-creation process. This conceptual paper examines a particular aspect of co-creation: co-production as a result of the application of self-service technology (SST). We propose a conceptual framework for co-production, which emphasizes the need to understand productivity from the point of view of the customer, and demonstrate how this can be applied in both consumer (b2c) and interorganizational(b2b) contexts. We conclude that service organizations might benefit from clearly identifying co-production with task-performance, and co-creation with the valueattributing aspects of the customer service experience. Both aspects generate a range of design and management challenges for suppliers particularly the need to understand the cocreation process 'outputs' desired by customers and the full costs of moving away from person to person interaction.

Technology transfer in Britain: the case of monoclonal antibodies

In 1975 two Cambridge scientists published a short article in Nature which announced the discovery of monoclonal antibodies. The article concluded ‘Such cultures could be valuable for medical and industrial use’. The interest which developed by the end of the decade in the industrial and financial possibilities of the new prospects opening up in biotechnology was to throw the apparent ‘failure’ to follow‐up the potentialities of this discovery into a public prominence rarely achieved by scientific discoveries. By the time Mrs Thatcher came to power it had become a scandal, another example of Britain's apparent inability to exploit effectively the brilliance of its scientific base. It was to explore both the process of scientific discovery and the conditions in Cambridge which nurtured it, and the issues which this particular discovery raised in the area of technology transfer (and the changes of policy that ensued), that the Wellcome Trust's History of Twentieth Century Medicine Group and the Institute of Contemporary British History organised this special witness seminar. It was held at the Wellcome Trust in London on 24 September 1993. The seminar was chaired by Sir Christopher Booth and introduced by Dr Robert Bud of the Science Museum. Those participating included the two authors of the Nature article, Dr César Milstein and Dr Georges Köhler, who received a Nobel Prize for their research, Dr Basil Bard (National Research Development Corporation [NRDC] 1950–74), Sir James Gowans (Secretary of the Medical Research Council [MRC] 1977–87), Sir John Gray (Secretary of the MRC 1968–77), John Newell (BBC World Service science correspondent 1969–79), Dr David Owen (MRC), and Dr David Secher (Laboratory of Molecular Biology [LMB], Cambridge). There were also contributions from Dr Ita Askonas (former head of immunology at the National Institute for Medical Research), Dr John Galloway (former member of MRC headquarters staff), Dr David Tyrrell (former Director, MRC Common Cold Unit), Professor Miles Weatherall (head of Therapeutic Research Division, Wellcome Research Laboratories 1967–75), Dr Guil Winchester (post‐doctoral fellow, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine), and Dr Peter Williams (former Director of the Wellcome Trust). The organisers would like to thank the Wellcome Trust for hosting and sponsoring the seminar. We would like to dedicate this publication to the memory of Georges Köhler, who sadly died in April 1995 before this could appear.

The state and the development of an information society: Greek policy and experience

The paper looks into the dynamics of information society policy and its implementation in the Greek context. It argues that information society development is a contested process, influenced by pre-existing state, economy and society relations. Based on this, it looks into the different aspects of the idiosyncratic path which the evolution of the Greek information society has followed, particularly after 2000. Using Bob Jessop's strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state as an analytical framework and drawing on a number of in-depth interviews with relevant political actors, it provides insights into policy implementation by examining: the public management of information technology projects, how such projects were received in bureaucratic structures and practices, as well as the relationship between the state and the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in public procurement processes. The emphasis is on the period 2000–2008, during which a major operational programme on the information society in Greece was put into effect. The paper also touches upon the post-2008 experience, suggesting that information society developments might include dynamics operating independently and even in contradiction to the state agenda.

Electrospun pH-sensitive core–shell polymer nanocomposites fabricated using a tri-axial process

A modified tri-axial electrospinning process was developed for the generation of a new type of pH-sensitive polymer/lipid nanocomposite. The systems produced are able to promote both dissolution and permeation of a model poorly water-soluble drug. First, we show that it is possible to run a tri-axial process with only one of the three fluids being electrospinnable. Using an electrospinnable middle fluid of Eudragit S100 (ES100) with pure ethanol as the outer solvent and an unspinnable lecithin-diclofenac sodium (PL–DS) core solution, nanofibers with linear morphology and clear core/shell structures can be fabricated continuously and smoothly. X-ray diffraction proved that these nanofibers are structural nanocomposites with the drug present in an amorphous state. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrated that the formulations could preclude release in acidic conditions, and that the drug was released from the fibers in two successive steps at neutral pH. The first step is the dissolution of the shell ES100 and the conversion of the core PL–DS into sub-micron sized particles. This frees some DS into solution, and later the remaining DS is gradually released from the PL–DS particles through diffusion. Ex vivo permeation results showed that the composite nanofibers give a more than twofold uplift in the amount of DS passing through the colonic membrane as compared to pure DS; 74% of the transmitted drug was in the form of PL–DS particles. The new tri-axial electrospinning process developed in this work provides a platform to fabricate structural nanomaterials, and the core–shell polymer-PL nanocomposites we have produced have significant potential applications for oral colon-targeted drug delivery.

Business Process Modelling based on formal temporal theory with an application to hospital patient flows

Existing Workflow Management Systems (WFMSs) follow a pragmatic approach. They often use a proprietary modelling language with an intuitive graphical layout. However the underlying semantics lack a formal foundation. As a consequence, analysis issues, such as proving correctness i.e. soundness and completeness, and reliable execution are not supported at design level. This project will be using an applied ontology approach by formally defining key terms such as process, sub-process, action/task based on formal temporal theory. Current business process modelling (BPM) standards such as Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) and Unified Modelling Language (UML) Activity Diagram (AD) model their constructs with no logical basis. This investigation will contribute to the research and industry by providing a framework that will provide grounding for BPM to reason and represent a correct business process (BP). This is missing in the current BPM domain, and may result in reduction of the design costs and avert the burden of redundant terms used by the current standards. A graphical tool will be introduced which will implement the formal ontology defined in the framework. This new tool can be used both as a modelling tool and at the same time will serve the purpose of validating the model. This research will also fill the existing gap by providing a unified graphical representation to represent a BP in a logically consistent manner for the mainstream modelling standards in the fields of business and IT. A case study will be conducted to analyse a catalogue of existing ‘patient pathways’ i.e. processes, of King’s College Hospital NHS Trust including current performance statistics. Following the application of the framework, a mapping will be conducted, and new performance statistics will be collected. A cost/benefits analysis report will be produced comparing the results of the two approaches.

A general framework for Business Process Modelling (BPM) based on Formal Temporal Theory with an application to Hospital Patient flows

Existing Workflow Management Systems (WFMSs) follow a pragmatic approach. They often use a proprietary modelling language with an intuitive graphical layout. However the underlying semantics lack a formal foundation. As a consequence, analysis issues, such as proving correctness i.e. soundness and completeness, and reliable execution are not supported at design level. This project will be using an applied ontology approach by formally defining key terms such as process, sub-process, action/task based on formal temporal theory. Current business process modelling (BPM) standards such as Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) and Unified Modelling Language (UML) Activity Diagram (AD) model their constructs with no logical basis. This investigation will contribute to the research and industry by providing a framework that will provide grounding for BPM to reason and represent a correct business process (BP). This is missing in the current BPM domain, and may result in reduction of the design costs and avert the burden of redundant terms used by the current standards. A graphical tool will be introduced which will implement the formal ontology defined in the framework. This new tool can be used both as a modelling tool and at the same time will serve the purpose of validating the model. This research will also fill the existing gap by providing a unified graphical representation to represent a BP in a logically consistent manner for the mainstream modelling standards in the fields of business and IT. A case study will be conducted to analyse a catalogue of existing ‘patient pathways’ i.e. processes, of King’s College Hospital NHS Trust including current performance statistics. Following the application of the framework, a mapping will be conducted, and new performance statistics will be collected. A cost/benefits analysis report will be produced comparing the results of the two approaches.