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Insights and future directions in service design:a global perspective
Get PDFPurpose This article critically reviews the evolution of the service design literature over the past two decades, with a particular focus on its maturation and application in a global context. The study aims to address gaps and inconsistencies in existing knowledge and to propose a comprehensive research agenda for future studies. Design/methodology/approach The study applies three co-citation bibliometric methods including multidimensional scaling (MDS), hierarchical clustering (HCA), as well as exploratory factor analysis (EFA) together with text-mining techniques to conduct a systematic review and chart the intellectual and conceptual foundations of the service design field. Findings The analysis maps the intellectual and conceptual structures of the service design domain. The co-citation analysis produced five clusters/factors from the EFA and HCA, identifying five groups that highlight the theoretical underpinnings of the field. In addition, the text-mining analysis shows that themes such as customers, technology and the international market are among the most dominant in the literature. Taking together, these findings provide a consolidated understanding of the fragmented service design field, which not only highlights existing gaps but also supports researchers in developing and proposing more integrative, globally relevant conceptual frameworks for future studies. Research limitations/implications While the combination of bibliometric and text mining techniques offers objectivity and breadth, some context-specific nuances may be overlooked. The findings underscore the necessity for future research to develop unified frameworks and region-specific models to address the complexity of global service ecosystems. Practical implications The proposed integrative framework assists organisations in aligning their service design strategies with emerging global trends and practices, supporting more effective international marketing and service delivery. Originality/value This study is among the first to provide a holistic, mixed-methods review of service design from a global perspective. It advances the literature by integrating diverse research streams and offering actionable directions for both scholars and practitioners in international marketing
Addition of early vocational advice to usual primary care on sickness absence in employed adults: exploratory findings from the discontinued WAVE Randomised Controlled Trial
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To describe exploratory findings and lessons learned from the discontinued WAVE trial, which sought to determine the effectiveness and costs of adding an early vocational advice intervention to usual primary care on number of days of sickness absence over 6 months. METHODS: Pragmatic, multicentre, two-parallel arm, superiority, randomised controlled trial with health economic analysis in 10 general practices in England, with nested qualitative interviews. Population: Adults with fit notes for any health condition, absent from work ≥ 2 weeks and ≤ 6 months were invited to participate. Intervention and comparator: Participants were randomised (1 : 1) to usual primary care with/without vocational advice delivered by trained Vocational Support Workers. The planned sample size was 720, the first 4 months of recruitment served as an internal pilot phase and the primary outcome was self-reported days of work absence over 6 months. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty participants were recruited from 7955 invitations (May 2022-May 2023) before trial closure (64 usual care, 66 usual care plus vocational advice). Exploratory analysis of 125 participants (with outcome data) indicated small additional benefits of the vocational advice intervention over usual care [mean days absence = 37.86 (standard deviation = 48.76) vs. usual care = 42.66 (standard deviation = 57.67), incidence rate ratio = 0.913, 80% confidence interval (0.653 to 1.276)]. The vocational advice intervention was delivered remotely [mean = 4.8 contacts (range 1-12)]. Partial health economic evaluation found lower work productivity losses at 6 months after vocational advice intervention (£5513.84, standard deviation = £7101.43) compared to usual care (£6146.21, standard deviation = £8431.88). CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE WORK: Exploratory analysis indicated a signal of effect, with differences in the number of days absent from work, costs and secondary outcomes. Key lessons learned included the need for closer working with primary care teams and more flexible recruitment methods. A future fully powered randomised controlled trial of vocational advice intervention added to usual primary care is needed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. FUNDING: This article presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme as award number 17/94/49
PLGA nanoparticle-integrated microneedles for controlled transdermal delivery of ADT-OH to ameliorate endothelial dysfunction in vitro
Get PDFEndothelial dysfunction, a central feature of vascular diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis, is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Hydrogen sulphide-donors such as ADT-OH provide vascular protection but suffer from rapid clearance and poor bioavailability. To address this, we developed a dual-polymer delivery system that integrates biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles within poly(vinyl alcohol) microneedles to achieve sustained transdermal release of ADT-OH. Microneedle arrays were fabricated from poly(vinyl alcohol) and trehalose, incorporating free ADT-OH or ADT-OH–loaded PLGA nanoparticles. Mechanical strength and insertion capacity of polymeric microneedles were characterised, followed by ex-vivo Franz diffusion studies in murine skin. The polymer system was further evaluated for its ability to preserve drug activity in a HUVEC model of endothelial dysfunction. Nanoparticles were successfully prepared and characterised by STEM imaging and HPLC-UV, confirming efficient encapsulation. Incorporation into dissolving microneedles did not compromise their structural integrity or penetration efficiency. Compared with unencapsulated drug, nanoparticle-loaded ADT-OH observed sustained release (56.3 ± 7.4% vs. 40.2 ± 7.2% in 24h). In endothelial dysfunction models, TNF-α stimulation elevated IL-6 secretion (80.63 ± 9.90pg/mL), which was suppressed by permeated ADT-OH (48.17 ± 9.64pg/mL, p<0.0001). Treatment significantly reduced intracellular ROS and preserved mitochondrial function. Permeated ADT-OH retained pro-angiogenic activity, significantly enhancing HUVEC tube formation (p≤0.01). This study demonstrates that integrating poly(vinyl alcohol) microneedles with PLGA nanoparticles provides a polymer-based platform for minimally invasive, sustained delivery of hydrogen sulphide-donors. The system preserved anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-angiogenic activities of ADT-OH, underscoring its potential to restore endothelial function
Multi-objective integrated sustainable supply chain scheduling with environmentally friendly and time windows freight transportation
Get PDFIntegrated sustainable supply chain scheduling (ISSCS) is essential for minimizing distribution costs, reducing environmental impacts, and improving customer service. This study develops a bi-objective mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model that simultaneously optimizes single-machine production scheduling, due-date assignment, batch delivery decisions, and heterogeneous-fleet vehicle routing with customer-specific time windows. The objectives are to reduce freight transportation and emission costs while minimizing delivery tardiness. Numerical experiments based on real operational data validate the model using the -constraint method, which produces Pareto-optimal solutions with relative gaps below 0.8%. For large-scale instances, two multi-objective metaheuristics, Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO), are designed, tuned using Taguchi analysis, and evaluated using generational distance, mean ideal distance, spacing, diversity, and computational time. Experimental results show that NSGA-II delivers superior convergence and solution quality: within 50 iterations, it reduces average distribution cost from 126.2 to 69.3 million LCU (a 45% reduction) and decreases tardiness from 23,950 to 858 h (a 96% reduction). MOPSO achieves 32% cost reduction (108.4–68.1 million LCU) and 96% tardiness reduction (29,595–1047 h), but with less diversity and slower convergence. Pareto-front and convergence analyses confirm that NSGA-II consistently provides better-distributed and more stable non-dominated solutions. Overall, the proposed integrated model effectively reduces transportation, emission, and customer-dissatisfaction costs; the batch-delivery formulation ensures timely service across multiple time windows; and the metaheuristic frameworks especially NSGA-II demonstrate strong capability for solving large-scale sustainable supply-chain scheduling and environmentally friendly freight transportation problems
Tertiary, Quaternary and higher order states in the Sequence of Bifurcations Approach (SBA) to Turbulence for Laterally Heated Shear Flows within a Rectangular Tube
Get PDFWe consider a vertical rectangular tube of large aspect ratio with side-wall heating in order to mimic realistic experimental conditions. We therefore impose the condition that across any lateral cross-section of the rectangular tube the fluid flow vanishes. We find through our numerical analysis that oscillatory modes yield critical conditions and offer therefore sequential bifurcations that lead to the turbulent regime. Although the linear stability analysis is the same as the case where the imposed constant flux condition is absent, the corresponding nonlinear regime displays fundamentally different characteristics to the open narrow channel case. Here we focus on the sequence of bifurcations approach of a fluid enclosed in a rectangular tube, aligning with engineering applications. We additionally assume the limit of small Prandtl number and thus the effects caused by temperature perturbations are ignorable. Finally we identify the oscillatory states that lead to turbulence as the Grashof number increases up to the value 1000. Our fully nonlinear numerical analysis shows that all bifurcations are supercritical and here we concentrate on the critical axial wavenumber of the linear stability analysis of the laminar flow and its pairing with a specific azimuthal wavenumber
The Geography of Discontent Revisited: Decoupling Attitudinal Clustering and Affective Intensification in Urban Britain
Get PDFThis paper investigates drivers of anti-diversity sentiment among the UK’s white majority. Using Latent Class Analysis on 2023 survey data (N = 2,535), we map five distinct clusters, including a large ‘Anxious Nationalist’ bloc driven by racialised status threat and a ‘Pro-Securitisation’ minority. Multilevel modelling decouples national formations from local influences. Our results suggest city deprivation does not predict membership, tentatively challenging the view that urban context ‘sorts’ individuals but significantly amplifies emotional intensity. Distinguishing formation from intensification refines the ‘geography of discontent’ thesis, arguing that while place may not determine who we are, it significantly shapes how loudly we express it
Public procurement of cardiac implantable electronic devices across Europe: are we purchasing value or cost-effectiveness?
Get PDFAims Procurement of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) across the European Union is shaped by diverse healthcare systems, reimbursement mechanisms and levels of clinician involvement. Despite a shared legal framework, limited comparative data are available on how procurement is implemented across countries. Objective The objectives of this study are to examine CIED procurement strategies in 22 European countries where public tendering is mandatory and to explore how clinical, economic and structural factors influence procurement processes. Methods and results We conducted 23 structured interviews with cardiologists and one industry expert across 22 European countries. A thematic analysis was used to synthesize procurement models, clinical involvement and reimbursement structures. No formal outcome or cost-effectiveness analysis was performed. Procurement models varied widely, encompassing centralized, decentralized and hybrid systems. Clinician involvement ranged from leading device selection based on clinical criteria to being excluded from decision-making in systems driven primarily by price. Reimbursement pathways also differed, with procedure tariffs for single-chamber pacemakers ranging from €1059 to €14 889. A single region in Finland had implemented a pilot value-based procurement model linking payment to patient outcomes. Conclusion Cardiac implantable electronic device procurement across Europe is heterogeneous and predominantly cost driven, with limited integration of clinical outcomes or value-based principles. While not designed to evaluate cost-effectiveness directly, this study identifies procurement structures that may support or hinder value-based decision-making. Further research is needed to assess how procurement impacts clinical outcomes, innovation adoption and system sustainability
Performance-Based Franchisee Segmentation
No full textPurpose: The aim of the study is to extend the service profit chain as a framework for segmenting franchisees based on their service performance. The extended service profit chain employed considers both objective and subjective inputs, including service quality, transactional value, customer satisfaction, and customer retention. Methodology: Partial Least Squares (PLS) is used to analyze longitudinal data from automotive dealerships and a PLS-Finite Mixture model is employed to identify latent (performance) segments. Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) is then used to further examine the differences between segments. Findings: Our findings deepen current understandings of the relationships between service performance inputs and outputs, and guide managers on how and where to allocate resources to improve profitability. Originality/value: Segmentation is particularly important in B2B contexts and provides the foundation for both strategy formulation and resource allocation. This study draws on four consecutive years longitudinal data for every dealership (n = 180) of a major global brand. Practical implications: Existing franchisor frameworks for classifying franchisees in the automotive sector consist of two binaries: metro-rural, and large-small. This resultant two-by-two is simplistic and dated. It lacks nuance, does not account for heterogeneity, and undermines efforts to meaningfully benchmark within and across segments. It also fails to consider underlying latent factors which may influence dealer performance or help signpost strategies which may be effective in helping manage dealership performance
Beyond the Numbers: Assessing the Risk of Management Motives for Fraud in External Audits
Get PDFPurpose: Exploring how the risk of management motives for fraud can be assessed in external audits. Results: The study identifies six methods external auditors can use to assess management motives for fraud. It emphasises that assessing management motives requires auditors to go beyond understanding these motives and necessitates a sceptical and analytical mindset. Auditors need to identify the accounts most vulnerable to management manipulations, observe management attitudes, and assess the credibility of management assertions. The auditors in this study highlight specific accounts frequently manipulated by management. Still, manual year-end journal entries are the most vulnerable to management manipulations as they are subject to fewer controls. They recommend increasing the sample size to 100% and assigning more experienced staff, particularly those with qualifications in fraud examination or anti-fraud training, to audit these vulnerable accounts thoroughly. They also provided examples of how auditors can identify management motives for fraud, observe management attitudes, and assess the credibility of management assertions. Originality: Assessing the risk of management motives for fraud in external audits has received limited attention in the literature. This study is the first to address this knowledge gap. Practical Implications: Audit standards (e.g., ISA 240, SAS99) lack explicit guidance on assessing management motives for fraud, but auditors are required to consider it in fraud risk assessment. This study proposes guidance recommendations to improve auditors' ability to assess this risk, which could be integrated into professional audit standards and training materials to improve auditors' professional scepticism, ability to challenge management, and skills in fraud risk assessment
Tfos Dews Iii:Executive Summary
Get PDFThis article presents an Executive Summary of the conclusions and recommendations of the TFOS DEWS III reports, published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology (AJO) in the Spring of 2025. Downloadable, pdf copies of the three comprehensive TFOS DEWS III reports are available on the AJO website (www.ajo.com)
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