Changing Demands For Services Research Articles

Dynamic external environment and value creation in small and medium-sized accounting practices: a sensemaking perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore how small and medium-sized accounting practices (SMPs) make sense of and position themselves against the changing demand for services. It is argued that changing demand for services from pure compliance to advisory acts as a trigger for sensemaking among SMP owners.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative multiple case study research approach is adopted, including semistructured interviews with key informants from seven Norwegian SMPs as well as document analysis.FindingsThe findings suggest that there is heterogeneity in the small practitioner segment of the accounting profession in making sense of changing demand for the nature of services. Three different situations emerged due to sensemaking, thus, the three distinct positions. Metaphors, namely, chameleons, turtles and bulls, are used to represent the positioning of SMPs. The sensemaking of actors as an adaptation led them to act as chameleons while distancing and resistance resulted in their positioning as turtles, and bulls, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the richness of data indicating a clear variation in interpretation among actors, the study is case based, with a limited number of SMPs, and caution should be exercised when generalising its conclusions.Practical implicationsThe centrality of people as a driving force for positioning among SMPs and diversity among SMPs in value creation provide insights for both SMPs and their customers.Originality/valueThis study highlights the meaning and patterns of value creation and the positioning of accounting firms according to their sensemaking within an under-studied segment of the accounting profession.

Forecast-Assisted Service Function Chain Dynamic Deployment for SDN/NFV-Enabled Cloud Management Systems

Software-defined network (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) are acknowledged as the most promising technologies to effectively allocate resource for network service. A service function chain (SFC), which can deploy virtualized network functions (VNFs) and chain them with associated flows allocation, can be used to represent each network service owing to the introduction of the SDN/NFV technology. Co-hosted applications on multiple Internet of Things terminals have dynamic and time-varying service requirements, in order to allocate network resources optimally and meet the end-to-end delay requirements of services, sufficient strategies are required to satisfy the continuously changing service demands. In this article, a deep learning model that combines the multitask regression layer above the graph neural networks is first presented to predict the future resource requirements of each VNF instance. The SFC deployment problem is then solved using the integer nonlinear programming (INLP) approach, and a novel prediction-assisted Viterbi algorithm is presented to overcome the scalability problem of the INLP approach. According to the simulation findings, the proposed deep model provides a minimum of a 6.2% improvement in prediction accuracy over baseline prediction models, and the proposed SFC deployment strategy has been demonstrated to deliver better performance in terms of acceptance ratio and revenue, compared to the current passive deployment algorithms.

Determining the role and responsibilities of the community epilepsy nurse in the management of epilepsy.

The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of the core elements and influencing factors on the community-based epilepsy nurse's role and responsibilities. Internationally, epilepsy nurse specialists play a key role in providing person-centred care and management of epilepsy but there is a gap in understanding of their role in the community. A national three-stage, mixed-method study was conducted. One-on-one, in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted online with 12 community-based epilepsy nurses (Stage 1); retrospective analysis of data collected from the National Epilepsy Line, a nurse-led community helpline (Stage 2); and focus group conducted with four epilepsy nurses, to delve further into emerging findings (Stage 3). A thematic analysis was conducted in Stages 1 and 3, and a descriptive statistical analysis of Stage 2 data. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative studies checklist was followed for reporting. Three key themes emerged: (1) The epilepsy nurse career trajectory highlighted a lack of standardised qualifications, competencies, and career opportunities. (2) The key components of the epilepsy nurse role explored role diversity, responsibilities, and models of practice in the management of living with epilepsy, and experiences navigating complex fragmented systems and practices. (3) Shifting work practices detailed the adapting work practices, impacted by changing service demands, including COVID-19 pandemic experiences, role boundaries, funding, and resource availability. Community epilepsy nurses play a pivotal role in providing holistic, person-centred epilepsy management They contribute to identifying and addressing service gaps through innovating and implementing change in service design and delivery. Epilepsy nurses' person-centred approach to epilepsy management is influenced by the limited investment in epilepsy-specific integrated care initiatives, and their perceived value is impacted by the lack of national standardisation of their role and scope of practice. Only epilepsy nurses' perspectives were sought.

Multiple Adaptive-Resource-Allocation Real-Time Supervisor (MARS) for Elastic IIoT Hybrid Cloud Services

In this paper, a Multiple Adaptive-resource-allocation Real-time Supervisor (MARS) scheme for hybrid cloud-assisted Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is proposed to support reliable cloud services even under rapidly changing service demands that occur in massive IIoT networks. Virtual Machines (VMs) in both private cloud and public clouds can be elastically and accurately allocated through the proposed MARS scheme, which uses Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimization applied to the VM Continuous-Time Markov Chain (CTMC) scheme. Because the MARS scheme can immediately determine the optimal number of VMs based on the hybrid cloud situation, a significant improvement in the elasticity performance can be obtained. Compared to using the CTMC scheme, the results show that the MARS scheme can improve the response time up to 19.3 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula> 73&#x0025; (based on the activation rate) and the elasticity by 26.7&#x0025;, and reduce the cost by 1.2&#x0025;.

Repairing the State: Policy Repair in the Frontline Bureaucracy

AbstractResearch on street‐level bureaucrats has identified their role as policy entrepreneurs through the adoption and advocacy of policy innovations. This article adds to this research by underscoring how street‐level bureaucrats use creativity and improvisation to find contextual solutions for emergent local policy problems in response to scarcity. We suggest that these practices of policy repair allow frontline bureaucracies to deal with personnel, process, and material scarcity and maintain public service delivery even in resource‐scarce environments. Using ethnographic data from Punjab, Pakistan, we show that this repair work is collaborative, client‐centered, and motivated by compassion and kindness. Our research indicates that emergent and improvised policy repair allows frontline bureaucracies to be resilient and responsive to scarcity and changing service demands. Our findings further suggest that inclusion of street‐level bureaucrats in formal policy decisions can help develop context‐specific solutions to emergent problems of public service delivery.Evidence for Practice Street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs) face multiple types of scarcity during policy implementation—material scarcity, where they do not have enough equipment or space for their work; process scarcity, where officially sanctioned menu of routines or procedures do not account for local situations; and personnel scarcity, where they do not have enough workforce or expertise for their tasks. SLBs do policy repair—use creativity and innovation in their day‐to‐day work to find local and contextualized solutions for their localized service limitations, to overcome scarcity, and to deal with the vulnerability of bureaucratic systems. Allowing SLBs to use creativity and improvisation for local and emergent problems can create more robust and resilient public service delivery systems. Repair requires implicit and local knowledge of bureaucratic systems; inclusion of SLBs in formal policy decisions is necessary to develop context‐specific solutions to emergent problems of public service delivery.

ACHO: A framework for flexible re-orchestration of virtual network functions

Network Function Virtualization enables network slicing as a novel paradigm for service provisioning. With network slicing, Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) can be instantiated at different locations of the infrastructure, choosing their optimal placement based on parameters such as the requirements of the service or the resources available. One limitation of state-of-the-art technology for network slicing is the inability to re-evaluate orchestration decisions once the slice has been deployed, in case of changing service demands or network conditions.In this paper, we present ACHO, a novel software framework that enables seamless re-orchestration of VNFs of any kind, including RAN and Core. With ACHO, VNFs and resources can be easily re-assigned to match, e.g., varying user demands or changes in the nodes’ load. ACHO uses lightweight mechanisms, such as splitting the engine of a VNF from the data it requires to perform its operation, in such a way that, when re-allocating a VNF, only the data is moved (a new engine is instantiated in the new location). We demonstrate the use of ACHO in a small scale testbed, showing that (i) the proposed re-orchestration is feasible, (ii) it results much faster than existing alternatives (especially for relocation), and (iii) the framework can be readily applied to existing VNFs after minimal changes to their implementation.

A Competency Framework for Developing Global Laboratory Leaders.

Building sustainable national health laboratory systems requires laboratory leaders who can address complex and changing demands for services and build strong collaborative networks. Global consensus on laboratory leadership competencies is critically important to ensure the harmonization of learning approaches for curriculum development across relevant health sectors. The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) have partnered to develop a Laboratory Leadership Competency Framework (CF) that provides a foundation for the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP). The CF represents the first global consensus from multiple disciplines on laboratory leadership competencies and provides structure for the development of laboratory leaders with the knowledge, skills and abilities to build bridges, enhance communication, foster collaboration and develop an understanding of existing synergies between the human, animal, environmental, and other relevant health sectors.

Advanced nurse practitioner-led referral for specialist care and rehabilitation.

In response to the need for appropriate and timely care of frail older patients admitted to hospital, a dedicated advanced nurse practitioner (ANP)-led referral service was developed. The service has continued to evolve over the 13 years since its implementation in accordance with changing service demands. This article describes the role of the ANP in care of the elderly/rehabilitation medicine and focuses on one area of clinical practice developed by the team: an ANP-led referral service. The aim of developing the service was to ensure that patients who required specialist care and rehabilitation could be identified and assessed as soon as possible after admission, with the premise that they could be transferred to a bed in care of the elderly medical wards. This was perceived by the ANPs to be advantageous for patients, who would receive care from a specialist team, and for care of the elderly staff who could use their knowledge and skills appropriately and safely.

Applying a Mobilities Paradigm to a Return to Social Work Programme

This paper is located in the theoretical debates of late modernism: it explores the tensions inherent in the delivery of standardised, validated and carefully planned social work education programmes within the context of late modern societies. Preparing social workers to address dynamic policy changes, fluctuating resources and changing service demands and the needs of service-users in areas with shifting populations, provides a challenge to social work educators. The design and delivery of a refresher programme for previously qualified social workers is used to illustrate the ways in which the tension between static teaching programmes and fluid demands for social work services were accommodated.

Rediscovering reference: beyond organizational models to “users rule”

Discusses the implications of the ever‐changing technological world on the delivery of reference services. Reframes reference service in terms of staff competences, changing service demands, and technological advances. Urges library organizations to seek solutions through staff development and by developing a firm commitment to service on the users’ terms.