Flexible Service Delivery Research Articles

Making Decisions About Service Delivery in Early Childhood Programs

This article presents a rationale for specialized services personnel to use fluid models of service delivery and explains how specialized services personnel make decisions about the blend of service delivery methods that will best serve a child. The literature on occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology service delivery in early childhood programs is reviewed, synthesized, and applied to current practice. The literature explains that direct and consultative services provide unique benefits to children and should be flexibly scheduled based on each child's current priorities. Flexible service delivery models allow therapists to meet the evolving needs of children within dynamic environments. To establish fluid service delivery models, therapists need to (a) plan collaboratively with teachers so that the model selected meets the teacher's preferences, (b) design flexible scheduling systems that emphasize inclusive practice, and (c) maintain precise documentation about when and how services are provided.

Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children in Regional and Rural Areas: parent Views on Educational Services

The general trend for the inclusion of deaf and hearing impaired students in Australia involves placing students in a mainstream classroom setting alongside their hearing peers with regular support from a Visiting Teacher of the Deaf. The provision of educational services to deaf and hearing impaired students in regional and rural areas, however, can be a challenge, with many parents frequently reporting reduced access to appropriate services. The aim of this study was to survey parents of deaf and hearing impaired students located in regional and rural Western Australia to gain an insight into the level of satisfaction with current services and provide an opportunity for parents to comment on how, if at all, the service delivery model for deaf and hearing impaired students in these areas could be improved. In total, responses from 34 parents of deaf and hearing impaired students located in five regional and rural areas of Western Australia were analysed. Results showed that there was generally a high level of satisfaction with Visiting Teacher of the Deaf services; however, parents did report that contact regarding their child's needs, progress and accessibility to services could be improved through more regular and longer visits by Visiting Teachers of the Deaf. The benefits of applying a family centred paradigm to ensure flexible service delivery for deaf and hearing impaired students and the development of formal policies and guidelines for Visiting Teachers of the Deaf are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AGENT ENABLED ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT OF QoS ASSURED PROVISION OF COMPOSITE SERVICES

The assurance of quality-of-service (QoS) is critical for the successful deployment of service-oriented applications, especially in open, dynamic, and distributed cross-organizational environments. Adaptive management of the QoS assured provision of composite services is required for more reliable, fault-tolerant, and flexible service delivery in such environments. It can be realized with software agents offering a unified framework and necessary capabilities for carrying out different adaptive management tasks across the whole lifecycle of composite service provision.

Flexibility of Programme Delivery in Providing Effective Family-centred Intervention for Remote Families

Equity of service delivery to families of children with hearing loss is an important outcome that is sometimes difficult to achieve. With the current philosophy of family centred practice, questions arise as to how service can be delivered, how equitable that service might be, and how the quality of service may or may not be affected. There were two aims of this study. The first was to investigate beliefs and values around family-centred practice through examining professional beliefs about children, parents and how they could work with families. The second was to investigate how the mode of programme delivery might be associated with outcomes for families. This was done through measuring families' ratings of their own family functioning. Participants included 27 professionals from an early intervention programme for children with hearing loss and 24 families receiving services from the same programme (n = 16 metro; n = 8 rural). Results showed that professionals showed evidence of strong beliefs in most aspects of family-centred practice. They reported that they believed in practice that fostered partnerships, and that they were most effective when they worked with parents rather than directly providing child therapy. All families were satisfied with the intervention they had received and rated themselves highly on family functioning. For rural families the problem of distance from the centre was not an issue since the programme had adopted a flexible service delivery approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Radio-Over-MMF Techniques—Part II: Microwave to Millimeter-Wave Systems

Microwave to mm-wave radio carriers are commonly employed for creating high-capacity picocell wireless networks. Advanced radio-over-fiber (RoF) techniques can efficiently generate and transport such carriers, and deliver them to simplified antenna stations. As in in-building networks multimode fiber is predominantly used, adequate radio-over-multimode fiber (RoMMF) techniques are required to overcome the modal dispersion in multimode fiber links. The optical frequency multiplying technique is introduced; it is relatively simple to implement, yet it is shown to be robust against the modal dispersion, and it is able to generate very pure microwave carriers while requiring only moderate speed electronics. Thus, it can convey high data rates in comprehensive modulation formats on multiple-GHz carriers in MMF networks. It offers simultaneous operation at multiple radio standards, and capabilities for dynamic adaptation of the radio link parameters such as carrier frequency, transmit power, and other antenna site functions by means of an embedded control channel. Moreover, in combination with optical routing it enables dynamically adjustable network configurations for flexible wireless service delivery.

Sistemas integrados para bibliotecas públicas. Las propuestas de <i>Innovative</i>

Innovative Interfaces Inc., III, maker of the Innopac Millennium integrated system for public libraries, has introduced new products that are primarily related to user access to opac and to library services via handheld devices (cellphone, PDA, etc.). There are also new tools to strengthen and facilitate user participation through opac and to provide more flexibility in service delivery and communication between the user community and library personnel.

Design and management of business models and processes in services science

Information technology has changed the way, how companies perform business, how they develop services and interact with customers as well as other companies. This is accompanied by an ongoing virtualization of the economy, think of the ‘‘value’’ of companies like Google, ebay, or Skype. Their value is based on information and their ‘‘user network’’, not on the physical infrastructure or products. In this context, paralleled by the growth of the so-called service industry (or sector), one can observe an ‘‘informatisation’’ of work, value chains, products as well as services. The term ‘‘service’’ point at a close interaction of supplier and customer with the simultaneity of production and consumption. It refers to an exchange between supplier and consumer for the provision of (intangible) assets. The all-embracing utilization of IT following its principles of transparency enables new forms of networked organization, referring to the concept of smart business networks. The focus is on flexible service design, implementation and delivery, putting the customer at the center. The underlying issue is to link strategy, business models, business processes and implementation (utilizing service oriented architectures) for flexible design, implementation and adaptation. To fully exploit its potential, research in this domain must focus on these factors, and on the applicability of the corresponding technologies. It is important to note that the term service has to be seen from different points of view, from management science, information systems and computer science. These different views also refer to the important distinction between service, e-service and

Extending CRM in the Retail Industry: An RFID-Based Personal Shopping Assistant System

This paper describes the research and development of a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based personal shopping assistant (PSA) system for retail stores. RFID technology was employed as the key enabler to build a PSA system to optimize operational efficiency and deliver a superior customer shopping experience in retail stores. We show that an RFID-based PSA system can deliver significant results to improve the customer shopping experience and retail store operational efficiency, by increasing customer convenience, providing flexibility in service delivery, enhancing promotional campaign efficiency, and increasing product cross selling and upselling through a customer relationship management (CRM) system. In this study, an RFID value grid for retail stores is proposed that allows managers to use RFID technology in stores to add value to the shopping experience of their customers. Four propositions are presented as the research agenda for examining the ability of RFID technology to improve the operations management of retail stores.

How do supplier relationships contribute to success in conference and events management?

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to report the findings from a survey of UK conference and event managers, which highlights the benefits that can accrue from supplier management within this sector.Design/methodology/approachA survey of venue managers covering a cross‐section of venue types was used.FindingsA significant proportion of venue managers report having long‐term supplier relationships, placing considerable value on the non‐financial benefits that can accrue from long‐term supplier relations featuring mutual trust and good working relationships. These include consistency, responsiveness and flexibility in service delivery. Additionally, the familiarity of regular suppliers with the venue and its procedures, can lead to seamless service delivery to the customer and free‐up venue managers time.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design provides a one‐sided view of supplier relationships.Practical implicationsAttention is drawn to the performance benefits arising from building supplier relationships and offers guidance as to how these can be sustained by avoiding the pitfalls on long‐term relationships. In doing so, the findings legitimise the importance of taking non‐financial considerations into account when awarding or renewing supply contracts.Originality/valueThis paper applies lessons emerging from research on supplier relationships to a growing, but under‐researched, sector of the hospitality industry.

Client Advocacy in Marriage and Family Therapy

Client advocacy and social justice are topics of increasing importance in clinical practice. This study addresses the pragmatics of client advocacy in daily MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy) practice using qualitative case analysis. Researchers used Kvale's (1996) interview and analysis procedures to access detailed descriptions of the lived experience of advocacy from the client's perspective. The client's descriptions identify subtle aspects of advocacy that expand its current definition and challenge the suitability of certain clinical techniques, especially with diverse clients. Implications for practice include (1) conceptualizing advocacy as an attitude; (2) providing flexibility in service delivery; (3) collaborating with social services as a clinical intervention; and (4) promoting self-advocacy.

Randomised clinical trial of a group parent education programme for Australian Indigenous families

Parenting programmes have been shown to improve children's adjustment and reduce problem behaviour; however, little research has addressed outcomes for Indigenous families. The aim of this project was to assess the impact and cultural appropriateness of a parenting programme tailored for Indigenous families, an adaptation of the evidence-based Group Triple P - Positive Parenting Program. A repeated measures randomised group design methodology was used, comparing the intervention with a waitlist control condition pre- and post-intervention, with a 6-month follow-up of the intervention group. Parents attending Group Triple P reported a significant decrease in rates of problem child behaviour and less reliance on some dysfunctional parenting practices following the intervention in comparison to waitlist families. The programme also led to greater movement from the clinical range to the non-clinic range for mean child behaviour scores on all measures. Effects were primarily maintained at 6-month follow-up. Qualitative data showed generally positive responses to the programme resources, content and process. However, only a small number of waitlist families subsequently attended groups, signalling the importance of engaging families when they first make contact, helping families deal with competing demands, and offering flexible service delivery so families can resume contact when circumstances permit. This study provides empirical support for the effectiveness and acceptability of a culturally tailored approach to Group Triple P conducted by Child Health and Indigenous Health workers in a community setting. The outcomes of this trial may be seen as a significant step in increasing appropriate service provision for Indigenous families and reducing barriers to accessing available services in the community.

Randomised clinical trial of a group parent education programme for Australian Indigenous families

Aim: Parenting programmes have been shown to improve children’s adjustment and reduce problem behaviour; however, little research has addressed outcomes for Indigenous families. The aim of this project was to assess the impact and cultural appropriateness of a parenting programme tailored for Indigenous families, an adaptation of the evidence‐based Group Triple P – Positive Parenting Program.Methods: A repeated measures randomised group design methodology was used, comparing the intervention with a waitlist control condition pre‐ and post‐intervention, with a 6‐month follow‐up of the intervention group.Results: Parents attending Group Triple P reported a significant decrease in rates of problem child behaviour and less reliance on some dysfunctional parenting practices following the intervention in comparison to waitlist families. The programme also led to greater movement from the clinical range to the non‐clinic range for mean child behaviour scores on all measures. Effects were primarily maintained at 6‐month follow‐up. Qualitative data showed generally positive responses to the programme resources, content and process. However, only a small number of waitlist families subsequently attended groups, signalling the importance of engaging families when they first make contact, helping families deal with competing demands, and offering flexible service delivery so families can resume contact when circumstances permit.Conclusions: This study provides empirical support for the effectiveness and acceptability of a culturally tailored approach to Group Triple P conducted by Child Health and Indigenous Health workers in a community setting. The outcomes of this trial may be seen as a significant step in increasing appropriate service provision for Indigenous families and reducing barriers to accessing available services in the community.

IT Autopilot: A flexible IT service management and delivery platform for small and medium business

IT Autopilot is a flexible architecture to support the delivery of information technology (IT) systems management services. Complex services that involve several tools require integration between the tools and automated processes that can invoke multiple tools. Designed primarily for the small and mid-sized enterprise, the architecture of IT Autopilot allows it to be deployed as a set of local and remote services delivered by the enterprise or by service providers as a flexible and extensible service offering. The IT Autopilot integrated IT service management platform is able to combine different tools and services to create specific, customized IT service solutions. Using the analogy of an autopilot on an airplane, the pilot first performs a set of manual operations to get the airplane off the ground and flying. Next, the autopilot is engaged to carry on normal flight operations. In our vision, there is an initial manual configuration step before IT Autopilot is enabled to take over and maintain the customer's normal IT operational state. In this paper we explain our vision and describe the prototype system we have implemented.

Using Response to Intervention to Enhance Outcomes for Children

Response to Intervention (RTI) models have substantial promise for screening, intervention service delivery, and to serve as catalysts for system change to enhance the educational outcomes of children. RTI represents a more flexible service delivery model; however, it is essential to articulate how RTI can be effectively implemented and demonstrated to be functionally meaningful. This article provides a brief review of probable advantages and possible challenges of implementing RTI and also provides an overview of data emerging from the Screening to Enhance Equitable Placement (STEEP) problem-solving model. Further research is necessary to clearly delineate the purpose(s), operationalize procedures and judgments, and evaluate the decisionmaking utility of the RTI models in practice.

Defining the family: towards a critical framework for families of children with disabilities

ABSTRACT Family‐centred approaches are widely recognized internationally as the most ecologically appropriate way of working with families of children with disabilities. Pivotal in this approach is its focus upon the needs of the whole family, rather than only the needs of the child (with a disability). It places a significant emphasis on flexible and responsive transdisciplinary service delivery and upon parent choice and decision‐making. For the family‐centred approach to become truly effective, then, we must define what constitutes a family. Or rather ask families how they define themselves. Alongside an exploration of traditional and non‐traditional family roles, this paper challenges stereotypical notions of the family, and seeks to establish the family as the core element in any service team.

Implementing Teams for Technical Services Functions

In the 1990s, librarians need to apply quality principles and techniques to allow more flexibility in service delivery. Many library technical services operations are reorganizing staff into teams. The promises and benefits of teambased organizations are increased employee empowerment and increased production with fewer employees. These benefits should result in high levels of staff satisfaction and reduce operational budgets.

Institutionalizing Flexibility in a Service Firm

This article uses in-depth case study research to examine one set of organizational and staffing arrangements designed to facilitate flexible service delivery. “Institutionalized flexibility” incorporated multiple contingent bases of employment and concealed hidden hierarchies in workplaces within and across organizations. It also relied on the combined efforts of permanent, moderately skilled workers and temporary, deskilled workers. The article analyzes how these multitiered organizational settings created unique opportunities and costs for the individuals working within them, and introduced new intraorganizational and interorganizational complexities.

Parents in prison: A child abuse and neglect prevention strategy

Parents in Prison is an innovative family support service housed at the Tennessee State Prison for Men. Developed in response to inmates' recognition of the need for child abuse and neglect prevention services relevant to men who are in prison, the program model has potential for becoming a major service delivery strategy. Leadership for Parents in Prison is provided by an inmate committee which receives consultation and assistance from a community advisory board and an institutional sponsor. Program components—correspondence and classroom courses. monthly events featuring community guest speakers, and family-focused social activities and projects—address family needs during incarceration and upon return to community living. These diverse components and the flexible service delivery format permit widespread inmate participation not readily available in a prison setting. Parents in Prison successes demonstrate that the period of incarceration can be used to improve parental skills and knowledge and to strengthen family relationships. They also demonstrate the viability of a family support service which relies on inmate leadership, community volunteer participation, and institutional support. The future success of this model depends on replication in other prison settings, dissemination of the program products which have been and continue to be developed, and rigorous, systematic examination of the impact that participation has on child abuse and neglect problems associated with a father's incarceration.