Public Service Operations Research Articles

Rural Transit Systems Benefits in Tennessee: Methodology and an Empirical Study

This paper describes the application of a detailed benefits assessment framework and sensitivity analysis of the operation of rural public transit services in the state of Tennessee. The paper describes the major components of this benefits framework and its application to the demand-responsive services operated within the state during the 1998/99 fiscal year. An empirical analysis yields a benefit/cost ratio greater than 1.0, with benefits dominated by accessibility gains to current transit patrons through the provision of mobility-enhancing vanpool services. Without these services, the costs of providing an equivalent level of access to health care, job training, and other important household activities would be much higher. Improved and expanded transit rider-based data collection efforts are recommended.

Targets, indicators and milestones

Area-based initiatives are a major feature of the new public policy agenda of the Labour government in the UK. They are aimed at key policy goals of combating social exclusion and improving the operation of public services, through the encouragement of partnership and participation. However, the delivery of programmes has been heavily influenced by performance management and the use of targets, indicators and milestones to monitor activity. This is creating contradictory pressures on the managers and practitioners within programmes. These issues are discussed and their impact in one area-based activity (the Health Action Zones) is explored.

Benchmarking Zimbabwe's crucial public service operations to facilitate adoption of best practices or reengineering for world-class status

Zimbabweans often complain about poor service in some public service departments (Daily News, 2002). When it comes to applying for passports, registering birth, death or national identity, obtaining police clearance or consulting in hospitals, people face long queues and considerable delays. Typically, complaints have been associated with the bureaucracy, centralised decision-making, considerable delays, tedious procedures, monopoly, training needs, employee welfare, and lack of political will. As the standard of living improves for many Zimbabweans, time is of paramount importance. As a consequence, the cost of having customers wait for service increases significantly. Organisations that can provide fast service have a competitive advantage over those that respond more slowly to customer requirements. Gains through benchmarking have been listed as better understanding of internal and external customer relationships. In terms of external relationships, these are links in the customer chain, better awareness of competitors and improved customer satisfaction; with internal customers this equates to improved efficiency and morale, improved quality/reduced waste, a better standing within the organisation's market, improved performance of the organisation as a whole as well as acceptance of the need to innovate. This study benchmarked Zimbabwe's crucial public service operations with those of South Africa, UK, USA and Japan, in order to facilitate the adoption of the best practices or reengineering for world-class status. The author, however, acknowledges country differences in political, economic and technological development. The reality of the implementation of the world's best practice benchmarks, given Zimbabwe's massive social, political and economic problems may, however, not be achieved easily.

Integrating Values into Public Service: The Values Statement as Centerpiece

The public administration community needs to focus more attention on how values can be integrated into the structures, processes, and systems of public organizations. In particular, greater emphasis should be placed on the values statement as the central component of a values regime. This article examines the content and format of values statements in four Westminster‐style governments, initiatives to make values a pervasive influence in public‐service operations, and learning points for other countries. Each government's values statement should capture the essence of public service. Leaders must serve as both exemplary models of values‐based behavior and skillful practitioners of the art of values management. A values statement expressing values that are shared at all organizational levels—combined with the dispersal of leadership roles throughout the organization—provides an especially strong foundation for integrating values into public service.

Libéralisation des Services publics de réseau et jeux croisés de la régulation: le cas de l'électricité

This article analyses the liberalization of public services with a special focus on the (re)regulation process that is induced. Firstly, a conceptual framework is developed in order to identify the constitutive elements of the public regulation related to market competition, public service obligations, operators and public property, as well as the tension between them. Secondly, a comparative study describes the liberalization and the regulatory design of the electricity sector in England, France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. As a conclusion, we note the necessity to further analyse the introduction of market mechanisms into formerly monopolistic network industries and its effects.

Introduction: Changing Public Sector Industrial Relations in the Australian State

During the last two decades, governments have restructured their public services. Public administration has been largely replaced by public management, reflecting a more market oriented approach. In line with this pattern of change, the Australia public services at both state and Commonwealth levels, since the early 1980s, have undergone significant change. The aim of this symposium is to explore the dimensions, detail and impact of these developments, tracing the implications of public service reorganisation and operations for public sector industrial relations. The contributions therefore focus on government policies, management and industrial relations and implications for collective organisation and action. Changes in five states and one territory are considered as well as those at the Commonwealth level.

Public transport decline in Melbourne: A question of density or service?

Public transport systems in Melbourne and other Australian cities have experienced steady decline in usage over the past 50 years. Concerned commentators and policy makers have debated the likely reasons behind this downward trend. The most widely held opinion is that sprawling low‐density, post‐Second World War urban form is the best explanation for the low levels of usage. However, some other authors argue that low usage rates can be better explained by the poor level of service offered in most areas of the city. This debate has centred largely on comparisons between Melbourne and other cities. Whilst recognising the complexity of this issue, this paper is focused on an analysis of the effect that urban density and service quality have on the operation of local public transport services in Melbourne. The paper concludes that Melbourne's low public transport usage rates are best explained by the poor levels of service quality offered by public transport systems.

New Library - New Measures: A Social Audit of Public Libraries

Bob Usherwood, Professor of Librarianship at Sheffield University's Department of Information Studies,is widely experienced in the practice and teaching of librarianship and information studies. Before joining the Department at Sheffield he was Chief Librarian in the London Borough of Lambeth. He started his career with Devon County Libraries and has also worked for the London Boroughs of Havering and Sutton, and the Polytechnic of North London. Over the years he has presented papers to many conferences and courses in the UK and abroad. His international work has taken him to various parts of the world, including Singapore, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Ethiopia, Poland, Canada, Russian Federation, Scandinavia, Swaziland and Hungary. He served on LISC's predecessor, LACE (the Library Advisory Council for England), the Library Association Council and many professional working parties and committees. He was Chair of the Library Association's Working Party on Ethics that led to the LA adopting a Code of Professional Conduct in 1983. He was presented with an Honorary Fellowship of the Library Association in 1992 and made a Fellow of the Institute of Information Scientists in 1993. He was President of the Library Association in 1998. He obtained his Doctorate as a result of undertaking research into the role of elected members in the operation of public library services. His other research interests include the social impact of library services, public policy issues, interpersonal skills for LIS workers, the role of total quality management in public libraries and public library expenditure in the private sector. He is also responsible for the Centre for the Public Library in the Information Society (CEPLIS), at Sheffield University's Department of Information Studies. Mr Usherwood may be contacted at the Department of Information Studies, Sheffield University, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK (fax: +(44- 114) 2780300; e-mail: r.usherwood@sheffield.ac.uk). Rebecca Linley received her first degree in politics from Newcastle University. After this she worked for several years in the civil service, most recently in the R&D Directorate of the Department of Health. She completed her MA at Sheffield University in 1996, and since then has worked on two British Library Research and Innovation Centre (BLRIC) projects- the social audit project at Sheffield (October 1996 until January 1998), and from February 1998 until the present at Leeds Metropolitan University on "Education and Training for Information Work in the Voluntary Sector", with four other co-workers. Ms Linley can be contacted at the School of Information Management, Leeds Metropolitan University, the Grange, Beckett Park, Leeds LS6 3QS, UK (e-mail: r.linley@lmu.ac.uk).

Service quality improvement

The topic for this article is quality improvement in service operations. Quality improvement is used as a collective expression for quality assurance, quality management and quality control. Service operations refer to private as well as to public service operations and to services in manufacturing companies. Although services play a predominant role as regards GDP and employment in the OECD countries, we still know very little about quality management in service operations. Concepts and models in organization theories, marketing and other fields are, to a great extent, based on studies of and experience from manufacturing companies. Quality is no exception, even though it has received some attention during the past 15 years, especially from researchers in Scandinavia.

A gazdasági szervezetek szerepe a közösségi fejlesztések finanszírozásában

In the theoretical studies of economics, private enterprises in financing public services are considered either as additional resources to governmental expenses or as entities investing into human capital for improving their competitiveness. The environmental approach puts enterprises into the context of the system of social, economic and institutional relations that have a considerable impact on economic decision-making process. In this way, enterprises have an important part in social harmony and economic development.Since financial resources of local governments for the operation and development of public services are scarce, local enterprises are considered as potential partners of authorities in such activities. Collaboration between local actors should result a more efficient service system of a higher quality. Such projects reflects the transition process in the environment of the Hungarian local government system, such as structural and spatial changes in the economy, social and regional differentiation and conflicts that effected relations of the public and private sector as well. To manage such problems, regional development policies should consider not only public institutions and authorities but also private enterprises as actors of spatial development. For this purpose, decentralised and operational framework of territorial administration must be established.In the transition period, regional development projects were implemented by sovereign local governments having scarce financial resources. They received no significant support from large scale service companies (enjoying the status of monopoly) and were often exposed to the unfair business conduct of private contractors. Such conflicts should be eliminated through co-operation between the public and private sectors resting on reciprocity. The first steps towards broadening such "horizontal" relations must be the integration of interests and purposes of enterprises into local development strategies and defining the conditions of collaboration in formai contracts. In this way, development policies of the local government will be supported widely.

Accreditamento e ruolo dei privati

At the beginning of 1997, the new rules for payment of services supplied by public and private health institutions started. This new system creates a common base among all public and private subjects, with an authority (the Region), having the financial responsability, and the role to plan the entire organization, to control the services' quality, and to determinate the tariff charges. This system is completely different from the previous one, and creates a direct competition between public health service and private operators. In this work the rules and the problems linked with their progressive application will be analyzed.

Control of Government Document Serials in Local Electronic and Organizational Systems

Current discussions concerning U.S. government documents center on attempts to mainstream these materials into technical and public service operations. Montana State University Libraries incorporated all document receipt, check-in, and cataloging functions into technical services operations. The goal is to treat documents, as far as possible, like other materials received by the library. A decision tree is utilized to organize document materials into logical groups for processing, using the OPAC and MicroLiw, a serial check-in system. Marcive GPO tapes provide records for monographs, while serials are handled locally. All records are placed in the OPAC, with holdings, to enhance patron search efficiency.

Future advanced technology rotorcraft

The ability of the helicopter to hover and therefore to take-off and land in confined areas has proven to be of significant value in an increasing range of applications. Rotorcraft have now established a significant role for specialist aeronautical applications both in the civil and military field.Figure 1(a) shows a graph of the increase of helicopter usage in the civil market. To the traditional roles of point to point transport and special purpose public service operations has been added a massive increase in energy related use, particularly for off-shore oil exploration. Present fleet growth rate in the civil area is about 15% p.a. There is no sign that this demand will abate. There has also been a substantial increase in helicopter use on military operations, as illustrated in Fig. 1(b). Helicopters now account for between 40–50% of all service aircraft (excluding training and liaison) in both the United States and Britain. The flexibility offered by the helicopter has been critical in its tactical value for land operations. The ability of the helicopter to operate from small ships at sea in all weathers, and at night, has provided it with a unique role in naval applications. In Britain over 80% of naval aircraft are now helicopters.

The Highfield Community Library, Belfast

During the past five‐and‐a‐half years of civil strife in Northern Ireland, the entire social fabric has been subjected to enormous strain. No one, man, woman or child, has escaped the pressures of living in this stricken province, and just as this is true of the people it is true of their institutions. Like other institutions, public libraries have come under fire, both literally, and in the sense that like shops, pubs and other places of entertainment they have suffered grieviously from a decline in custom. Not that the picture is an entirely gloomy one, and indeed there have been considerable achievements in the life of the province and its libraries in recent years. As is so often the case here, a great deal depends upon location, upon where one lives, works or indeed, just happens to be at any particular time. Hence, for librarians fortunate enough to be situated in less‐troublesome areas, life can go on almost as before, even if it is never quite normal. It is in the towns, particularly in Belfast, and again in certain districts, that the difficulties are most acute. Under the circumstances the performance of the public library system is greatly to be admired. Moreover, where circumstances have prevented the operation of normal public library services, the co‐operative and flexible attitude shown by Belfast Public Library has greatly facilitated the provision of alternative library facilities. Certainly without its aid the Highfield Community Library could scarcely have developed as it has done.

Twitter as a public service medium? A content analysis of the Twitter use made by Radio RAI and RNE

Twitter seems to be, among the other social media, one of the best new media for drawing back the audience from internet to radio and to improve the engagement with listeners. This paper analyses the practices of public radio in Social Media focusing on the use of Twitter by two European public broadcasters: RAI (Italy) and RNE (Spain). PSM role in society is being questioned and asked to extend its service to include a new media strategy. The study aims to understand how public service operators adapt themselves to the new multi platform scenario which should drive them to change the relationship with their listeners.

A Study of the Profits of Bus Companies, 1960-1966

This study is concerned with the profitability (return on assets employed, in proxy form) of public-service vehicle operation in recent years. One can only usefully analyse profits of bus companies on the assumption that the companies in fact seek to make-indeed in some sense to maximize-profits. Thus we confine our attention to the nonmunicipal operators, and within that set, to those operators who at the relevant time owned 24 or more buses, thus bringing them within the scope of the Ministry of Transport's annual financial and statistical returns for public-service vehicle operators on which the analysis is based. Since the mid-1950s the bus industry as a whole has been contracting. The revenues of bus companies are derived from four categories of service: stage, ordinary stopping services run to fixed timetables with minimum fare under 1/-; express, limited stop services run to fixed timetables with minimum fare over 1/-; excursions and tours, with ad hoc limited stop return journeys only and no timetables; and contract or private hire work, in which a bus is hired and for which no separate payment by separate individuals is made (e.g. school buses). In 1960 these categories accounted respectively for 85, 4, 3 and 8 per cent. of receipts in the industry as a whole. The distinction between these categories reflects the degree of control exercised by the Traffic Commissioners. Broadly, the routes followed and fares charged in stage, express and excursions and tours services are subject to full supervision by the Traffic Commissioners; but, whereas in stage and express services at least one bus must operate according to their timetable, excursions and tours need not be operated unless the operators wish to do so. On the other hand, no economic control exists in contract work, which is free to all comers, although no public advertising is allowed. As Table 1 shows, since 1959 stage services have declined at an increasing rate whilst contract and express services have increased, express quite quickly.

OS ÓBITOS TEÓRICAMENTE EVITÁVEIS COMO CRITÉRIO DE AVALIAÇÃO DO TRABALHO SANITÁRIO

After discussing the evaluation concepts and its crescent importance in public health practice, some critcria more frequentely used on evaluation and the difficulties of their application in underdeveloped areas, were appointed to dcmonstrate the deficiences of the structurc and of the operation of public health services. A criterion based on deaths estirnate rates, theoretically avoidable, was presented to be used in underdeveloped areas. Such criterion permits the identification of some evident fallacies and furnishes thc neccssary elcments to a minimal activities programa in the public health practice. This criterion is applied to the City of São Paulo, bascd on obituary of 1963 as a demonstration.

Emergency Health Planning

This paper outlines the development of emergency health planning as a function of government. Ten provinces have the basic responsibility for the organization, preparation and operation of medical, nursing, hospital and public health services in an emergency. The Department of National Health and Welfare is responsible for the provision of advice and assistance to the provincial and municipal governments in such matters. Eight provinces have now hired full-time planning staffs to co-ordinate the health planning of the Provincial Departments of Health and Provincial Emergency Measures Organization.Four major programs have been established. The first program provides for the continuity of leadership and guidance by health authorities at the federal, provincial and municipal level. Essential records have been developed and emergency legislation prepared. This program, however, will be of little use unless health services are organized at the municipal level. In this organizational program, advice and assistance have been provided to existing hospitals and departments of health in the conduct of disaster planning. The efforts of these agencies are co-ordinated by municipal health authorities into a community disaster plan. The third program deals with information and education of the general public and the health workers. This program is designed to make the family unit self-sufficient for up to seven days and the health worker prepared to undertake his emergency role. The first three programs are directed to the organization and training of manpower; the fourth program provides the necessary supplies. From the national medical stockpile of $18,000,000, some $12,000,000 has been received, packaged for long-term storage and distributed to regional depots across the country. To ensure their ready availability in time of emergency an agreement has been reached with seven provinces for the release of hospital disaster kits.

Public Demesne in Spain

FrenchFrenchI. - Introduction. — II. - L'administration, titulaire du domaine public. — III. - Objet réel du domaine public. — IV. - Circonstances déterminantes du domaine public. — V. - Nature et régime juridique. — VI. - Bibliographie.by Dr. Aurelio GuaitaProfessor of Navarrese LegislationThe subject is dealt with under the three « classical » aspects of all juridical problems: written (or positive) law; legal doctrine; jurisprudence.The first legal text to mention public demesne in Spain is the Waterways Act of 1886, in which public demesne is identified with public use. This concept soon was adopted generally, and finally included in the Civil Code of 1889.Of modern instruments, mention should be made of the Local Government Act (revised) of 1955; the Local Corporation Act of the same year; the Guinea and African Territories Property (1949) decrees.Articles 338 to 345 of the Civil Code are the relevant basic texts (assets and the ownership thereof). Of territorial authorities, the State, Provinces and Municipalities exclusively are mentioned as possible owners of the public demesne. The so-called « lesser local corporations » (which may own roads, bridges and streets in the same way as municipalities) and the Colonial Administrations must nowadays be added to complete the list.A unique feature of Spanish law is that « institutional Administrations » are admittedly potential owners of the public demesne. This applies for instance to the National Patrimony, the Railways, the Forest lands. Private property, also when collectively owned, is excluded from the public demesne. As regards the great concessions, the concession-holder owns only operational rights privately, the demesne itself retaining its public character.Public demesne is doctrinally identified with public use of the property. Thus, according to authoritative opinion, this includes even non-physical assets, such as patents. Both Spanish legal doctrine and law take the broadest possible view as to the scope of public demesne, with an express « et alia » clause to every instance of nomenclature. This even goes as far as to specify « all other assets which are to serve for the operation of public or administrative services ». The one criterion is that the object must have public use as its destination.The public demesne, in Spain, is undoubtedly the property of an « administrative person ». And conversely, all the assets of the State (and its subordinate authority) belong to the public demesne, as the State has no privatim purposes. The author examines the rules for the utilisation of the public demesne by private parties, drawn up severally in each case according to its nature and merits. The article quotes chapter and verse on each point, and an extensive bibliography is appended.