Leading new, deeper forms of collaborative cultures: Questions and pathways

The pandemic has made deeper problems more transparent and has stimulated many to realize that there may be an opportunity over the next period to pursue much needed innovations in learning. In this essay we describe the ways in which the pandemic has provided the conditions for new human development that joins two powerful forces: the pulsar model which elevates human potential with respect to student learning, and new, deeper forms of collaboration that have long eluded those interested in system change. In this article we show how ‘spirit work’ and collaboration can combine to develop schools systems that are essential for coping with the new post-pandemic conditions facing humanity. We also identify spinoff opportunities arising from the pandemic, and a corresponding pressure that could generate more widespread system improvement designed to improve learning for all, including advances in both equity and excellence.

The Control System in the Hotel and Restaurant Business: Conceptual Approach

The topicality. In today’s crisis of hotel and restaurant business in terms of ensuring the effectiveness of the management component is relevant to the use of controlling as an element of crisis management in the hospitality industry, which allows you to take management to a qualitatively new level by evaluating, coordinating, coordinating, optimizing and monitoring all services. and divisions operating at the enterprise. The purpose of the article is to develop and substantiate the conceptual theoretical and methodological provisions and practical recommendations for improving the controlling system in the hotel and restaurant business. Research methods. In forming the methodology of conceptual vision of the controlling system in the hotel and restaurant business and the main directions of its application used a set of general and special research methods: methods of observation, modeling, analysis and synthesis, comparison, strategic analysis, abstract modeling and historical logic. Results. The key features of improving the controlling system at the hotel and restaurant business have been identified and substantiated. The stages of its creation are analyzed, in particular the stage of preparation, implementation and automation. The main conceptual principles of improving the controlling system in the field of hospitality are outlined. A conceptual adaptive model of improving the controlling system in the hotel and restaurant business has been designed and substantiated, which is characterized by complexity and cyclicity and consists of three circles (internal, middle and external), for each of which the parameters of flow and interconnection are defined. Conclusions and discussions. The scientific novelty of the obtained results lies in the design and substantiation of a conceptual adaptive model of controlling system improvement at hotel and restaurant business enterprises, which has a cyclical nature and allows to provide continuous and continuous improvement of both the controlling system and the enterprise as a whole. The practical significance of the obtained results is manifested in the possibility of applying the developed and substantiated theoretical and methodological and applied conceptual aspects in the real business practice of hotel and restaurant business enterprises in order to ensure their efficiency and competitiveness in the services market of Ukraine and abroad.

Thermodynamic Evaluation of a Direct Expansion Ground-Sourced Heat Pump with Horizontal Ground Heat Exchangers Using Advanced Exergy Analysis

This paper deals with the advanced exergetic analysis of a horizontal direct-expansion ground sourced CO2 heat pump operating in a transcritical cycle. The cycle is thermodynamically modeled in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) considering the pressure drops in both high and low temperature heat exchangers, and the system is to provide a fixed heating load. Conventional exergy analysis orderly suggests a compressor, expansion valve, gas cooler and ground heat exchanger to be considered for system improvement, while tracing exergy destruction of all components in detail demonstrates true improvement potential of each and all components and the system as a whole and offers a different order. Advanced exergy analysis points out that the compressor is directly and indirectly responsible for 56% of the overall exergy destruction generated in the cycle, confirming the detrimental role of this component in the system. The second influential component is recognized to be a ground heat exchanger accounting for 20% exergy destruction of the compressor as well as submitting 89% avoidability in its own exergy destruction, and expansion valve proves to be the last option for system improvement according to this analysis.

Doping Sanctions in Sport: Knowledge and Perception of (Legal) Consequences of Doping—An Explorative Study in Austria

Anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) can lead to sports-related and legal sanctions, thus, being knowledgeable is important. Research into this knowledge and how athletes and their support personnel (ASP) perceive the control mechanisms and the appropriateness of (legal) sanctions is still scarce. This explorative study aimed to examine the knowledge and perception of existing (legal) sanctions in Austria, by distributing a questionnaire to Austrian athletes and ASP covering the topics of knowledge related to legal and sports-related consequences associated with a specific ADRV presented in a case study, their trust and satisfaction with specific agencies (based on the European Social Survey (ESS)) and perceived efficiency and effectiveness of the doping control system. Data were analyzed descriptively. All respondents (N = 59) agreed on a ban from sport to be appropriate. Knowledge about legal consequences and the trust in the judiciary and the sport governing bodies was moderate (6.82 out of 10). Perceived appropriate consequences were on average higher than the likely sanctions to be faced. Future prevention should include trust building measures in the institutions and the control system, improvement in terms of access to law and education for the target group and critical reflection on the existence of social norms. Furthermore, the implementation of risk management aspects should be part of future approaches.

How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected the Perceptions of Public Space Employees?

The purpose of this study is to derive the subjective perception about COVID-19 of public space employees and to identify the characteristics of COVID-19 related issues. By using the Q-method, 24 workers in four public spaces located in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA were selected as P-Sample and Q-Sorting was conducted. Three types of perceptions were identified; Type 1 (Expansion of Non-Face-To-Face Service), Type 2 (Expansion of Professional Labor), and Type 3 (Expansion of Welfare Service Type). All three types recognized that when a confirmed case occurs in a public space, the right and safety of users or communities to know is important, and accurate information must be provided, because it is necessary to prevent the spread of infection. Above all, these results show another side of the COVID-19 situation, as the participants in this study are currently in charge of various tasks such as quarantine and service provision in public spaces. This study can be used as basic data for policy response and system improvement of public spaces in the event of an infectious disease such as COVID-19 in the future.

An Implementation Science Laboratory as One Approach to Whole System Improvement: A Canadian Healthcare Perspective

Implementation science (IS) has emerged as an integral component for evidence-based whole system improvement. IS studies the best methods to promote the systematic uptake of evidence-based interventions into routine practice to improve the quality and effectiveness of health service delivery and patient care. IS laboratories (IS labs) are one mechanism to integrate implementation science as an evidence-based approach to whole system improvement and to support a learning health system. This paper aims to examine if IS labs are a suitable approach to whole system improvement. We retrospectively analyzed an existing IS lab (Alberta, Canada’s Implementation Science Collaborative) to assess the potential of IS labs to perform as a whole system approach to improvement and to identify key activities and considerations for designing IS labs specifically to support learning health systems. Results from our evaluation show the extent to which IS labs support learning health systems through enabling infrastructures for system-wide improvement and research.

A Systematic Improvement Model to Optimize Production Systems within Industry 4.0 Environments: A Simulation Case Study

The industrial revolutions and their impact on production systems have increased productivity and quality in manufacturing over time. Lean methods have been the driver of the development of production systems from the 1990s to the rise of the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0. However, many different approaches and methodologies have been described, applied, and discussed for achieving improvements in production systems. As a result, organizations are often confused in regard to the order, the convenience, and the outcomes intended by the different improvement strategies and techniques. This paper provides a systematic sequence of process optimization steps that can be applied to any organization. A conceptual model was built based on the systematic sequence. In addition, a simulation model was built with the goal of representing and quantifying the sequential steps of the conceptual model. The results of the simulation model show a clear improvement in quality, performance, and economic indicators, with the first two steps in the optimization sequence providing critical initial information, while the third step served as a net contributor to a global production system improvement for demanding market scenarios. Finally, we analyzed the impacts of Industry 4.0 on production systems and developed a methodological sequence to design, select, implement, and control projects, even those that include Industry 4.0 technologies.