Lean principles emerged in the Japanese manufacturing industry after the Second World War. Lean management focuses on improving product quality while eliminating waste—primarily through process redesign and the integration of employees, management, suppliers and customers into the quality management process. The NHS is under significant pressure to improve productivity while maintaining or improving service quality, at the same time as service demand increases. The Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme’s primary concern is to ensure that financial resources are used to bring maximum benefit and quality of care to patients (Department of Health, 2010). Lean management could therefore offer a panacea for the NHS, although its applicability to the health service sector is contested. This article investigates whether lean management is merely a fad or whether it could alleviate the pressure the NHS faces. While specific clinical processes may easily adopt lean processes and practices, healthcare organisations will need a paradigm shift in their management philosophy to adopt lean more widely. The promise of lean management remains elusive but could be harnessed by willing organisations.

Sustainability practices produce programs and services that meet current needs while preserving the environment and natural resources for the future. City parks and recreation departments are facing budget shortfalls and increasing expectations from customers. Governments are now embracing sustainability practices to create financial savings while also fostering relations with customers. The purpose of this single case study was twofold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of one city department’s strategies in outsourcing its environmental sustainability program through a performance contract with Ameresco; and (2) to examine the perceptions of key department employees about the effectiveness of the sustainability initiative. A snowball sample of 14 employees, stratified by employee class (upper administrative, middle management and, line staff) was drawn from the City of Knoxville, Tennessee’s parks and recreation department. Qualitative data generated from semi-structured interviews was coded and thematized to analyze the perceptions of the employees included in the sample about the agency’s sustainability practices. Additionally, financial archival data from utility bills (N = 96) were analyzed over the implementation phase of the contract to determine if cost savings were realized. Key findings of the study included: (1) financial savings were realized across key operating areas as a result of the contract with Ameresco; (2) employees identified positive feelings towards investment in environmental initiatives; (3) sustainability can be obtained through the implementation of an environmental sustainability performance contract; and (4) sustainable practices can further increase efficiency of facilities operation. The results of this study may be generalized to cities of similar size and governmental structure.

In 2011 the mining industry purchased 14.5% of the electrical energy generated by Eskom. During 2011 in South Africa, dewatering pump systems on gold mines were the fourth largest electrical energy consumer on South African mines therefor making dewatering pumps ideal candidates to generate significant financial savings. These savings can be realised by controlling time-of-use (TOU) schedules. Previous studies concentrated on the impact of improving a pumping scheme of a single mineshaft. This dissertation will focus on the operations of a complete dewatering system consisting of multiple mineshafts. The case study will consist of a gold mine complex comprising of five different shafts - each with its own reticulation system – as well as the larger interconnected water reticulation system. Various pumping options were investigated, simulated and verified. The interaction between shafts was determined when load-shifting was scheduled for all the shafts taking each shaft’s particular infrastructure into account. The underground dewatering system was automated and optimised based on the simulation results. Mine safety protocols were adhered to while optimal pump operational schedules were introduced. / Thesis (MIng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

In 2011 the mining industry purchased 14.5% of the electrical energy generated by Eskom. During 2011 in South Africa, dewatering pump systems on gold mines were the fourth largest electrical energy consumer on South African mines therefor making dewatering pumps ideal candidates to generate significant financial savings. These savings can be realised by controlling time-of-use (TOU) schedules. Previous studies concentrated on the impact of improving a pumping scheme of a single mineshaft. This dissertation will focus on the operations of a complete dewatering system consisting of multiple mineshafts. The case study will consist of a gold mine complex comprising of five different shafts - each with its own reticulation system – as well as the larger interconnected water reticulation system. Various pumping options were investigated, simulated and verified. The interaction between shafts was determined when load-shifting was scheduled for all the shafts taking each shaft’s particular infrastructure into account. The underground dewatering system was automated and optimised based on the simulation results. Mine safety protocols were adhered to while optimal pump operational schedules were introduced. / Thesis (MIng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.