FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 5 Professor Claire Leitch Executive Dean Lancaster University Management School Foreword Subscribe online at lancaster.ac.uk/fiftyfour SUBSCRIBE For those of us who fly, one of the greatest frustrations can be unexpected delays and cancellations. Holidays and business plans can be thrown into turmoil in an instant by problems at the airport. Over the last decade, researchers in our Centre for Transport and Logistics (CENTRAL) have been working with air traffic control networks and other key players in the flight industry to look at ways in which slots at airports can be assigned. These slots determine which airlines fly from where, to where, at what times. By using their logistics expertise, and mathematical modelling, the CENTRAL team have undertaken work on the ORMASTER project to devise a fairer way of airports allocating slots to airlines. Konstantinos Zografos leads both CENTRAL and the OR-MASTER project, and his article is a fascinating insight into the work they have undertaken, and the hopes for the future. It is not an easy task – as with anything that requires major alterations of an existing system, there is always politics involved, and entrenched positions to overcome – but the research has important industrial partners, and it has the potential for positive practical impact on the airline industry – and on us passengers too. This kind of real-world influence is what we strive for within our School. We recognise the importance of using our knowledge and skills to make a difference to business, policy-makers and society as a whole. You can see that also in the work of Professors Kostas Selviaridis and Martin Spring. They have been working with the UK National Health Service to look at the ways in which huge public and governmental organisations can bring more innovation into their operations. As a patient on a ward, in surgery, or visiting a GP, we rely on the NHS to have the best technologies and practices available to ensure our safe care. But if these technologies are being developed by small businesses, how do they get into the national framework in the first place? Kostas and Martin’s work looks at how intermediary organisations can bridge the gap between the huge and small organisations, speeding up innovation adoption and removing obstacles. Their analysis and feedback to the NHS – as well as work with the UK Ministry of Defence – provides a platform for positive change. You can see further evidence of our work with external partners in the article from FareShare’s Carl Hawkes. FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, who take good quality surplus food from across the food industry and supply nearly 9,500 frontline charities and community groups. They have been working with researchers in the Department of Management Science, as well as members the STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training, to analyse and add value to their operational decision-making. This can affect people across the country relying on the likes of foodbanks, and you can see from Carl’s article that Lancaster’s input has already made a difference. Hopefully, there will be similar positive effects from the I-Connect project. Eden Project Morecambe offers the potential to bring huge benefits to the town, the community, and the wider region. Radka Newton explains the importance of looking beyond the site itself, and has been working with local councils and businesses to bring the voice and insight of the public to the processes. These articles provide just a handful of the examples of impactful research and engagement taking place across the School – as well as a mere taste of the contents of these pages. I know that we will be able to bring you more tales of practical solutions and transformational work in future issues of Fifty Four Degrees. Until then, enjoy this edition. Welcome to the latest edition of Fifty Four Degrees, your chance to gain an insight into the research taking place at Lancaster University Management School.
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