Free event: Applications of Systems Thinking

THIRD SECTOR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

APPLICATIONS OF SYSTEMS THINKING

Friday 17^th March 2017, 14.00-17.00

(Arrival/registration/tea and coffee from 13.30)

CAN-Mezzanine 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR

Systems thinking is a powerful way of understanding the world, and accordingly, systems approaches can be powerful ways of addressing real-world problems. This half-day event is an opportunity to hear from people who are using systems approaches to address community and social issues, and to discuss the potential and the challenges of such approaches.

Speakers include Gerald Midgley, Professor of Systems Thinking at Hull University Business School, talking about resolving stakeholder conflict in a range of community settings; Miles Weaver from Edinburgh Napier University on how systems approaches have helped identify better ways for communities and socially responsible businesses to build value; Penny Lawrence, Deputy Director of Oxfam, on applying systems thinking to Oxfam’s change programme; and Rob Abercombie, Director of Research and Consultancy at New Philanthropy Capital, discussing key lessons from the NPC/Lankelly Chase study of systems change for addressing social problems.

The event should be of interest to third sector managers interested in how systems thinking can be applied to their own challenges; to OR professionals interested in learning about different systems methodologies and their applications; and to anybody interested in how systems thinking can help us to drive change.

To book: The event is free to attend but we expect this to be a very popular event and space is limited, so places must be booked in advance, by visiting: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/or-society-third-sector-sig-applications-of-systems-thinking-tickets-31120017811

For further information please contact:   felicity.mcleister@theorsociety.com

Provisional timetable

2.00-2.05              Introduction/welcome

2.05-2.45              Gerald Midgley

2.45-3.15               Miles Weaver

3.15-3.30               break

3.30-4.00              Penny Lawrence

4.00-4.30              Rob Abercrombie

4.30-5.00              discussion, informal networking

APPLICATIONS OF SYSTEMS THINKING

THIRD SECTOR SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP

APPLICATIONS OF SYSTEMS THINKING

Friday 17^th March 2017, 14.00-17.00

(Arrival/registration/tea and coffee from 13.30)

CAN-Mezzanine 7-14 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YR

Systems thinking is a powerful way of understanding the world, and accordingly, systems approaches can be powerful ways of addressing real-world problems. This half-day event is an opportunity to hear from people who are using systems approaches to address community and social issues, and to discuss the potential and the challenges of such approaches.

Speakers include Gerald Midgley, Professor of Systems Thinking at Hull University Business School, talking about resolving stakeholder conflict in a range of community settings; Miles Weaver from Edinburgh Napier University on how systems approaches have helped identify better ways for communities and socially responsible businesses to buil value; and Penny Lawrence, Deputy Director of Oxfam, on applying systems thinking to Oxfam’s change programme.

The event should be of interest to third sector managers interested in how systems thinking can be applied to their own challenges; to OR professionals interested in learning about different systems methodologies and their applications; and to anybody interested in how systems thinking can help us to drive change.

To book: The event is free to attend but we expect this to be a very popular event and space is limited, so places must be booked in advance, by visiting: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/or-society-third-sector-sig-applications-of-systems-thinking-tickets-31120017811

For further information please contact:   felicity.mcleister@theorsociety.com

Provisional timetable

2.00-2.05           Introduction/welcome

2.05-2.45           Gerald Midgley

2.45-3.15            Miles Weaver

3.15-3.30           break

3.30-4.00           Penny Lawrence

4.00-4.30           further speaker tbc

4.30-5.00           discussion, informal networking

Free event: O.R. & Oxfam

O.R. & Oxfam: Optimising donation bank collections using remote monitoring sensors

(The OR Society: Joint Third Sector SIG, SORG and CORMSIS Event)

Date/time:         Thursday 11 June 2015

Registration from 15.30 with refreshments

Talk 16.00-17.30

Location:           University of Southampton, Highfield Campus

Building 2, Room 3043

Please use this link for directions:

            http://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/visit/highfield-campus.page  

Cost:                 FREE

The major charities can spend around 20% of their income on logistics, collecting new donations from donation banks and recycling unsellable textiles via various outlets. This talk will describe the key learning outcomes from a project undertaken with Oxfam which installed remote monitoring sensors into a subset of their textile donation banks and using the fill levels reported daily, derived collection strategies using tabu search methods. These were based on a set of rules to only allow banks to become eligible for servicing once they had reached a specific fill level. The problem was made more complex by the need for the collection vans to also visit Oxfam shops on a fixed schedule basis to remove unsold textiles. Following live and simulated trials, the results suggested that time and distance savings of up to 30% over the current fixed schedules could be achieved when a minimum bank and shop fill level of between 50% and 60% was used as a collection trigger. Some of the outcomes from the project are now being developed commercially in the form of an app, to allow the area managers, shop managers and drivers to communicate and manage collection scheduling in a more dynamic way.

To book your place please visit: Eventbrite: O.R. & Oxfam

For further information please contact:   felicity.mcleister@theorsociety.com            

Note: Please note parking is limited so you are advised to travel by public transport (there are excellent bus links to the university from both train stations).  If you do require parking please contact me ASAP.