Between submission and viva

Our Chinese student who has recently submitted her thesis can't go home. The Home Office has her passport, has had it since April, and not returned it. Although student and the research office and all the Open University officials have contacted the Home Office, still she doesn't have her visa and passport back. She can't go home and get back into the UK for her viva without it, but neither can she work here because she hasn't got a work visa. It's such a shame because these free months are the time when she should be able to go home for a break. But if she can't get back in to take the viva, then she won't get her PhD after her years of hard work.

It's sad and frustrating.

Supplier Value Awards Programme 2009 | Home Office

Many big customers will have a lot of suppliers to provide a variety of services: cleaning, construction, security, IT, postal delivery. The public sector uses many suppliers, so supplier relationship management (SRM) must be as important to public sector organisations as customer relationship management (CRM) is to business. I wonder why there are few business courses that include a module on SRM, or management of third party professionals. MBA courses seem aimed at people who are going to become consultants, rather than people who are going to use consultants. I'm not aware and am trying to work out where SRM fits into an MBA. CRM is usually marketing, but SRM?

The Home Office has recognised the importance of suppliers and now awards the best, hoping to encourage all. It appears to have a pragmatic approach to its suppliers. One of the criterion (from the FAQs here) for the award is:

value for money delivered through cost savings or enhanced delivery

The italics are mine because value for money is important but value for the Home Office is more than just the cheapest option - value is in the quality of the service and relationships between supplier and client and other collaborating organisations, though of course the money matters because it's our taxes that pay for services.

So it was a pleasure and a privilege to be present when the SVAP awards were announced yesterday. The winners deserve their accolades. the competition was strong - just look at the nominees in each category to see what suppliers were up against. And all praise due too to the Home Office for such positive encouragement to its suppliers.

Thief

I missed the excitement in the office just before lunch when a thief walked in and stole a lecturer's laptop - was so cool he even said 'hello' to the victim, then walked out of the office. Victim realised laptop was missing and shouted after the man, who hastened his exit, scarpered down the stairs, out the door and made his getaway on his bicycle parked right by the door.

Why had no one questioned a stranger in the office?

We used to have a secretary who knew everybody and would accost a stranger to ask if he needed help. Super secretary had built up relationships with lots of people on the campus, but that super secretary isn't with us any more. We have a part time temp who knows few people in our building. Is this another example of the potential value of social capital that a long lasting secretary could bring?

Awards

It's interesting to see that the Home Office is recognising the efforts of staff and suppliers who drive value by offering awards. See here. One category is of collaborative working with the Home Office. I'd like to see the entrants for that, but another category is for contribution to a project or programme and that might be closer to my research interests.