A avaliação de desempenho organizacional faz parte da gestão de empresas que possuem uma postura competitiva. Um sistema de avaliação de desempenho deve ser capaz de verificar se a empresa consegue atingir seus objetivos estratégicos, verificando a performance de seus processos e o atingimento de suas metas. O presente trabalho está inserido neste contexto, apresentando o desenvolvimento e a implantação de um modelo de Avaliação Global de Desempenho (AGD) em uma empresa prestadora de serviços para laboratórios, a Rede Metrológica RS. Primeiramente apresenta-se a revisão de quatro modelos de medição de desempenho existentes na literatura: o Balanced Scorecard, o modelo Quantum, o modelo do Capital Intelectual e o modelo Hoshin Kanri. Também é apresentado o método de análise multicriterial Analitycal Hierarchical Process (AHP), que foi utilizado para avaliar a importância dos processos de uma organização e seu impacto em relação à estratégia da empresa. A revisão teórica é complementada pela apresentação da função preferência, que foi implementada na avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho e do atingimento de suas metas. A implantação do modelo de AGD foi contemplada através da execução de seis etapas: (i) Avaliação da estratégia da empresa; (ii) Levantamento dos processos e sub-processos críticos da empresa; (iii) Desenvolvimento e implementação de indicadores de desempenho; (iv) Identificação da importância dos processos e sub-processo, relacionando os mesmos com a estratégia da empresa, através do AHP; (v) Avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho com o uso da função preferência; (vi) Implementação da função de AGD. Ficaram evidentes os benefícios decorrentes da implantação do AGD, que gerou informações relevantes para a organização, além de possibilitar uma visão sistêmica dos processos internos da empresa. O modelo de AGD também permitiu criar uma sistemática de gerenciamento visual de suas atividades através de uma matriz de indicadores, bem como a implementação de um mapa de desempenho global, indicando o desempenho de cada processo da organização. / The organizational performance evaluation is part of the competitive companies’ management. A performance evaluation system must be capable to verify if the company reaches its strategical objectives, checking its processes performance and the goals achievement. In this context, this work presents the development and implantation of a Global Evaluation Performance (GEP) model in a laboratory services company, the Rede Metrológica RS. First it presents four performance measurement models that can be found in literature: Balanced Scorecard, Quantum model, Intellectual Capital model and the Hoshin Kanri model. In addition, a multicriterial analysis method, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) is presented. This method was used to evaluate the company’s processes importance and also its influence and its impact in organization’s strategy. The literature review is complemented presenting the desirability function, that evaluates the performance pointers and its goals achievement. The GEP model implantation was developed through six different stages: (i) Company strategy evaluation; (ii) Survey of organization’s main processes and sub-processes; (iii) Performance pointers development and implementation; (iv) Processes and sub-process importance identification, relating them to the company’s strategy, using AHP; (v) Performance pointers evaluation, using the desirability function; (vi) GEP function implementation. The GEP implantation benefits were notable, because it came up with important information for the organization, besides making a global idea of the company’s processes. The GEP model also allowed creating a visual management of its activities through a pointers matrix, as well as the implementation of a global performance map, indicating organization’s process performance.

A avaliação de desempenho organizacional faz parte da gestão de empresas que possuem uma postura competitiva. Um sistema de avaliação de desempenho deve ser capaz de verificar se a empresa consegue atingir seus objetivos estratégicos, verificando a performance de seus processos e o atingimento de suas metas. O presente trabalho está inserido neste contexto, apresentando o desenvolvimento e a implantação de um modelo de Avaliação Global de Desempenho (AGD) em uma empresa prestadora de serviços para laboratórios, a Rede Metrológica RS. Primeiramente apresenta-se a revisão de quatro modelos de medição de desempenho existentes na literatura: o Balanced Scorecard, o modelo Quantum, o modelo do Capital Intelectual e o modelo Hoshin Kanri. Também é apresentado o método de análise multicriterial Analitycal Hierarchical Process (AHP), que foi utilizado para avaliar a importância dos processos de uma organização e seu impacto em relação à estratégia da empresa. A revisão teórica é complementada pela apresentação da função preferência, que foi implementada na avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho e do atingimento de suas metas. A implantação do modelo de AGD foi contemplada através da execução de seis etapas: (i) Avaliação da estratégia da empresa; (ii) Levantamento dos processos e sub-processos críticos da empresa; (iii) Desenvolvimento e implementação de indicadores de desempenho; (iv) Identificação da importância dos processos e sub-processo, relacionando os mesmos com a estratégia da empresa, através do AHP; (v) Avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho com o uso da função preferência; (vi) Implementação da função de AGD. Ficaram evidentes os benefícios decorrentes da implantação do AGD, que gerou informações relevantes para a organização, além de possibilitar uma visão sistêmica dos processos internos da empresa. O modelo de AGD também permitiu criar uma sistemática de gerenciamento visual de suas atividades através de uma matriz de indicadores, bem como a implementação de um mapa de desempenho global, indicando o desempenho de cada processo da organização. / The organizational performance evaluation is part of the competitive companies’ management. A performance evaluation system must be capable to verify if the company reaches its strategical objectives, checking its processes performance and the goals achievement. In this context, this work presents the development and implantation of a Global Evaluation Performance (GEP) model in a laboratory services company, the Rede Metrológica RS. First it presents four performance measurement models that can be found in literature: Balanced Scorecard, Quantum model, Intellectual Capital model and the Hoshin Kanri model. In addition, a multicriterial analysis method, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) is presented. This method was used to evaluate the company’s processes importance and also its influence and its impact in organization’s strategy. The literature review is complemented presenting the desirability function, that evaluates the performance pointers and its goals achievement. The GEP model implantation was developed through six different stages: (i) Company strategy evaluation; (ii) Survey of organization’s main processes and sub-processes; (iii) Performance pointers development and implementation; (iv) Processes and sub-process importance identification, relating them to the company’s strategy, using AHP; (v) Performance pointers evaluation, using the desirability function; (vi) GEP function implementation. The GEP implantation benefits were notable, because it came up with important information for the organization, besides making a global idea of the company’s processes. The GEP model also allowed creating a visual management of its activities through a pointers matrix, as well as the implementation of a global performance map, indicating organization’s process performance.

A avaliação de desempenho organizacional faz parte da gestão de empresas que possuem uma postura competitiva. Um sistema de avaliação de desempenho deve ser capaz de verificar se a empresa consegue atingir seus objetivos estratégicos, verificando a performance de seus processos e o atingimento de suas metas. O presente trabalho está inserido neste contexto, apresentando o desenvolvimento e a implantação de um modelo de Avaliação Global de Desempenho (AGD) em uma empresa prestadora de serviços para laboratórios, a Rede Metrológica RS. Primeiramente apresenta-se a revisão de quatro modelos de medição de desempenho existentes na literatura: o Balanced Scorecard, o modelo Quantum, o modelo do Capital Intelectual e o modelo Hoshin Kanri. Também é apresentado o método de análise multicriterial Analitycal Hierarchical Process (AHP), que foi utilizado para avaliar a importância dos processos de uma organização e seu impacto em relação à estratégia da empresa. A revisão teórica é complementada pela apresentação da função preferência, que foi implementada na avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho e do atingimento de suas metas. A implantação do modelo de AGD foi contemplada através da execução de seis etapas: (i) Avaliação da estratégia da empresa; (ii) Levantamento dos processos e sub-processos críticos da empresa; (iii) Desenvolvimento e implementação de indicadores de desempenho; (iv) Identificação da importância dos processos e sub-processo, relacionando os mesmos com a estratégia da empresa, através do AHP; (v) Avaliação dos indicadores de desempenho com o uso da função preferência; (vi) Implementação da função de AGD. Ficaram evidentes os benefícios decorrentes da implantação do AGD, que gerou informações relevantes para a organização, além de possibilitar uma visão sistêmica dos processos internos da empresa. O modelo de AGD também permitiu criar uma sistemática de gerenciamento visual de suas atividades através de uma matriz de indicadores, bem como a implementação de um mapa de desempenho global, indicando o desempenho de cada processo da organização. / The organizational performance evaluation is part of the competitive companies’ management. A performance evaluation system must be capable to verify if the company reaches its strategical objectives, checking its processes performance and the goals achievement. In this context, this work presents the development and implantation of a Global Evaluation Performance (GEP) model in a laboratory services company, the Rede Metrológica RS. First it presents four performance measurement models that can be found in literature: Balanced Scorecard, Quantum model, Intellectual Capital model and the Hoshin Kanri model. In addition, a multicriterial analysis method, the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) is presented. This method was used to evaluate the company’s processes importance and also its influence and its impact in organization’s strategy. The literature review is complemented presenting the desirability function, that evaluates the performance pointers and its goals achievement. The GEP model implantation was developed through six different stages: (i) Company strategy evaluation; (ii) Survey of organization’s main processes and sub-processes; (iii) Performance pointers development and implementation; (iv) Processes and sub-process importance identification, relating them to the company’s strategy, using AHP; (v) Performance pointers evaluation, using the desirability function; (vi) GEP function implementation. The GEP implantation benefits were notable, because it came up with important information for the organization, besides making a global idea of the company’s processes. The GEP model also allowed creating a visual management of its activities through a pointers matrix, as well as the implementation of a global performance map, indicating organization’s process performance.

D. Phil. (Industrial Psychology) / This study focused on the measurement of social desirability from a cross-cultural perspective. In applied settings industrial psychologists use social desirability scales to eliminate sources of bias or systematic error that are not relevant to the measured attribute, to identify applicants who are deliberately presenting themselves in a positive manner, to adjust personality scale scores or to flag potentially invalid personality profiles. Socially desirable responding on personality measures continues to be an important concern for researchers and practitioners due to the potentially serious consequences of response distortion in personnel selection contexts. The effect of socially desirable responding on the validity and utility of personality testing in employment settings has been extensively debated and researched internationally. However, depending on the operational definition of social desirability used and the choice of research design, research results have been mixed and at times contradictory. In addition, there is growing recognition that the cross-cultural transferability of the social desirability construct needs to be empirically examined. Furthermore, the influence of potential race and ethnic group differences in social desirability scale scores, which can lead to disproportional selection ratios, has not been sufficiently researched in South Africa. This study therefore focused on the systematic analysis of theoretical and scientific evidence relating to socially desirable responding in occupational settings across different cultures and across different personality instruments currently in use in South Africa.

This study aims to contribute to the broad field of research regarding changes in fertility and postponement of parenthood. To accomplish this, I combine Richard Sennett’s exposition of “the new culture of capitalism” (2006 s. 126) and one of Daoud and Larsson’s (2014 s. 52) interpretations of the sociological term embeddedness. More particularly, the present study intends to investigate whether the social institutions that, in line with Sennett (2006 s. 25, 35), promote short-termism and flexibility, have come to be internalized (i.e., embedded) in the way women relate to the long-term investment of making a parental debut. The data consist of statements derived from eight semi-structured interviews with women aged between 20 and 28. The interviews executed to answer the following questions:   • How can we understand the way young Swedish women, without children, relate to committing parental debut?   • Which factors do young Swedish women, without children, emphasize regarding a possible parental debut?   Although the results were not unambiguous, there are indications that women choose, or have chosen, to postpone their parental debut due to ambivalence regarding making long-term commitments. Another result was that a possible parental debut not always is considered as a priority to other aspects. This included education and career, as well as the ability to be “free” and make self-sufficient decisions. To a certain extent, this rationale and reasoning were prevalent regardless of age and occupation, which was positive concerning the generalizability of the results. On the other hand, it was also clear that other aspects were considered important, which stresses the importance of taking the theoretical context into account.   A suggestion is that further research should enlarge the number of survey units to increase the possibility to generalize the results. Furthermore, my opinion is that prospective research should take this kind of institutional approach into account in the attempts of understanding other trends and phenomena in society.

Self-evaluations are typically performed in the workplace in order to apportion rewards, judge suitability for promotions and to assign people to appropriate roles. However, people adapt their representations of the self to their circumstances so much so that self-evaluations, as a true reflection of a person’s performance or character, are often of little worth. Assuming honest and sincere rather than manipulated feedback in the workplace is better for achieving business objectives, this research describes hypothesised key drivers of self-presentation behaviour and contributes towards improving the design of self-evaluation instruments. A theoretical model of self-presentation behaviour was constructed, drawing on theory of social desirability bias, impression management and accountability, that proposes anticipation of two distinct characteristics of an audience, power to reward and knowledge of the dimensions being assessed, cause the self-presenting individual to adapt their representations of themselves in specific and predictable ways. A quasi-experiment was performed, using a sample of 278 MBA students allocated to four groups, on the effects of audience anticipation on self-reporting on the dimensions of performance and personality. Statistical pair-wise comparisons of means in experimental groups and principal components analysis verified the theoretical model. / Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

This thesis deals with the conjoint analysis in the context of the possibilities for its use in social science research. The mentioned method is introduced in detail and the text covers both the historical development and statistical background of each type of this analysis. Following practical part of thesis deals with the ability to overcome some typical data validity issues such as social desirability and order effect. Hypotheses, formulated on the basis of literature, are being tested using data obtained from split ballot experiment by comparing outcomes of conjoint analysis with those obtained with conventional rating scales. As the main topic of the conducted study is measuring preferences within individual aspects of ideal job, analysis no surprisingly identifies the salary as the most important attribute, but besides this, conjoint analysis shows potential for being more resistant to the order effect than the standard rating scales.

How do predominantly religious rural communities influence members who are not associated with the dominant religion? Does disassociation with the majority religious affiliation impact community desirability? Current community literature has shown that religious affiliation identification can influence community sentiment (Jennings and Krannich 2013; Kan and Kim 1981; Stinner, Van Loon, Chung, and Byun 1990; Mattarita-Cascante, Stedman, and Luloff 2010) while other studies suggest the possibility of either mixed or inconclusive results (Adams 1992; Andrews 2011; Flagg and Painter II 2019; Reitz, Banerjee, Phan, and Thompson 2009). Using data from the Rural Utah Community Study in 2017, the current study will examine the association between religious affiliation and community desirability in a unique setting. I find that even when accounting for length of residence, age, and the perception of local services, religious affiliation continues to be associated with community desirability. These findings have potential implications for other communities with a majority religion.

Students’ learning processes can be affected negatively by long waiting times to get assistance on lesson- and lab-sessions. Studies show that digital queuing systems decrease the waiting time. Thus, the purpose of this report is to investigate how to design a web-based queuing application to achieve a high perceived usability for students and tutors. Especially based on navigability and design which in accordance with research in the area has a direct impact on the usability. To achieve a high perceived usability the application was developed iteratively. In the first version the implemented functionality was built upon the result from the feasibility study combined with research in the area. After a set of user evaluations, changes from the first version were implemented to further improve the perceived usability. Lastly, another set of evaluations were performed to confirm the improvement in the final version. The results showed that the first version of the system was perceived as 84 out of 100 on the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the final version as 88 out of 100, an improvement by four units. Uniform design, no irrelevant functionality, placing buttons in conspicuous positions and having double checks to “dangerous actions” all seem to be factors contributing to the navigability, desirability and thus the usability on a queuing-application. / Studenters lärandeprocess kan påverkas negativt av långa väntetider för att få hjälp under lektions- och laborationspass. Studier visar att digitala kösystem reducerar väntetiden. Följaktligen är syftet med arbetet att undersöka hur en webb-baserad köapplikation kan designas för att uppnå en hög upplevd användbarhet hos studenter och handledare. Speciellt med avseende på navigerbarhet och design vilket enligt tidigare forskning har en direkt påverkan på användbarheten. För att uppnå en hög upplevd användbarhet utvecklades applikationen iterativt. I den första versionen implementerades funktionalitet som byggde på resultatet från förstudien i kombination med tidigare forskning. Efter användartester implementerades ändringar från den första versionen för att ytterlige förbättra användbarheten. Slutligen genomfördes ytterligare användartester för att bekräfta förbättringen i den slutgiltiga versionen. Resultatet visade att den första versionen av systemet uppfattades som 84 av 100 på systemanvändbarhetsskalan SUS och den slutgiltiga som 88 av 100, en förbättring med fyra enheter. Enhetlig design, ingen irrelevant funktionalitet, placering av knappar i iögonfallande positioner och att ha kontroller vid “farliga klick” verkar alla vara faktorer som bidrar till navigerbarheten, åtråvärdheten och där med användbarheten för en kö-applikation.

<p> Factors affecting cottage site desirability are investigated two ways. A step-wise compilation of the regression model is used to rank the cottage site desirability variables, and determine the proportion of variation that the variables contribute in explaining cottage land values. The simple regression and correlation technique is used to determine the existence of possible relationships. between distance measures, and measures of both cottage land values and cottage road values. </p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)