Agile software development is gaining popularity, with many organizations across several industries migrating to agile methodologies. Employees are the assets of any organization and it is of utmost importance for the organization’s success to make the best use of available human resources. For this, measuring job performance through performance evaluation becomes crucial. This study aims at investigating the limitations of annual performance appraisal when applied to agile work set-up. When the shortcomings in the current appraisal process are identified, corrective measures for eliminating such gaps are listed out as an outcome of this research study with the aim of making the appraisal system more effective. Survey and interviews are primarily used for data collection. Several important observations are noted as a result of our study. The research findings briefly highlight the good aspects of current appraisal system in the agile work set-up. However, the main focus is to illustrate the limitations in annual performance appraisal with evidence. Consequently, proposals for a better appraisal system in agile work set-up are suggested. Some of them include: need for team performance evaluation, informal and less time-consuming appraisal process, timely and anonymous feedback from all stakeholders.

Den svenska miljöpolitiken drivs huvudsakligen genom ett system med 16 så kallade nationella miljökvalitetsmål och övergripande så kallade generationsmål. Dessa målsätter ramarna för miljöarbetet i Sverige på nationell, regional och lokal nivå. Utgångsläget för Sveriges miljöpolitik är att vi till nästa generation, år 2020, ska lämnaöver ett välmående samhälle där de stora miljöproblemen i Sverige är lösta. Nyckelpersoner från Kalmar, Jönköping och Skåne länsstyrelser har intervjuats, såvälsom nyckelpersoner från utvalda kommuner i respektive län. Resultatet av intervjuerna tyder på att arbetet med miljömål kräver kommunikation och samverkan både horisontellt och vertikalt och att länsstyrelsen har en central och viktigroll.Syftet med denna studie är att den ska vara till hjälp för Länsstyrelsen i Kalmar imiljömålsarbetet. / The Swedish environmental policy is dictated through a system of 16 so called national environmental quality objectives, and broad so called generational objectives. These set the frames of the environmental work done in Sweden at a national, regional and local level.The overall goal of the environmental work done in Sweden is to hand over aprosperous, healthy society to the next generation, where the major environmental challenges has been overcome, no later than the year 2020. Key persons at the county administrations of Kalmar, Jönköping and Skåne have been interviewed, as well as persons from selected municipalities in each county.The results of these interviews show the importance of the county administration in the environmental work of the municipalities and that this work requires extensive communication, both vertical and horizontal.The results of this paper is meant to help the county administration of Kalmar in the environmental work.

The overall aim of this thesis is to present a model for rational goal-setting and to illustrate how it can be applied in evaluations of public policies, in particular policies concerning sustainable development and environmental quality. The contents of the thesis are divided into two sections: a theoretical section (Papers I-IV) and an empirical section (Papers V-VII). Paper I identifies a set of rationality criteria for single goals and discusses them in relation to the typical function of goals. It is argued that goals are typically set to enhance goal achievement. A goal that successfully furthers its achievement is “achievement-inducing”. It holds for each of the identified criteria that, ceteris paribus, improved satisfaction of a criterion makes a goal better in the achievement-inducing sense.Paper II contains an analysis of the notion of goal system coherence. It is argued that the coherence of a goal system is determined by the relations that hold among the goals in the system, in particular the relations of operationalization, means and ends, support, and conflict. Paper III investigates the rationality of utopian goals. The paper analyzes four arguments that support the normative criterion of attainability: that utopian goals are (1) too imprecise and (2) too far-reaching to guide action effectively, (3) counterproductive, and (4) morally objectionable. A tentative defence of utopian goal-setting is built on counter-arguments that can be put forward to weaken each of the four objections. Paper IV investigates the nature of self-defeating goals. The paper identifies three types of situations in which self-defeating mechanisms obstruct goal achievement: (1) situations in which the goal itself carries the seeds of its own non-fulfilment (self-defeating goals), (2) situations in which the activity of goal-setting contributes to goal failure (self-defeating goal-setting), and (3) situations in which disclosure of the goal interferes with progress (self-defeating goal disclosure). Paper V provides a brief description of the Swedish system of environmental objectives and a preliminary inventory of the management difficulties that attach to this goal system.Paper VI contains an investigation into the rationality of five Swedish environmental objectives through an application of the rationality criteria identified in Papers I-II. The paper identifies and discusses some difficulties that are associated with management by objectives and the use of goals in environmental policy. Paper VII analyses the rationality of the Swedish environmental quality objective A good built environment. Among the conclusions drawn in the paper are that some of the sub-goals to the objective are formulated in terms that are unnecessarily vague from an action-guiding standpoint and that others are problematic from the viewpoint of evaluability. / QC 20100715