No abstract available / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

No abstract available / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

Purpose – This paper aims to present an applied research effort aimed at reengineering the utilization practices of operating rooms for a public Portuguese hospital. This reengineering effort is motivated by the desire to enhance the patientorientation of the hospital. The role of information systems in facilitating such organizational change is also to be examined. Design/methodology/approach – Actual data are used to simulate outcomes of three different operational scenarios related to the utilization of operating rooms and surgical teams. As such, the critical constraint related to surgical capacity is relaxed under different utilization scenarios. Findings – Based on the findings of the study, it appears that there is no conflict between operational efficiency and patient satisfaction. Welldesigned operational changes can lead to both efficiency and patient satisfaction benefits. This, in turn, can translate into competitive strategic advantage for the hospital. Research limitations/implications – The simulation results derived from this applied research are positive. In general, they tend to point to potential operational and strategic benefits to the hospital and its patients. Although the simulation model used in this study was validated using actual data, more research is needed to test its general applicability. Such research should shed more light on the interrelationships which exist within the hospital operating system. Practical implications – The approach advocated in this research has operational and strategic relevance to healthcare policy makers and hospitals' administrators. In this context, the role of the information systems in providing information relevant to tracking and improving a hospital's performance is emphasized. Originality/value – The paper presents a practical, applied, systematic approach toward enhancing operational effectiveness in healthcare organizations. It draws on bodies of knowledge pretending to system theory, simulation and operations management in order to improve the shortterm performance of hospitals.

This applied research project draws the practical experience of the authors, projects sponsored by their respective institutions of higher learning and efforts of an alliance of technology-based organisations. In addition, some basic concepts, tools and philosophies which are well-established in previous applied research are utilised. With this in mind, the objective of this paper is to shed some practical light on the role and process of traditional and strategic innovation. To achieve this goal, the authors draw on a series of conceptual frameworks and practical guidelines. These frameworks capitalise on the open system nature of today's dynamic organisations. Although the approach presented in this study applies to large businesses as well as small- to medium-sized firms, especially it is helpful to small- to medium-sized technology-based businesses as they attempt to manage the rapid growth in their demand through innovation and innovative strategies.

Thesis (Master').

The short existence of Early College High Schools has not allowed for considerable research to assess their operational effectiveness. Furthermore, the effectiveness perceptions and reactions of students enrolled at these schools have not been given ample opportunity to be studied – an integral component of any school’s operation. The purpose of the study is to focus on one specific ECHS while in its third year of existence to assess its operational effectiveness from the perspective of its students. The research methodology which was selected as appropriate for the study involves the use of qualitative research coupled with the case study method. In order to assess for reliable observations, currently enrolled students were interviewed to gain knowledge of their perception of the operational effectiveness at their early college high school. Additional qualitative data was utilized with an inductive analytic approach to provide for a detailed view of the school. Data was segmented into relevant parts to help identify emergent themes. The following themes emerged from the findings: attainable success; student roles and responsibilities; personalization; support to achieve higher-level work; highly qualified teachers; and engaging parents and community. The findings suggest that student perceptions reflect an effective school environment that enables them to meet the expectations of high school graduation and completion of up to two years of college credit. Moreover, the supplemental data collected provided evidence of effective school administration and instructional practices that foster the support and engagement of students to meet their needs as early college high school students. An objective study of an early college high school may assist its administrators to ascertain whether they are meeting the needs of their students. Future research concerning this topic may be able to utilize the results and conclusions of this study to further enrich the knowledge of effective early college high schools. / text

Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) departments are becoming increasingly structured and routine-based, with tight schedules and daily follow-ups. This way of working stems from increased demands for delivering products to customers quickly and with high quality at a low price. At the same time, these organisations are faced with the challenge of coming up with new ideas that can become the foundations of tomorrow’s innovations. This means that R&amp;D departments must achieve both exploration, in terms of coming up with new ideas, and exploitation in terms of turning existing ideas into products available on the market. If these dual perspectives are to be met within a single work unit, the employees in that unit must achieve what we call contextual ambidexterity. Previous research has shown this to be difficult to achieve and has offered little guidance for organisations about how to organise and manage their operations in order to increase their chances of achieving contextual ambidexterity.The aim of this thesis is to explore challenges related to innovation that are encountered at the micro-level in contextually ambidextrous organisations and to shed light on factors that explain those challenges.This study has combined survey data with interview data from several organisations to analyse the relationship between aspects of efficiency and aspects of creativity. It was found that employees in a contextually ambidextrous organisation struggle to ensure enough micro-level exploration space, in other words, they have trouble finding time to explore ideas and making room for novel ideas.This research shows that a contextually ambidextrous approach in R&amp;D will likely exert two main challenges related to innovation. The first challenge is a crowding out of exploratory activities in favour of exploitatory activities. One reason for this is the combination of using productivity goals for exploitation and not using any similar targets for exploration activities. Large discrepancies in how these two types of activities are treated runs the risk that the one that is less monitored – most often exploration – is likely to be crowded out in favour of the one that is more intensely monitored.A second possible challenge is the demand on predictability in project progress that is often built into organisations as a means to enhance exploitation. This aim for predictability might create a reluctance to introduce new projects with high levels of novelty because the introduction of novel ideas contains uncertainties that jeopardise the adherence to the project plan. The combination of this view of novelty in the later phases of product development and the crowding out of exploratory activities could possibly lead to insufficient room for novel ideas to gain ground in the organisation, and this could lead to less innovative output. / <p>QC 20150225</p>

Thesis (MScEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is ranked as one of the largest table grape exporting countries in the world. The biggest markets for table grape exports have always been the EU and the UK, with emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia. The growing demand for pre-packaged fruit and vegetables in these markets are driven by factors like consumer comfort, hygiene and quality. These consumer needs have given rise to stringent quality control standards, putting more pressure on the producers to produce higher quality products. This thesis investigates the use of check weighing as a tool to enhance the operational effectiveness of table grape punnet packing. It looks at the current state of table grape punnet packing in South Africa, then determines the operational effectiveness of current packing practices and finally evaluates the merits of using automated check weighing as an operational management tool to improve current systems. Producers primarily make use of unskilled labour for the pre-packaging of table grapes, making it difficult to consistently produce good quality products. Some packing systems guide the operators towards filling punnets to the specified mass; some packing systems also feature internal check weighing in some form. Although these features improve mass accuracy and hence product quality, the packing processes are still prone to human and machine errors. Producers employ internal quality controllers who try to identify and rectify any human or machine errors as soon as possible. The PPECB, a local statutory body, enforces the minimum quality standards for South African exports by means of inspectors checking random product samples during production. If products of sub-standard quality are found (including under mass), the whole batch needs to be checked and repackaged where necessary, at great cost to the producer. Pre-packaged products may be produced according to the minimum mass system or the average mass system. The average mass system reduces the amount of raw product giveaway and increases revenue, but it requires that all products are check weighed and the masses recorded with a specified level of accuracy. The addition of automated final product check weighing saw a significant reduction in the occurrence of under as well as over mass punnets. It also managed to improve the productivity of some packing systems. Subsequent experiments with the check weigher using different setup parameters yielded much better measurement accuracy and would reduce under and over mass punnets even more. Considering the potential costs of having to repack batches due to the discovery of under mass products, it would be viable to implement automated final product check weighing even for small producers, with a payback period of less than 5 packing seasons depending on the producer’s specific pack house layout. The implementation of check weighing could not only reduce the risk of sub-quality products being produced, but also open up entirely new market opportunities in a very competitive market for products produced to the average mass system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika is een van die grootste tafeldruiwe-uitvoerders ter wêreld. Die hoofmarkte vir tafeldruiwe-uitvoere was nog altyd die Europese Unie en Verenigde Koninkryk, met opkomende markte in Oos-Europa en Asië. Die groeiende behoefte vir voorafverpakte vrugte en groente in hierdie markte word gedryf deur verbruikersfaktore soos gemaksugtigheid, higiëne en kwaliteit. Hierdie behoeftes het tot gevolg gehad dat strenger reëls en regulasies vir kwaliteitsbeheer ontstaan het. Dit plaas ekstra druk op produsente om hoër gehalte produkte te produseer. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die gebruik van weging van die finale produk as ʼn hulpmiddel om die operasionele effektiwiteit van die verpakking van tafeldruiwe te verbeter. Daar word gekyk na die huidige toestand van die verpakking van tafeldruiwe in Suid-Afrika. Die operasionele effektiwiteit van bestaande verpakkingstelsels word bepaal. Die meriete van ʼn “weging van die finale produk stelsel” as bestuurshulpmiddel is nagevors. Daar word ook bespreek of die stelsel as bestuurshulpmiddel aangewend kan word om die effektiwiteit van huidige verpakkingstelsels te verbeter. Produsente maak primêr gebruik van ongeskoolde arbeid om tafeldruiwe te verpak. Dit maak dit moeilik om konstante goeie kwaliteit te lewer. Sommige verpakkingstelsels begelei die operateur om bakkies van ʼn spesifieke massa te produseer. Sommige verpakkingstelsels bevat ʼn interne toetsweeg funksie van een of ander aard. Alhoewel die funksies die akkuraatheid, produkmassa en dus produkkwaliteit verbeter, kan menslike- en masjienfoute steeds ʼn impak hê op die verpakkingsprosesse. Produsente maak gebruik van interne kwaliteitsbeheerstelsels wat poog om menslike- en masjienfoute so gou moontlik op te spoor en te herstel. Die PPECB, ʼn staatsliggaam, dwing die minimum Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerstandaarde af deur middel van inspekteurs wat lukraak produkte tydens produksie ondersoek. Indien die produkte nie aan die kwaliteitstandaarde (insluitend massa) voldoen nie, moet die hele pallet nagegaan word en die bakkies moet reggemaak word waar nodig, teen ʼn groot onkoste vir die produsent. Voorafverpakte produkte kan volgens die minimum- of gemiddelde-massa sisteme geproduseer word. Die gemiddelde-massa sisteem verminder die hoeveelheid druiwe wat weggegee word en verhoog dus inkomste, maar dit vereis dat elke bakkie met ʼn bepaalde akkuraatheid geweeg moet word. Daar moet ook rekord gehou word van die massas. Die byvoeging van geoutomatiseerde finale produk toetsweging het ʼn aansienlike verbetering in die hoeveelheid oor- en ondermassa bakkies tot gevolg gehad. Dit het ook die produktiwiteit van party verpakkingsstelsels verbeter. Daaropvolgende weër eksperimente met ander opstellingsparameters het baie beter akkuraatheid getoon en dus kon die hoeveelheid oor- en ondermassa bakkies selfs verder beperk word. Met inagneming van die kostes daaraan verbonde om ʼn pallet oor te pak as gevolg van ondergewig bakkies, sou dit selfs vir klein produsente die moeite werd wees om finale produk toetsweging te implementeer. Dit het ʼn terugbetalingsperiode van minder as vyf pakseisoene, afhangend van die produsent se spesifieke pakstooruitleg. Nie alleen kan die implementering van finale produk toetsweging die risiko van ondergewig produkte verlaag nie, maar dit kan ook nuwe markgeleenthede oopmaak vir gemiddeldemassa produkte in ʼn baie kompeterende mark.

本研究旨在瞭解目前新北市國民中學教師會運作成效、教師組織公民行為與學校效能的現況，分析不同背景變項下之教師，知覺教師會運作成效、教師組織公民行為與學校效能之差異情形，並探討三者間之關係，最後建構並驗證新北市國民中學教師會運作成效、教師組織公民行為與學校效能之結構方程模式。 本研究採問卷調查法，共計抽樣34所學校，發出738份問卷，回收558份有效問卷；有效問卷回收率達75.67％。問卷調查結果以描述性統計、t檢定、單因子變異數分析、相關分析、多元逐步迴歸及結構方程模式分析等統計方法加以分析與探討。 本研究獲致結論如下： 壹、新北市國民中學教師知覺教師會運作成效為中高程度，其中以「增進組織運作」表現最佳，「提升教師專業」則可再加強。 貳、新北市國民中學教師知覺教師組織公民行為為中高程度，其中「利他人行為」表現最佳，「工作投入與奉獻」則可再提升。 參、新北市國民中學教師知覺學校效能為中高程度 ，其中「教師教學效果」表現最佳，「社區家長支持」則有加強空間。 肆、新北市國民中學教師在不同背景變項中，「教師會幹部」、「教師會與學校行政互動關係非常良好」者，在知覺教師會運作成效上顯著較高。 伍、新北市國民中學教師在不同背景變項中，「擔任導師」、「教師會幹部」、「教師會與學校行政互動關係非常良好」者，在知覺教師組織公民行為上顯著較高。 陸、新北市國民中學教師在不同背景變項中，「兼任行政」、「教師會與學校行政互動關係非常良好」者，在知覺學校效能上顯著較高。 柒、新北市國民中學教師會運作成效、教師組織公民行為與學校效能之間具有正向關聯。 捌、新北市國民中學教師會運作成效與教師組織公民行為對學校效能有正向預測關係。 玖、教師組織公民行為在新北市國民中學教師會運作成效與學校效能之間有顯著完全中介效果。 最後，根據本研究結果，提出具體建議，供教育行政機關、學校教育人員與未來研究之參考。 / The purposes of this study are to learn the relationships among the Operational Effectiveness of Teachers' Associations, Teachers' Organizational Citizenship Behavior and School Effectiveness of Junior High Schools in New Taipei City. Comparing and analyzing the differences, relationships, and stepwise regression among Operational Effectiveness of Teachers' Associations, Teachers' Organizational Citizenship Behavior and School Effectiveness of Junior High Schools, the researcher tries to build and verify a model for these three elements. Through the use of questionnaires survey method, data are collected from 34 junior high schools, 738 questionnaires in total. Valid questionnaires of 558 are collected, with a usable rate of 75.6%. All data are analyzed by the methods of descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, multiple regressions and structural equation modeling. The conclusions are as follows: 1. The level of the operational effectiveness of teachers' associations is medium, the performance in "strengthen organization operation" is outstanding, and "enhance teacher professional" can be further strengthened. 2. The level of the teachers' organizational citizenship behavior is medium, the performance in "altruistic behavior" is outstanding, and "work input and dedication" can be improved. 3. The level of the school effectiveness is medium, the performance in "teacher teaching effect" is outstanding, and "community parent support" can be further strengthened. 4 .The junior high school teachers as "teachers' cadres" and "in a school where the teachers' association has better interaction with the school administration" show significant perception of the operational effectiveness of teachers' associations . 5. The junior high school teachers as "mentors", "teachers' cadres" and "in a school where the teachers' association has better interaction with the school administration" show significant perception of the teachers' organizational citizenship behavior. 6. The junior high school teachers as "the ones who are concurrently in administrative work" and "in a school where the teachers' association has better interaction with the school administration" show significant perception of the school effectiveness. 7. There are positive correlations among the operational effectiveness of teachers' associations, teachers' organizational citizenship behavior and school effectiveness of junior high schools in New Taipei City. 8. The operational effectiveness of teachers' associations and the teachers' organizational citizenship behavior can apparently predict the school effectiveness. 9.The proper fit of structural equation model among the operational effectiveness of teachers' associations, teachers' organizational citizenship behavior and school effectiveness of junior high schools in New Taipei City is assessed as positive and can explain the relationships among main variables. Teachers' organizational citizenship behavior fully mediates the relationship between the operational effectiveness of teachers' associations and school effectiveness.