We describe Employees Provident Funds (EPF) Malaysia. We explain about Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit Pension Funds and examine their similarities and differences. We also briefly discuss and compare EPF schemes in four Commonwealth countries. A family of Stochastic Programming Models is developed for the Employees Provident Fund Malaysia. This is a family of ex-ante decision models whose main aim is to manage, that is, balance assets and liabilities. The decision models comprise Expected Value Linear Programming, Two Stage Stochastic Programming with recourse, Chance Constrained Programming and Integrated Chance Constraints Programming. For the last three decision models we use scenario generators which capture the uncertainties of asset returns, salary contributions and lump sum liabilities payments. These scenario generation models for Assets and liabilities were developed and calibrated using historical data. The resulting decisions are evaluated with in-sample analysis using typical risk adjusted performance measures. Out- of- sample testing is also carried out with a larger set of generated scenarios. The benefits of two stage stochastic programming over deterministic approaches on asset allocation as well as the amount of borrowing needed for each pre-specified growth dividend are demonstrated. The contributions of this thesis are i) an insightful overview of EPF ii) construction of scenarios for assets returns and liabilities with different values of growth dividend, that combine the Markov population model with the salary growth model and retirement payments iii) construction and analysis of generic ex-ante decision models taking into consideration uncertain asset returns and uncertain liabilities iv) testing and performance evaluation of these decisions in an ex-post setting.

This thesis presents an investigation of arterial travel time and reliability. Specifically an examination of the proposed arterial travel time reliability performance measures detailed in Federal Highway Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on national performance management measures are performed. These measures, including level of travel time reliability and peak hour travel time ratio, are computed and compared to those currently used to quantify congestion and travel time reliability. Within this process several commonly used data sources are evaluated to determine the effects of data quality and data source on performance measure evaluation. The newly created Urban Streets Reliability tool is also evaluated for its ability to estimate the effect of several proposed projects on the travel time reliability of a transportation network. In conclusion, this thesis found that the proposed travel time reliability performance measures show definite differences in estimates of facility reliability as compared with currently used performance measures such as travel time index and planning time index. A variation in the magnitude of this difference was also observed based on a rural vs. urban roadway setting. Finally, further areas of research involving the use of the Urban Streets Reliability tool to estimate the impact of reliability improvements on side streets and the transportation network as a whole are discussed.

[pt] Processos com diversos canais em paralelo são muito comuns na indústria; um exemplo são operações de enchimento, encontradas nas indústrias farmacêutica, alimentícia, cosmética e de bebidas. O método clássico para o controle estatístico desse tipo de processos, as group charts (Boyd, 1950), é pouco eficiente, por não considerar que uma parcela da variação nestes processos é comum a todos os canais. Mortell e Runger, em 1995, propuseram um esquema alternativo que leva este fato em conta. No ano seguinte, Runger, Alt e Montgomery propuseram um outro esquema. A presente dissertação propõe um terceiro esquema para o controle de tais processos. O seu modelo formal detalhado, as expressões para cálculo dos limites de controle e a análise de seu desempenho são contribuições originais. As probabilidades de sinal e o número esperado de amostras até a sinalização de alterações na média da parcela individual de um dos canais foram obtidas analiticamente e/ou por simulação, e utilizadas para comparação de desempenho com o esquema de Mortell e Runger. Os resultados demonstram a superioridade do esquema proposto para a detecção de variações superiores a um desvio-padrão na média da parcela individual de um canal do processo. Para detectar variações menores, nenhum dos dois esquemas é eficiente. O esquema de Runger et al. (1996) tem, para o caso de alteração em um canal apenas, desempenho igual ou inferior a ambos. Assim, o esquema aqui proposto revela-se o mais eficiente de todos. Uma série de extensões e questões em aberto para pesquisa futura são indicadas. / [en] Processes with several streams in parallel are very common in industry. Filling operations, such as the ones found in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, or food and beverage industries are a typical example. The classical scheme for the statistical control of multiple-stream processes (MSP) is the group chart (Boyd, 1950). Its efficiency is impaired by its underlying model of the process not considering that part of the variation in MSP is common to all streams. In 1995, Mortell and Runger (M&R) proposed an alternative scheme which takes this fact into account. In the next year, Runger, Alt and Montgomery proposed another scheme. This dissertation proposes a third scheme for statistical control of MSP. The detailed mathematical model, the expressions for establishing the control limits, and the performance analysis here are original contributions. The probabilities of a signal and average run lengths in the case of shifts in the mean of one individual stream were obtained either analytically or by simulation and compared with the ones of M&R´s scheme. The results show the superiority of the proposed scheme for signaling shifts greater or equal to one standard deviation. For smaller shifts, neither scheme can be said to be really efficient. As to the scheme proposed by Runger et al. (1996), it is in some cases slower and in some cases just as fast as M&R`s, so the proposed scheme is the fastest of all. A number of extensions and open issues are indicated for future research.

Transportation decision makers are tasked with doing more improvements with less funding, which requires effective tools to assess and predict the outcomes of their choices. The objectives of this research are to explore customer satisfaction in various contexts, assess its application in transportation contexts and develop quantitative, empirically-based tools that improve customer satisfaction in transportation decision making. This research conducted a survey of targeted customer satisfaction practitioners and their planning products and tested the implicit assumption. The findings are significant and contrary to current theory and practice. The results support the hypothesis that the impact of negative performance is different than the impact of positive performance on customer satisfaction in a transportation context. These findings suggest that the relationship is asymmetrical and nonlinear contrary to implicit assumptions of current decision support tools like the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix. The results also identify that transportation agencies identify quality of life and customer satisfaction as an important goal and measure for their regions. These results suggest that customer satisfaction is a tool in decision making and there is an empirical methodology to accurately assess the relationship of performance to satisfaction that can impact resource decisions in transportation. The results also suggest that customer satisfaction can be used to address issues of social equity and the broader goals of transportation plans.

This research provides an example delay calculation for long-haul single unit and combination trucks on Interstate-75 (I-75) in Georgia. Truck profiles on Georgia interstates are used to calculate the value of freight by truck type and commodity moved. Determining the types of trucks and commodities moved within the state of Georgia allows the researcher to monetize the effect of recurring congestion by location in addition to the cost of lost time. A more accurate calculation of delay based on truck type and commodity moved will better inform the Georgia Department of Transportation about the performance of Georgia's major truck routes and its potential effect on the local economy. A review of past research on this topic found that the calculated cost of delay in previous studies varied widely based on truck and commodity type. The identification of the types of commodities moved can assist in better monetizing the value of truck freight. Using forecast data on future truck traffic volume increases in the corridor, the growing importance of putting a value on different types of truck freight delay costs are demonstrated.

Bakgrund: Prestationsmätning syftar till att implementera ett företags strategi. För att lyckas med det krävs tillgång till relevant information för att ta rätt beslut. Nya alternativa organisationsformer som shared service centres har lett till en ökad efterfrågan på ny anpassad ekonomistyrning. En förfrågan om att utvärdera P2P-processens prestationsmätningssystem på IKEA AB, Finance Services ledde till utvärderingsstudien. Syfte: Syftet med utvärderingsstudien är att utveckla en modell med dimensioner, för att analysera prestationsmätningssystem på shared service centres. Analysmodellen kommer appliceras på P2P-processen inom IKEA AB, Finance Services. Om brister identifieras finns avsikten att föreslå hur de bör åtgärdas. Metod: Undersökningsdesignen för studien är en utvärderingsstudie. Empiriskt material har hämtats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsats: Avsaknaden av mål leder till otydlighet gentemot intressenter. Samtidigt görs en generalisering där samtliga mått benämns som KPIs för att förenkla styrningen. Det påverkar verksamheten eftersom det saknas riktlinjer för hur prestationer bedöms och om de ligger på en rimlig nivå. En tydligare uppdelning av prestationsmåtten skulle leda till en bättre styrning av verksamheten och lägga mer fokus på att nå övergripande mål. / Background: The purpose of a performance measurement system is to implement a business strategy. In order to successfully implement this will the resources of relevant information be required. New options of organization structures creates an increasing demand of suitable financial control systems. A request to evaluate the performance measurement system on the P2P-process on IKEA AB, Finance Services made this evaluation study possible. Purpose: The purpose with this evaluation study is to develop a model with dimensions, used for an analysis of performance measurement systems on shared service centres. The model will be used to evaluate the P2P-process on IKEA AB, Finance Services. If deficits are detected we intend to suggest solutions for these problems. Method: The method used in this study is an evaluation study. The empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The absence of concrete goals creates vagueness to stakeholders. In addition, all the performance measures is named KPIs to make the financial control easier for employees. This affects the business because it lacks to provide guidance regarding how to assess performances and whether the performances seems to be at reasonable levels. A transparent distinction between the performance measures would create a better operations management and focus more on achieving strategic goals.

Efficient, reliable, and safe freight transportation is critical to the economic prosperity of any region. In the U.S., the dramatic increase in freight volumes has resulted in the growing disparity between demand and capacity. Thus, freight planning is needed to ensure a seamless and effective Texas's transportation system. A clear understanding on the performance of Texas's transportation system, as perceived by the private sector is a critical component in the development of such planning efforts. Against this background, the objective of this research study was to start engaging Texas's shippers and freight stakeholders in a dialogue to provide insight into the adequacy of Texas's transportation system in serving business needs, and any improvements deemed necessary to better serve Texas businesses. The emphases of this study were on the freight concerns and needs, freight policies and strategies, and freight performance measures as expressed by Texas freight stakeholders. / text

The purpose of this research is to help increase the capacity of public-sector transportation agencies (such as state Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and transit providers) to preserve and enhance transportation-related quality of life (QOL) outcomes in their jurisdictions. QOL is a multi-dimensional concept that is closely related to the concepts of livability and social sustainability. Public-sector agencies are charged with promoting the well-being (i.e. QOL) of the public, and they often must work within a complex inter-organizational context, with overlapping and intersecting jurisdictions and responsibilities, in order to influence QOL. Because of their responsibility to promote QOL, many public-sector transportation agencies mention QOL, livability, and/or sustainability in their vision statements, mission statements, and strategic planning documents. Furthermore, U.S. Federal guidance and regulations that govern the practice of transportation planning, engineering, and performance management have begun to refer to issues related to livability and sustainability. However, these complex concepts are still ambiguous in meaning and application for many transportation practitioners. In order to effectively preserve and enhance transportation-related QOL outcomes, practitioners need a clear conceptual framework that links concepts of livability and sustainability to practical performance management tools for an inter-jurisdictional context. The primary objective and contributions of this research are the development of such a conceptual framework - the stacked systems framework (SSF) - and a methodology for applying it to enhance transportation performance management in an inter-jurisdictional context. In order to develop the SSF, this research begins with an extensive literature review that clarifies the relationships among sustainability, livability, and transportation-related QOL outcomes; and integrates the concepts of social sustainability, soft systems methodologies, and the field of transportation performance management. To apply the SSF, this research includes a case study of public-sector transportation performance management processes in metropolitan Atlanta. The case study analyzes the influence of the regional inter-organizational system of public-sector transportation agencies on transportation-related QOL outcomes; identifies gaps in the current set of transportation performance measures used for decision making at the regional scale; and demonstrates the value to decision making of incorporating recommended performance measures that can more appropriately link organizational actions to broader QOL and livability outcomes via changes in transportation service quality. The case study methodology can be extended for future development of transportation performance management practices in metro Atlanta, and reproduced for other regions and geographic scales.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of two specific external, to the principal-agent relationship, influences on executive pay practices in the UK, namely pay consultants and the introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The thesis consists of three essays. In the first essay, I examine the role of pay consultants in UK CEO pay practices. The results illustrate that their role is not consistent with the predictions of the managerial power theory. More specifically, pay consultants do not try to help managers towards the expropriation of shareholders' wealth; on the contrary I show strong indications that pay consultants urge firms towards the adoption of more incentive based CEO compensation. Moreover, I report that economic characteristics (e.g. firm size, complexity of the contract) rather than CEO power explain the firm's choice to hire a compensation consultant. These results are robust to selection bias controls. The results of this essay indicate that pay consultants play a less "sinister" role than what the managerial power theory suggests and that their advice and expertise can assist firms design an optimal executive pay contract. In the second essay, I examine the existence of managerial opportunism at the switch from UK GAAP to IFRS. I find strong indications that the restatements from UK GAAP to IFRS have not been manipulated by managers. I examine the existence of such behaviour under different specifications and for different types of CEOs that one would expect to engage in opportunistic behaviour to maximise the expected personal wealth. The research design that I adopt makes the results less prone to methodological issues common in studies in this area. Positive Accounting Theory literature has established that managerial opportunism seriously affects accounting choice. The results of this essay imply that with respect to IFRS restatements, where managers had strong incentives to manage future earnings, I find no signs of manipulation. This essay thus puts into question the Positive Accounting Theory Paradigm. In the third essay, I examine the effect of IFRS on the use of performance measures for evaluating and rewarding managers. This essay illustrates that firms make less use of accounting based performance measures due to the introduction of IFRS. I explain these results based on the predictions of optimal contacting theory. I claim that IFRS adds unnecessary "noise" to accounting numbers not relevant to the managers' actions. This is mainly due to the adoption of "fair value" accounting, which makes accounting earnings more value relevant and therefore useful for firm valuation purposes; however, "fair value" accounting also makes accounting numbers more volatile and sensitive to market movements. If this increase in volatility is related to events outside the managers' control, this makes the use of accounting based performance measures less useful for evaluating and rewarding managers. The results of this essay imply that IFRS might have made accounting earnings more useful for stock market purposes, e.g. firm valuation, but this has happened at the expense of other purposes that accounting serves, e.g. contracting.

Magister Scientiae - MSc / This thesis demonstrates that a situation-aware algorithm improves quality of service on small mesh networks running BATMAN-adv with some mobile nodes. BATMAN-adv is a proactive mesh routing protocol that counts beacons as a link quality metric. BATMAN-adv was modi ed to give more recently received beacons more weight, thereby calculating a more precise indication of the current state of a link that BATMAN-adv can use to forward packets. BATMAN-adv `original' was compared with a situation-aware version in two laboratory test beds with the same voice traffic profile on actual hardware with a realistic voice traffic profile; with controlled transmission rates and buffer sizes to simulate congestion. The second test bed included mesh potatoes, PCs and laptops as mobile nodes. BATMAN-adv achieved better jitter and packet loss than the situation-aware version in the initial, smaller test bed, and average throughput for both versions was almost identical. However, in the second slightly larger test bed, with additional mobile nodes, the situation-aware algorithm performed better than the original BATMAN-adv algorithm for all quality of service metrics, including throughput. Thus the thesis concludes that a situation-aware protocol offers a promising solution to address issues pertaining to mobility, congestion and scalability for voice traffic in mesh networks with mobile nodes. / South Africa