This dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay draws on psychology theories to propose a framework for incorporating personality variables into the study of performance control systems. The second essay reports an experiment to highlight the implications of one component of this framework: the efficacy of exogenously assigned performance control systems can depend on the personality types of employees who are subject to these systems. / text

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-86).

L'objet de ce travail doctoral est double : mettre à jour les outils de contrôle de la performance utilisés dans le secteur de l'hôtellerie de plein air et expliquer leur diversité en mettant en évidence les principaux déterminants d'adoption de ces outils. A partir d'une étude exploratoire menée sur sept entreprises du secteur, nous avons pu renforcer et mettre en évidence un ensemble de déterminants complétant ainsi notre revue de littérature. Cela nous a amené à proposer un modèle de mesure des pratiques de contrôle de la performance testé auprès de 107 dirigeants d'établissement d'hôtellerie de plein air. Sa validité et sa fiabilité statistiques sont vérifiées à l'aide d'analyses factorielles exploratoires. Les hypothèses du modèle testées par test paramétrique et non paramétrique mettent en évidence deux typologies d'outils de contrôle de la performance dans le secteur. Sept déterminants internes et externes expliquent le recours à ces outils, ce qui nous permet d'élaborer deux modèles d'explication des pratiques du contrôle de la performance dans l'hôtellerie de plein air : l'un reposant sur la théorie de la contingence, l'autre sur la théorie néo-institutionnelle. Les résultats indiquent que la profession oscille entre recherche d'efficience (fit) et légitimité avec certaines nuances en fonction de la structure de propriété. / The purpose of this doctoral work is two-fold : update the tools for monitoring the performance used in the field of outdoor hospitality and explain their diversity by highlighting the key determinants of adoption of these tools. From an exploratory study of seven companies in this industry, we were able to strengthen and highlight a set of determinants completing our literature review. This led us to propose a model for measuring performance control practices gathered on 107 CEO of outdoor hospitality. Its statistical validity and reliability are confirmed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Model assumptions tested by parametric and non- parametric test reveal two types of tools for monitoring the performance in the sector. Seven internal and external determining factors explain the use of these tools. They anable us to develop two models to explain the performance control practices in outdoor hospitality : one based on the contingency theory, the other on the neo- institutional theory. The findings indicate that the profession range from efficiency research (fit) and legitimacy with some shading depending on the ownership structure.

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Controlling systems with uncertain dynamics is crucial in systems theory, especially for unmanned vehicles operating in challenging and unknown environments. One key application involves developing control methods to ensure collision-free trajectory tracking for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) at sea. Modern control methods for such systems often encounter unwanted high-frequency oscillations, known as chattering, in the control signals. To address this, continuous approximations of discontinuous functions in the control law have proven effective in reducing chattering. This approach is integrated into a prescribed-performance control scheme, which has previously achieved asymptotic tracking for systems with uncertain dynamics. We employ Lyapunov stability analysis to determine if theoretical bounds for error performance can be smaller than the prescribed funnel functions when incorporating continuous approximations in a boundary-layer. For both first- and second-order systems, we show that system trajectories reach an arbitrarily small boundary-layer set in finite time. This allows us to derive a priori known error bounds that are smaller than the prescribed funnels. Simulations support the theoretical results, demonstrating a significant reduction in chattering while achieving asymptotic tracking errors two orders of magnitude smaller than the funnel functions.

O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi avaliar a existência de uma orientação do controle do desempenho utilizados nas pequenas e médias empresas hoteleiras e sua adequação aos fatores-chave de competitividade do setor. Essa pesquisa foi realizada na região central do Estado de São Paulo contemplando os circuitos Paulista da Chapada Guarani e Ecocaipira. A pesquisa fundamenta-se no vácuo existente entre a visão estratégica e visão operacional na gestão empresarial, ou seja, a falta de integração entre as diretrizes estratégicas e a operação das empresas. A medição de desempenho é uma atividade que visa melhorar gradativamente a atuação das empresas, fazendo com que elas se mantenham competitivas. O trabalho de campo foi dividido em três fases: a primeira e segunda fase concentrou-se na abordagem quantitativa. A primeira fase teve o propósito de identificar a quantidade de empresas hoteleiras na região central do Estado de São Paulo, considerando o mapeamento da equipe de pesquisadores do GEOPE da EESC - USP. A segunda fase teve o propósito de caracterizar a preocupação com o controle do desempenho e com as medidas de desempenho da organização. A terceira fase concentrou-se na abordagem qualitativa, na qual foi feito um estudo de caso com o propósito de verificar os indicadores utilizados pelas empresas e verificar se estão orientados para a competitividade. Como principal resultado, observou-se que os mecanismos de controle do desempenho são adequados as características do contexto social de cada organização e, como conseqüência, está relacionado à estratégia da empresa. Ainda, concluiu-se que os indicadores de desempenho das grandes e das pequenas empresas hoteleiras são semelhantes, a diferença está na formalização desses indicadores. / The general aim of this research is to evaluate the existence of an orientation of the organizational control utilized in small and medium sized hotels and its adequacy for the key competitivity factors of the sector. The research was conducted in the central region of São Paulo State comprising the Paulista Circuits of Chapada Guarani and Ecocaipira, based on the vacuum that exists between the strategic and operational visions in the entrepreneural management, i. e., the lack of integration between the strategic guidelines and the operation of the enterprises. The performance measurement is an activity that aims to gradually improve the action of enterprises, so that they keep themselves competitive, which is the basis in the strategic process. The field work was divided into three stages, of which the first and the second focused on the quantitative approach. In the first phase the aim was the identification and quantification of hotels in the central region of São Paulo state, considering the mapping of the research group of GEOPE at São Carlos Engineering School - USP. In the second phase, the concern about the performance control and measurement of the organization was characterized. Finally, the third phase focused on the qualitative approach, in which a case study was conducted in order to verify the indicators utilized by the enterprises and check that they are oriented towards competitiveness. As a main result, it was possible to observe that the performance control mechanisms are adequate for the characteristics of the social context of each organization and, therefore, related to the enterprise strategy. The performance indicators of large and small hotels are similar, differing only in their formalization.

This thesis addresses sound production in bowed-string instruments from two perspectives: the physics of the bowed string, and bow control in performance. Violin performance is characterized by an intimate connection between the player and the instrument, allowing for a continuous control of the sound via the main bowing parameters (bow velocity, bow force and bow-bridge distance), but imposing constraints as well. In the four included studies the focus is gradually shifted from the physics of bow-string interaction to the control exerted by the player. In the first two studies the available bowing parameter space was explored using a bowing machine, by systematically probing combinations of bow velocity, bow force and bow-bridge distance. This allowed for an empirical evaluation of the maximum and minimum bow force required for the production of a regular string tone, characterized by Helmholtz motion. Comparison of the found bow-force limits with theoretical predictions by Schelleng revealed a number of striking discrepancies, in particular regarding minimum bow force. The observations, in combination with bowed-string simulations, provided new insights in the mechanism of breakdown of Helmholtz motion at low bow forces. In the second study the influence of the main bowing parameters on aspects of sound quality was analyzed in detail. It was found that bow force was totally dominating the control of the spectral centroid, which is related to the perceived brightness of the tone. Pitch flattening could be clearly observed when approaching the upper bow-force limit, confirming its role as a practical limit in performance. The last two studies were focused on the measurement of bowing gestures in violin and viola performance. A method was developed for accurate and complete measurement of the main bowing parameters, as well as the bow angles skewness, inclination and tilt. The setup was used in a large performance study. The analyses revealed clear strategies in the use of the main bowing parameters, which could be related to the constraints imposed by the upper and lower bow-force limits and pitch flattening. Further, it was shown that two bow angles (skewness and tilt) were systematically used for controlling dynamic level; skewness played an important role in changing bow-bridge distance in crescendo and diminuendo notes, and tilt was used to control the gradation of bow force. Visualizations and animations of the collected bowing gestures revealed significant features of sophisticated bow control in complex bowing patterns. / QC 20100809

This thesis considers the problem of performance modeling, analysis and control of capacitated re-entrant lines. Specifically, the first part of the thesis develops an analytical framework for the modeling, analysis and control of capacitated re-entrant lines, which is based on Generalized Stochastic Petri nets (GSPN) framework. The corresponding scheduling problem is systematically formulated, and the structure of the optimal policy is characterized and compared to that identified for "traditional" re-entrant lines. The second part of thesis addresses the problem of developing a systematic and computationally effective method for computing the optimal scheduling policy for any given configuration of capacitated re-entrant line. Specifically, the underlying scheduling problem is transformed to a Markov Decision Process (MDP) problem and an algorithm that systematically generates the MDP formulation for any given fab configuration is developed. The third part of thesis develops an effective approximating scheme based on the Neuro-Dynamic Programming (NDP) theory. In its general definition, the NDP method seeks the approximation of the optimal relative value function of the underlying MDP formulation by a parameterized function. Hence, an approximating structure for the considered problem is proposed and the quality of the generated approximations is systematically assessed. More specifically, this part of the thesis develops a set of "feature" functions and the mathematical apparatus necessary to evaluate the considered approximating scheme through a numerical experiment. The obtained results indicate that good quality approximations can be achieved by considering a set of features that characterize the distribution of the running process instances to the various processing stages and their lower order interactions. The last part of the thesis exploits the performance models developed in its earlier parts in order to provide an analytical characterization of the optimality of various deadlock resolution strategies for Markovian resource allocation systems under the objective of maximizing throughput.

Purpose The thesis purpose is to contribute with understanding about managers’ opinions about how to handle deviations caused by unit interdependence. Methodology Qualitative data has been gathered to this exploratory study by semi-structured interviews with 14 managers within the R&D, purchasing and production units at Scania, Södertälje. The result has been interpreted and analyzed by dividing the managers in five smaller groups.  Result from analyzing empirical findings It is found in the analysis that the largest part of the managers in this study seem not to believe it is worth striving for excellence through procedural justice. Reoccurring similarities in opinion between managers is that visualization, dialogue, clear responsibility and less tolerance towards deviations are needed for handling and preventing deviations. Differences in opinion are primarily related to how costs occurred from deviations should be allocated and the purpose with such reallocation. Most managers express a strong concern about undesired behavior developed by a control system where a causing unit always should take the effect from a deviation. However, all managers state that costs occurred from deviations due to interdependence with a external supplier should be invoiced to the supplier.  Conclusion The concern about undesired behavior that may be developed by the way of handling and preventing deviation is strongly mediated by the managers. Instead of handling deviations by justly reallocating effects according to the controllability principle it is perceived as more important to extend the areas of responsibility and increase consciousness between interdependent units through improved dialogue and cross-functional transparency. One should therefore not seek equitable allocation of impacts and cost of devices in dealing with anomalies of this type.