Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a systematic approach to measuring, tracking, monitoring and continuously improving efficiency, availability and quality in healthcare operational settings. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed measure of healthcare operational effectiveness (HOE) consists of three indicators. They include an availability indicator, an quality indicator, and an efficiency indicator. The proposed approach tends to facilitate the systematic improvement at the different facets of operational effectiveness. Findings – The proposed operational performance approach based on the HOE is consistent with the themes of performance measures and measurement reported in the literature. Research limitations/implications – The proposed healthcare operational effectiveness approach represents a serious attempt at quantifying the key facets of service effectiveness in healthcare operational settings. The validation of this performance assessment and measurement approach is worthy of future research. Practical implications – The approach advocated by the HOE has operational and strategic relevance to decision makers of healthcare organizations. Originality/value – This paper presents a practical, systematic approach toward enhancing operational effectiveness in healthcare organizations. Relevant implementation issues associated with the proposed approach are also addressed.

Purpose – Owing to the increasing competitive pressures in the marketplace in recent years, the different facets of performance measures and measurement have changed. In this context, the lack of a clear understanding of the dimensionality of manufacturing performance tends to negatively impact successful implementation and utilization of manufacturing performance measurement systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dimensionality of performance and its effective utilization in a manufacturing operational context. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 92 Portuguese manufacturing executives, this study investigates the dimensionality of manufacturing performance and its associated current utilization practices. Factor analysis and cluster analysis are used to analyze data collected on 63 performance measures. Findings – Based on the results of this study, a conceptual framework is advanced. The framework is intended as an aid to manufacturing organizations in their efforts to modify their patterns of utilization of performance measures in order to be more consistent with the emerging changes and challenges of the global marketplace. Research limitations/implications – The sample used in this study is specific in nature (Portuguese manufacturing organizations). Thus the results should be interpreted accordingly. Practical implications – Based on the results of this study, some important organizational implications regarding the practices related to performance measurement in the manufacturing environment are identified. Originality/value – This study empirically examined the manufacturing Portuguese executives’ opinions regarding the dimensionality and utilizations of performance measures. In this context, this investigation contributes to the understanding of the implementation and utilization of performance measures and measurement systems.

Purpose The objective of this study is to shed some light on performance measurement issues relevant to current practices. Design-methodology-approach The performance measurement practices in terms of utilization, relevance, and availability of information are studied for a sample of 92 Portuguese manufacturing executives. Several statistical instruments were used namely multiple regression analysis, cluster analysis and gap analysis. Findings The results of this study underscore consistent patterns pointing to a lack of a broad perspective on manufacturing performance measurement. Conclusions and their implications to the theory and art of performance measurement are presented. Research limitations-implications The sample used in this study is specific in nature Portuguese executives. Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly. Future research should test the applicability of the obtained results using other sample frames. Practical implications This study provides practicing managers with useful information regarding performance measures and measurement practices. Originality-value This study represents an important step toward refining the theory and practice of performance measurement in manufacturing organizations.

Clusters of low-performance spacecraft flying in formation may provide enhanced performance over single high-performance spacecraft. This is especially true for remote sensing missions where interferometry or stereographic imaging may provide higher resolution data. The configurations of such formations vary during an orbit due to orbital dynamics, and over longer time scales due to perturbations. Selection of a configuration should be based on overall performance of the formation. In this thesis, performance measures are developed and evaluated based on integration over one orbit. The measures involve the angular separation of spacecraft, the distance between spacecraft, and an area-based measure of the separation of the spacecraft. Numerical techniques are employed to evaluate the performance measures to determine optimal scenarios for two formations. Simplifying assumptions are made to allow a closed-form analytic solution and the results are compared to those obtained numerically. Finally, the sensitivity of the measures to linearized propagation techniques is investigated. / Master of Science

ITC/USA 2008 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Fourth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 27-30, 2008 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / The integrated Network Enhanced Telemetry effort (iNET) was launched to create a telemetry network that will enhance the traditional point-to-point telemetry link from test articles (TAs) to ground stations (GS). Two of the critical needs identified by the Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP) are, "the need to be able to provide reliable coverage in potentially high capacity environments, even in Over-The-Horizon (OTH) settings", and "the need to make more efficient use of spectrum resources through dynamic sharing of said resources, based on instantaneous demand thereof". Research conducted at Morgan State University (MSU) has focused on providing solutions for both critical problems. The Mixed Network architecture developed by MSU has shown that a hybrid network can be used to provide coverage for TAs that are beyond the coverage area of the GS. The mixed network uses clustering techniques to partition the aggregate network into clusters or sub-networks based on properties of each TA, which currently include signal strengths, and location. The paper starts with a detailed analysis of two parameters that affect the performance of each sub-network: contention between the TAs in the mobile ad-hoc network, and queuing at the Gateway TAs that serve as the link between the mobile ad-hoc and the Cellular networks. Contention and queuing will be used to evaluate two performance (distance) measures for each sub-network: throughput and delay. We define a new distance measure known as "power", which is equal to the ratio of throughput over delay, and is used as a measure of performance of the mixed network for Quality of Service (QOS). This paper describes the analytical foundation used to prove that the "power" performance measure is an excellent tool for optimizing the clustering of a mixed network to provide QOS.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has been engaged in a registry-based quality improvement initiative to monitor and improve the quality of stroke care. It is important to evaluate effectiveness of the quality improvement initiative in order to expand the effort to other sites or disease conditions. The studies, included in this dissertation, addressed whether acute ischemic stroke patients cared for by hospitals participating in the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry (GCASR) had a better survival than those treated at other facilities, assessed whether quality of care as measured by nationally accepted ten performance measures is associated with improved patient outcome and evaluated the impact of intravenous alteplase treatment on 1-year mortality. Three data sources – GCASR, Georgia Discharge Data System and the death data – were used for analyses. These data sources were linked applying both a hierarchical deterministic and a probabilistic linkage methods. Survival after stroke incident was analyzed using the extended Cox proportional hazard model. Generalized estimating equation (glimmix procedure) and conditional logistic regression were applied, respectively, to assess the association of quality of care and intravenous alteplase use with 1-year mortality. Acute ischemic stroke patients treated at nonparticipating facilities had a hazard ratio for death of 1.14 (95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.26; p-value = .01) after the first week of admission compared with patients cared for by hospitals participating in the registry. Among patients treated in GCASR-participating hospitals, patients who received the lowest and intermediate quality care respectively had a 3.94 (95%CI: 3.27, 4.75; p-value <0.0001) and a 1.38 (95%CI: 1.12, 1.62; p-value=0.002) times higher odds of dying in one year compared to those who got the best quality stroke care. Patients who were eligible but did not receive IV alteplase had a 1.49 (95%CI: 1.09-2.04; p-value=0.01) times higher odds of dying within one year than those who were treated with the thrombolytic agent. The results strongly suggest that registry-based quality improvement effort has brought significant improvements in ischemic stroke patients’ outcomes. Therefore, it is critical that hospitals adopt a quality improvement strategy to change the process of care delivery for a better patient outcome.

Titel: Frivillighet under tvång? – Är ESMA:s riktlinjer om presentationen av alternativa prestationsmått befogade? Bakgrund: Den tredje juli 2016 träder ESMA:s riktlinjer om presentation av alternativa prestationsmått (APM) ikraft. Bakgrunden till riktlinjerna är att nuvarande reglering ansetts bristfällig eftersom företag haft möjlighet att presentera APM på ett subjektivt sätt till användares nackdel. Frågeställning: Är ESMA:s riktlinjer rörande presentationen av APM befogade med avseende på den reglering som finns idag? Syfte: Författarnas syfte med uppsatsen är att undersöka om nuvarande möjlighet till presentation av APM är i behov av ny reglering. Resultat: Det är författarnas uppfattning att ESMA:s riktlinjer är befogade och nödvändiga för att hantera den nuvarande problematiken avseende presentation av APM. Kunskapsbidrag: Uppsatsen bidrar med kunskap som bekräftar att presentationen av APM är i behov av ytterligare reglering. / Title: Volunteerism whilst under Regulation? – Are ESMA’s Guidelines Regarding the Presentation of Alternative Performance Measures Justified? Background: On the third of July 2016 ESMA’s guidelines regarding the presentation of Alternative Performance Measures (APM) will enter into force. Current regulation has been regarded as deficient and companies have had the opportunity to present APM subjectively to the detriment of users. Thesis problem: Are ESMA’s guidelines regarding the presentation of APM justified considering current regulations? Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to examine whether current opportunities to present APM are in need of new regulation. Results: It is the opinion of the authors that ESMA’s guidelines are justified and necessary in order to handle the current problems of companies’ possibility to present APM. Contribution: The thesis confirms that the presentation of APM is in need of further regulation.

The objectives of this thesis are: (1) to investigate the antecedents and consequences of fairness of performance evaluation processes (procedural fairness) in the context of performance measurement, evaluation, and reward systems; and (2) to investigate the behavioural effects of reliance on multiple performance measures (RMPM) in evaluating subordinates' performance. In relation to the first objective, it examines whether managers' perceptions of procedural fairness are influenced by the form (financial or nonfinancial) of performance measures used to evaluate performance, and by goal-related variables such as participation in setting performance targets, the goal-attainment-reward link, and the specificity of goals to be achieved by managers. With regard to the consequences of procedural fairness, it examines the effects of procedural fairness on job satisfaction, performance, organisational commitment, and goal commitment, and also examines whether any such associations are direct or indirect. In relation to the second objective, it examines whether RMPM affects managerial performance or whether the effect is contingent on goal difficulty and goal specificity. To address these objectives, this thesis draws on organisational justice theory and goal theory and employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data are collected using a questionnaire survey sent to managers in four organisations and qualitative data are gathered by means of interviews and focus group discussions within the organisations. The results indicate that procedural fairness is affected by participation in setting performance targets, the goal-attainment-reward link, and the specificity of goals to be achieved by managers, but not by the type of performance measure used to evaluate performance. With regard to the consequences of procedural fairness, the results indicate that: (1) the effects of procedural fairness on job satisfaction and performance are indirect and fully mediated by distributive fairness, trust, and organisational commitment; (2) the effect of procedural fairness on organisational commitment is partially mediated by distributive fairness and trust; and (3) the effect of procedural fairness on goal commitment is partially mediated by trust. Finally, the results indicate that the effect of RMPM on performance is contingent on goal specificity, but not on goal difficulty.

This study examines whether eliciting self-evaluations increases or decreases the propensity of a productive agent to retaliate against an employer for paying compensation that the agent perceives to be too low for the work performed. Specifically, I consider a setting in which a principal knows more about the agent’s production than even the agent can observe. In such a setting, an agent might perceive that s/he is being underpaid if the principal pays less than the agent believes s/he deserves, especially if the agent is overconfident about his/her own productive ability. Such an agent could take retaliatory actions against the principal that would be costly to both parties. Self-evaluations could mitigate such tendencies if they result in compensation that is more aligned with agent self-perceptions. Alternatively, self-evaluations could worsen such tendencies if they reinforce the perceived inequity of compensation that does not match agent self-perceptions. I present experimental evidence from comparing a control condition without self-evaluations to three different forms of self-evaluation reports, finding evidence consistent with the premise that self-evaluations increase retaliatory actions and lower welfare. My findings show a cost to self-evaluations that thus far has not been sufficiently considered in the literature. / text

D. Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are the mainstay of economies and societies of many countries around the world. These enterprises are critical to the economy because of the way in which they contribute to the Gross Domestic Product, export revenue generation, innovation, the provision of goods and services thatlarge enterprises depend upon, and the creation of employment opportunities, social stability and improvement of economic welfare. SMEs operate within the economic environment characterised by volatility, dynamism and competitive markets that may seriously threaten their survival. In South Africa, the operating environment for SMEs is constantly changing in the face of a volatile economic environment and a highly competitive market. For SMEs to weather the storm of such volatility and competitive climate, they need to engage in strategic planning processes. While strategic planning research in large organisations has been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to strategic planning of small and medium sized enterprises. Strategic planning has not significantly filtered down to the SME sector. SMEs which practice strategic planning have plans, which are unstructured, less comprehensive and sporadic. There is little evidence of empirical research that has sought to evaluate strategic planning within the sphere of small business research. Therefore, despite the widespread recognition of the importance and significant contributions of SMEs, research on these small businesses remains scarce. There is need for more systematic research aimed at revealing the true nature of strategic planning in SMEs. Despite the contributions of a number of researchers in the field, there is still no universal agreement as to the impact of particular types of planning on SME performance. The study analyses the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs. It is unique in that rather than using the traditional objective performance measures, subjective measures are used to measure the performance of SMEs. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It also sought to ascertain the relationship between strategic planning and the plans of the business, as well as determining the relationship between business performance and its plans. Another objective was to examine the extent to which SMEs in South Africa have adopted the strategic planning practices. Finally, this study sought to determine if there are differences in strategic planning practices with regard to demographic variables, namely gender, age, and position occupied in the business. A quantitative method was used. Surveys were conducted with 415250 SMEs, which were identified by convenience sampling method. Data from owners/managers of these SMEs was collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. Factor, correlation and regression analyses were conducted and the findings were discussed. The main components of strategic planning include environmental scanning, business mission and vision, formality of strategic planning, employee participation in the strategic planning process, source of information about the environment, strategy implementation incentives, monitoring, evaluation and control, and time horizon of strategic planning. The finding of this study shows that there is a positive causal relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It was also found that there is a mixed relationship between strategic planning and future plans of the SMEs. An additional finding is that business performance has a positive relationship with the plans of the business. The results also indicate that the majority of SMEs practice strategic planning. Finally, the results reveal that the gender, age and occupation of the respondent do not influence the strategic planning practices in SMEs. The only strategic component that depends on the occupation of the respondent is the use of mission and vision statements. Given that today’s business environments for SMEs are characterised by high levels of competition, uncertainty and turbulence, it is recommended that SMEs should adopt more strategic planning practices so that they can make informed decisions. In order to ensure their success and sustainability, SMEs should scan the environment more frequently and seriously than they currently do.