Public procurement in the Czech Republic is a complex process directly settled by the legal procurement framework which defines various contract-awarding procedures. This study focuses on the part of selection process when procurers can decide between using lowest price criterion or most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). We found an evidence of preference of lowest price criterion, especially in the recent years. The main goal of the study is therefore to provide a comprehensive analysis of the leading drivers of selection of specific criteria and their consequential effects. Taking into account various characteristics of public procurement processes, we found out that in general lowest price criterion is preferred by public contracting authorities and by procurers with larger number of employees. This type of selection process also consequently provides an interesting trade-off between higher competition in terms of number of bidders, higher stability in terms of less interventions by the Office for the Protection of Competition (OPC) but also higher probability of consequent extraworks.

The aim of this thesis is to describe the recruitment and selection process at A.T. Kearney. Thesis is focused on a description of current practices and methods of recruitment and selection process in the company, recommendations how to improve the process are part of the thesis as well. This thesis is divided into two parts. In theoretical part, reader is informed about particular phases and methods of recruitment and selection process. Practical part consists of A.T. Kearney introduction, selection and recruiting process characteristics and analysis and survey. Survey investigates the students' preferences and factors relevant when selecting future employer as representatives of the youngest generation in the working age, Generation Y. At the end, there are the recommendations for improvement of current practices of A.T. Kearney recruitment and selection process.

This experimental study aimed to investigate intuitive and analytic decision making approach when assessing job applicants during employee selection process, and feedback related to employee selection process. Theories used in the study to explain intuition are the dual process model and the recognition model. The population was recruiters and non-recruiters. A sample of 169 participants were included. Recruiters’ and non-recruiters’ were randomly assigned into two conditions: use of intuition or analytic thinking as assessment strategy when assessing eight real job applicants. A comparison between their decision making approaches was made. Based on previous research, three hypotheses were obtained and tested. The first hypothesis was that intuitive decision making approach, in combination of experience of employee selections, will enhance assessments of the job applicants. The second hypothesis was that there is a positive relationship between feedback related to employee selection and accuracy in assessing job applicants. The third hypothesis was that there is a positive relationship between participants’ guessed cognitive ability test scores of the job applicants, with employability of the job applicants. The last hypothesis was supported, there was a significant and strong positive relationship between the two variables for all eight job applicants. Significant and non-significant results, methodological influences and theories accounted for are discussed.

Submitted by Fernanda Ciolfi (fernanda.ciolfi@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2016-04-11T18:37:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 KARINA NALEVAIKO ROCHA.pdf: 1583079 bytes, checksum: b353f1bd37fb7b34fe33619d5952c6bb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-11T18:37:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 KARINA NALEVAIKO ROCHA.pdf: 1583079 bytes, checksum: b353f1bd37fb7b34fe33619d5952c6bb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-19 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico - CNPq / In business, creativity has aroused great interest because of its importance and expression, since it is known that for a company to keep in a highly competitive market it must innovate and create new solutions to dynamic and complex problems. In this sense, creativity plays a key role, since it character by a previous innovation process. This study sought to compare the assessment of creativity by tests with group dynamics in selection processes in organizations. Specific objectives we sought evidence of validity for external criterion on the convergence of BAICA with tests Thinking Creatively with Words and Thinking Creatively with Pictures of Torrance. It also examined the feasibility in reducing the time of application of BAICA. The participants were 54 subjects, 2 Psychologists evaluators of the selection process and 52 candidates in the selection process of the PR and SP state. The results indicated that the creativity of tests BAICA correlate with the tests Thinking Creatively with Words and Pictures of Torrance in all dimensions, except for the scale development, which in this study showed no correlation. The viability in the reduction in the BAICA application time proved to be effective, demonstrating that all dimensions correlated positively in the reduced form and the total time. Regarding the assessment of creativity through group dynamics, our data demonstrate that the criteria used in business are different from those evaluated in formal assessment tests. In business, the assessment relates to intra-personal and subjective aspects, discussions. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of using up formal tests and scientific measures to ensure the effectiveness of the selection process, seeking to escape as much as possible subjective aspects in the assessment, thus preventing a just assessment based on observation and contributing to a method of more standardized and scientific work. / Nas empresas, a criatividade tem despertado grande interesse pela sua import?ncia e express?o, pois sabe-se que para que uma empresa mantenha-se em um mercado altamente competitivo ela deve inovar e criar novas solu??es a problemas din?micos e complexos. Nesse sentido, a criatividade tem papel fundamental, uma vez que caracteriza-se por um processo anterior ? inova??o. Este trabalho buscou comparar a avalia??o da criatividade por testes com a Din?mica de Grupo em processos seletivos nas organiza??es. Como objetivos espec?ficos buscou-se evid?ncias da validade por crit?rio externo de converg?ncia da BAICA com os Testes Pensando Criativamente com Palavras e Pensando Criativamente com Figuras de Torrance. Analisou-se tamb?m a viabilidade na redu??o do tempo de aplica??o da BAICA. Participaram da pesquisa 54 sujeitos, sendo 2 Psic?logas avaliadoras do processo seletivo e 52 candidatos participantes de processos seletivos do estado do PR e SP. Os resultados indicaram que os testes de criatividade da BAICA correlacionam-se com os Testes Pensando Criativamente com Palavras e Figuras de Torrance em todas as dimens?es, com exce??o da dimens?o elabora??o, que no presente estudo n?o mostrou correla??o. A viabilidade na redu??o no tempo de aplica??o da BAICA mostrou-se eficaz, demonstrando que todas as dimens?es correlacionaram-se positivamente na forma reduzida e no tempo total. J? em rela??o a avalia??o da criatividade atrav?s da Din?mica de Grupo, os dados encontrados demonstram que os crit?rios utilizados nas empresas s?o diferentes dos crit?rios avaliados nos testes formais de avalia??o. Nas empresas, a avalia??o relaciona-se a aspectos intrapessoais e subjetivos, sucitando discuss?es. Concluindo, este trabalho demonstra a import?ncia de utilizar-se testes formais e medidas cient?ficas para garantir a efic?cia dos processos seletivos, buscando eximir o quanto for poss?vel aspectos subjetivos na avalia??o, evitando assim, uma avalia??o baseada apenas na observa??o e contribuindo para um m?todo de trabalho mais padronizado e cient?fico.

A tecnologia de agentes surge como uma solução que fornece flexibilidade e robustez para lidar com domínios dinâmicos e complexos. Tal flexibilidade pode ser alcançada através da adoção de abordagens já existentes baseadas em agentes, como a arquitetura BDI, que provê agentes com características mentais de crenças, desejos e intenções. Essa arquitetura é altamente personalizável, deixando lacunas a serem preenchidas de acordo com aplicações específicas. Uma dessas lacunas é o algoritmo de seleção de planos, responsável por selecionar um plano para ser executado pelo agente buscando atingir um objetivo, e tendo grande influência no desempenho geral do agente. Grande parte das abordagens existentes requerem considerável esforço para personalização e ajuste a fim de serem utilizadas em aplicações específicas. Nessa dissertação, propomos uma abordagem para seleção de planos apta a aprender quais planos possivelmente terão os melhores resultados, baseando-se no contexto atual e nas preferências do agente. Nossa abordagem é composta por um meta-modelo, que deve ser instanciado a fim de especificar metadados de planos, e uma técnica que usa tais metadados para aprender e predizer resultados da execução destes planos. Avaliamos nossa abordagem experimentalmente e os resultados indicam que ela é efetiva. Adicionalmente, fornecemos uma ferramenta para apoiar o processo de desenvolvimento de agentes de software baseados em nosso trabalho. Essa ferramenta permite que desenvolvedores modelem e gerem código-fonte para agentes BDI com capacidades de aprendizado. Um estudo com usuários foi realizado para avaliar os benefícios de um método de desenvolvimento baseado em agentes BDI auxiliado por ferramenta. Evidências sugerem que nossa ferramenta pode auxiliar desenvolvedores que não sejam especialistas ou que não estejam familiarizados com a tecnologia de agentes. / Agent technology arises as a solution that provides flexibility and robustness to deal with dynamic and complex domains. Such flexibility can be achieved by the adoption of existing agent-based approaches, such as the BDI architecture, which provides agents with the mental attitudes of beliefs, desires and intentions. This architecture is highly customisable, leaving gaps to be fulfilled in particular applications. One of these gaps is the plan selection algorithm that is responsible for selecting a plan to be executed by an agent to achieve a goal, having an important influence on the overall agent performance. Most existing approaches require considerable effort for customisation and adjustment to be used in particular applications. In this dissertation, we propose a plan selection approach that is able to learn plans that provide possibly best outcomes, based on current context and agent’s preferences. Our approach is composed of a meta-model, which must be instantiated to specify plan metadata, and a technique that uses such metadata to learn and predict plan outcomes. We evaluated our approach experimentally, and results indicate it is effective. Additionally, we provide a tool to support the development process of software agents based on our work. This tool allows developers to model and generate source code for BDI agents with learning capabilities. A user study was performed to assess the improvements of a tool-supported BDI-agent-based development method, and evidences suggest that our tool can help developers that are not experts or are unfamiliar with the agent technology.

Cette recherche vise à proposer une approche intégrée permettant la prise en compte simultanée des paramètres Produits / process dans le cadre d’une fabrication par ajout de matière. Le développement produit est en profonde mutation, prenant en compte les contraintes de personnalisation, de temps de mise sur le marché de plus en plus court, la volonté d’une approche eco-responsable etc. Ce changement de paradigme conduit à s’intéresser au choix du couple matériau /process dès la phase de conception afin de prendre en compte les contraintes liées au procédé identifié. Cette approche multi critère s’intéresse à la fois au couple matériau procédé mais prend en compte les aspect fonctionnels de la pièce. Ainsi ce travail de thèse présente une méthodologie de décision générique, basée sur des outils de prise de décision multicritères, qui peut non seulement proposer une solution satisfaisant les contraintes liées aux matériaux, processus et processus par addition de matière, mais propose également de servir de guide aux concepteurs permettant un choix raisonné basé sur des combinaisons matériau-machine orientées conception et obtenu à partir d’une base de données de 38 fournisseurs internationaux de machine de fabrication par ajout de matière. / The doctoral research focuses to build an integrated approach that can simultaneously handle the product and process parameters related to additive manufacturing (AM). Since, market dynamics of today are constantly evolving, drivers such as mass customization strategies, shorter product development cycles, a large pool of materials to choose from, abundant manufacturing processes, etc., have made it essential to choose the right compromise of materials, manufacturing processes and associated machines in early stages of design considering the Design for AM guidelines. As several criteria, material attributes and process functionality requirements are involved for decision making in the industries, the thesis introduces a generic decision methodology, based on multi-criteria decision-making tools, that can not only provide a set of compromised AM materials, processes and machines but will also act as a guideline for designers to achieve a strong foothold in the AM industry by providing practical solutions containing design oriented and feasible material-machine combinations from a database of 38 renowned AM vendors in the world today.

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), I investigate the influence of adolescent friendship network on the likelihood of college enrollment, and whether and how this influence is affected by stratification factors (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status). However, there is a challenge in evaluating this influence process since adolescents usually non-randomly select their friends. A selection process needs to be taken into consideration simultaneously with the influence process of adolescents’ friendship network on their likelihood of college enrollment. Previous research on peer effects has methodological issues and limitations. Traditional methods (e.g., multivariate regression, multilevel modeling, or propensity score matching) using limited data (e.g., cross-sectional) and measures of friendship network (e.g., one best friend) could not solve the problem of integrating selection process and influence process in one model. In addition, the dyadic and triadic (or even higher level) dependency among friends in the network makes it more difficult to estimate selection and influence processes using traditional methods. To address these concerns, I employ longitudinal network analysis with stochastic actor-based models (SABMs) to account for the influence of friendship network on adolescent college enrollment when simultaneously considering the selection of friendship. The co-evolution model of network dynamics (selection) and behavioral dynamics (influence) also addresses the problem of endogeneity between network change and behavioral change. However, the co-evolution model requires network data and behavioral data measured in multiple time points, so in the first stage of this research, I generate the predicted probability of college enrollment at three time points of Add Health using traditional logistic regression. Then in the second stage of this research, I use the transformed likelihood of college enrollment, a statistical artifact, as the behavior variable in the co-evolution model to examine how the likelihood of college enrollment affect the friendship selection and in turn friend’s average likelihood of college enrollment in the network influences an adolescent’s own likelihood of college enrollment. In the first stage, I find that there are some levels of gender, race/ethnicity, and SES inequalities in the college enrollment, even after controlling for previous academic achievement, other individual characteristics, family backgrounds, and school level variables. In the second stage, the results of dynamic network analysis indicate significant selection (partial deselection) and influence effects of adolescent friendship networks on the likelihood of college enrollment. In the selection process, adolescents have high tendency to select friends who are similar to them in the likelihood of college enrollment, or terminate friendships with other students of dissimilar likelihood of college enrollment. In the influence process, the average alter effect is found consistently significant and positive across all models and schools, which indicates that there is strong social influence of friendship network on adolescents’ likelihood of college enrollment. The higher the average friends’ likelihood of college enrollment, the more likely the adolescent will increase own likelihood of college enrollment. I also discuss the significance of results and many important policy and practical implications.

Research into the location decision of Australian international firms was primarily directed toward investigating motivations of Australian investors for setting up their foreign direct investments (FDI) in specific foreign countries. Nevertheless, the strategic decision-making process concerning the selection of a beneficial foreign country for either Australian or Western Australian international operations has been neglected in the existing literature; hence, an evident and significant gap was identified. Therefore, the current exploratory investigation used an interpretive paradigm to examine ‘how do Western Australian internationalising firms arrive at a beneficial foreign location choice for their international operations and hence attain successful international expansion. As an attempt to provide rich and deep insights into managerial actions and procedures, as well as critical success factors, that should be considered in effective international location decision-making process to attain a beneficial foreign location choice, five empirical comparative in-depth case studies excluding a pilot case study were purposefully selected from among sixteen potential Western Australian firms which established manufacturing and service operations abroad. Furthermore, seven international location decision-making processes were examined within these five cases through relying on several data sources: in-depth face to face interviews, short telephone and follow-up interviews and questionnaire instrument as primary data sources besides field notes, documents review when available and internet sources as secondary data sources. Two main stages of analysis were undertaken in the current research, namely, within and cross-case analyses. / The empirical findings of the extant research show that a thorough consultative and international experience-based strategic decision process should be considered to attain effective foreign country selection decisions. The consultative decision process encompasses five crucial managerial phases; that is, (1) strategic analysis of internationalisation drivers, (2) strategic searching and development of location factors and alternatives, (3) acquiring of adequate and relevant information about the prospective locations and, hence, strategic assessment for these alternatives, (4) strategic selection of final beneficial foreign location choice, and finally, (5) effective implementation of the selected location choice. Results reveal that the decision process cannot separately lead to the selection of a beneficial foreign location choice in the absence of four critical success factors, i.e., (1) international business experience of the selected location team, (2) the country knowledge about the potential foreign locations, (3) in-house and external consultations with international business experts and (4) identification of a trustworthy and internationally experienced manager or local partner for the international operation. The findings also illustrate that the comprehensive foreign country selection decision process is a multi-stage decision process which incorporates three separate location selection processes, namely, (1) country selection, (2) city selection and (3) site selection process. The current research extends the satisficing or bounded rational decision theory by confirming the appropriateness and the effectiveness of the theory in foreign country selection decisions. / In addition, the earlier critical success factors are adding new and important aspects of knowledge to the existing research on location decision-making process in international business, as well as foreign direct investment decisions. Accordingly, the former management phases and critical success factors were integrated into a conceptual model. The major and the unique contribution of the current thesis to existing theory is the development of a decision model which combines two fields of management research; that is, strategic decision-making and location decision-making in international business. The research provides important methodological contributions to international business research in relation to an effective multiple case study approach to capture elements of the comprehensive and complex international location decision-making process. Finally, the research findings and decision model have practical managerial implications for both international and internationalising firms by assisting them to improve the effectiveness of their foreign country selection decision processes. Further, the findings provide benefits for foreign investment policy-makers as well as local development officials in both home and host countries by assisting them to increase their outward FDI and attract more inward FDI and, consequently, boost the economic development movement in their countries.

Methods for estimating productivity and costs, and dependent equipment selection process, have needed to be increasingly reliable. Estimated productivity and costs must be as accurate as possible in reflecting actual productivity and costs experienced by mining operations to accommodate the long-term trend for diminishing commodity prices, For loading and hauling equipment operating in open pit mines, some of the interrelated estimating criteria have been investigated for better understanding; and, consequently, more reliable estimates of production and costs, also more effective equipment selection process. Analysis recognizes many of the interrelated criteria as random variables that can most effectively be reviewed, analyzed and compared in terms of statistical mathematical parameters. Emphasized throughout is the need for management of the cyclical loading and hauling system using conventional shovels/excavators/loaders and mining trucks to sustain an acceptable “rhythm” for best practice productivity and most-competitive unit-production costs. Outcomes of the research include an understanding that variability of attributes needs to be contained within acceptable limits. Attributes investigated include truck payloads, bucket loads, loader cycle time, truck loading time and truck cycle time. Selection of “ultra-class” mining trucks (≥ 290 -tonne payload) and suitable loading equipment is for specialist mining applications only. Where local operating environment and cost factors favourably supplement diminishing cost-benefits of truck scale, ultra-class trucks may be justified. Bigger is not always better – only where bigger can be shown to be better by reasons in addition to the modest cost benefits of ultra-class equipment. Truck over-loading may, to a moderate degree, increase productivity, but only at increased unit cost. / From a unit-cost perspective it is better to under-load than overload mining trucks. Where unit production cost is more important than absolute productivity, under-trucking is favoured compared with over-trucking loading equipment. Bunching of mining trucks manifests as a queuing effect – a loss of effective truck hours. To offset the queuing effect, required productivity needs to be adjusted to anticipate “bunching inefficiency”. The “basic number of trucks” delivered by deterministic estimating must provide for bunching inefficiency before application of simulation applications or stochastic analysis is used to determine the necessary number of trucks in the fleet. In difficult digging conditions it is more important to retain truck operating rhythm than to focus on achieving target payload by indiscriminately adding loader passes. Where trucks are waiting to load, operational tempo should be restored by sacrificing one or more passes. Trucks should preferably be loaded by not more than the nominal (modal) number plus one pass. The research has: • Identified and investigated attributes that affect the dispersion of truck payloads, bucket loads, bucket-cycle time, loading time and truck-cycle time. • The outcomes of the research indicate a need to correlate drilling and blasting quality control and truck payload dispersion. Further research can be expected to determine the interrelationship between accuracy of drilling and blasting attributes including accuracy of hole location and direction. • Preliminary investigations indicate a relationship between drill-and-blast attributes through blasting quality control to bucket design, dimensions and shape; also discharge characteristics that affect bucket cycle time that needs further research.

Background: Traditionally defined boundaries and borders between organizations are at present being re-evaluated because of new and tougher demands. Today we can see a trend where these boundaries are being lowered or even eliminated when organizations choose to co-operate instead of compete. Purpose: In order to create an understanding for the partner selection process in the newly founded joint ventures between the companies which are building the Swedish 3G Network, the determining factors are being studied. Delimitation: The studies companies are co-operating as network operators but are at the same time competing as mobile operators. This relationship is in the literature described as co-opetition, which will not be investigated in this paper. Realization: Taking our starting point in Geringer’s task- and partner-related approach, a simple model has been created for the task. Empirical data have been collected through interviews, and have been analyzed with this model. Results: Essentially the same factors have been found determining for the companies which have committed themselves for co-operation. These factors do however tend to differ partly between the two joint ventures that have been founded. In the Europolitan Vodafone” Hi3G joint venture, compatibility between top management and culture&structure seem to be the motivating factors. From a Telia - Tele2-perspective, the mutual factors seem to be financing and compatibility between top management. An important criterion has in both joint venture constellations to the access to existing real capital and infrastructure as well as having existing customers.