Thesis (Doctoral (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / The image of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is influenced by its ability to handle and to develop a system whereby not only will the perceived gap between the expectation and satisfaction of the customers be closed, but the customer will also be able to derive value from the services rendered. In order for this to come to fruition, as well as the fact that the employees know the true picture of the flow of work within the WCED, it is crucial that the employees be involved in the mapping of the strategy, which in turn would be utilised to attain the vision. A key challenge is getting all the parts of the WCED in line with its strategies, which in turn impacts on the mission and vision. Maximum value requires an understanding of its creation and a proactive approach. These are not easily accomplished. Not only is the "education industry" presently confronted with many changes, its stakeholders and customers are making greater demands. As a result of this. the WCED needs to be more efficient, but importantly also to be aware of the "efficiency trap". A decrease in the net operating result of the WCED would result in dissatisfied customers. In order for this not to be an option. the synergy of the balanced scorecard and the whole value chain within a lean environment should be considered as the reduction of occupational crime i.e. human activity absorbing resources, but not creating value or nonvalue creating / adding activities or muda has become a priority. Also by focussing on an occupational crime reduction flow of work, the WCED will be seen as a system of processes and not as a system of separate functions.

M.Ing. / The telecommunications industry worldwide is experiencing massive downsizing activities as the mobile telecommunications market is flooded with mobile operators. In Europe and other leading countries world wide, fixed line operators are able to cover more than 90% of the population of the country and there is not such a necessity for a mobile service as in a country such as South Africa, where less than 50% of the population is connected to a fixed line operator. Together with many investors, planning to create substantial returns on investments saturated the communication market in these worldleading countries. When mobile data transfer, in the form of GPRS (General Packet Radios Services) and UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), was developed it was estimated that the amount of mobile data transferred (via mobile operators) per annum would exceed the amount of data transferred by normal fixed line transport (fixed line operators). Many mobile cellular operators worldwide have invested in these technologies but their ROI (Return on Investment) is not nearly as good as was estimated in the initial feasibility study of the technologies. Together, these issues have had a negative impact on all the world leading mobile communication infrastructure suppliers, which had to downsize to accommodate the decrease in world business. Only 3rd world countries (such as in Africa) are still expanding their mobile networks and are creating some business opportunities for the world leading suppliers, but it is unfortunately not sufficient to sustain the current business. With the initial roll out of GSM (Global system for mobile communication) network infrastructure suppliers could ask what they want for the equipment and services supplied, as these were hard to imitate, but as the market grew, more competitors were able to meet their standards in equipment quality and better the price and service.

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.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alfred P. Sloan School of Management. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Dewey. / Bibliography: leaves 135-138. / M.S.

Post deregulation, many U.S. airlines created hubs with banked schedules, however, in the past decade these same airlines began to experiment with depeaking their schedules to reduce costs and improve operational performance. To date there has been little research that has investigated revenue and operational shifts associated with depeaked schedules; yet understanding the trade-offs among revenue, costs, and operational performance at a network level is critical before airlines will consider future depeaking and related congestion-management strategies. This study develops data cleaning and analysis methodologies based on publicly available data that are used to quantify airport-level and network-level revenue and operational changes associated with schedule depeaking. These methodologies are applied to six case studies of airline depeaking over the past decade. Results show that depeaking is associated with revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increasing slower than the rest of the network and the industry as a whole. Depeaking is associated with improved operations for both the depeaking airlines and competitors. Airports benefit from increases in non-aeronautical sales associated with connecting passengers spending more time in the terminal. The underlying reasons driving airlines' scheduling decisions during depeaking vary greatly by case. Results from the study provide insights for airlines that are considering depeaking and the airports which are affected. The results suggest that losses in RASM and no improvement in operations could potentially lead an airline to repeak, and that RASM is prone to fall when a strong competitive threat exists.

Historically, transportation asset management has focused on roadways and bridges, but more recently, many agencies are looking to extend their programs to ancillary assets such as traffic signs and guardrails. This thesis investigates the state of practice of managing these assets in order to assess the data and system needs for successful program implementation, and further reviews the opportunities for making a business case for formal management procedures based on quantified benefits of managing ancillary assets. The asset classes, selected from a review of asset management literature, include culverts, earth retaining structures, guardrails, mitigation features, pavement markings, sidewalks and curbs, street lights, traffic signals, traffic signs and utilities and manholes, with data as an information asset. Findings from a literature review showed that a number of agencies have made substantial efforts to manage their ancillary transportation assets; however, methods and practices vary. Specific state and municipal agencies identified from the literature review were surveyed for further details on their practices. The survey results show significant knowledge gaps in data collection cost estimates, and cost savings from the implementation of a transportation asset management program for ancillary assets. Finally, this work evaluates the opportunities to quantify the benefits of ancillary transportation asset management, indicating several challenges due to a lack of the data needed. The results obtained highlight the current state of practice, revealing opportunities and challenges for improving the management of ancillary transportation assets.

Computational models and simulations are essential system design tools that allow for improved decision making and cost reductions during all phases of the design process. However, the most accurate models are often computationally expensive and can therefore only be used sporadically. Consequently, designers are often forced to choose between exploring many design alternatives with less accurate, inexpensive models and evaluating fewer alternatives with the most accurate models. To achieve both broad exploration of the alternatives and accurate determination of the best alternative with reasonable costs incurred, surrogate modeling and variable accuracy modeling are used widely. A surrogate model is a mathematically tractable approximation of a more expensive model based on a limited sampling of that model, while variable accuracy modeling involves a collection of different models of the same system with different accuracies and computational costs. As compared to using only very accurate and expensive models, designers can determine the best solutions more efficiently using surrogate and variable accuracy models because obviously poor solutions can be eliminated inexpensively using only the less expensive, less accurate models. The most accurate models are then reserved for discerning the best solution from the set of good solutions. In this thesis, a Value-Based Global Optimization (VGO) algorithm is introduced. The algorithm uses kriging-like surrogate models and a sequential sampling strategy based on Value of Information (VoI) to optimize an objective characterized by multiple analysis models with different accuracies. It builds on two primary research contributions. The first is a novel surrogate modeling method that accommodates data from any number of analysis models with different accuracies and costs. The second contribution is the use of Value of Information (VoI) as a new metric for guiding the sequential sampling process for global optimization. In this manner, the cost of further analysis is explicitly taken into account during the optimization process. Results characterizing the algorithm show that VGO outperforms Efficient Global Optimization (EGO), a similar global optimization algorithm that is considered to be the current state of the art. It is shown that when cost is taken into account in the final utility, VGO achieves a higher utility than EGO with statistical significance. In further experiments, it is shown that VGO can be successfully applied to higher dimensional problems as well as practical engineering design examples.

In design and optimization of a complex system, there exist various methods for defining the relationship between the system as a whole, the subsystems and the individual components. Traditional methods provide requirements at the system level which lead to a set of design targets for each subsystem. Meeting these targets is sometimes a simple task or can be very difficult and expensive, but this is not captured in the design process and therefore unknown at the system level. This work compares Requirements Allocation (RA) with Distributed Value Driven Design (DVDD). A computational experiment is proposed as a means of evaluating RA and DVDD. A common preliminary design is determined by optimizing the utility of the system, and then a Subsystem of Interest (SOI) is chosen as the focal point of subsystem design. First the behavior of a designer using Requirements Allocation is modeled with an optimization problem where the distance to the design targets is minimized. Next, two formulations of DVDD objective functions are used to approximate the system-level value function. The first is a linear approximation and the second is a nonlinear approximation with higher fidelity around the preliminary design point. This computational experiment is applied to a series hybrid vehicle where the SOI is the electric motor. In this case study, RA proves to be more effective than DVDD on average. It is still possible that the use of objectives is superior to design targets. This work shows that, for this case study, a linear approximation as well as a slightly higher fidelity approximation are not well suited to find the design alternative with the highest expected utility.

Introdução – O Programa Saúde da Família (PSF), criado em 1994 pelo Ministério da Saúde, como estratégia para reorganizar a Atenção Primária de Saúde (APS), com foco na família, constitui-se um programa com relevantes desafios estruturais e de recursos financeiros. Sobre uma base conceitual da Promoção da Saúde, com interface no financiamento, a pesquisa tem sobre sua tutoria o impacto custo da Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS), delineando as reflexões dos ‘saberes em saúde’. Objetivo – Construir um modelo de análise baseado nos custos dos Perfis Representativos de Sujeitos Hipertensos (PRSH) que permita identificar limites e potencialidades de programas para a promoção da saúde. Metodologia – Trata-se de uma pesquisa de método hipotético-dedutivo, exploratória, aplicada e analítica; utilizando-se da técnica de pesquisa de observação direta extensiva para formulação do instrumento de pesquisa. Pautada no PRSH Pré - HAS e PRSH – HAS, com distintos padrões clínicos, como forma de compreender o curso da HAS, calculado pela demanda de serviços inerente a morbidade (consulta, medicamento, exames clínicos e laboratoriais e desfechos clínicos), a pesquisa utilizou o Sigtab (Sistema de Gerenciamento de Tabelas), lista de preços de medicamentos da Anvisa (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) e Datasus, (Sistema de Informação do Sistema Único de Saúde) como valores de referência para o cálculo de custo dos serviços associados à patologia. Os custos foram descritos por meio de estatística descritiva, no sentido de identificar o componente de análise representante dos maiores dispêndios com a morbidade, o qual serviu para diagnosticar o possível ‘entrave’ conjuntural do PSF, levando-o a discussão final. Resultados – Verificou-se que o componente representante dos maiores dispêndios com a morbidade foi a não adesão ao tratamento da HAS. Reconhecendo o componente, demonstraram-se as inúmeras possibilidades da não adesão ao tratamento da morbidade, como forma de entender a razão pela qual não é possível a obtenção de níveis satisfatórios de controle da HAS. Após a descrição e análise das possibilidades, observou-se a necessidade de debater a relação entre o profissional de saúde e usuário do sistema público de saúde, abordando-se a educação empoderadora/libertária como forma de superar métodos biomédicos de atenção à saúde. Considerações finais – A educação empoderadora/libertária possibilitaria reconfigurar valores médios do curso total dos PRSH – Pré-Hipertensão de R$ 5.257,52 e da PRSH hipertensos de R$ 6.299,6 a níveis suportáveis pela comunidade, intervindos do processo saúde-doença da morbidade. Ressalta-se que esse processo dar-se-à sob novas concepções e estruturas sólidas de rearranjos no setor da saúde, desde a formação profissional em saúde, a prática clínica-social, a sustentabilidade fiscal, as maiores despesas potenciais em saúde per capita, o cumprimento orçamentário constitucional em saúde, até o comprometimento dos gestores. Uma reestruturação, portanto, comprometida com ações e serviços de saúde em consonância com a formação de sujeitos/cidadãos. / Introduction – The Program for Family Health was created in 1994 by the Ministry of Health as a strategy to organize the Primary Health Care, focusing on the family. Actually, it is a program which has structural and financial challenges. Following a conceptual base of promotion health, that contains a financing interface, this research deals with the cost impact of Systemic Arterial Hypertension, making a reflection about health knowledge. Objective – This research aims to build na analysis model based on the Representative Profil of Pre-Hypertensive and Hypertensive Subjects, which allows identifying limits and potentialities of healht promotion programs. Methology – About the methodology applied in this study, it is situated within the hypothetical-deductive method, exploratory, apllied and analytic to comprehend reality; using the extensive direct observation research technique to create the research instrument. Based on the Representative Profile of Hypertensive Subjects, which has distinguished clinical patterns, as a way to comprehend Systemic Arterial Hypertensios costs, calculated by the services demand inherent to morbidity, this research used Sigtap (Management System Talbes – a list of prices of Anvisa (National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance) and Datasus’ (Information System) remedies – as a were described using statistics. In this way, it was possible to identify representative component of the higher morbidity, in which it helped to dianose the possibile “obstacle” of the Family Health Program. Results – As a result, it was clear that the representative component of the higher morbidity was the non-adherence to the Sistemic Arterial Hypertension treatment. Recognizing the compornet, many of the possibilities for the non-adherence to the treatment were shown in order to undertand the reason why it is not possible to achieve satisfactory levels to controle Systemic Arterial Hypertension. After describing and analyzing all the possibilites, it as necessary to debate the relationship between the health Professional and the user throughout the approach of the empowerment/libertarian education as a way to overcome biomedical methods of the health attention. Final considerations: The empowerment/libertarian education would enable the configuration of medium amounts of R$ 5.257,52 for Pre-Hypertension patients and of R$ 6.299,60 for Hypertension patients to levels supported by the communiy, intervening in the morbidity health-disease process. It is important to say that this process has happened above new conceptions and solid structures of the Healthcare Sector since the health profession degree, clinical-social practice, fiscal sustainability, health expenditure per capita, fulfillment of the health budgetary constitutional, until the maganer commitment to health care. So, it is necessary a restructure compromised to actions and health services in harmony to the formation of subjects/citizens.

Introdução – O Programa Saúde da Família (PSF), criado em 1994 pelo Ministério da Saúde, como estratégia para reorganizar a Atenção Primária de Saúde (APS), com foco na família, constitui-se um programa com relevantes desafios estruturais e de recursos financeiros. Sobre uma base conceitual da Promoção da Saúde, com interface no financiamento, a pesquisa tem sobre sua tutoria o impacto custo da Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (HAS), delineando as reflexões dos ‘saberes em saúde’. Objetivo – Construir um modelo de análise baseado nos custos dos Perfis Representativos de Sujeitos Hipertensos (PRSH) que permita identificar limites e potencialidades de programas para a promoção da saúde. Metodologia – Trata-se de uma pesquisa de método hipotético-dedutivo, exploratória, aplicada e analítica; utilizando-se da técnica de pesquisa de observação direta extensiva para formulação do instrumento de pesquisa. Pautada no PRSH Pré - HAS e PRSH – HAS, com distintos padrões clínicos, como forma de compreender o curso da HAS, calculado pela demanda de serviços inerente a morbidade (consulta, medicamento, exames clínicos e laboratoriais e desfechos clínicos), a pesquisa utilizou o Sigtab (Sistema de Gerenciamento de Tabelas), lista de preços de medicamentos da Anvisa (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) e Datasus, (Sistema de Informação do Sistema Único de Saúde) como valores de referência para o cálculo de custo dos serviços associados à patologia. Os custos foram descritos por meio de estatística descritiva, no sentido de identificar o componente de análise representante dos maiores dispêndios com a morbidade, o qual serviu para diagnosticar o possível ‘entrave’ conjuntural do PSF, levando-o a discussão final. Resultados – Verificou-se que o componente representante dos maiores dispêndios com a morbidade foi a não adesão ao tratamento da HAS. Reconhecendo o componente, demonstraram-se as inúmeras possibilidades da não adesão ao tratamento da morbidade, como forma de entender a razão pela qual não é possível a obtenção de níveis satisfatórios de controle da HAS. Após a descrição e análise das possibilidades, observou-se a necessidade de debater a relação entre o profissional de saúde e usuário do sistema público de saúde, abordando-se a educação empoderadora/libertária como forma de superar métodos biomédicos de atenção à saúde. Considerações finais – A educação empoderadora/libertária possibilitaria reconfigurar valores médios do curso total dos PRSH – Pré-Hipertensão de R$ 5.257,52 e da PRSH hipertensos de R$ 6.299,6 a níveis suportáveis pela comunidade, intervindos do processo saúde-doença da morbidade. Ressalta-se que esse processo dar-se-à sob novas concepções e estruturas sólidas de rearranjos no setor da saúde, desde a formação profissional em saúde, a prática clínica-social, a sustentabilidade fiscal, as maiores despesas potenciais em saúde per capita, o cumprimento orçamentário constitucional em saúde, até o comprometimento dos gestores. Uma reestruturação, portanto, comprometida com ações e serviços de saúde em consonância com a formação de sujeitos/cidadãos. / Introduction – The Program for Family Health was created in 1994 by the Ministry of Health as a strategy to organize the Primary Health Care, focusing on the family. Actually, it is a program which has structural and financial challenges. Following a conceptual base of promotion health, that contains a financing interface, this research deals with the cost impact of Systemic Arterial Hypertension, making a reflection about health knowledge. Objective – This research aims to build na analysis model based on the Representative Profil of Pre-Hypertensive and Hypertensive Subjects, which allows identifying limits and potentialities of healht promotion programs. Methology – About the methodology applied in this study, it is situated within the hypothetical-deductive method, exploratory, apllied and analytic to comprehend reality; using the extensive direct observation research technique to create the research instrument. Based on the Representative Profile of Hypertensive Subjects, which has distinguished clinical patterns, as a way to comprehend Systemic Arterial Hypertensios costs, calculated by the services demand inherent to morbidity, this research used Sigtap (Management System Talbes – a list of prices of Anvisa (National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance) and Datasus’ (Information System) remedies – as a were described using statistics. In this way, it was possible to identify representative component of the higher morbidity, in which it helped to dianose the possibile “obstacle” of the Family Health Program. Results – As a result, it was clear that the representative component of the higher morbidity was the non-adherence to the Sistemic Arterial Hypertension treatment. Recognizing the compornet, many of the possibilities for the non-adherence to the treatment were shown in order to undertand the reason why it is not possible to achieve satisfactory levels to controle Systemic Arterial Hypertension. After describing and analyzing all the possibilites, it as necessary to debate the relationship between the health Professional and the user throughout the approach of the empowerment/libertarian education as a way to overcome biomedical methods of the health attention. Final considerations: The empowerment/libertarian education would enable the configuration of medium amounts of R$ 5.257,52 for Pre-Hypertension patients and of R$ 6.299,60 for Hypertension patients to levels supported by the communiy, intervening in the morbidity health-disease process. It is important to say that this process has happened above new conceptions and solid structures of the Healthcare Sector since the health profession degree, clinical-social practice, fiscal sustainability, health expenditure per capita, fulfillment of the health budgetary constitutional, until the maganer commitment to health care. So, it is necessary a restructure compromised to actions and health services in harmony to the formation of subjects/citizens.