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The author has written a bachelor thesis on the subject of leadership and stress with the aim of finding differences and similarities of stress handling in the French respective Swedish armies.  The methods used when gathering data for the thesis have been interviews with eight officers and cadets from the French Army and Écoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan and a participant observation of a stress-exercise in the terrain of Camp Coëtquidan, where the author accompanied a platoon from the fourth battalion at École Speciale Militaire.  The analysis is split up into four questions, which serve the author the means to reach the aim of the thesis. The questions are: -        What defines leadership in military settings? -        How is leadership affected by stress? -        Is stress useful? -        Are there differences in stress handling? Comparing a Swedish view with a French one. After each analysis question is finished the author draws concretised conclusions, aiming to draw even closer to the core of the answers. Lastly the author closes in on the subject of leadership and stress, granting himself the permission to freely discuss the results of the thesis as a whole. A more profound view is given, as to why there is a need for further research into the matter of leadership and stress in the French Army. This is offered along with suggestions that [French Army] experience-based research can contribute to the training of future officers and leaders of soldiers in the French Army. / <p>Erasmus</p>

The study is concerned with perception and management of risk by decision makers in the competitive bidding sector of the British Construction industry. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that, contrary to the implicit assumption of earlier research on this subject, perception and management of risk in decision making is not an exclusive preserve of buyers alone, but that sellers also perceive and manage risks in their selling decision making process. The study was concerned mainly with seller organisations. However, customers were also included so that comparisons between the views of sellers and the buyers could be made on a limited number of issues in order to reinforce particular points of view. In spite of the exploratory nature of the study, three hypotheses, based on the literature review, were examined. After a careful consideration of relevant factors, 200 construction companies of different sizes, operating in the competitive bidding sector of the industry, and 150 customers representing nine different sectors, were selected at random for the main and the subsidiary samples respectively. A questionnaire, with a covering letter, was mailed direct to the Managing Director or Chief Executive of each of the organisations included in the samples. From the main sample, 63.5% responded, out of which 47.0% of the replies were usable. In the case of the subsidiary sample, 67.3% responded, out of which 56.0% of the replies were usable. Data analysis indicated that, (a) most construction companies - the sellers - perceived and managed risks in their contract selling decision making process; (b) in spite of the relevance of the marketing concept, most traditional marketing methods were not effective in the competitive bidding sector of the industry; and (c) a careful evaluation of the critical phases through which a contract decision process evolved was essential for effective management of risks inherent in construction contracts.

This thesis contains the findings of a study undertaken in the field of medical decision-making. The Glaserian approach to grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Glaser, 1978) was used in order to build a theoretical representation of this area. Four phases of data collection were used, the first to develop initial theoretical sampling points and obtaining permission to approach medical practitioners. Following this, 12 personal in-depth interviews were performed to collect the primary data. A period of secondary data collection was then performed and finally an appraisal of the draft theory. Trading Off emerged from the constant comparative method as the core category explaining how pharmaceutical decision-making (as a form of medical decisionmaking) is performed. Sub core categories that were integrated within the Trading Off process included Focusing as the initial period of analysis, Self-Referencing and Surrogating reflecting sources and use of information and the Shiftin g that occurs as physicians develop expertise. In order to develop and frame the contribution of this theory within relevant literature, an number of areas of decision-making and medical decision-making research were reviewed. Expertise and its development were also examined. The main conclusions and recommendations of this research are that physicians Trade Off levels of confidence held in behaviours and aspects of the behaviour in order to decide on a course of action. Trading Off can used to direct the efforts of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers in order to modify pharmaceutical decision-making and reduce the large volume of prescribing errors. These efforts should be based on an accurate analysis of the individual decision environment and involve a wide view of possible influencing factors. It is recommended that actual patient case studies supplied from clinical trials are used in these efforts and that an opinion leader should perform the delivery where possible.

The senior-level decision-making process of a large organization undergoing a turnaround in financial affairs was examined and the factors which were found to best describe its decision making were found to be the movement between phases, the way the members of the Committee involved themselves in the process, and the leadership activity of the chairman of the Committee. The phases of the process were described as five: presentation, identification, familiarization, formulation, alternative assessment, and choice. In each of these phases information was processed in distinct ways and each phase appeared to present a task to accomplish before the process moved on to other phases. Movement was found to cycle amongst phases as choices were made. Members of the Committee involved themselves in the process through various activities. Many of these activities concerned the way personal perspectives were presented and separated along with, or apart from, more objective information. The leadership of the process had considerable influence in shaping its direction. As the leader, and president of the company, instituted discipline, enforced accountability and directed the "pace and direction of the process, he shaped organizational values, and influenced the outcome of decisions. The most significant event in the life of the company was its turnaround from near bankruptcy to profitability. The decision process was seen to have considerable influence in bringing this about, as well as factors related to the content of decisions, and the context within which the organization was set.

Performance measurement is a growing field of study and practice within federal government. From department level agencies to unit level commands, measuring performance is critical to achieving strategic objectives within public resource constraints. Performance metrics enable federal managers entrusted with the nation's resources to make productive decisions towards operational effectiveness and economic efficiency. This thesis assesses the performance measurement system of a singular organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (PHD). This assessment addresses the appropriateness and quality of existing metrics at PHD based on academic research, while also comparing performance measurement at PHD with federal guidance. Performance drivers were captured during interviews with senior managers in offices and departments at PHD. These interviews were used to gain visibility into PHD's "story of success" in terms of critical inputs, processes, and outcomes. Causal performance maps were utilized to visually depict the interaction among these performance drivers and determine common critical performance variables (CPV) across PHD. Once determined, common CPV's were analyzed and existing metrics were assessed within balance scorecard perspectives. This analysis and assessment provided a framework for comparison between PHD and the performance measurement guidance within the federal chain of command. The assessment of existing metrics and recommendations will hopefully be useful to NSWC PHD in continuing progress toward achieving strategic success. It is also hoped that this thesis will provide a common framework for performance analysis to other Naval Surface Warfare Center commands.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Borders are monitored by a variety of moving and stationary sensors, e.g., patrol agents, video cameras, ground sensors, UAVs, etc. This paper introduces a model for a moving sensor that patrols a perimeter that is infiltrated by malevolent agents (targets). Targets arrive according to a Poisson process along the perimeter with a certain distribution of arrival location, and disappear (renege) a random amount of time after their arrival. The measures of effectiveness (MOEs) presented in this paper are the target detection rate and the time elapsed from target arrival to its detection (waiting time). We study two types of sensor trajectories that are periodic and with constant speed: 1. The sensor moves from a starting point to a certain location and then leaps instantaneously back to the starting point. 2. The sensor moves back and forth between two points. The controlled parameters (decision variables) are the beginning and end points of the patrolled sector. Properties of these trajectories are demonstrated in great generality. The results give decision makers a powerful tool for optimally deploying and operating a variety of sensors in an area of interest. / Outstanding Thesis

In this thesis we develop a new model called Medical Evacuation and Treatment Capabilities Optimization Model (METCOM) that's designed as a user friendly optimization model that augments current simulations and assists in optimizing efficiencies, allowing for redistribution, restructuring, or realignment of medical resources and materials to better meet requirements elsewhere in the area of operations (AO). The model addresses variations in capabilities and policies of the medical evacuation and treatment system (METS) in order to discern effects on desired medical outcomes. A combination of descriptive and prescriptive multi-period models were utilized in order to identify policy effect on key measures of effectiveness (MOEs) and then fully optimize treatment and evacuation capacities for given casualty flows. Results provide medical planners and decision makers with coherent and relevant data allowing for the flexibility to employ a broad range of policies and capacities that would best meet the objectives of saving warfighters' lives and minimizing resource capacity costs required while supporting the overall operational plan.

Recent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instructions (CJCSI) direct the development of new concepts to prioritize linking budgeting and programming for near- and mid-term resource allocation planning. For the Department of Defense (DoD), planning that falls within the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) or 0-7 years may be viewed as mid-term. This thesis raises the question of whether these new concepts will work best for the Department of the Navy (DON) or whether another methodology would better fit the Navy's near- and mid-term needs. Further, the thesis asks whether the implementation of the recently promulgated CJCSI instructions would be more disruptive to the DON instead of an alternative modification of what the DON is already using successfully. This thesis also explores the potential value of the newly formed capability planning initiative within the DON. The Navy initiative is compared to private-sector practices to define similarities and to develop additional potentially useful methods. The thesis also explores the potential usefulness of linear programming or mathematical decision modeling for the application of weights and values to relate input variables and relationships to desired outputs. Finally, procurement narrative statements in the FY07 DON budget are analyzed and results, in terms of use of the capability concept, are reported.

This thesis provides a stochastic modeling tool to assist in the component selection process for Army Aviation's Condition-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+) program. This work is in conjunction with the Operations Research Center of Excellence (ORCEN) at the United States Military Academy to assist in providing insight for the U.S. Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). The component selected for this thesis is the AH-64/UH-60 T701C Turbine Helicopter Engine. Data analysis of the failure data indicated that a nonhomogeneous Poisson process appropriately modeled the failure characteristics of this engine. A Microsoft Excel simulation utilizing Crystal Ball version 5.5 compares an engine monitored by CBM+ versus the traditional Legacy system of maintenance. This simulation provides information on diagnosed faults, mission aborts, repair times, false positives, and logistical implications. This simulation is generic and can be used in comparing CBM+ candidate components for future inclusion into the CBM+ program. Results suggest when considering a component for inclusion in the CBM+ program important factors to consider are even the smallest false positive rate can invalidate process, large sensor probability of detection isn't necessary for beneficial results, and by entering a component into the CBM+ the on hand component requirements can be greatly reduced. / US Army (USA) author.