On the road to success, companies need to fulfil their stakeholders’ expectations. On the road to business excellence, companies need to exceed these expectations. Oliver Wight Inc. has established a certification called Class A Business, which shows that a company is exceeding stakeholders’ expectations and that it performs in the upper quartile in its respective industry. The Class A Business certification is awarded, once a company fulfils a certification checklist with Class A Business criteria. To get to this point, a company can design their road to business excellence by following a specific set of nine Class A Behaviors. This study focuses on four of these behaviors, divided in three parts, and how they are implemented at a pharmaceutical packaging department at Roche in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland. In addition, through employee feedback potential areas of improvement are identified. For a company to understand how it is running, it has to understand its underlying processes. Once the processes are in place, a process-oriented way of thinking can change a company to make decisions based on process’ needs rather than on individual preferences. Business processes and their potential for continuous improvement were the first part of the study. The second part of the study investigated the communication of different functions in the packaging process and how the flow of information could be improved. In the third part, the usage of operational metrics in the packaging department is researched by a user feedback survey. An innovative way to visualize meeting conversations was developed in this study to make meetings more tangible for the reader. This is a newly developed and never before described method for business research colorfully showing interactions in meetings. The results are very intriguing. Simple thought business elements seem to pose larger hurdles than would be expected sometimes.

Made available in DSpace on 2009-11-18T19:01:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre_Oliveira.pdf: 6992425 bytes, checksum: 9b93b9986c23a742d3c23be866aa20a6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Year after year the call center industry comes presenting high growth, either in Brazil or the world, using increasing contingent of people and receiving large amount of financial resources. Supporting all this industry, exists a theoretical reference that privileges the search of the improvement of diverse operational performance indicators. This study, empirically examines the relationship between caller satisfaction and diverse operational performance indicators currently used for call center management in Brazil. For in such a way, a group of telecommunications segment call centers will be used searching to determine which indicators are really more significantly correlated with the customer satisfaction. Of this form, it is aimed at to add new evidences and explanations to existing literature, in way that companies of call center industry can give a more adequate service to their customer, opposite to solely focus its efforts in the improvement of a great set of performance pointers that, effectively, can not become related with the customer satisfaction. / Ano após ano, a indústria de call center vem apresentando elevado crescimento, seja no Brasil ou no mundo, empregando crescente contingente de pessoas e recebendo expressivas somas de recursos financeiros. Suportando toda esta indústria, existe um referencial teórico que privilegia a busca da melhoria de diversos indicadores de desempenho operacional. Essa dissertação tem por objetivo examinar, empiricamente, a relação dos diversos indicadores de desempenho operacional utilizados atualmente na gestão de call centers, no Brasil, com a satisfação do cliente . Para tanto, será utilizado um conjunto de call centers de uma empresa do segmento de telecomunicações, buscando determinar quais são realmente os indicadores mais significativamente correlacionados com a satisfação do cliente. Dessa forma, visa-se acrescentar novas evidências e explicações à literatura existente, de modo a que as empresas da indústria de call center possam prestar um serviço mais adequado ao cliente, ao invés de unicamente focalizar seus esforços na melhoria de um grande conjunto de indicadores de desempenho que, efetivamente, podem não se relacionar com a satisfação do cliente.

Submitted by FERNANDA NERVA BURMANN (fnburmann@gmail.com) on 2015-01-26T15:46:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Fernanda_Burmann_VF.pdf: 5323882 bytes, checksum: 69f01f76c1989d860de0a52e50460e56 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2015-01-26T16:02:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Fernanda_Burmann_VF.pdf: 5323882 bytes, checksum: 69f01f76c1989d860de0a52e50460e56 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2015-02-02T11:21:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Fernanda_Burmann_VF.pdf: 5323882 bytes, checksum: 69f01f76c1989d860de0a52e50460e56 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-02T11:21:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Fernanda_Burmann_VF.pdf: 5323882 bytes, checksum: 69f01f76c1989d860de0a52e50460e56 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-09 / Contemporary organizations present a high level of complexity. The long process chain shall be managed in an integrated way and requires a decentralized way of decision making in order to assure quick answers to changes in the competitive environment. This context demands the development of management tools to support managers in order to reach global strategic goals as the reference model analyzed in this paper, which gathers supply chain management metrics together with the Balanced Scorecard concept. The aim of this paper is both to evaluate the current Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) architecture of a large fuel distributor company operational unit (OU) based on the reference model and to test, based on a case study, the universality of adopting the reference model by different companies. Some of the main findings of this paper are: the current OU performance indicators architecture is unbalanced according to the BSC dimensions – comparing with the financial dimension that presents 7 KPIs, client dimension presents only 2; the list of OU KPIs presents a gap of 50% compared to the reference model; for this gaps an action plan was built in order to add this indicators to the OU KPIs architecture; 24% of the reference model metrics are not applicable to the OU reality and; the reference model does not cover important items as training, engagement, Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) which are essential to the company context – for instance, the OU currently monitors 6 indicators of HSE. The paper has also found that a generic model is not fully applicable because every organization has its specific complexities. However the reference model can be used as a guidance to verify the adequacy of a specific company preselect indicators because it shows gaps that cannot be detected during the indicators selection process. / As organizações contemporâneas apresentam elevado grau de complexidade. A extensa cadeia de processos deve ser gerenciada de forma integrada e requer descentralização da tomada de decisões para assegurar respostas ágeis aos estímulos do ambiente competitivo. Este contexto demanda a criação de ferramentas de gestão que apoiem os gestores no atingimento dos objetivos estratégicos globais das empresas, como o modelo de referência analisado neste trabalho, que alia as métricas de gestão da cadeia de suprimentos com o conceito do Balanced Scorecard. Este trabalho objetivou, por um lado, avaliar a atual arquitetura de indicadores de desempenho da unidade operacional (UO) de uma grande distribuidora de combustíveis à luz deste modelo de referência e, por outro, testar o modelo de referência através do estudo de caso quanto à sua universalidade de aplicação por diferentes empresas. Dentre os resultados obtidos, destacam-se: a arquitetura de indicadores atual da UO está desequilibrada nas dimensões do BSC – comparada à dimensão financeira que apresenta 7 indicadores, a dimensão clientes apresenta somente 2 indicadores; identificou-se uma lacuna de 50% na relação de indicadores de desempenho da UO quando a confrontamos com o modelo de referência; para as lacunas identificadas, desenvolveu-se um plano de ação para sua incorporação à arquitetura da UO; constatou-se que 24% das métricas do modelo de referência não se aplicam à realidade da UO e; o modelo de referência não abarca itens relevantes como treinamento, engajamento e Saúde, Meio Ambiente e Segurança (SMS), primordial para a realidade da empresa, que acompanha atualmente 6 indicadores de SMS. Verificou-se, também, que o uso de um modelo de referência genérico não é o mais adequado por causa das complexidades intrínsecas de cada uma das organizações. Entretanto, o mesmo pode ser usado como um guia para verificação de suficiência dos indicadores pré-selecionados por uma determinada empresa porque indica lacunas que podem não ser percebidas no processo de seleção.

I en allt mer konkurrenskraftig och snabbt föränderlig miljö måste dagens organisationer identifiera sina befintliga positioner, klargöra sina mål samt fungera mer effektivt och ändamålsenligt. Dessa premisser gäller också för icke vinstdrivande organisationer som även de behöver anpassa sig efter denna nya verklighet för att överleva. Ett prestationsmätningssystem (PMS), som sammanfattningsvis är ett redskap för att säkerställa att organisationer uppfyller sina mål och sitt syfte, kan hjälpa till att klara av dessa utmaningar. Det finns dock studier som visar att chefer och uppdragsgivare i icke vinstdrivande organisationer är allt mer oroliga över att mäta och hantera organisatoriska prestationer. Studien syftar till att förklara och bidra till en större förståelse av användningsområden och syften med PMS i icke vinstdrivande organisationer. Således blir också syftet med studien att bidra till den befintliga kunskapsbasen inom PMS. Denna kvalitativa fallstudie är utförd på Systembolaget och har primärt samlat in empiriska data genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju chefer från tre hierarkiska nivåer i ett av organisationens försäljningsdistrikt, men även genom dokument. Genom analys och diskussion av det empiriska materialet i förhållande till den teoretiska referensramen har vi dragit slutsatserna att ändamålet med PMS är densamma för icke vinstdrivande organisationer som för vinstdrivande organisationer. Vi har identifierat PMS som ett managementverktyg för efterlevnad och utveckling av strategier samt nå mål och visioner. Studien visar även att ett strategiskt sammanpassat PMS med fokus på icke-finansiella mått tydligt kopplade till verksamheten, kan ha betydelse för översättningen av icke vinstdrivande organisationers strategi till ett önskvärt handlingssätt och resultat. / An increasingly competitive and quickly changing environment requires today’s organizations to clarify their goals, identify their existing positions, and function more efficiently and effectively. These premises also apply to nonprofit organizations that also need to adapt to this new reality to survive. A performance measurement system (PMS) that, in short terms, is a tool for ensuring that organizations meet their goals and purposes can help to cope with these challenges. However, studies shows that measuring and managing organizational performance is an increasing concern for managers and constituents in nonprofit organizations. The purpose of the study is to explain and contribute to a greater understanding of the use and purpose of PMS in nonprofit organizations. Thus, the purpose of the study will also be to contribute to the existing knowledge base within the field of performance measurement. This qualitative case study is conducted on Systembolaget and has collected empirical data primarily through semi-structured interviews with seven managers from three hierarchical levels in one of the organization's sales districts, but also through documents. Through an analysis and discussion of our empirical findings in relation to our theoretical framework, one of the conclusions is that the purpose of PMS is the same in nonprofit organizations as for profit-making organizations. We have identified PMS as a management tool for adherence and development of strategies as well as achieving goals and visions. The study also shows that a strategically aligned PMS focusing on nonfinancial measures clearly linked to operations can be important when it comes to translation of nonprofit organization's strategy into desirable actions and results.

This diploma thesis focuses on Managerial Accounting and its tools and techniques. The main part of it would serve to review whether theoretical principles of Managerial Accounting are efficiently implemented and whether Key Performance Indicators are properly set to fulfil their essential functions to measure, motivate and manage achievement of performance goals. It further investigates Responsibility Accounting, Performance Management and how they influence and impact the reward system and the motivation of employees. This thesis would provide a general overview related to modern techniques such as Management Control Systems, which are nowadays popularly used to coordinate development of human resources, their motivation, assessment and other factors influencing performance. The practical part of this thesis includes analysis of the remuneration system in concrete company, namely Philip Morris ČR a.s. The last chapter also summarizes strengths and weaknesses of the current system and suggests improvements to influence performance and employees motivation more positively and how to prosper from the application of Managerial Accounting tools.

Avec l'utilisation grandissante des technologies distribuées sans fil pour la modernisation des services, les déploiements d'infrastructures radio dédiées ne permettent plus de garantir des communications fiables, à grande échelle et pour un bas coût. Cette thèse vise à permettre à un opérateur de déployer une infrastructure de réseau radio pour plusieurs applications clientes de l'Internet des Objets (IoT). Nous étudions la mutualisation d'une architecture pour différents flux de trafic afin de rentabiliser le déploiement du réseau en partageant la capacité des nœuds et une large couverture. Nous devons alors garantir une Qualité de Service (QoS) différenciée pour les flux de chaque application. Nous proposons de spécifier des contrats de QoS nommés Service Level Agreements (SLA) dans le domaine de l'IoT. Ceux-ci définissent les indicateurs clés de performance (KPI) de délai de transit et de taux de livraison pour le trafic provenant d'objets connectés distribués géographiquement. Dans un second temps, nous détaillons les fonctionnalités nécessaires à la mise en œuvre des SLA sur le réseau opéré, sous la forme d'une architecture de gestion de SLA. Nous envisageons l'admission de nouveaux flux, l'analyse des performances courantes et la configuration des relais de l'opérateur. Sur la base d'une technologie robuste, multi-saut, IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 mode TSCH, nous proposons un mécanisme d'observation de réseau permettant de vérifier les différents KPI. Nous utilisons les trames de données existantes comme support de collecte afin de réduire le surcoût en termes de ressources de communication. Nous comparons différentes stratégies de piggybacking afin de trouver un compromis entre la performance et l'efficacité de l'observation. Puis nous détaillons KAUSA, un algorithme d'allocation de ressources sous contraintes de QoS multi-flux. Nous dédions des ressources temps-fréquences ajustées saut-par-saut pour chaque message. KAUSA prend en compte les interférences, la fiabilité des liens radio et la charge attendue afin d'améliorer la répartition des ressources allouées et ainsi prolonger la durée de vie du réseau. Nous montrons les gains et la validité de nos contributions par simulation, sur la base de scénarios réalistes de trafic et d'exigences. / With the growing use of distributed wireless technologies for modern services, the deployments of dedicated radio infrastructures do not enable to ensure large-scale, low-cost and reliable communications. This PhD research work aims at enabling an operator to deploy a radio network infrastructure for several client applications, hence forming the Internet of Things (IoT). We evaluate the benefits earned by sharing an architecture among different traffic flows, in order to reduce the costs of deployment, obtaining a wide coverage through efficient use of the capacity on the network nodes. We thus need to ensure a differentiated Quality of Service (QoS) for the flows of each application. We propose to specify QoS contracts, namely Service Level Agreements (SLAs), in the context of the IoT. SLAs include specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as the transit time and the delivery ratio, concerning connected devices that are geographically distributed in the environment. The operator agrees with each client on the sources and amount of traffic for which the performance is guaranteed. Secondly, we describe the features needed to implement SLAs on the operated network, and we organize them into an SLA management architecture. We consider the admission of new flows, the analysis of current performance and the configuration of the operator's relays. Based on a robust, multi-hop technology, IEEE Std 802.15.4-2015 on TSCH mode, we provide two essential elements to implement the SLAs: a mechanism for the monitoring of the KPIs, and KAUSA, a resource allocation algorithm with multi-flow QoS constraints. The former uses existing data frames as a transport medium to reduce the overhead in terms of communication resources. We compare different piggybacking strategies to find a tradeoff between the performance and the efficiency of the monitoring. With the latter, KAUSA, we dedicate adjusted time-frequency resources for each message, hop by hop. KAUSA takes into account the interference, the reliability of radio links and the expected load to improve the distribution of allocated resources and prolong the network lifetime. We show the gains and the validity of our contributions with a simulation based on realistic traffic scenarios and requirements.

This work reviews the current literature and application methods of strategic KPI frameworks, KPI definition and measurement, target setting and benchmarking for social networks based on journals, books and whitepapers while including an interview with a social media agency. In a second step, the acquired knowledge is applied on a case study for a salon haircare company. The conclusions are based on in-company experts in the field, external social media agencies and an internal survey. Based on a behavioral survey, the requirements and gaps in the organization are identified. This leads to the application of a theoretical framework on the case company and a suitable definition of KPIs. The final delivery includes an analytical tool measuring all KPIs. Finally, all KPIs are related to targets and benchmarks from industry, social network sites, competitors and historical data. The final results are easily transferrable to other players in the industry.

This research determined the preferred project delivery method utilized by campus planners when building student housing on a university campus. Four key performance indicators were also evaluated to determine if they influenced the campus planner to select a particular project delivery method. The four key performance indicators were: owner input, cost, safety, and on-time completion. Campus planners identified though the Society for Campus and University Planners (SCUP), were invited to participate in this survey research method. Five research questions were explored in this study. They were: 1. What is the preferred project delivery method (PDM) when building a residence hall on a college campus? 2. Do key performance indicators influence a campus planner’s choice of preferred project delivery method? 3. Does the preferred project delivery method differ by the number of beds? 4. Does the preferred project delivery method differ geographically? 5. Does the preferred project delivery method differ between public and private institutions? Based on the survey findings, analyzed using SPSS, sufficient information was garnered from the data to allow responses to the five research questions. In sum, there was a significant preference on the part of campus planners for the construction management at risk project delivery method when building student housing. This finding was consistent across regions and between public and private institutions. The design-bid-build project delivery method was the preferred approach when building student housing of less than 200 beds. Key performance indicators were shown to have little influence on the decision regarding which project delivery method to choose.

Problem statement – The strategic roles and responsibilities of professional middle managers (at a South African university) are not aligned with the accountability and authority required while strategising to effect strategic change. Through an in-depth exploration of practitioners, their practices, behaviour, cognition and emotions during strategising, insights in the development of practical wisdom was gained. Purpose – The purpose of the empirical research study was to investigate how professional middle managers strategise to effect change during strategic change. The study context was a South African higher education institution undergoing internal organisational change. Four main research themes were explored with particular reference to the professional middle manager as a strategic practitioner, namely one who DOES, THINKS, FEELS and REFLECTS. Design, methodology and approach – An explorative and interpretive study was conducted utilising a single case and qualitative research methodology. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was conducted, which aimed to explore the rich experiences of the participants and the way they make sense of their personal journeys during the strategic change initiative. Strategy as practice theory was selected as the theoretical foundation for the study. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and participants provided self-reflection assessments contributing to a unique data gathering method. Findings – The results suggested the professional middle managers make use of holistic and comprehensive practices to effect change as they strategise during strategic change. Five formal strategic roles were confirmed relevant as enacted by the professional middle managers, i.e. implementing strategies, interpreting and communicating information, facilitating adaptability, downward supporting and upward influencing. In addition, six distinctive practices were identified, namely adapting, effecting change, collaborating, mobilising, peacekeeping and overseeing. v Research limitations and implications – The results of the study cannot be generalised due to the single case methodology; however, key learnings and insights can be utilised. Practical implications – It is recommended that the middle managers’ key performance indicators be aligned with the required accountability and authority required to fulfil their strategic roles while effecting change. In addition, the development of tailor-made training programmes as well as coaching and mentoring is advocated in order to transition adequately into a middle management role. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / D.B.L.

Global supply chains (GSCs) are formed with the primary objective of cost minimization. Apart from cost reductions, GSCs also have other benefits like opening up new markets, reduction in the price of the product sold, and increasing production capacity. The benefits of GSCs are significant only when the environment it works in is stable. But in real life, almost all the systems are stochastic. While companies try to globalize their supply chains (SC), it is important to understand and evaluate the risks associated with global expansion. Several risk events arise in global supply chains and efficient management of these probable risk events plays a crucial role. Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is the implementation of strategies to manage both everyday and exceptional risks along the SCs based on continuous risk assessment to reduce vulnerability and ensure continuity. But there is a need to differentiate risk management of domestic and global supply chains due to additional risk elements involved in the functioning of GSCs. COVID-19 pandemic is one such risk event that has disrupted the GSCs of many companies around the world. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the framework of risk management in global supply chains needs reviewing after the manifestation of the COVID-19 pandemic. To fulfill the purpose, the study is divided into 2 sections. A literature review is done in supply chain management, supply chain risk management using the keywords mentioned below. Interviews were conducted with companies having GSCs. The interviews help in primary data collection for understanding the impact of COVID-19 on GSCs. Questions regarding company background, strategy for RM, the impact of COVID-19 on the GSC, and previous catastrophic impacts & future plans were asked. The collected data is processed and analyzed to arrive at findings. These findings are compared with theory to conclude by answering the research questions.  The findings prove that the existing risk management (RM) framework is sufficient to handle risk events such as pandemics. The benefits of implementing risk monitoring are visible with the comparison of the impact of RM strategies prior to and during the pandemic. Disruptive events such as COVID-19 cannot be completely avoided but can be mitigated. Several risk types occur due to catastrophic events as risk types are interconnected. Hence, all risk types must be evaluated for the RM plan. The impact is also dependent on local restrictions. Hence, it should also be considered in RM plans. Coordination mechanisms and robust strategies have shown that resiliency and flexibility improve and have reduced the impact of COVID-19 both proactively and reactively. So, it shows that the existing RM framework has the capability of mitigating the impacts of future pandemics and does not require updating.