Even though the literature available within the field of performance measurement and management (PMM) is extensive, a gap exists regarding how change is managed in performance measures (PM).  This gap is corroborated by the empirical data underlining that only a few organisations have mechanisms in place for managing PM change. The need to manage change in PM arises from the consensus that performance measurement systems (PMS) should reflect the strategy and direct environments of the company. As both strategies and environments are dynamic in nature the PMS ought to possess the capability to change. The paradox of combining dynamic strategies and environments with static PMS has created problems for companies as the competitive conditions change over time. With this background in mind, the purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge regarding how to manage change in performance measures. The contribution from this research will stem from analysis of six empirical studies and the results will be concluded in a set of guidelines regarding how to manage change in PM in practice. This thesis has adopted a systems perspective and takes a qualitative, case-study based approach. In total six case studies and three literature studies have been conducted. The case studies have been conducted on three different continents and have focused on the deployed ways for managing change in PM and how the PM have evolved over time. The first literature study focused on the general literature within the field of PMM, the second literature study focused on the literature revolving around keeping PM updated and relevant over time whilst the third and concluding literature study focused on further expanding the theoretical base on how to manage change in PM and how PM evolve and change after their implementation. This thesis concludes that extensive PM change is necessary over time in order to establish and maintain appropriate PM, continuously improve the measurement process and boost performance. Further, in converse to the various approaches suggested in literature, all six approaches identified in the case studies are processes. Furthermore, each PM change process differs from another as highlighted in the empirical findings chapter. Finally, 11 factors have been identified from the theoretical and empirical findings that affect the ability to manage change in PM: level of process documentation, process ownership, employee involvement and alignment (as an embedded part of the PM change process design), communication, culture, role of top-management, IT-infrastructure capabilities, resources available for facilitation, PM ownership and education. Finally, eight guidelines have been developed addressing how to manage change in performance measures.

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This thesis examines attempts to improve the efficiency of local authority bureaucracies during the 1980's. A number of significant policy initiatives such as the establishment of the Audit Commission, the pressure for local authorities to implement systems of performance measurement and the introduction of performance related pay schemes reflect this quest for improved value for money. The thesis reviews existing economic theories of bureaucracy which show how inefficiency arises in the public sector. Two major hypotheses within this literature are identified; bureaus are inefficient because it is in the interests of bureaucrats either to produce too much output (allocative inefficiency) and/or to produce output at above minimum cost (X-inefficiency). The policy prescriptions arising from this theoretical framework suggest that strategies to reduce inefficiency must aim to change bureaucratic behaviour. One strategy seeks to induce bureaucrats to produce efficiently, whilst the other seeks to provide sponsors with the necessary information on costs to enable them to force bureaucrats to produce efficiently. Performance related pay schemes, which aim to change bureaucratic behaviour, are concerned with eliminating labour X-inefficiency. Our research suggests that the diversity of current schemes reflects a lack of consensus over the definition of indicators of employee performance. The general result of the introduction of performance related pay has been increased salaries for senior officers. Our assessment of the work of the Audit Commission in the area of value for money audits and our empirical research on the impact of performance measurement in local authorities indicates that a wealth of information has been generated in the form of performance indicators (PIs). However, the use of this information as a control device is limited as these indicators are clearly biased towards measuring X-inefficiency as distinct from allocative efficiency.

This dissertation research uses the No Child Left Behind Act to assess two essential performance measure issues, measure development and the use of performance measures to enhance effectiveness. The study specifically explores what impact political party unity, the percentage of certified teachers, the percentage of state NEA members, past performance, per capita income, the percentage of minority students, and spending per pupil have on the level of challenge associated with performance measure development as well as the change in outcome. The level of challenge associated with performance measures is captured in a 6 point performance index. The change in outcome is defined as the change in 8th grade NAEP math and reading results during the life span of the act. The results reveal that the level of difficulty associated with performance measures was significantly related to variables in the model. The change in outcome was also influenced by strength of state performance measures as well as other variables included in the model.

In the current literature and practice, no systematic and user-oriented performance measures are available to evaluate intermodal transportation and facilitate mode-choice decision-making. Most existing transportation measures are defined for one specific mode and are not consistent with each other. This research establishes a systematic and user-oriented performance measurement system for intermodal transportation. Five major categories of performance measures are identified: mobility and reliability, safety, environmental impact, long term transportation cost efficiency, and economic impact. For each category, several quantitative measures are given to capture the features of the system and evaluate how well transportation systems can meet the needs of their users, who are investors (including government agents and stakeholders), individuals, industries, and the society (or the public). The proposed measures are scalable so that they can be used to compare systems with different sizes. Since none of them is mode specific, no matter how many modes and what kinds of modes are involved, a transportation system can be evaluated by the measure set. This research tries to avoid any overlap or omission among the measures and distinguish performance measures from factors. A transportation system can be improved through changing some factors, like capacity, but project priority should be decided based on measures rather than factors. The proposed measures are also verified by a survey conducted by this research and some industrial practices. In the thesis, a case study on the State of Mississippi is conducted based on the identified performance measures. The measures with the case study can help to promote transportation intermodalism in the U.S. and quantitatively demonstrate the benefits of intermodal transportation. The proposed measures differ in many aspects from traditional measures. The proposed set of performance measurement system can have a significant impact on development of U.S. transportation system.

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The driver is the club which receives the greatest scrutiny by golfers and the most marketing efforts by manufacturers. One characteristic often indicated and believed to effect driver performance is the degree of loft on the clubface. The purpose of the current study was to investigate club head speed, ball speed, launch angle, descent angle, total spin, carry, and total distance in an attempt to determine performance measures of three different lofted drivers. Fifteen participants were used to test three different degree drivers (9.5, 10.5, and 13 degree) on the variables listed above. Participants performed ten tested swings for each driver and variables were recorded. Launch angle and carry distance produced no significant differences between clubs. Club head speed, ball speed, total spin, descent angle, and total distance resulted in significant differences when between clubs analysis was conducted. The low lofted driver was found to produce the greatest performance measures.

For operational and planning purposes it is important to observe, predict and monitor the traffic performance of congested urban road links and networks. This monitoring effort describes the traffic conditions in road networks using congestion performance measures. The objective of this research is to analyse and evaluate methods for measuring congestion and congestion performance measures for monitoring purposes. For this objective, a selection of the required aspects of the performance measures in the literature is considered. The aspects to be considered can be classified into two categories: A first group relates to the statistical aspects of these indicators, i.e. reliability. The second relates to their ability to capture the impacts of congestion, i.e .relevance. The reliability and relevance of the congestion performance measures are evaluated. A recommendation of the most suitable indicator is provided at the end of the study. / QC 20110912

Congestion threshold is embedded in the congestion definition. Two basic approaches exist in current practice for setting the congestion threshold. One common approach uses the “free-flow” or unimpeded conditions as the congestion threshold. Another approach uses target or “acceptable” conditions. The limited research that has been conducted on the congestion threshold issue focuses on operational problems or policy debates, but relatively little investigation of the effect on decision-making for transportation investment and resource allocation. This research investigated the differences inherent in the threshold choices using detailed freeway data from seven metropolitan areas. Congestion performance measures of delay per mile, Travel Time Index and Planning Time Index were evaluated. This research specifically examined: 1) the ranking values of congestion measure for different congestion thresholds under a variety of real-world travel time distributions, 2) the relationship between change of congestion threshold and change of performance measure, and 3) the appropriateness of using speed limit as a congestion threshold choice by evaluating the peak and off-peak average speed changes in relation to a speed limit change in Houston, Texas. The rankings of congestion measures for freeway segments hold steady across the congestion thresholds ranging from 60 mph to 30 mph and across the congestion measures. From an investment point of view, the congestion threshold speed used is not a concern for funding allocation. The relationship between the delay values for an alternative threshold and the 60 mph threshold has a quadratic form. As the alternative threshold decreases further away from 60 mph, the increment is larger. The more congested a section is, the less the threshold affects measured congestion. For very congested sections, most of the delay is associated with speeds below 30 mph. The posted speed limit affects travel time distribution in the free flow driving condition but does not affect travel time distribution during congested driving conditions. However, if the speed limit or a percentage of speed limit is used to estimate the congestion, the amount of congestion may be underestimated because the free flow speed is higher than the speed limit.

The objective of this study is to examine the current practices related to performance measurement in service operational settings. Several statistical procedures are utilized to analyse the data collected from Portuguese service organizations. These procedures include multiple regression analysis, cluster analysis, and gap analysis. Overall, the results of this study indicate that service organizations are beginning to view performance from a broad, organizational perspective. However, they are still, to a certain extent, emphasizing financial measures of performance. This study provides managers of service organizations with valuable insights into the organizational role of performance measures and measurement. This line of research is consistent with the significant growth of the service sector in recent years.