Managing without measuring: A study of an electricity distribution company

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an exception to the common belief "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it". It aims to show how in certain situations particular practices, attitudes and cultures can remove the need for individual performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach: First, the paper identifies the usual roles of performance measurement in managing individual employees as described by control and motivation theorists. Second, it identifies a market-leading organisation where managers deliberately refuse to use their top-level performance measurement system to manage the performance of individual employees. A case study is carried out to test what non-measurement mechanisms fulfil the roles of individual performance measurement in this organisation. Findings: Building on situations observed at this company, a set of possible characteristics of companies that do not require formalised individual performance measurement systems in order to achieve high performance standards is put forward. Practical implications: Managers should not always assume that individual performance measurement is the only way to achieve excellent performance. This study shows that, by granting responsibilities and providing appropriate support, managers can channel workers' enhanced motivation towards meeting wider organisational goals. Originality/value: This work broadens the understanding of how excellent performance can be achieved. It shows that excellence can be achieved through practices based on shared values linked to motivation, trust, and a common sense of mission, without the need to install individual performance measurement systems based on cybernetic principles. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF POLARIZATION CHARACTERISTICS OF POLARIZATION MAINTAINING FIBER BASED ON WAVELENGTH-SWEEPING MODULATION

We analyze theoretically the polarization characteristics of polarization maintaining fiber and study the basic measurement principles of beat length and polarization extinction ratio of this kind of optical fiber. According, to the dependence of the phase difference between two orthogonally polarized modes (denoted Os HE(11)(x) and HE(11)(y)) transmitted in the polarization maintaining fiber on the light wavelength, we propose the wavelength-sweeping modulation method to measure the beat length and the model birefringence. Based on this technique, the hew length and polarization extinction ratio of the PANDA polarization maintaining fibers (PMFs) (provided by Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Company, Wuhan, China) were investigated in detail. Experimental results show good consistent with the theoretical ones. We find that this method shows high measurement precision with the advantages of clear measurement principle and easy to operate. 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1466-1469, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25244

Factoring in family freight forwarder company: case study

Each freight forwarder company must independently determine whether factoring is the right choice for them and if will pay off. If the factoring as a financial method would not be economically viable, it certainly would not exist. There are several different financing methods, which are more or less useful. However, not all of them are appropriate for every company, just like all buyers do not represent equal risks for the suppliers. The same buyer can pay one supplier within the agreed period, and not pay the other supplier at all. Still, the most important elements are the agreement made with the customer, the method of insuring ourselves and the method of monitoring the implementation of the agreements. Problems rarely occur overnight and that is why we have to constantly supervise our buyers; otherwise account receivables can occur. My thesis contributes to the ongoing research into how the use of factoring within the Slovenian economic environment can help a small freight forwarder company to grow. In effect, the specific characteristics of the Slovenian economic, legal and institutional environment make such an analysis an interesting one to explore. I used data from a family freight forwarder company TOP Hrvatin in drugi d.n.o. in order to establish future company growth by applying factoring as a right choice of financing. After applying all the data and preparing the company's financial plan, my results suggest that factoring is not the right choice for financing future investments for this particular freight forwarder business. Furthermore, the results even show that factoring is an extremely undeveloped financing method in Slovenia and that practically there is no legal base for its use.

Ten years after : a qualitative study of students' experiences in a high school theatre company

This qualitative study explored 4 former students' perceptions of the learning associated with their involvement in a high school theatre program and the contextual factors they linked to their perceived development. The study involved 4 adult participants, 2 male and 2 female, who had participated extensively in a high school theatre company from 1996 to 2001 when they were students in a large Ontario school board. Data were collected from January to August, 2007, when the 4 former students took part in two in-depth, open-ended interviews. The focus of investigation was participant perspectives. Data analysis revealed that the 4 participants' involvement in high school theatre produced both wide-ranging and enduring developmental benefits across personal, social, and cognitive domains. Participants achieved these benefits through interactions among 3 related contexts: (a) rehearsal and performance practices, (b) the world of the play, and (c) characteristics of the high school theatre company.

Cure Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Rubber Ferrite Composites Based on Nano-Nickel Ferrites

Ultra fine nickel ferrite have been synthesized by the sol-gel method. By heat treating different portions of the prepared powder separately at different temperatures, nano-sized particles of nickel ferrite with varying particle sizes were obtained. These powders were characterised by the X-ray diffraction and then incorporated in the nitrile rubber matrix according to a specific recipe for various loadings. The cure characteristics and the mechanical properties of these rubber ferrite composites (RFCs) were evaluated. The effect of loading and the grain size of the filler on the cure characteristics and tensile properties were also evaluated. It is found that the grain size and porosity of the filler plays a vital role in determining the mechanical properties of the RFCs

Excessive work or addiction to work: workaholism in a Colombian company. Pilot study trough application of DUWAS test

This paper examines the workaholism phenomenon in different work situations in Colombian company. Workaholism was defined as the individual’s steady and considerable allocation of time to work, which is not derived from external necessities (1). The research studies about workaholics and workaholism have been increasing a lot in the last years (2). Workaholism is an addiction that actually is affecting a lot of people around the world and has serious consequences in personal life, in the community and also in economy. Some of these researches are directed to explore ways to diagnose when a person is workaholic and when this situation may affect the performanceof the individual in work, daily life activities and especially in psychosocial area. Objective: this pilot study contributes to identify if Colombian workers present the main characteristicsof workaholism and if the job they perform is related to the presence of the characteristics of this addiction. Materials and method: for this pilot study used the Dutch Work Addiction Scale(DUWAS), this test suggests when a person has work addiction, trough the evaluation of two main components working excessively and working compulsively. Results: the study find differences for the two groups: the 67% of the AE group are over the average while only the 33% of the members of the O group are over it. Conclusions: these percentages show that the combinations of the components of workaholism are more evident in the population belonging to the administrative/executive jobs group, giving evidence that workaholism is presented in greater proportion in the population performance management positions.

Managing non-standard international experience: evidence from a Finnish company

Purpose – This paper extends the increasing debates about the role of international experience through mechanisms other than standard expatriation packages, in particular through the use of short-term assignments. It explores the different forms of short-term assignments (project work, commuter assignments, virtual international working and development assignments) and the different sets of positive and negative implications these can have for the company and the individuals concerned. The integration-differentiation debate is reflected here as elsewhere in IHRM, with the company moving towards greater centralization and control of its use of these assignments. Design/methodology/approach – Since the research is exploratory, we adopted a qualitative approach to get a more in-depth understanding on the realities the corporations and the assignees are facing. The study was implemented through a single case study setting in which the data were collected by interviewing (n=20) line managers, human resource management (HRM) staff and assignees themselves. In addition corporate documentation and other materials were reviewed. Findings – The present case study provides evidence about the characteristics of short-term assignments as well as the on the management of such assignments. The paper identifies various benefits and challenges involved in the use of short-term assignments both from the perspectives of the company and assignees. Furthermore, the findings support the view that a recent increase in the popularity of short-term assignments has not been matched by the development of HRM policies for such assignments. Research limitations/implications – As a single case study, limitations in the generalizability of the findings should be kept in mind. More large-scale research evidence is needed around different forms of international assignments beyond standard expatriation in order to fully capture the realities faced by international HRM specialists Practical implications – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Social implications – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Originality/value – Empirical research on short-term assignments is still very limited. In that way the paper provides much needed in-depth evidence on why such assignments are used, what challenges are involved in the use of such assignments and what kinds of HR-development needs are involved.

Productivity characteristics of endive as a function of spacing

Endive (Cichorium intybus) is one of the vegetables least studied in Brazil with respect to the behavior of the most commercialized cultivars, but it is known that the number of plants per area is one of the factors that most influences the productivity of various crops. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the behavior of endive using four spacings between rows and five spacings between plants, in the region of Jaboticabal-SP. The experiment was conducted in the field in the period of August 12, 2008 to November 6, 2008, in the experimental area of the Sector of Vegetable Crops and Aromatic-Medicinal Plants, Department of Crop Sciences, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences - UNESP-FCAV. The experimental design utilized was a randomized block design with a 4 × 5 factorial scheme, i.e., four spacings between rows (0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 m) and five spacings between plants (0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 and 0.30 m), with three repetitions. The endive cultivar studied was 'Pão-de-Acucar', obtained from the company Tecnoseed. Seedlings were established utilizing the sowing system in 200-cell Styrofoam trays containing the substrate Plantmax Vegetables® HA. The seedlings were transplanted at 37 days after planting. After harvesting, the following characteristics were determined: height (cm), diameter of the plant in rows (cm), diameter of the plant in between rows (cm), number of leaves, fresh weight (g) and total estimated productivity (t/ha). There were no interactions between the factors studied. Based on the data, we conclude that spacings of 0.15 m between rows and of 0.15 m between plants produce plants of higher quality and with greater productivity.

Worker participation in company profits or operating results in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Clinical outcome and biological characteristics of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia patients treated with nilotinib front-line

The present work reports the outcome of the GIMEMA CML WP study CML0811, an independent trial investigating nilotinib as front-line treatment in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Moreover, the results of the proteomic analysis of the CD34+ cells collected at CML diagnosis, compared to the counterpart from healthy donors, are reported. Our study confirmed that nilotinib is highly effective in the prevention of the progression to accelerated/blast phase, a condition that today is still associated with high mortality rates. Despite the relatively short follow-up, cardiovascular issues, particularly atherosclerotic adverse events (AE), have emerged, and the frequency of these AEs may counterbalance the anti-leukemic efficacy. The deep molecular response rates in our study compare favorably to those obtained with imatinib, in historic cohorts, and confirm the findings of the Company-sponsored ENESTnd study. Considering the increasing rates of deep MR over time we observed, a significant proportion of patients will be candidate to treatment discontinuation in the next years, with higher probability of remaining disease-free in the long term. The presence of the additional and complex changes we found at the proteomic level in CML CD34+ cells should be taken into account for the investigation on novel targeted therapies, aimed at the eradication of the disease.

Operation Characteristics of the Series System for Electrolytic Refining of Copper

In the copper electrolytic refining operation, two main objectives are desired: the first is the production of a metal of desired chemical composition and physical characteristics, and the second is the recovery of the valuable by-products.

Innovation projects performance: Analyzing the impact of organizational characteristics

This study analyzes the effect of organizational characteristics on the innovation project performance. This research applies fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to a large sample of Spanish firms appearing in the Community Innovation survey (CIS). The results show that the combination of organizational innovation, firm size and cooperationwith national and, especially, international firms is a sufficient condition for the success of innovation projects within the organization. Evidence also suggests that variables such as the investment on R&D peremployee or the seniority of the company do not affect the success of innovation projects. These findings help complement some results in previous studies on innovation projects performance.

Organizational determinants of substantive sustainability reporting practices: the role of company-level fit

As sustainability reporting (SR) practices have being increasingly adopted by corporations over the last twenty years, most of the existing literature on SR has stressed the role of external determinants (such as institutional and stakeholder pressures) in explaining this uptake. However, given that recent evidence points to a broader range of motives and uses (both external and internal) of SR, we contend that its role within company-level activities deserves greater academic attention. In order to address this research gap, this paper seeks to provide a more detailed examination of the organizational characteristics acting as drivers and/or barriers of SR integration within corporate sustainability practices at the company-level. More specifically, we suggest that substantive SR implementation can be predicted by assessing the level of fit between the organization and the SR framework being adopted. Building on this hypothesis, our theoretical model defines three forms of fit (technical, cultural and political) and identifies organizational characteristics associated to each of these fits. Finally, implications for academic research, businesses and policy-makers are derived.

Light truck characteristics, historical data base. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Research and Development, Washington, D.C.

Automobile characteristics historical data base. Final report.

Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, Mass.