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Management Activities (management + activity)
Kinds of Management Activities Selected AbstractsThe Impact of Purchasing and Supply Management Activities on Corporate SuccessJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2002Lisa M. Ellram SUMMARY Purchasing and supply management (PSM) has gained a great deal of attention in recent years as both a source of cost savings (Ellram 1996) and a source of competitive advantage (Fine 1998). This article attempts to link PSM best practices to corporate success. The article begins with an introduction and a brief survey of the literature. The research method is presented, followed by a discussion of the hypotheses tested. Next, the results of the research are presented and discussed. The article concludes with managerial and research implications. [source] Radial growth responses to gap creation in large, old Sequoiadendron giganteumAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Robert A. York Abstract Questions: Do large, old Sequoiadondron giganteum trees respond to the creation of adjacent canopy gaps? Do other co-occurring tree species and younger S. giganteum adjacent to gaps also respond? What are the likely factors affecting growth responses? Location: Mixed-conifer forests of the southern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Methods: We measured the growth response of large, old S. giganteum trees (mean DBH=164 cm; ages estimated >1000 yr) to gap creation by coring trees and comparing growth after gap creation to growth before gap creation. We also measured young Abies concolor, Pinus lambertiana, and young S. giganteum. Gap-adjacent trees were compared with non-adjacent reference trees. Tree rings were analysed for carbon isotope discrimination and for longer-term growth trend correlations with climate. Results: Following gap creation gap-adjacent old S. giganteum grew more than reference trees. Abies concolor trees also exhibited a growth response to gap creation. No response was detected for young S. giganteum or P. lambertiana, although detection power was lower for these groups. There was no difference in carbon isotope discrimination response to gap creation between gap-adjacent and reference trees for old S. giganteum and radial growth was positively correlated with winter precipitation, but not growing season temperature. Conclusion: It is unclear what caused the growth release in old S. giganteum trees, although liberation of below-ground resources following removal of competing vegetation appears to be a significant contributor. Sequoiadondron giganteum, the third-longest lived and the largest of all species, remains sensitive to local environmental changes even after canopy emergence. Management activities that reduce vegetation surrounding individual specimen trees can be expected to result in increased vigor of even these very old and large trees. [source] Managing the interface between suppliers and organizations for environmental responsibility , an exploration of current practices in the UKCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Diane Holt This paper examines the supplier management activities undertaken by a sample of 149 UK based organizations, with particular focus on the role of supplier assessment and supplier coaching, education or mentoring. This study identifies that larger, higher risk organizations are beginning to reach out to their suppliers, primarily through assessment and evaluation, and to a lesser extent through supplier education, mentoring or coaching. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Student Conflict Resolution, Power "Sharing" in Schools, and Citizenship EducationCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 2 2001Kathy Bickmore One goal of elementary education is to help children develop the skills, knowledge, and values associated with citizenship. However, there is little consensus about what these goals really mean: various schools, and various programs within any school, may promote different notions of "good citizenship." Peer conflict mediation, like service learning, creates active roles for young people to help them develop capacities for democratic citizenship (such as critical reasoning and shared decision making). This study examines the notions of citizenship embodied in the contrasting ways one peer mediation model was implemented in six different elementary schools in the same urban school district. This program was designed to foster leadership among diverse young people, to develop students' capacities to be responsible citizens by giving them tangible responsibility, specifically the power to initiate and carry out peer conflict management activities. In practice, as the programs developed, some schools did not share power with any of their student mediators, and other schools shared power only with the kinds of children already seen as "good" students. All of the programs emphasized the development of nonviolent community norms,a necessary but not sufficient condition for democracy. A few programs began to engage students in critical reasoning and/or in taking the initiative in influencing the management of problems at their schools, thus broadening the space for democratic learning. These case studies help to clarify what our visions of citizenship (education) may look and sound like in actual practice so that we can deliberate about the choices thus highlighted. [source] Central Bank and Commercial Banks' Liquidity Management , What is the Relationship?ECONOMIC NOTES, Issue 1 2003Ulrich Bindseil The paper explores the relation between individual banks' liquidity management in the euro area and the ECB's management of the aggregate current accounts held by banks with the Eurosystem. It is argued that, in the case of the euro area with its large, remunerated reserve requirements that have to be fulfilled only on average over a one-month period, the banks' demand for working balances to serve as a buffer against market imperfections is always below reserve requirements. It is therefore normally sufficient for the ECB when steering short-term interest rates to control aggregate liquidity in a way that the aggregate banking system is in a position to fulfil adequately its reserve requirements. In particular, the ECB normally does not need to take care of any factors that affect temporarily the demand for working balances, such as the level and uncertainties of interbank payment flows. However, two exceptions are noteworthy and are discussed in the paper: the banks' balance sheet management activities implying a regular end of month peak of the EONIA rate; and the liquidity situation in the case of substantive market tensions as in the days following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The need of the ECB's liquidity management to address the associated deviations from a model of perfect markets is discussed. [source] LCC,The economic pillar of sustainability: Methodology and application to wastewater treatmentENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 4 2003Gerald Rebitzer Industrial applications of supply chain cost management, along with life cycle costing of goods and services, are increasing. Several industrial sectors, in particular the automotive, electronics, and primary materials, have engaged in programs to coordinate upstream and downstream activities to reduce environmental burdens. At the same time, there is an increasing need to pass on information on product, material, and energy flows along the supply chain, as well as to provide data on the use and end-of-life phases of goods and services. Therefore, methods to analyze, assess, and manage these flows, from an economic as well as an environmental perspective, are of essential importance, particularly in established large-scale industries where suppliers are increasingly challenged to provide comprehensive cost and environmental information. In this context, a life cycle costing analysis (LCC), conducted as part of life cycle management activities, can provide important opportunities. Therefore, this paper focuses on a life cycle assessment (LCA)-based LCC method, which utilizes an LCA model as a basis for cost estimations in product development and planning. A case study on life cycle costing of wastewater treatment illustrates the practical use and benefits of the method. [source] A framework for incorporating climate regime shifts into the management of marine resourcesFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2006J. R. KING Abstract, It is possible to use an ecosystem-based management approach to incorporate knowledge of climate regime impacts on ecosystem productivity to manage fishery resources. To do so, it requires the development of a coherent framework that can be built using existing stock assessment and management activities: ecosystem assessment, risk analyses, adaptive management and reference points. This paper builds such a framework and uses two population simulations to illustrate the benefits and tradeoffs of variable regime-specific harvest rates. The framework does not require prediction of regime shifts, but assumes that detection can occur soon after one has happened. As such, decisions do not need to be coincident to regime shifts, but can be delayed by an appropriate period of time that is linked to a species' life history, i.e. age of maturity or recruitment. Fisheries scientists should provide harvest recommendations that reflect a range of levels of risk to the stock under different assumptions of productivity. Coupling ecosystem assessment with ecosystem-based management would allow managers to select appropriate regime-specific harvest rates. [source] Hypolithic Plants from Carruthers Peak, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, AustraliaGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009GREGG MÜLLER Abstract Hypolithic plants, plants growing under rocks, have been found from a number of climatically extreme, mostly arid sites from the poles to the equator, but there are limited reports from temperate zones. A brief survey in the Kosciuszko Alpine Area of New South Wales, Australia, revealed four species of moss and one liverwort growing beneath diaphanous quartz pebbles in feldmark vegetation communities. The probable restricted nature of this phenomenon and the likely impact of global warming, tourists and recreation management activities raise concerns for its conservation. [source] Communities in Catchments: Implications for Natural Resource ManagementGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005KATHLEEN BRODERICK Abstract Economic and social considerations in natural resource management include the need for community participation and a greater appreciation of social and economic processes in understanding environmental problems. It is anticipated that new frameworks will guide these inclusions and redirect planning and management activities to achieve environmental sustainability. This paper examines issues of participation and the nature of ,community' through an analysis of relevant natural resource management policy documents and a case study of a public drinking water supply catchment in Western Australia. The findings indicate that if NRM strategies are to be successful, then a much wider and more inclusive view of community is needed, one that fully captures the different stakeholder groups beyond farmers, such as town residents, indigenous people, and those involved in other land uses. We need strategies that can accommodate differences within and between communities. [source] Effects of the North Atlantic oscillation on the probability for climatic categories of local monthly rainfall in southern SpainINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2003D. Muñoz-Díaz Abstract In many regions of the world, planning agricultural and water management activities is usually done based on probabilities for seasonal or monthly rainfall, for specified intervals of values. These intervals of rainfall amounts are commonly grouped into three categories: drought, normal rainfall, and abundant rainfall. Changes in the probabilities of occurrence of rainfall amounts within these climatic rainfall categories will influence the decisions that farmers and water managers will take. This research explores the changes produced by the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) on the probability that local monthly rainfall takes in the southern Iberian Peninsula. The evolution of the NAO was divided into three phases: negative NAO, ,normal' NAO, and positive NAO, and local rainfall series were divided into three groups, corresponding to each NAO phase. The resulting empirical distribution functions were analysed and modelled by Gamma distributions. The results allow one to estimate the change in the probabilities of wet and dry months when a change in NAO phase is produced. The main result of this work is that changes in the probability of occurrence of climate categories of rainfall are more complex than only an increase of rainfall amount during the negative NAO phase and a decrease during the positive NAO phase. In fact, a certain asymmetry is detected in January, with more extremes linked to the negative NAO phase. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Matrix models for a changeable world: the importance of transient dynamics in population managementJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Thomas H. G. Ezard Summary 1.,Matrix population models are tools for elucidating the association between demographic processes and population dynamics. A large amount of useful theory pivots on the assumption of equilibrium dynamics. The preceding transient is, however, of genuine conservation concern as it encompasses the short-term impact of natural or anthropogenic disturbance on the population. 2.,We review recent theoretical advances in deterministic transient analysis of matrix projection models, considering how disturbance can alter population dynamics by provoking a new population trajectory. 3.,We illustrate these impacts using plant and vertebrate systems across contiguous and fragmented landscapes. 4.,Short-term responses are of fundamental relevance for applied ecology, because the time-scale of transient effects is often similar to the length of many conservation projects. Investigation of the immediate, post-disturbance phase is vital for understanding how population processes respond to widespread disturbance in the short- and into the long term. 5.,Synthesis and applications.,Transient analysis is critical for understanding and predicting the consequences of management activities. By considering short-term population responses to perturbations, especially in long-lived species, managers can develop more informed strategies for species harvesting or controlling of invasive species. [source] Host culling as an adaptive management tool for chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer: a modelling studyJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Gideon Wasserberg Summary 1Emerging wildlife diseases pose a significant threat to natural and human systems. Because of real or perceived risks of delayed actions, disease management strategies such as culling are often implemented before thorough scientific knowledge of disease dynamics is available. Adaptive management is a valuable approach in addressing the uncertainty and complexity associated with wildlife disease problems and can be facilitated by using a formal model. 2We developed a multi-state computer simulation model using age, sex, infection-stage, and seasonality as a tool for scientific learning and managing chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus. Our matrix model used disease transmission parameters based on data collected through disease management activities. We used this model to evaluate management issues on density- (DD) and frequency-dependent (FD) transmission, time since disease introduction, and deer culling on the demographics, epizootiology, and management of CWD. 3Both DD and FD models fit the Wisconsin data for a harvested white-tailed deer population, but FD was slightly better. Time since disease introduction was estimated as 36 (95% CI, 24,50) and 188 (41,>200) years for DD and FD transmission, respectively. Deer harvest using intermediate to high non-selective rates can be used to reduce uncertainty between DD and FD transmission and improve our prediction of long-term epidemic patterns and host population impacts. A higher harvest rate allows earlier detection of these differences, but substantially reduces deer abundance. 4Results showed that CWD has spread slowly within Wisconsin deer populations, and therefore, epidemics and disease management are expected to last for decades. Non-hunted deer populations can develop and sustain a high level of infection, generating a substantial risk of disease spread. In contrast, CWD prevalence remains lower in hunted deer populations, but at a higher prevalence the disease competes with recreational hunting to reduce deer abundance. 5Synthesis and applications. Uncertainty about density- or frequency-dependent transmission hinders predictions about the long-term impacts of chronic wasting disease on cervid populations and the development of appropriate management strategies. An adaptive management strategy using computer modelling coupled with experimental management and monitoring can be used to test model predictions, identify the likely mode of disease transmission, and evaluate the risks of alternative management responses. [source] Beyond control: wider implications for the management of biological invasionsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2006PHILIP E. HULME Summary 1Government departments, environmental managers and conservationists are all facing escalating pressure to address and resolve a diversity of invasive alien species (IAS) problems. Yet much research to date is primarily concerned with quantifying the scale of the problem rather than delivering robust solutions and has not adequately addressed all stages of the invasion process, and only a few studies embrace the ecosystem approach. 2Three successive steps, prevention, eradication and control, form the cornerstones of recommended best practices aimed at managing IAS. The goal of such actions is the restoration of ecosystems to preserve or re-establish native biodiversity and functions. 3Prevention is widely promoted as being a more environmentally desirable strategy than actions undertaken after IAS establishment, yet is hindered by the difficulty in separating invasive from non-invasive alien species. Furthermore, the high number of candidate IAS, the investment required in taxonomic support and inspection capacity, and the expense of individual risk assessments may act against the net benefits of prevention. More rewarding avenues may be found by pursuing neural networks to predict the potential composition of pest assemblages in different regions and/or model introduction pathways to identify likely invasion hubs. 4Rapid response should be consequent on early detection but, when IAS are rare, detection rates are compromised by low occurrence and limited power to discern significant changes in abundance. Power could be increased by developing composite indicators that track trends in a suite of IAS with similar life histories, shared pathways and/or habitat preferences. 5The assessment of management options will benefit from an ecosystem perspective that considers the manipulation of native competitors, consumers and mutualists, and reviews existing management practices as well as mitigates other environmental pressures. The ease with which an IAS can be targeted should not only address the direct management effects on population dynamics but also indirect effects on community diversity and structure. Where the goal is to safeguard native biodiversity, such activities should take into account the need to re-establish native species and/or restore ecosystem function in the previously affected area. 6Synthesis and applications. A comprehensive approach to IAS management should include consideration of the: (i) expected impacts; (ii) technical options available; (iii) ease with which the species can be targeted; (iv) risks associated with management; (v) likelihood of success; and (vi) extent of public concern and stakeholder interest. For each of these issues, in addition to targeting an individual species, the management of biological invasions must also incorporate an appreciation of other environmental pressures, the importance of landscape structure, and the role of existing management activities and restoration efforts. [source] Grasslands, grazing and biodiversity: editors' introductionJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Watkinson A.R. Summary 1Natural, semi-natural and artificial grasslands occur extensively around the globe, but successful management for production and biodiversity poses several dilemmas for conservationists and farmland managers. Deriving from three continents (Africa, Australia and Europe), papers in this Special Profile interface three specific issues: plant responses to grazing, plant invasions and the responses to management of valued grassland biota. 2Although pivotal in grassland management, plant responses to grazing are sometimes difficult to predict. Two alternative approaches are presented here. The first uses natural variations in sheep grazing around a water hole to model the dynamic population response of a chenopod shrub. The second analyses a long-term grazing experiment to investigate the links between plant traits and grazing response. 3Linked often crucially with grazing, but also driven sometimes by extrinsic factors, invasions are often cause for concern in grassland management. The invasions of grasslands by woody plants threatens grassland habitats while the invasions of pastures by alien weeds reduces pasture productivity. The papers in this section highlight how a complementary range of management activities can reduce the abundance of invaders. A final paper highlights how global environmental change is presenting new circumstances in which grassland invasion can occur. 4The impact of grassland management on biodiversity is explored in this Special Profile with specific reference to invertebrates, increasingly recognized both for the intrinsic conservation value of many groups and for their role in ecosystem processes. The potential for manipulating flooding in wet grasslands to increase the soil invertebrate prey of wading birds is illustrated, together with the roles of management and landscape structure in enhancing insect diversity. 5In the face of climate change and growing demands for agricultural productivity, future pressures on grassland ecosystems will intensify. In this system in which productivity and conservation are so closely bound, there is a need both to raise the profile of the issues involved, and to improve our understanding of the applied ecology required for successful management. [source] Leichhardt's maps: 100 years of change in vegetation structure in inland QueenslandJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2008R. J. Fensham Abstract Aim, To address the hypothesis that there has been a substantial increase in woody vegetation cover (,vegetation thickening') during the 100 years after the burning practices of aboriginal hunter-gatherers were abruptly replaced by the management activities associated with pastoralism in north-east Australia. Location, Three hundred and eighty-three sites on 3000 km transect, inland Queensland, Australia. Methods, Vegetation structure descriptions from the route notes of the first European exploration of the location by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844,45 were georeferenced and compiled. Leichhardt's application of structural descriptors (e.g. ,scrub', ,open forest', ,plain') was interpreted as domains within a matrix of tall stratum and low stratum woody cover. Woody cover was also interpreted for the same locations using aerial photography that largely pre-dates extensive land clearing (1940s,1970s) and compared with their structural domain in 1844,45. The fire-sensitive tree, cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla) was singled out for case study because it has been widely proposed that the density of this tree has substantially increased under European pastoral management. Results, The coarse resolution of this analysis indicates that the structure of the vegetation has been stable over the first 100 years of pastoralism. For example treeless or sparsely treed plains described by Leichhardt (1844,45) had the same character on the aerial photography (1945,78). Leichhardt typically described vegetation that includes cypress-pine as having a ,thicket' structure suggesting dense regenerating stands of small trees, consistent with the signature typical on the aerial photography. Main conclusions, A large data set of geographically located descriptions of vegetation structure from the first European traverse of inland Australia compared with vegetation structure determined from aerial photography does not support the hypothesis that vegetation thickening has been extensive and substantial. On the contrary the study suggests that the structure of the vegetation has been relatively stable for the first 100 years of European settlement and pastoralism except for those areas that have been affected by broad-scale clearing. [source] Using historical ecology to understand patterns of biodiversity in fragmented agricultural landscapesJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 11 2005Ian D. Lunt Abstract Aim, To enhance current attempts to understand biodiversity patterns by using an historical ecology approach to highlight the over-riding influence of land-use history in creating past, current and future patterns of biodiversity in fragmented agricultural landscapes. Methods, We develop an integrative conceptual framework for understanding spatial and temporal variations in landscape patterns in fragmented agricultural landscapes by presenting five postulates (hypotheses) which highlight the important role of historical, anthropogenic disturbance regimes. We then illustrate each of these postulates with examples drawn from fragmented woodlands in agricultural areas of south-eastern Australia, and discuss these findings in an international context. Location examples are drawn from agricultural areas in south-eastern Australia. Results, We conclude that there is limited potential to refine our understanding of patterns of biodiversity in human-modified landscapes based on traditional concepts of island biogeography, or simple assumptions of ongoing destruction and degradation. Instead, we propose that in agricultural landscapes that were largely cleared over a century ago: (1) present-day remnant vegetation patterns are not accidental, but are logically arrayed due to historic land-use decisions, (2) historic anthropogenic disturbances have a major influence on current ecosystem conditions and diversity patterns, and (3) the condition of remnant ecosystems is not necessarily deteriorating rapidly. Main conclusions, An historical ecology approach can enhance our understanding of why different species and ecosystem states occur where they do, and can explain internal variations in ecological conditions within remnant ecosystems, too often casually attributed to the ,mess of history'. This framework emphasizes temporal changes (both past and future) in biotic patterns and processes in fragmented agricultural landscapes. Integration of spatially and temporally explicit historical land-use information into ecological studies can prove extremely useful to test hypotheses of the effects of changes in landscape processes, and to enhance future research, restoration and conservation management activities. [source] The influence of tree canopies and elephants on sub-canopy vegetation in a savannahAFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Robert Guldemond Abstract The apparent influence of elephants on the structure of savannahs in Africa may be enhanced by management activities, fire and other herbivores. We separated the effect elephants have on grasses, woody seedlings (<0.5 m) and saplings (0.5,2 m) from the effect of tree canopies (canopy effect), and herbivory (park effect). We defined the canopy effect as the differences between plant abundances and diversity indices under tree canopies and 20 m away from these. Our testing of the park effect relied on the differences in the sub-canopy plant indices inside and outside a protected area that supported a range of herbivores. We based our assessment of the elephant effect on sub-canopy vegetation indices associated with elephant induced reductions in tree canopies. The park and canopy effects were more pronounced than the elephant effect. The park effect suppressed the development of woody seedlings into saplings. Conditions associated with tree canopies benefited woody plants, but not the grasses, as their indices were lower under trees. Elephants reducing canopies facilitated grass species tolerant of direct solar radiation. We concluded that management should consider other agents operating in the system when deciding on reducing the impact that elephants may have on vegetation. Résumé L'influence apparente des éléphants sur la structure des savanes africaines pourrait bien être accentuée par les activités de gestion, les feux et les autres herbivores. Nous avons séparé l'effet que les éléphants ont sur les herbes, les jeunes plants ligneux (<0,5 m) et les arbustes (0,5,2 m) de ceux de la canopée des arbres (effet canopée) et de la présence d'herbivores (effet parc). Nous avons défini l'effet canopée comme la différence entre les indices d'abondance et de diversité des plantes sous la canopée des arbres et à 20 m de ceux-ci. Notre expérimentation de l'effet parc se basait sur la différence des indices de végétation sous canopée à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur d'une aire protégée qui accueille toute une gamme d'herbivores. Nous avons fondé notre évaluation de l'effet éléphants sur les indices de végétation sous canopée, associés aux réductions induites par les éléphants dans la canopée des arbres. Les effets parc et canopée étaient plus prononcés que l'effet éléphants. L'effet parc supprimait le développement des jeunes plants ligneux en arbustes. Les conditions liées à la canopée des arbres bénéficiaient aux plantes ligneuses mais pas aux herbes, car leurs indices étaient inférieurs sous les arbres. Les canopées réduites par les éléphants favorisaient les espèces d'herbes tolérantes à la lumière directe du soleil. Nous en avons conclu que toute gestion devrait considérer l'impact d'autres agents dans le système lorsqu'il s'agit de réduire l'impact que les éléphants peuvent avoir sur la végétation. [source] Reducing patient financial liability for hospitalizations: The physician role,JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010Edward A. Ross MD Abstract With increasingly strict guidelines for insurance coverage, hospitals have adopted meticulous resource utilization review and management processes. It is important for physicians to appreciate that careful documentation of certain patient parameters may not only optimize the facility's reimbursement but have profound impact on the patient's out-of-pocket expenses. Hospital utilization teams have access to the frequently changing national payor guidelines for policy benefits, usually revolving around whether the patient meets medical necessity criteria for being classified as an "inpatient" vs. an "observation" outpatient. Those statuses are not merely time-based, and lead to marked differences in patient deductibles and coverage for medication, room, procedure, laboratory, and ancillary charges. There are nationally-recognized guidelines for classification, based on severity of illness and intensity of services provided. By participating in case management activities, physicians can have an important patient advocate role, and thereby minimize the financial burden to these individuals and their families. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2010;5:160,162. © 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine. [source] Elucidation and decisional risk in a multi-criteria decision based on a Choquet integral aggregation,a cybernetic frameworkJOURNAL OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, Issue 5-6 2005J. Montmain Abstract The authors are developing multi-criteria Decision-making support systems (DMSS) for project teams in charge of selecting a technical solution among alternatives. They propose a cybernetic framework to emphasize the link between decision-making (DM) and knowledge management processes in such projects. These DMSSs rely on the tracking of the accompanying knowledge production of long-term decisional processes by a collective with many actors. Based on knowledge-production management, this paper explains how to design decisional risk evaluation, monitoring and control aids and traceability functions for strategic choices and logical argumentation. The DMSS is seen as a recommender system for the project manager. Each possible solution involved in the decision-making process (DMP) is evaluated by means of a set of criteria. The evaluation results from an interpretation of the knowledge items in terms of satisfaction scores of the solutions according to the considered criteria. Aggregating these partial scores provides a ranking of all the possible solutions by order of preference. As criteria are sometimes interacting, the aggregation has to be based on adapted operators, i.e. Choquet integrals. Evaluating possible solutions by the knowledge contained in the knowledge base (KB) opens the way to automating the argumentation of the project team's decisions: the argumentation principle underlying this approach is based naturally on coupling a knowledge dynamical management system (KDMS) with the DMSS. The DMSS also evaluates the decisional risk that reflects the eventuality of a wrong selection due to the insufficiency of available knowledge at a given time in order to adopt a reliable solution. Decisional risk assessment corresponds to sensitivity analyses. These analyses are then exploited to control the decisional risk in time: they enable to identify the crucial information points for which additional and deeper investigations would be of great interest to improve the stability of the selection in the future. The knowledge management of a collective project is represented as a control loop: the KDMS is the actuator, the risk accompanying the decision is the controlled variable and is strongly linked to the entropy of the KB managed by the KDMS. Each of the three phases,intelligence, design, choice,of the DMP is identified to a function of the control loop: actuator, process and regulator. This cybernetic framework for decision has its origin in knowledge management activities for a great-scale project,the EtLD project of the French Atomic Commission (CEA) that concerns the management of high-level long-life radioactive waste in France. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A longitudinal study of the relationship between career management and organizational commitment among graduates in the first ten years at workJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR, Issue 6 2002Jane Sturges This paper reports the findings of a two-wave longitudinal study investigating relationships between organizational and individual career management activities and organizational commitment in the early years of graduate careers. Several hypotheses are tested and receive mixed support. High organizational commitment predicts the practice of career management activities by graduates to further their career within the organization while low commitment is closely associated with behaviour aimed at furthering the career outside the organization. Graduates who manage their own careers also receive more career management help from their employer. This suggests that there may be the potential for employers to create a ,virtuous circle' of career management in which individual and organizational activities complement each other. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Health Care for the Homeless Assesses the Use of Adapted Clinical Practice GuidelinesJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 11 2005Aaron J. Strehlow RN, FNP-C COLUMN EDITOR: Mary Jo Goolsby This article describes a process of evaluating and adapting existing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for homeless individuals by different healthcare providers in multiple healthcare settings across the country. Data were collected using a standardized evaluation tool in nine sites across the United States. Clinicians completed an evaluation of the CPG after every use. Most clinicians used the CPG five times. Descriptive statistics were reported on the characteristics of the clinicians, and the utility of the guidelines and written comments. Clinicians had an average of 12 years of clinical experience, 8 years of which were specifically spent working with homeless individuals. Ninety-one percent of the clinicians practiced in urban settings. The majority of clinicians felt the adapted guidelines met evaluation criteria. The major weaknesses reported the delineation of outreach and case management activities. Results did not vary by clinicians' disciplines, years of experience, or any other indicators. Clients and clinicians providing primary care to homeless individuals may benefit from utilizing Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network adapted CPGs to assure quality, evidenced-based care to a vulnerable population. [source] Critical habitat during the transition from maternal provisioning in freshwater fish, with emphasis on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 4 2006J. D. Armstrong Abstract In freshwater fish, the transition from dependence on maternal yolk reserves to independent foraging can be an early critical period, with survival during this stage having a strong influence on population abundance and cohort strength. Information concerning Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta as model species is reviewed to show how population dynamics are influenced by habitat use during the transitional stage and illustrate the role of maternal provisioning along with density-dependent and -independent factors. The allocation of resources in yolk and timing and position of spawning strongly influence the biotic and abiotic environments of juveniles and their subsequent performance. Vulnerability to predators, adverse environmental conditions and restricted conditions over which they can successfully forage result in specific habitat requirements for newly independent juveniles. The availability of slow-flowing habitats at stream margins during the first month of independence is crucial. Alteration of natural flow regimes and physical habitat structure, associated with a wide range of anthropogenic influences, can have significant deleterious effects on the availability of critical juvenile habitat. A model combining habitat structure and the relationship between density-dependent and -independent mortality is presented to explore the range of conditions under which the transitional period would have a strong influence on population abundance. This model provides a framework for establishing thresholds or optima for habitat availability that will favour sufficient recruitment out of the transitional stage. Using the modelling framework, managers can make informed decisions on the utility and cost effectiveness of fisheries and habitat management activities designed to increase juvenile survival during the transition to independence. A range of management options is outlined for improving habitat quality and increasing juvenile survival during the transitional period, including restoration of structural complexity, provision of suitable flow regimes, and tailoring stocking and reintroduction strategies to mimic natural dynamics. [source] Knowledge management in secondary care: a case studyKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 3 2010Krystin Zigan The purpose of this research is to analyse the knowledge management activities of a university hospital and to examine what impact contextual factors have on these activities. For this research, a case study approach was chosen, encompassing 22 semi-structured interviews with managers and front-line staff from different organisational levels. The findings describe how at the top management level, knowledge management activities were neglected while at departmental level, such activities were purposefully undertaken. This suggests that knowledge management activities can be effectively implemented at departmental level without having the support and strategic objective of the top management of the hospital. The findings further show that factors, such as the effective utilisation of other intangible resources, such as social capital, highly contribute to the effectiveness of knowledge management activities. The paper shows some limitations due to the qualitative nature of the research with regard to sample size and the subjectivity of the interpretations. The paper proposes that knowledge management activities can be implemented in organisations, when having the right attitude of staff who support its implementation. The paper enhances the understanding of the meaning of knowledge management in the context of healthcare organisations. The paper further provides insights into contextual factors that influence the success of knowledge management initiatives. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Knowledge management in the US armyKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 4 2003Anthony Lausin Knowledge management has long been a staple activity of the United States Army. While there is a tendency to describe the US Army's knowledge management activities as a phenomenon made possible by technology, in fact knowledge management in the US Army is as old as the US Army itself. Drawing on secondary sources and personal experiences, the goal of this paper is to discuss the US Army knowledge management from the perspective of the US Army's organizational structure. We postulate that much can be learnt from how the US Army organizes for effective and efficient knowledge management. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A knowledge management perspective to evaluation of enterprise information portalsKNOWLEDGE AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: THE JOURNAL OF CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION, Issue 2 2002Yong Jin Kim The paper develops conceptual criteria for evaluating Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) systems in the context of knowledge management activities such as knowledge integration and application. The criteria have been drawn from an Activity theory perspective consisting of actors, community, object, tools, rules, and division of labor. It then discusses the characteristics of several commercial EIPs and evaluates one major commercial EIP in the context of the framework. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Institutional arrangements for managing the great lakes of the world: Results of a workshop on implementing the watershed approachLAKES & RESERVOIRS: RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001Lisa Borre Abstract The conceptual framework for lake management has evolved at an accelerating rate in recent years to include the basic principles of a watershed approach: (i) citizen and stakeholder involvement is important throughout the planning and management process; (ii) the geographic focus for management activities includes the lake and its entire watershed; and (iii) mechanisms need to be in place to promote cooperation among different government jurisdictions and organizations in the watershed. Creating effective institutional arrangements for implementing this watershed approach in lake regions is perhaps the most challenging and important issue facing the world's lakes. LakeNet organized a workshop at the 8th International Conference on the Conservation and Management of Lakes in May 1999. This article is a synthesis of the results of the workshop and the eight case reports prepared by the workshop participants published in this special issue. Seven major threats to lakes were identified: (i) accelerated eutrophication; (ii) invasive species; (iii) toxic contamination; (iv) overfishing; (v) water diversion, (vi) acidification; and (vii) climate change. Institutions and institutional arrangements for addressing these issues and for implementing a watershed approach are just beginning to emerge on lakes around the world. All of the institutions described in the case reports were established or formalized during the 1980s and 1990s. The legal mechanisms creating these institutions range from cooperative agreements among jurisdictions for purposes of policy and planning to national laws and international treaties with full regulatory powers. The knowledge base, political will and financial resources for these activities were very small in comparison with the complexity of the task at hand. [source] Continuously improving PSM effectiveness,A practical roadmapPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 2 2006Steve Arendt Vice President Abstract PSM practices and formal management systems have been in place in many companies for more than 20 years. PSM is widely credited for perceived reductions in major accident risk and in improved chemical industry performance. Nevertheless, many companies continue to be challenged by resource pressures, inadequate management system audit results, and stagnant process safety incident performance. While most companies claim to advocate Continuous Improvement, few have actually put substance into these words and succeeded in practice. This is partly because there is no clear vision of what PSM performance and continuous improvement are. This article defines the following function: PSM Effectiveness = f [PSM performance + PSM efficiency] Continuous improvement can address performance issues or efficiency issues or both. Companies are seeking new ways to improve process safety management activities. This article defines these terms and gives examples and lessons that show ways companies are improving performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. © American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2006 [source] Using R&D portfolio management to deal with dynamic riskR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2008Serghei Floricel We develop a theoretical framework for understanding why firms adopt specific approaches for the management of innovation project portfolios. Our theory focuses on a key contingency factor for innovation, namely the dynamics of competitive environments. We use four dimensions to characterize the patterns of environmental dynamics: velocity, turbulence, growth and instability. The paper then proposes the concept of dynamic risk as a determinant of portfolio management processes. Dynamic risk results from second-order learning by a firm confronted with a specific dynamic pattern in its environment. This learning concerns the likely nature of threats and the required updating of cognitive frameworks in such environments. Attempts to deal with dynamic risk enable various actors inside the firm to understand what kind of dynamic capabilities are needed in their innovation portfolio management processes. As a result of this diffuse learning, firms tend to favor certain common characteristics in their concrete portfolio management activities. To advance the theorizing of these characteristics, the paper also proposes four dimensions of portfolio management: structure, commitment, emergence and integration. Based on arguments inspired by the dynamic capability and related literatures, we advance a series of hypotheses, that relate environmental dynamics dimensions and portfolio management dimensions. These hypotheses are tested based on a survey of 795 firms in a variety of sectors and on four continents, using original scales and structural equation modeling methods. The results show, among other findings, that high-velocity environments favor structured as well as integrated portfolio management approaches, while high-growth environments favor approaches that are structured but commit significant resources to each project as well. Turbulent environments favor approaches that are emergent, but also, contrary to our expectations, have high resource commitment levels. Finally, firms in unstable environments have a marginal preference for emergent approaches. Results could help advance the dynamic contingency theoretical perspective on dynamic capabilities, as well as improve the practice of innovation portfolio management. [source] NPD Planning Activities and Innovation Performance: The Mediating Role of Process Management and the Moderating Effect of Product InnovativenessTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007Sören Salomo The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of planning and control on the performance of new product development (NPD) projects. It is hypothesized that (1) thorough business planning at the beginning of a project creates a basis for proficient project and risk planning; (2) the proficiency of project planning, risk planning, and process management activities each improves innovation performance directly; (3) the relationship of planning and success is mediated by process management; and (4) the strength of these relationships is moderated by uncertainty, as determined by the degree of innovativeness. To test the hypotheses, data from 132 NPD projects were collected and analyzed. A measurement model was used to establish valid and reliable constructs, a path model to test the main effects, and a multiple-moderated regression analysis for the moderator hypotheses. The results suggest that the proficiency of project planning and process management is important predictors of NPD performance. Specifically, project risk planning and goal stability throughout the development process are found to enhance performance significantly. Business planning proves to be an important antecedent of the more development-related planning activities such as project planning and risk planning. Additionally, the results lend support to the hypotheses regarding the mediating role of process management in the planning,performance relationship. Project planning and risk planning support the quality of process management and thus impact NPD performance indirectly. Only to a limited extent are the strengths of these relationships moderated by the degree of innovativeness of the NPD project. [source] How New Product Introductions Affect Sales Management Strategy: The Impact of Type of "Newness" of the New ProductTHE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2003Kamel Micheal How do firms adjust sales management strategy for new product launch? Does sales management strategy change more radically for different types of new products such as new-to-the-world products versus product revisions? Because firms introducing a new product rely considerably on their sales force in the product launch effort, the types and degree of changes made in managing the selling effort are important issues. Past studies have demonstrated that firms make substantial adjustments in their sales management strategy when they introduce a new product. This study expands on previous investigations by examining whether sales management strategy changes are conditioned by the type of newness of the new product to the market and to the firm. Australian sales managers were asked to respond to a mail questionnaire concerning pre- and post-new product launch sales management activities. Three groups of firms were compared: (1) those with new-to-the-market and new-to-the-firm products (i.e., new-to-the-world products); (2) those with products new to the firm but not new to the market; and (3) those with products that are revisions to the firm and not new to the market. The study finds that firms do not make the most adjustments for products with the greatest degree of market newness,the new-to-the-world types of products,except in the sales management strategy categories of compensation and supervision. In the other sales management strategy categories defined for study,organization, training, quotas and goals, and sales support as well as for all categories in the aggregate,sales management strategy changes were greatest in incidence, as measured both by the percent of firms making changes and the average number of changes per firm, when the new product was new to the firm but not new to the market. These results suggest that, because different types of new products face different competitive environments, there may be greater incentive for a not-new-to-the-market new-to-the-firm product to make changes in sales strategy. Uncertainties about market size and customer location with new-to-the-world products may limit the understanding of what changes to make in the strategy categories of quotas and territories. Similarly, uncertainties about product use and customer acceptance of new-to-the-world products may limit the development of training and sales support materials by these firms. Instead, these firms may rely more on compensation and supervision to direct sales efforts for new-to-the-world products. However, observing the market experience and performance of the first-to-market product can benefit firms launching a not-new-to-market and new-to-the-firm product, allowing them to rely more on strategy changes in training, sales support materials, organizational adjustments such as redeployments, and quotas. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||