Search

Employees are very important to any organization. Their expedient contribution towards the organizations' success is significant. Hence, training these important assets effectively becomes necessary to enhance their performance especially in the banking industry. The Nigerian banking industry faces a number of challenges in relation to employee development such as inability to spend budgetary provision for training when there is lull in business and poor management support of training. This study thus investigated the effects of management support of training on employee performance in Nigerian banking industry. The survey research design was used. The population of the study comprised of 121,445 employees of the 22commercial banks in the Nigerian banking industry from which a sample of 399 employees were selected using stratified sampling technique and 365 representing 92% per cent were retrieved. A questionnaire titled "Training on employee performance Questionnaire (T-EPQ)" was used to collect data. Data elicited were analysed using frequencies, percentages and regression analysis at 0.05 significant levels. The findings revealed that management support of training significantly affect employee performance (P (.000)-.05). The study concluded that training in the Nigerian Banking Industry affects employee performance. This study therefore recommends that employees should be trained adequately to meet their needs, values and expectations, most importantly to enhance employees performance. More so, management of banks should ensure maximum support of training to facilitate qualitative service delivery. Finally, CBN should adopt and implement policies enforcing management of Nigerian banking industry to ensure adequate training budget that will facilitate qualitative training programmes as innovative for improving employee performance in today's dynamic banking environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-business company is a complex entity. Evaluating corporate performance of such an organisation is even more challenging. Corporate performance is inherently multidimensional in nature, is viewed from various perspectives, and has to satisfy multiple objectives. It is multi-dimensional in the sense of being a function of many variables that drive firm performance; multi-perspectival, from various stakeholders' standpoints; and multi-objectives are to be optimised. So there is no single corporate performanceevaluation tool that can be prescribed as a stand-alone gauge; however, a unified and holistic corporate performance management system can be developed from multiple tools. This paper attempts to bring together a variety of performance management tools that have evolved and developed in theory, and have been tested and applied in practice. In developing this convergence, first a set of criteria that answers the multi-dimensional, multi-perspectival, and multi-objective requirements of a firm's performance will be identified and weighted. Second, management tools that have been used either singly or in combination by multi-business companies are reviewed and ranked against the chosen criteria. Finally, an integrated model or framework that brings together and unifies the elements of these ranked performance management tools is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this article is to define the major elements of the institutional design process for the Russian rocket and space industry, a process which must take account of the changed economic conditions in the country and provide for the industry''s integration into the wider national economy. The article does this by demonstrating the features that need to be understood, highlighting the problems that need to be resolved, and arguing that an institutional design process will have to be based on compromise and accommodation of all the different actors involved. The article deals with a number of particular problems challenging the managers and methodologists of the Russian national space programme of today. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Introduction: As part of a quality assurance in the anaesthesia department, this study was designed to enhance the rate of neuromuscular blockade monitoring for patients receiving muscle relaxant during anaesthesia. Methods: After approval of our local ethical committee, we assessed 200computerized anaesthesia records in which neuromuscular relaxants were used. The following data were collected: demographic characteristics, durations of anaesthesia and surgery, use of neuromuscular monitoring, reversal agents and the quality of neuromuscular monitoring. The results were discussed with all anaesthesia providers of the department and an internal guideline was elaborated with the endpoint that all patients having muscle relaxants should have quantitative neuromuscular monitoring. Six months later, another assessment of 200 consecutive records collected the same data to check the efficiency of the elaborated guideline. Results: The monitoring rate was of 67% at the first assessment and increased to 94% (p <0.05). The reversal rate was at 48% in the first assessment and was stable at the second assessment (50%). The rate of patients not monitored and not reversed decreased from 5 to 2% (p <0.05). Discussion: This study shows that as part of a quality assurance program systematic quantitative monitoring of neuromuscular blockade can be significantly increased. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rise of sustainability as a concept in business forces companies to navigate a complex arena of standards and codes. The active and controversial debate regarding 'what the Equator Principles mean' for global finance and the projects it funds will undoubtedly continue. In the meantime, they represent an important shift in social and environmental impact assessment (SEIA) by serving as guidance for process-driven project development. This represents a substantial change from SEIA in which the ultimate and end goal was to obtain a permit. The integrated approach of the new Equator Principles, especially requirements for transparency, consultation and feedback mechanisms, provide borrowers with the management guidance needed to convince financers of their due diligence in impact assessment and beyond. This paper looks at the application of the Equator Principles, and the IFC Performance Standards that underpin them, as tools that can be deployed at any level of project development, including existing facilities that may have never completed an SEIA. It assesses elements of monitoring and the 'art' of reporting to show how impact assessment practitioners can use the Equator Principles to create concrete indicators that will help to integrate impact assessment results to meet the challenges of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is a systematical approach on remuneration and on its management in the domain of the human resources management, trying to identify the main variables with decisive influence in setting the minimal and maximal limits of remuneration, competences and the managerial art of administrating the remuneration system in the context of continuous law changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) is a growing field in engineering, with various applications in aerospace, aeronautics, car industry, etc. However, the presence of multiple disciplines leads to specific issues, which prevent MDO to be fully integrated in industrial design methodology. In practice, the key issues in MDO lie in the management of the interconnections between disciplines, along with the high number of simulations required to find a feasible multidisciplinary (optimal) solution. Therefore, in this paper, a novel approach is proposed, combining proper orthogonal decomposition to decrease the amount of data exchanged between disciplines, with surrogate models based on moving least squares to reduce disciplines. This method is applied to an original 2D wing demonstrator involving two disciplines (fluid and structure). The numerical results obtained for an optimization task show its benefits in diminishing both the interfaces between disciplines and the overall computational time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The progress in mixing of two liquids with two way solubility is visualised by means of two-colour laser induced fluorescence (LIF). The mixing process is divided into two steps. In the first step, the so-called macromixing, the fluid elements of a multicomponent system are dispersed and deformed due to viscous friction. During the second step, the micromixing, local concentration differences are reduced due to diffusion transport on molecular scale. Both transport phenomena can be simultaneously measured by injecting a mixture of an inert and a reacting dye. The performance of mixing is recalculated from the local measurements of the concentration fields and visualised by the local degree of deviation. The mass transport on the microscopic scale varies because of the locally diverse dissipation of energy. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are used for the calculation of the source terms of local energy dissipation. The experimental results correlate the progress of mixing to the local energy dissipation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper provides empirical evidence about the total quality management effects on firms' performance, as well as on the practical limitations to its initial adoption and further implementation. The EFQM Excellence Model is used as a framework to assess the total quality management (TQM) practices and outcomes, given its primacy as a total quality standard within the European Union. The main objective pursued is to reinforce the potential competitive repercussion of TQM and to provide guidance to elaborate the firms' quality strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the challenging area of R&D performance analysis. Our purpose is to increase the understanding of the essential factors and dimensions related to R&D performance analysis, and to introduce and facilitate a process of choosing applicable metrics of R&D performance for a specific need, context and situation. The research results show the linkages of the measurement dimensions to the selection of R&D measures, which is ultimately a case-specific process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the collection of information from and about people at work. It attempts to structure the field, define key problems, expose sources of conflict and point the way to resolving major difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To evaluate if clinically usable estimates of physical performance and level of habitual physical activity are associated with fall risk in elderly men. A population-based sample of 3014 randomly selected men aged 69–80 years was recruited to medical centers in Gothenburg, Malmoe, or Uppsala. The level of physical activity and self-reported falls during the preceding 12 months was evaluated using a questionnaire. The physical performance ability was estimated by measurements of handgrip strength, a timed stands test, a 6-m walking test and a 20-cm narrow walk test. Falls were reported in 16.5% of the men. Fallers performed 6.2±19.0% (mean±standard deviations; S.D.) less in right handgrip measures, 8.8±40.6% slower in the timed stands test, 6.8±30.8% slower in the 6-m walking test, and 5.3±28.8% slower in the 20-cm narrow walk test (all p <0.001, respectively). The odds ratio for falls among men who performed <−3 S.D. or failed compared to the mean (+1 S.D. to −1 S.D.) in the timed stands test was 3.41 (95% CI 2.31–5.02; p <0.001) and 2.46 (95% CI 1.80–3.34; p <0.001) in 20-cm narrow walk test. There were more fallers that never were physical active (73.0% vs. 65.4%, p <0.001) and who were sitting more (6.4±2.5h/day vs. 6.0±2.3h/day, p <0.05) than among the non-fallers. Fallers scored less than non-fallers in all the estimates of physical performance and they were more sedentary in their life style. The report suggests that clinical usable tests of physical performance and evaluation of habitual physical activity in the clinical situation possibly can be used to predict risk of falls in elderly men. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]