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Performance appraisal systems are often considered primarily in their role as criterion measures for validation studies. Even when they are considered in other organizational roles, there has traditionally been a strong focus on improving the accuracy of the appraisals. The present article argues that the proper focus of performance appraisal is to change employees' behavior on the job—both task performance behavior and contextual performance. Specifically, appraisals are best considered as part of a larger performance management system, where the entire focus is on improving performance. Such a focus has important implications for how concerned we are about perceived accuracy and fairness. Furthermore, when viewed in this way, it is clear that we must consider how to leverage individual level performance up to the level of the firm, since improving firm performance is critical to any organization's strategic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents findings from a study of first tier managers (FTMs) within further education. While studies of managerial resistance are rare, this research highlights a range of resistant behaviours employed by first tier managers as they struggle to meet demands from students, their teams and the organisation. Resistance here is considered on a continuum from overt acts such as principled dissent to covert acts such as cutting corners and cognitive escape. While first tier managers primarily resisted acts of surveillance, performativity and managerialism, resistance was also found to be pragmatic, a means to cope with too much work and too little time. However, first tier managers also resisted the managerial identity that was implicit in their role. The article concludes that resistance, rather than being detrimental to the organisation, could potentially be seen as an act of participation rather than separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the subject of management control and tries to create a performance measurement system for social enterprises, that is, how to measure success. Three reference fields for management are analyzed: (a) economic-financial performance, linked to the determination of general performance (profits, value added, etc.) and analytic results (production-cost of services, efficiency indicators, etc.); (b) social effectiveness, to measure the quantity and quality of work undertaken and to identify its impact on the intended beneficiaries and the community; and (c) institutional legitimacy, verifying conformity with law and mission statement. In integrating these aspects, we propose a multidimensional controlling framework that is appropriate to the management of a social enterprise. We try to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical model through the illustration of an Italian empirical case: the work integration social enterprise “Ulisse.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

The article presents a study that examines the importance for managers of public universities to pay close attention to performance management practices and information communication technology (ICT) adoption. It explores the method of the study uses disproportionate stratified purposive approach to determine responses from 900 employees from public universities in Uganda. The findings of the study reveal the importance of performance management practices in agency relations and goal setting with ICT adoption to achieve managed performance in public universities.

We present a design for performance management of SMS systems. The design takes as input the administrator’s performance objectives, which can be adjusted at run-time. Based on these objectives, the design takes the necessary actions to achieve them and it dynamically adapts to changing networking conditions. It does so by periodically solving a linear optimization problem that computes a new configuration for the SMS system. We have evaluated the design through extensive simulations in various scenarios using traces from a production SMS system. It has proved effective in achieving the administrator’s performance objectives, and efficient in terms of computational cost. Our experiments also show that the design is adaptive, i.e., it effectively adapts the systems’s configuration to changes in the networking conditions, in order to continuously meet the performance objectives. Finally, the feasibility of our design is proved through the development of a prototype on a commercial SMS platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel mode control device is described, comprising a point-load mode scrambler in tandem with a mode filter. The device may be tuned to ensure compliance of fibre test equipment with new link performance standards. Improvement in the reproducibility of insertion loss measurements on concatenated fibres is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on what some sceptics see as disillusionment with conventional evaluation practice, in that many governments experience only limited use of evaluation findings. This has contributed to a significant increase in results-based performance measurement. Yet not everyone in the evaluation community welcomes this development. The authors make the point that significant complementarities exist between evaluation and performance measurement and therefore the boundaries between these practices may need to be redefined. In other words, evaluators will need to enter into a constructive dialogue with performance management practitioners. By investigating their methodological similarities and differences, the authors argue that evaluation studies and performance measurement are highly complementary forms of knowledge production. Finally, they argue that evaluation tools may in fact strengthen a number of the identified shortcomings of performance measurement systems when applied in performance management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We look at some of the theoretical and methodological issues underlying international university ranking systems and, in particular, their conceptual connection with the idea of excellence. We then turn to a critical examination of the two best-known international university ranking systems - the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World University Rankings and the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities. We assess the various criteria used by the two systems and argue that the Jiao Tong system, although far from perfect, is a better indicator of university excellence. Based on our assessments of these two systems, we suggest how an ideal international university ranking system might look, concluding with some comments on the uses of ranking systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jacqueline Geoghegan describes how performance managing modern matrons can improve patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurial planning and control systems have been designed and developed specifically for startup environment to improve the odds of survival for a startup and to encourage entrepreneurial managers and teams to formulate and implement strategies. They are based on years of research, testing, and practical application with startups, incubators, business development organisations, and investors in the U.S. and New Zealand. These systems are designed specifically to help new and growing companies do a number of things. The three systems that form the entrepreneurial planning and control system are action controls, strategy controls, and performance controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resources for health (HRH) play a central role in improving accessibility to services and quality of care. Their motivation influences this. In Mali, operational research was conducted to identify the match between motivation and the range and use of performance management activities. Objectives: To describe the factors motivating and demotivating health workers in Mali and match the motivators with the implementation of performance management. Methods: First an exploratory qualitative study was conducted: 28 interviews and eight group discussions were held. This was followed by a cross-sectional survey, during which 370 health workers were interviewed. The study population consisted of health workers of eight professional groups. The following issues were investigated: • motivating and demotivating factors; • experiences with performance management, including: job descriptions, continuous education, supervision, performance appraisal and career development. Findings: The study showed that the main motivators of health workers were related to responsibility, training and recognition, next to salary. These can be influenced by performance management (job descriptions, supervisions, continuous education and performance appraisal). Performance management is not optimally implemented in Mali, as job descriptions were not present or were inappropriate; only 13% of interviewees received 4× per year supervision, and training needs were not analysed. Some 48% of the interviewees knew their performance had been appraised in the last two years; the appraisals were perceived as subjective. No other methods were in place to show recognition. The results enabled the research team to propose adaptations or improvements upon existing performance management. Conclusion: The results showed the importance of adapting or improving upon performance management strategies to influence staff motivation. This can be done by matching performance management activities to motivators identified by operational research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]