Evaluation of Performance Management Systems for Knowledge Workers

Almost every company has a performance management system or conducts performance reviews with employees. However there is little research that demonstrates the performance management system is effective at modifying performance, especially in knowledge workers. The intent of this paper is to provide a reference and set of case studies for management to use to better understand the process of performance management within their organization. The paper provides a summary of the guidelines laid out in current literature, which we found had considerable consistency. Based on three companies analyzed the paper provides recommendations to managers for how they can work within the boundaries of their system to conduct more effective performance reviews

Technology Assessment for Nosocomial Infection Solutions

This study presents a technology assessment for reducing Nosocomial infections. Nosocomial infections (also known as hospital-acquired infection or HAI) present numerous problems for healthcare institutions including increased costs, increased use of hazardous cleaners, and patient reluctance towards treatment. Our goal is to incorporate more than the traditional economic point of view in evaluating alternatives for reducing infections. The Analytical Hierarchy Process is used to assess the feasibility of candidate technologies. Traditional criteria such as infection reduction and cost are used in addition compatibility with existing procedures and staff acceptance were used for evaluating technologies. Infection reduction and staff acceptance were determined to be the most important criterion through expert interviews. The analysis established that utilizing RFID for hand washing compliance was the superior technology given its superior reduction in HAI’s and good staff & patent acceptance

Marketing Plan: Garmin HUD Accessory

Garmin is an international producer of commercial and consumer GPS products. Primarily vertically integrated, Garmin designs, manufactures, markets and sells their products themselves. During any given conversation about a product, you’re likely to find engineers, designers, product testers, artists, writers and salespeople sharing their thoughts. Investing in innovation has been central to Garmin’s success. The original handful of employees in 1989 grew to a work force of 1,000 just 10 years later. That number doubled within four years and eclipsed 4,000 by 2006. In 2007, Garmin’s worldwide work force topped 7,000 and showed little sign of slowing amid expansion in Europe and Asia

Utilizing Non-Linear Programming to Optimize the Selection of Six Sigma Projects in a Food Production Environment

Managers are often tasked with assigning a large variety of projects to a large pool of labor. Determining the optimal assignment of labor to a given list of projects in order to maximize profit can be challenging. This work applies a nonlinear optimization formula to this scheduling problem utilizing a Six Sigma initiative at a Kraft Manufacturing Facility as a case study. This work aims to maximize profit for Kraft’s six sigma implementation, suggesting a possible solution to this three dimensional problem. This work builds off of existing research in this area, modifying and applying this algorithm to the Kraft Six Sigma problem

Hierarchical Decision Modeling for Selection of a Graduate Institution

This paper demonstrates a decision making process for selecting the best graduate institution in the Northwest region for international and domestic graduate students. The educational institutions reviewed will be limited to the public institutions located within the northwest region. A brief overview of each institution considered as an alternative is provided. This report also explains how the Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) was set up with major and subcriteria to prioritize the alternatives. Before using this tool, the criteria that are deemed important to the students must be selected. Fifteen experts responded to the instrument and their judgments were analyzed. The calculations were obtained using the Pairwise Comparison Method (PCM) software which calculates the inconsistency within a sample data. Then the institutional facts were researched and final utility weights were computed for each. Finally, the analysis and results will be presented along with future enhancements to this model

Riding the Performance Curve: The Evolution of Team #1 Teamwork and Communication

In this report, Team #1 reviews its successes and failures in six areas of teamwork: communication, roles and participation, the execution of assigned tasks, organization, conflict resolution, and assignment success. Team member feedback on each point is analyzed and we examine the development of our team and its processes. We discuss areas for improvement and what we would build upon in order to reach optimal team performance

A Comprehensive Strategic Model for the Commercialization of New Product Development Technologies

A significant amount of time, money and resources can be invested into a new product development effort. In this era of “open innovation,” organizations have additional external commercialization options to consider compared to development of technology internally. An effective strategic model utilizing open innovation development options is required to exploit market opportunities for commercialization of technologies. These decisions need to be made in the early stages of development to optimize project selection and investment. This paper provides a model to aid the decision maker in identifying the optimal product development approach based upon a methodology grounded in accredited literature and the input of new product development experts. The effectiveness of this model is validated using case studies and interview of past product development efforts