Employee-Task Assignments for Organization Modeling: A Review of Models and Applications

In this study, we present a review of task assignment problems in organizations, an area that has become more important as tasks become more complex and personnel skills become more specialized. The challenge is to design task assignments that meet all requirements and result in the best organizational performance. The consequences of poor design include failed tasks, reduced efficiency, and inability to meet deadlines. Moreover, inequity of workload between employees can cause lack of job satisfaction, loss of motivation and also boredom. In general, work processes in organizations consist of different tasks, which require different expertise. Personnel usually have various degrees of qualifications and their performance may vary for different tasks. The outcome of the work process depends heavily on which tasks are assigned to which personnel. Performance of an organization can be increased by assigning the tasks to the most qualified available personnel. However, it could result in overloading some personnel while the others remain under-loaded. So, the even distribution of the workload between them also needs to be taken into consideration. In addition, it helps to increase organization\u27s productivity by distributing personnel\u27s knowledge, time, and attention more extensively. We review task-employee assignment problems in organization modeling with the computational models that have been reported in the literature with their applications. Human factors engineering, in terms of workload in organizational modeling is included as the work process performance is heavily dependent on the human (personnel). Based on the initial findings, we propose to investigate an improved workload model that allows the use of optimization of select constraints, such as balancing workload among team members. While current workload models allow the evaluation of workload among team members interacting in a work process, it is up to the analyst to suggest improvements. By providing an optimized solution, we present the Engineering Manager, that can then be adjusted to meet practical criteria

Strategic alignment and new product development: Drivers and performance effects

Strategic alignment is widely accepted as a prerequisite for a firm's success, but insight into the role of alignment in, and its impact on, the new product development (NPD) process and its performance is less well developed. Most publications on this topic either focus on one form of alignment or on one or a limited set of NPD performance indicators. Furthermore, different and occasionally contradictory findings have been reported. NPD scholars have long argued for the importance of fit between context and NPD activities. However, this body of literature suffers from the same weakness: most publications have a limited scope and the findings are not always consistent with results reported previously. This study addresses these deficiencies by examining (1) the effects of various internal and external factors on different forms of alignment, and (2) the effects of these forms of alignment on a set of NPD performance indicators. Strategic planning and innovativeness appear to affect technological, market, and NPD-marketing alignment positively. Environmental munificence is negatively associated with NPD-marketing alignment, but has no effect on the two other forms of alignment. Technological change has a positive effect on technological alignment, a negative effect on NPD-marketing alignment, but no effect on market alignment. These findings suggest that internal capabilities are more likely to be associated with the development of strategic alignment than environmental factors are. Furthermore, technological and NPD-marketing alignment affect NPD performance positively, while market alignment does not have any significant performance effects. © 2012 Product Development & Management Association

Aktivnost arginaze u ovarijskim strukturama krava švicarske smeđe pasmine i njezinih križanaca.

Arginase is the last enzyme of the urea cycle. It catalyses the hydrolysis of L-arginine to L-ornitine and urea. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of arginase activity in ovarian structures such as: Graaf follicles, GF (Medium and Large size, M- and L-size), Corpus Haemorrhagicum (CH), and various types of Corpus Luteum (CL) such as: cyclic CL (CCL), 2-4 month pregnancy CL (2-4 MCL) and 4-7 month pregnancy CL (4-7 MCL). Ovarian tissues of 62 cows (7-10 years old and Brown Swiss or its cross-breeds), collected from a local slaughterhouse, were used as material. The materials were divided into 6 experimental groups, as follows: MGF group (n = 7), LGF group (n = 21), CH group (n = 7), CCL group (n = 6), 2-4 MCL group (n = 9) and 4-7 MCL group (n = 12). Arginase activities were measured as 0.056 ± 0.017, 0.100 ± 0.016, 2.517 ± 0.521, 0.827 ± 0.190, 0.674 ± 0.106 and 0.833 ± 0.093 U/mg protein in all groups, respectively. Arginase activity in the CH group was significantly higher than that in the CCL, 2-4 MCL and 4-7 MCL groups (P<0.001). The lowest enzyme activity was in the MGF and LGF groups. Hence, it was concluded that the arginase enzyme might play a crucial role in cell division, proliferation and differentiation in the ovarian tissues (especially the CH) of mature cows.Arginaza je posljednji enzim u ciklusu ureje koji katalizira hidrolizu L-arginina u L-ornitin i ureju. Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi prisutnost aktivnosti arginaze u ovarijskim strukturama kao što su Graafovi folikuli, GF (srednje veliki - M i veliki - L), corpus haemorrhagicum (CH) i različiti tipovi corpus luteum (CL) kao što su ciklični (CCL), 2-4 mjeseca graviditetni (2-4 MCL) i 4-7 mjeseci graviditetni (4-7 MCL). Tkiva ovarija od 62 krave (švicarske smeđe pasmine i križanaca u dobi od 7 do 10 godina) prikupljena su u lokalnoj klaonici. Materijali su bili podijeljeni u 6 pokusnih skupina kako slijedi: MGF skupina (n = 7), LGF skupina (n = 21), CH skupina (n = 7), CCL skupina (n = 6), 2-4 MCL skupina (n = 9) i 4-7 MCL skupina (n = 12). Slijedom navedenih skupina, aktivnost arginaze bila je 0,056 ± 0,017, 0,100 ± 0,016, 2,517 ± 0,521, 0,827 ± 0,190, 0,674 ± 0,106 i 0,833 ± 0,093 U/mg. Aktivnost arginaze u CH skupini bila je signifikantno viša u odnosu na skupine CCL, 2-4 MCL i 4-7 MCL (P<0,001). Najniža aktivnost enzima bila je u skupinama MGF i LGF. Zaključeno je o mogućoj ključnoj ulozi aktivnosti enzima arginaze u diobi stanica, proliferaciji i diferencijaciji ovarijskih tkiva (osobito CH) kod odraslih krava

Human System Engineering Applications from Distracted Driving Simulations

Most of the studies to explore the impact of distracted driving have been descriptive in nature; i.e. the research is conducted in naturalistic settings to evaluate the performance of the driver with and without distracters. However simulation models can also be used that predict the workload for driving tasks. Using concepts from process modeling, baseline models of driving tasks can be created for different driving sequences that include the associated fine motor, visual and cognitive human resources. These models can then be used to evaluate incidents of workload overload caused by different distracters, from both the internal and external vehicle environment. Identifying specific overloaded resources can lead to mitigation strategies to reduce workload and minimize distracted driving. Lessons learned from distracted driving research can then be applied to evaluation other types of manual, visual, and cognitive intensive tasks. Identifying combinations of tasks that contribute to peak workload of operators, and then simulating the impact of multi-tasking using personal devices (i.e. cell phones) can lead to management insights for other types of work environments. Additionally, iterative modeling can also include the impact of sensors and alerts, as well as enhanced workstation displays. Individual component overload can help understand causes for performance detriments during different task sequences, and the impact of additional types of technologies and activities. Using the simulation analysis, the impact on overall workload, identification of peak workload occurrences, and specific overloaded resources can lead to mitigation strategies to reduce workload and improve operator performance

Demonstration of the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of a novel hemostatic agent, ankaferd blood stopper, on vascular tissue in a rat aortic bleeding model

Background: Ankaferd Blood Stopper®(ABS) is a folkloric medicinal plant extract used as a hemostatic agent in traditional Turkish medicine. This experimental study investigated the histopathological and immunohistochemical effects of ABS on vascular tissue in a rat model of aortic bleeding.Methods: Four groups of 11 Wistar albino rats were used. The abdominal aortas of the rats were wounded; an ABS-soaked tampon was applied to rats in Groups 1 and 3, and a plain gauze tampon was applied to rats in Groups 2 and 4 until the bleeding stopped. The bleeding time was recorded. Immediately following sacrificing, the arteriotomy sites from Groups 1 and 2 were removed. The abdominal incisions in Groups 3 and 4 were closed following hemostasis. On Day 7 of the study, Group 3 and 4 rats were sacrificed and the abdominal aorta arteriotomy sites were removed for histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation.Results: The mean bleeding time in 15 animals in Groups 2 and 4 was 4.9 ± 0.6 s, and in 22 animals in Groups 1 and 3 was 3.1 ± 0.6 s. Distal aortic occlusion was not observed on either Day 1 or 7 in any group. Significantly more widespread and dense endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) staining was observed in Group 1 animals than Group 2. On Days 1 and 7 after application of ABS, histopathological changes, consisting of necrosis, inflammation, and endothelial cell loss, in the rat abdominal aortas did not differ between Groups 1 and 2. The basophilic discoloration in the ABS group on the operation day was a result of a foreign body reaction and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation, which occurred on Day 7.Conclusions: In this study, hemostasis was successfully achieved with ABS in rat abdominal aortas. No histopathological change was found in the rat abdominal aortas between the ABS and control groups on Days 1 and 7. Further studies on the long-term effects of foreign body reactions and hemosiderin-loaded histiocyte accumulation are required. © 2010 Kandemir et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd