A Simplification Heuristic For Large Flow Tables

Flow tables specifying large asynchronous sequential circuits often contain more internal states than are required to specify desired circuit behavior. Known minimization techniques appear unsuited for reduction of such large (rows X columns \u3e 250) flow tables, because of excessive computation and intermediate data requirements for problems of this size. The algorithm described here is intended to rapidly produce a simplified-but in general non-minimal-flow table. It is most economical when applied to extremely large tables and was devised primarily for automated design applications. The procedure has been programmed in PL/1 and has been incorporated into an asynchronous sequential circuit design automation system developed at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Typical flow table simplification times obtained using the program are cited. In one test re-duction of a 217 row x 8 column table to 39x8 required about 2.6 minutes (the minimum table in this case was known to be 23x8)

Contextual Factors and Cost Profiles Associated with Employee Turnover

[Excerpt] Employee turnover has long plagued the hospitality industry. In the lodging segment, turnover rates have been shown to average about 60 percent annually for line-level employees (Woods, Heck, and Sciarini 1998) and about 25 percent for managerial positions (Smith Travel Research, Tracey, and Tews 2002). This concern is even greater in other hospitality contexts, such as quick-service restaurants, where mean employee turnover runs in excess of 120 percent. Employee turnover has been and continues to be a particularly prolific area of research, with many publications on the topic. Evidence suggests that turnover is triggered by dissatisfaction with such factors as relationships with supervisors, job content, working conditions, and pay (Griffeth, Horn, and Gaertner 2000). While other factors may influence an individual\u27s decision to leave, such as the competitive conditions of the local market, it is clear that management has direct control over many of the most important drivers of employee turnover

Transformational Leadership in the Hospitality Industry

In recent years, the hospitality industry has undergone major changes both within the industry and in its operating environment. Researchers have posited that in an environment of change, as described above, a visionary, or leadership style, would be most appropriate. The study, reported here, compared the use of transformational leadership style with the more traditional transactional style, and examined the effects of transformational leadership on individual and organizational outcomes in a hotel management organization. Results suggest that transformational leadership both impacts perceptions of leadership effectiveness and subordinate satisfaction, and clarifies the direction and mission of the organization

Transformational Leadership or Effective Managerial Practices?

A study was conducted to analyze B.M. Bass and B.J. Avolio\u27s concept of transformational leadership by comparing their Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) with the Managerial Practices Survey (MPS) of G.A. Yukl. The MPS advocated scales related to idealized influence, inspirational motivation, personal considerations and intellectual stimulation. On the other hand, the MPS supported four scales on managerial practices, namely clarifying, supporting, inspiring and team building. Results indicated differences between the constructs determined by the scales. Findings also showed that a composite determinant of transformational leadership supported a variance in leadership effectiveness ratings

An Analysis of Variance Approach to Content Validation

Although procedures for assessing content validity have been widely publicized for many years, Hinkin noted that there continue to be problems with the content validity of measures used in organizational research. Anderson and Gerbing, and Schriesheim, Powers, Scandura, Gardiner, and Lankau discussed the problems associated with typical content validity assessment and presented techniques that can be used to assess the empirical distinctiveness of a set of survey items. This article reviews these techniques and presents an analysis of variance procedure that can provide a higher degree of confidence in determining item integrity and scale content validity. The utility of this technique is demonstrated by using two samples and two different measures

The Relevance of Charisma for Transformational Leadership in Stable Organizations

One of the primary dimensions of the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) developed by Bass and associates is idealized influence, or charisma. However, there has been very little empirical support for this dimension in a number of previous studies. We argue that this lack of support is due to the attributional nature of charisma and the situational impact on the existence of, or the need for, charismatic leadership. The current study supported this contention and provided a more parsimonious operationalization of the MLQ, which did not include the idealized influence dimension

The Service Imperative: Factors Driving Meeting Effectiveness

[Excerpt] American businesses spent over $100 billion in 1997 on business meetings, conferences, and training programs. To meet this demand, hotels and conference centers have made large investments in developing and enhancing meeting space. Competition for the meeting and convention business has tightened, particularly with the emergence of such markets as Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Orlando as viable alternatives to the traditional major-city locations. The meeting business is further pressed by technologies such as distance learning and interactive multimedia. In addition, customers are becoming more concerned with the effectiveness of meetings, and are taking steps to ensure that the money invested in specific programs is well spent. Increased competition and more-demanding customers mean that careful consideration must be given to the facilities and services provided during meetings, conferences, and training programs. The purpose of the study discussed in this article is to identify the physical and service-related characteristics of properties that may have an important impact on program and meeting effectiveness. The results should enhance the understanding of the factors customers use to evaluate the quality of the products and services that are offered by hotels and conference centers, and provide guidance for redesigning facilities and revamping services

A cross-sectional study of predatory publishing emails received by career development grant awardees

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the scope of academic spam emails (ASEs) among career development grant awardees and the factors associated with the amount of time spent addressing them. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of career development grant investigators via an anonymous online survey was conducted. In addition to demographic and professional information, we asked investigators to report the number of ASEs received each day, how they determined whether these emails were spam and time they spent per day addressing them. We used bivariate analysis to assess factors associated with the amount of time spent on ASEs. SETTING: An online survey sent via email on three separate occasions between November and December 2016. PARTICIPANTS: All National Institutes of Health career development awardees funded in the 2015 fiscal year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Factors associated with the amount of time spent addressing ASEs. RESULTS: A total of 3492 surveys were emailed, of which 206 (5.9%) were returned as undeliverable and 96 (2.7%) reported an out-of-office message; our overall response rate was 22.3% (n=733). All respondents reported receiving ASEs, with the majority (54.4%) receiving between 1 and 10 per day and spending between 1 and 10 min each day evaluating them. The amount of time respondents reported spending on ASEs was associated with the number of peer-reviewed journal articles authored (p<0.001), a history of publishing in open access format (p<0.01), the total number of ASEs received (p<0.001) and a feeling of having missed opportunities due to ignoring these emails (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: ASEs are a common distraction for career development grantees that may impact faculty productivity. There is an urgent need to mitigate this growing problem

Transformational Leaders in the Hospitality Industry

The classic metaphor of the manager as one who fights fires may need to be replaced by that of one who focuses on fire prevention