Performance Appraisal Comments: The Practitioner\u27s Dilemma

Employees often pay more attention to written comments than to numerical ratings they receive during their performance appraisal process. However, these comments, while desired by many employees, may actually hurt employee performance. Despite extensive research on performance appraisal ratings, practitioners have little guidance for managing an appraisal process such that comments are used in productive ways. This article addresses this gap. In particular, this article identifies how comments are used, when comments harm performance, features of comments that make them actionable or useful for improving performance, and recommendations for practitioners for constructively integrating comments into performance appraisal systems

Effectiveness Of Relationship Marketing Tactics In A University Setting

We test the correlation between student perception of three university relationship-building tactics - commercial friendships, preferential treatment, and tangible rewards - with university student satisfaction. We also test whether two student characteristics - enduring involvement with education and sense of entitlement - have a moderating effect on the aforementioned relationship between university relationship-building behaviors and student satisfaction. Results revealed positive correlations between perceived relationship tactics and overall satisfaction. Correlations between the relationship-building behaviors and satisfaction were also greater among high-involvement students than among their lesser-involved cohorts. Students who felt a sense of entitlement were more likely to believe that they were recipients of relationship-building behaviors, but they didn’t always appreciate them more than students who felt less entitled

A practical approach to teaching the aspects of plant closing in an undergraduate operations management course

In light of the recent economic downturn, the introduction and instruction of methods and practices related to plant and facility closings are topics that are long overdue as part of the Operations Management course content presented in our Business Schools. Operations Management textbooks provide little to no coverage of operations shutdown for plant closing. As a result, this topic is frequently excluded from Operations Management courses. Two elements missing from most OM courses are a textbook chapter covering the closing process and in-class exercises/activities related to applying that process. This paper addresses the key topics needed for a textbook chapter dealing with the operational aspects of closing a facility. Such topics include employee impact (and dealing with employee retraining), the WARN act (including ERISA issues), inventory disposition, and quality control. Teaching notes for each section are included, with an overall discussion of class activities related to the topics. We provide educators with a best practices approach to teaching students how to handle the operation of the plant in this difficult time. There are activities that the operations manager should start doing, stop doing and keep doing. A frank, practical experience-based perspective is given

The Forgotten Topic: Teaching Plant Closing to Executives and Graduate Students

Executive education programs and graduate-level business programs generally devote substantial time and resources to training professionals to open businesses, generate business growth, and manage on-going operations. Few programs, however, devote any time to a topic that many executives will one day be forced to confront: plant closings. Because relatively few managers have actually gone through the plant closing process, there are rarely “experts” available to guide a company through the practical day-to-day aspects of shutting down a facility. This paper addresses the key topics needed for an advanced level program dealing with the operational aspects of closing a facility. Such topics include operations management issues, human resources considerations, and legal compliance. Following an executive level training program of this type should increase the chances of having a successful closure: one that minimizes the negative impact and uncertainty related to the closure

A practical approach to teaching the aspects of plant closing in an undergraduate operations management course

In light of the recent economic downturn, the introduction and instruction of methods and practices related to plant and facility closings are topics that are long overdue as part of the Operations Management course content presented in our Business Schools. Operations Management textbooks provide little to no coverage of operations shutdown for plant closing. As a result, this topic is frequently excluded from Operations Management courses. Two elements missing from most OM courses are a textbook chapter covering the closing process and in-class exercises/activities related to applying that process. This paper addresses the key topics needed for a textbook chapter dealing with the operational aspects of closing a facility. Such topics include employee impact (and dealing with employee retraining), the WARN act (including ERISA issues), inventory disposition, and quality control. Teaching notes for each section are included, with an overall discussion of class activities related to the topics. We provide educators with a best practices approach to teaching students how to handle the operation of the plant in this difficult time. There are activities that the operations manager should start doing, stop doing and keep doing. A frank, practical experience-based perspective is given

Meeting the cultural and service needs of Arabic international students by using QFD

Quality has become an important factor in global competition for many reasons. Intensive global competition and the demand for better quality by customers has led organizations to realize the benefits of providing quality products and services in order to successfully compete and survive. Higher education institutions are one example of these organisations. Higher education institutions work in an intensive competitive environment worldwide driven by increasing demands for learning by local and international students. As a result, the managers of these sectors have realized that improving the quality of services is important for achieving customer satisfaction which can help survival in an internationally competitive market. To do this, it is necessary for organizations to know their customers and identify their requirements. To this end, many higher education institutions have adopted principles of total quality management (TQM) to improve their education quality which leads to better performance through involvement of every department to achieve excellence in business. This chapter considers the importance of measuring quality in order to assist universities to proactively manage the design and improvement of the social and academic experiences of postgraduate international students, and plan management decision-making processes to deliver high-quality services in a globalized business of provision of higher education. Higher education institutions must operate effectively and efficiently and be able to deliver quality programs, by seeking to better understand the needs of their customers to be competitive in this market space

Effectiveness of relationship marketing tactics in a university setting.

We test the correlation between student perception of three university relationship-building tactics - commercial friendships, preferential treatment, and tangible rewards - with university student satisfaction. We also test whether two student characteristics - enduring involvement with education and sense of entitlement - have a moderating effect on the aforementioned relationship between university relationship-building behaviors and student satisfaction. Results revealed positive correlations between perceived relationship tactics and overall satisfaction. Correlations between the relationship-building behaviors and satisfaction were also greater among high-involvement students than among their lesser-involved cohorts. Students who felt a sense of entitlement were more likely to believe that they were recipients of relationship-building behaviors, but they didn\u27t always appreciate them more than students who felt less entitled

Abusive Supervision and Work Alienation: An Exploratory Study

Recent research on “dark” leadership reveals that subordinates who work for abusive supervisors report a number of negative outcomes. We explored whether employees who experience abuse from their supervisors reported more work alienation. We predicted that abusive supervision would “trickle down,” decreasing subordinates’ psychological links with their work. Regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between abusive supervisory behavior and subordinates’ work alienation. However, the results provide a basis for future research. The findings, though unexpected, paint a brighter picture for those enduring work with a “dark” leader