Scope and Aims of Performance Measurement Practices: Evidence from Jordan
Scope and Aims of Performance Measurement Practices: Evidence from Jordan Abstract This study provides empirical evidence on performance measures practices in Jordanian industrial companies. It identifies the type and extent of usage of a broad set of financial and non-financial measures. The results indicate that Jordanian companies place more emphasis currently on non-financial measures such as customer response time, on-time delivery, customer retention, employee training, number of new product launches and defect rates. Although Jordanian companies place more emphasis on the use of performance measures to evaluate organisational and managerial performance, they also use them for other reasons. The results also indicate that Jordanian industrial companies still operate under significant institutional and government controls. Keywords: Performance measurement diversity; Non-financial performance measures, Medium and large Industrial companies; Developing country; Jordan. Scope and Aims of Performance Measurement Practices: Evidence from Jordan Introduction Performance measurement is an important management control tool for business firms in the currently competitive environment. It is directly related to the formation of a firm's core competency and has a significant impact on the firm's growth (Xiong, Su & Lin, 2008). Different definitions for performance
HOusing Option for the Elderly
Housing Option for the Elderly: A History of Public Housing and Current Programs Available The population of elderly in the United States is large and growing at a rapid pace. This growth can be ascribed to the aging of the Baby Boomers and to the advances and improvements in medicine and health care resulting in longer life spans. It is projected that by the year 2030, the older population (65 years or older) of the country will more than double to 70 million (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 2002). The importance of integrating services with housing to assist the low-income elderly is gaining recognition. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) uses the umbrella term housing plus services to describe permanent housing that incorporates services into the operation of housing, with the services provided by people for whom service delivery, not property management, is their primary responsibility (Granruth & Smith, 2001). In order to give an accurate understanding of housing programs for the elderly, I must first explain the broader policies on housing and work my way down to more specific, local examples. The linkage of housing with services is not particularly new in terms of social welfare programs. In 1657, almshouses were established to assist the elderly, disabled, and the poor who were seriously ill. Soon after, workhouses were set up to
To describe the relationship between individual motivation, individual productivity and individual job satisfaction, it is essential to understand the effect of these different factors on individuals.
INTRODUCTION To conduct and evaluate the study of various relationships of individuals is a complex task. Each individual possesses certain characteristics that are unique to him\her. That is why we call people individuals. Thus such studies are a generalised output of the commonalities that can be found in individuals. To describe the relationship between individual motivation, individual productivity and individual job satisfaction, it is essential to understand the effect of these different factors on individuals. Motivation Motivation can be defined as "the cognitive decision making process through which goal-directed behaviour is initiated, energised and directed and maintained." (Organisational Behaviour, Andrzej Huczynski and David Buchanan, page 240) Various theories have been written about motivation with each person giving his view on how best to motivate people. Some prominent theories are Maslow's `Need Hierarchy theory', which categorises needs into five basic categories which are in hierarchy, Victor Vroom's `Expectancy theory' which is based on the concepts of valance, instrumentality and expectancy. Job Satisfaction "Job satisfaction can be defined as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experience." (Locke 1976, p 1300) The key factors of job satisfaction can be divided into three main
Coursework Marketing of Services.
Coursework Marketing of Services MK204A April 18th 2003 "We're not in the hamburger business; we're in showbusiness" Ray Kroc, founder of MacDonalds. Services are defined by Donald Cowell in the Marketing of Services, Butterworth and Heinemann, as "those separately identifiable but intangible activities that provide want-satisfaction, and that are not of necessity tied to (or inextricable from) the sale of a product or another service". There are further explanations and of course Kotler has his definition. So successful has been the transition from an essentially industrial society, that today, more than 60% of the Western economies are now in the service sector, whether measured in terms of income or numbers employed (Macdonald & Payne, 1998, p1) In this Coursework, I intend to analyze the marketing mix, for tourist attractions, and contrast theory and practice. One of the problems with defining a service is that a Product is seen to be tangible and Service intangible. In reality there are many variations on the degree of tangibility. (MacDonald & Payne, 1998, p8) Tourist attractions, or any service industries have the challenge of combating the five general characteristics known to them, intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, perishability and ownership (Morden, 1993, p321). The Marketing Mix has to be cleverly devised to associate consumer with
Comparison of Asian and European logistics systems.
Comparison of Asian and European logistics systems James H. Bookbinder, Chris S. Tan James H. Bookbinder, Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Chris S. Tan, Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada This work was partially supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, grant No. OGP 05292. This research compares the logistics systems of Asia and Europe and categorises them into distinct levels of logistics excellence. First, the context in Asia and in Europe is summarized. Then, attributes of a world-class logistics system are proposed. By applying cluster analysis to data from authoritative sources, we objectively segregate European and Asian logistics systems into three logistics tiers. There are several surprises, the main one being that the UK is classified Tier 2 (not as favourable as Tier 1). A prioritized set of attributes that the UK could improve on to qualify for the Tier 1 group is suggested. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to determine changes to the classifications. After finding that the top-ranking logistics systems of Europe and Asia are from Denmark and Singapore, respectively, those two countries are studied in detail to draw logistics lessons applicable elsewhere. Article type: Comparative/evaluators. Keywords: Asia, Europe,
Could Levi's Make a Mistake?
Could Levi's Make a Mistake? Yup. Busi 4430 (18) Midterm Assignment Prepared for: J.L. Verboomen Prepared by: Joanne Brookes . What is the problem in this case? What do you feel caused this problem? The major problem was a non-sampling error and occurred somewhere around step 11 in the market research process - prepare and present the report. The information gathered did not appear to be clearly defined and they did not verify that they had a firm grasp on the information revealed. * There should have been a report that indicated that the Classic Independent clothes buyer would NOT perceive the casual image of Levi's positively when purchasing suits. * Secondly, they should have outlined very clearly the appropriate marketing mix for this type of buyer - e.g. higher priced, traditional style, independent outlets etc. Had they clearly outlined this information, the marketing executives would not have been able to gloss over the importance of these factors and push this line under the Levi's brand nor distribute it through the department stores. 2. Could paying closer attention to the research have prevented the problem from occurring? Yes - it was there but if they clearly outlined this information, the marketing executives would not have been able to "logically" over look this and follow the course of action that they did. 3. Do you feel the research was
Downsizing ME
Downsizing ME Kelly Moore Colorado Technical University Managing Service Operations MGM646-0904B-01 Reginald Doctor November 30, 2009 Downsizing ME Most companies prefer not to downsize, however due to the current economy ME had to downsize. The result has left ME with many problems from complaining customers to problems with employees. Employees are being overworked due to cut backs and are not as attentive as they were prior to the layoffs. Now ME must refocus their attention to come up with a plan to boost the morale within the company and determine how to escape the typical "survivor's syndrome" with the remaining employees of the company. Customer Complaints The posed question indentifies that the company is receiving complaints due to "missed pick-ups and deliveries, unfriendly attitudes, and extra charges and mistakes in billing" (CTU Online, n.d., Phase 2). This is most likely the result of the employees feeling anxiety, depression, and/or overworked and spread too thin. The anxiety comes from the person fearing that they may be next to be let go and that they may have to look for another job. The employee is simply worried about the unknown and how the future will affect them, therefore throwing their usually high concentration level into a tail spin of uncertainty. The employee may also be feeling a little depressive, as a result of their best friends not
An investigation into trends in competitive balance in the NBA.
Question 2 Outline two measures that can be used to estimate competitive balance within professional team sports. Apply one of these measures to a professional team sport of your choice (in a country of your choice). Collect data (i.e. team performance information) for your chosen sport, for approximately the last 50 years. Examine and assess how competitiveness has varied over time and establish the extent (if any) to which this can be related to structural changes to the sport (such as league format changes, intervention policies etc). Question 2 (i) Competitive Balance measure 1: Ratio of Standard Deviations (RSD) where and G = no of games played, N = number of teams in the league, wp = win percentage, wpikt is the win percentage of team i, in league k, for season t. is the mean win percent and is a positive constant. For a sport such as basketball, where a team can only win or lose games, this will equal 0.5. is the standard deviation of wins in a perfectly balanced league i.e. each team is of equal strength and has an equal probability of winning. This number declines as the number of games (G) played in the league increases. is the standard deviation of wins in the actual league represents the ratio of standard deviations. This compares the performance of an actual league when compared to that of the ideal league. A perfectly balanced league would
I still haven't identified my mother. My stepmother is great, infact, she is brilliant, she has never made me feel like an outsider or a reject, always treated me as one of her own. I have never sensed loneliness. Although I would love to know who ...
Rita.... Who is she? I still haven't identified my mother. My stepmother is great, infact, she is brilliant, she has never made me feel like an outsider or a reject, always treated me as one of her own. I have never sensed loneliness. Although I would love to know who my biological mother is. What she looks like?, the colour of her hair?, what her smile looks like?, If we have the same features Why did she rejected me at birth?... * * * * * * * * * * I'm late, better get out of the house otherwise Vijay will start the silent treatment again. Since the past year, every day Vijay picks me up from the corner of the road. Surprisingly no one in my family has noticed yet. Mum knows I talk to boys, but picking me up round the corner-, she would freak! Well that's a different story. They're easy going and everything, but when it comes to boys, they don't trust me. My parents also know I'm friends with him but what they don't know is that were best friends. Today is my last day at home before I go to university. Most of my possessions have been shifted. I've done my final packing, now it just needs to be shifted from my house to my flat. That's it, after the shifting there's no coming back, well... I will come back but not for a very long time. Mum and dad had left the house early today to open the post office. They went early because there was meant to be a special
The discourse of the rural idyll masks poverty and social exclusion
The discourse of the rural idyll masks poverty and social exclusion 'There is a danger that in the future there will be literally thousands of areas in Europe with a population over the age of 60 and no services: no post offices, no banks, no shops, no bakeries, nothing ... Without specific measures to combat exclusion, to promote rural development and improve public services we risk seeing rural desertification on an unprecedented scale' (Delors, 1993). It is a popularly held perception that living in the countryside is an 'Idyll' (Newby, 1980) of friendly, close-knit individuals who are generous, healthy, affluent and happy people (Williams & White 2002) This idyll contrasts sharply to the much more hostile media representations of life in the city with its associated crime, poverty and social defragmentation (Wainer and Chesters, 2000). In the UK, representations of the 'rural idyll' are frequently portrayed in numerous media formats such as magazines and television shows like 'Country Life' and 'Escape to the Country', ensuring that the imagery of the rural idyll is allowed to dominate popular discourse (Neal, 2006). Research also found that both urban and rural dwellers both believe that the countryside environment provides a higher quality of life, particularly for children (Neal, 2006). The powerful draw of the rural idyll is further evident in national statistics
