The validity of the occupational stress indicator

This paper investigates the validity of four subscales of the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI). Data derived from a sample of British managers are used to generate a multitrait-multimethod matrix. The results obtained suggest that three of the four OSI sales (job satisfaction, mental health, type A behaviour) show acceptable validity. The fourth scale (locus of control) needs further development. Further analysis, using multiple regression procedures, was conducted to explore the validity of the theoretical ideas underlying the OSI. The results reveal that both sources of pressure at work and type A behaviour are linked to mental health and job satisfaction.     

Hospital resident scheduling problem

This paper addresses the resident scheduling problem (RSP) at hospitals concerned with prescribing work-nights for residents while considering departmental staffing and skill requirements as well as residents' preferences. Three scenarios that represent most situations and account for various departmental requirements and needs are described. Although similar scheduling problems are considered in the literature, no analysis exists that adequately deals with the speciffic nature of this problem. The problem is modeled as a mixed-integer program and heuristic solution procedures are developed for the different identified scheduling scenarios. These procedures exploit the inherent network structure of the problem which is an important feature that enhances problem solvability. For the sake of comparison, the problem is also solved exactly via the CPLEX-MIP (version 6.0) package. The contribution of this work is important since many hospitals are still utilizing manual techniques in preparing their own schedules, expending considerable effort and time and yet contending with limited scheduling flexibility.     

An Experimental Analysis of Capacity-Sensitive Setup Parameters for MRP Lot Sizing

Most material requirements planning (MRP) systems apply standard costing (absorption costing) approaches to define setup costs that are used as fixed (time invariant) setup parameters in single-level lot-sizing methods. This paper presents a computationally simple approach for estimating more appropriate setup parameters based on estimates of work-center shadow prices. These setup parameters then are used in traditional single-level MRP lot-sizing procedures. The shadow price of capacity at each work center is calculated as the increase in the overall inventory carrying cost for each additional hour of capacity lost to setups. The opportunity cost of a setup for an order subsequently is determined based on the routing information for each order and is used by traditional MRP lot-sizing procedures to calculate lot sizes. A simulation experiment compares the performance period order quantity lot sizing with capacity-sensitive setup parameters with the fixed accounting-based setup parameters. The simulation replicates the planning and control functions of a typical MRP system. The results of the experiment show that capacity-sensitive setup parameters can make significant reductions in both carrying cost and lateness and can achieve many of the benefits of optimized production technology in the context of an MRP system.     

REPETITIVE LOTS: FLOW-TIME REDUCTIONS THROUGH SEQUENCING AND DYNAMIC BATCH SIZING

This paper presents a new integrative concept for job sequencing, dispatching, and lot sizing. The interrelation between these procedures and their impact on flow-time performance is examined in a capacitated production environment. Generally, lot-sizing decisions are made without regard to shop conditions and do not consider their impact on job sequencing procedures. The repetitive lots (RL) concept (developed and tested in this paper) attempts to integrate these decision processes. RL uses a number of features which have not been considered jointly in either the lot-sizing or job-dispatching/sequencing literature. These include operation batch sizes which vary by operation, transfer of work within the shop in quantities less than operation batch size, and the use of overlapped operations. A simulation model is used to analyze flow-time characteristics in a hypothetical production system. Traditional measures of flow-time performance are compared to a set of nontraditional measures which capture the interaction between lot sizing and the sequencing procedure used.     

The Integration of Cost and Capacity Considerations in Material Requirements Planning Systems

Within the sequential framework of material requirements planning (MRP), a master production schedule (MPS) of end-item production is prepared and a bill-of-material processor is used to convert the MPS into a plan for needed subassemblies, parts, and materials. This study examines the impact of different procedures for considering inventory-related costs and capacity limitations in the two phases of planning: master production scheduling and bill-of-material (BOM) processing. A total of nine procedures are considered for integrating the two phases of planning. The results indicate that the integrated procedures have a significant effect on the trade-offs among inventory-related costs, work load variations, over/under time costs, and excess work loads. Further, the results suggest that the method used to develop the MPS has the primary influence on these trade-offs, but the method used by the BOM processor can sometimes have a moderating effect.     

Tour Scheduling and Task Assignment of a Heterogeneous Work Force: A Heuristic Approach

The dual problem of work tour scheduling and task assignment involving workers who differ in their times of availability and task qualifications is examined in this paper. The problem is presented in the context of a fast food restaurant, but applies equally well to a diverse set of service operations. Developing a week-long labor schedule is a nontrivial problem, in terms of complexity and importance, which a manager spends as much as a full workday solving. The primary scheduling objective (the manager's concern) is the minimization of overstaffing in the face of significant hourly and daily fluctuations in minimum staffing requirements. The secondary objective (the workers’ concern) is the minimization of the sum of the squared differences between the number of work hours scheduled and the number targeted for each employee. Contributing to scheduling complexity are constraints on the structure of work tours, including minimum and maximum shift lengths and a maximum number of workdays. A goal programming formulation of a representative problem is shown to be too large, for all practical purposes, to be solved optimally. Existing heuristic procedures related to this research possess inherent limitations which render them inadequate for our purposes. Subsequently, we propose and demonstrate a computerized heuristic procedure capable of producing a labor schedule requiring at most minor refinement by a manager.     

Consistent Moment Selection Procedures for Generalized Method of Moments Estimation

This paper considers a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation problem in which one has a vector of moment conditions, some of which are correct and some incorrect. The paper introduces several procedures for consistently selecting the correct moment conditions. The procedures also can consistently determine whether there is a sufficient number of correct moment conditions to identify the unknown parameters of interest. The paper specifies moment selection criteria that are GMM analogues of the widely used BIC and AIC model selection criteria. (The latter is not consistent.) The paper also considers downward and upward testing procedures. All of the moment selection procedures discussed in this paper are based on the minimized values of the GMM criterion function for different vectors of moment conditions. The procedures are applicable in time-series and cross-sectional contexts. Application of the results of the paper to instrumental variables estimation problems yields consistent procedures for selecting instrumental variables.     

NERJIT: Using Net Requirement Data in Kanban‐Controlled Jumbled‐Flow Shops

The bold lines that have separated the application of specific production planning and control techniques to specific production systems are being blurred by continuous advances in production technologies and innovative operational procedures. Oral communication among dispatchers and production units has given way to electronic communication between production planners and these units by continuous progress in information technologies. Current production literature alludes to the idea that, collectively, these advances have paved the way for application of Just‐In‐Time (JIT) production concepts, which were originally developed for mass production systems, in intermittent production systems. But this literature does not actually consider the possibility. This article presents a modification to JIT procedures to make them more suitable for jumbled‐flow shops. This article suggests providing real‐time information about net‐requirements for each product to each work center operator for setting production priorities at each work center. Simulation experiments conducted for this study show that using Net‐Requirements in JIT (NERJIT) reduces customer wait time by 45–60% while reducing inventory slightly. The analysis of work centers’ input and output stock‐point inventories shows that using the information about net‐requirements results in production of items that are in current demand. NERJIT results in smaller input stock‐point inventory and availability of products with higher priority in the output stock‐points of work centers.     

Assembly Line Balancing with Resource Dependent Task Times*

Paced assembly lines are widely used in repetitive manufacturing applications. Most previous research on the design of paced lines has assumed that each task along the line can be performed by only one worker (or a fixed number of workers). In many cases, however, task duration times may be reduced by increasing the number of workers or changing the equipment assigned to work stations. Thus, the problem becomes one of assigning resource alternatives (e.g., workers and/or equipment) and tasks to work stations to minimize total cost for a desired production rate. For this problem, we present three procedures. The first formulates the problem as a shortest path problem and guarantees optimality. The second and third are heuristic adaptations of the shortest path procedure that are capable of solving large problems. The procedures are compared in terms of solution quality and computation time on a set of 128 randomly generated problems for which optimal solutions could be found. Our simulation results indicate that the choice of procedure depends on problem complexity and resource costs.     

The Critical Few Minutes in Scheduling Time‐Varying Queuing Systems

For nonstationary queuing systems where demand varies over time, an important practical issue is scheduling the number of servers to be available at various times of the day. Widely used scheduling procedures typically involve adding servers at natural time points (e.g., on the hour or at half past the hour) during peak demand periods. Scheduling is often complicated by restrictions on the minimum amount of time (human) servers must work, the earliest (or latest) time a server is available, and limits on the maximum number of servers that can be used at any one time. This paper was motivated by experience with actual queuing systems that embodied such complications. For these systems common scheduling methods that used “natural” starting times for servers resulted in needlessly long customer waits. This research demonstrates that changing the starting times of servers by only a few minutes can have dramatic impacts on customer waiting times for extended periods. In addition, the results highlight the importance of server punctuality.     

Policy planning and central-local relations

This paper is based on research carried out at the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham. Policy Planning Systems are ways of dealing with the division of functions between central and local government and they provide a structure for the flow of information by means of specified procedures and processes. As this tends to create an increased flow of work, this area of planning is threatened by central and local government cut-backs in expenditures and manpower, and may well only survive by a positive demostration of its usefulness.     

The importance of employee participation and perceptions of changes in procedures in a teamworking intervention

The powerful positive results of implementing teamwork are not always achieved. It has been suggested that attempts to implement theories regarding teamwork do not always lead to those theories being put into practice, and as a result positive outcomes are not always found. The participation of employees in the development and implementation of an intervention may help to ensure that changes take place. In this longitudinal study (N = 583) of teamwork implementation in Denmark we examined the links between pre-intervention working conditions and well-being, levels of participation in planning and implementation, employees' reports of changes in procedures, and intervention outcomes. Pre-intervention levels of autonomy and job satisfaction predicted the degree of employee participation in the planning and implementation of the intervention. Pre-intervention well-being and social support were linked directly to the degree to which employees reported changes in existing work practices concerning teamwork. In addition, participation and changes in work procedures were significantly associated with post-intervention autonomy, social support and well-being. The results indicate that employee participation in intervention processes is crucial in what appears to be an important association with perceived changes in procedures and, therefore, in intervention outcomes.     

Least Absolute Value Regression: Necessary Sample Sizes to Use Normal Theory Inference Procedures*

Recently developed large sample inference procedures for least absolute value (LAV) regression are examined via Monte Carlo simulation to determine when sample sizes are large enough for the procedures to work effectively. A variety of different experimental settings were created by varying the disturbance distribution, the number of explanatory variables and the way the explanatory variables were generated. Necessary sample sizes range from as small as 20 when disturbances are normal to as large as 200 in extreme outlier-producing distributions.     

A Stochastic,Psychometric Valuation Model for Personnel Selection Systems*

This paper describes a method for the valuation of personnel selection systems that is based on contributions from accounting, utility theory, psychometric techniques, Markov processes, labor economics, and present-value analysis. The model developed here can be used by managers to assess the usefulness of proposed selection procedures. It extends previous work in the area by including both the stochastic nature of the employment process and the time value of the associated costs and benefits.     

Solving Resource Allocation Problems When Earning Effects Are Present

Learning effects play an important role in certain resource allocation problems, and several authors have proposed models for these problems that capture the relevant relationships. However, the models may be difficult to implement or have shortcomings in the prescribed solution procedures. In this paper, we selectively review the work to date and present a simple reformulation that facilitates solution by off-the-shelf software.     

Applications and Implementation A SIMULATION STUDY OF THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATIVE ANALYTICAL REVIEW PROCEDURES*

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of various analytical review (AR) procedures in detecting material errors in account balances. The study tested nine nonstatistical AR procedures based on common heuristic and ratio analyses and four AR procedures based on regression analysis. Simulated account balances were seeded with various magnitudes of errors and each AR procedure was used to detect the errors. It was found that the regression approaches tended to have fewer Type I and Type II errors than other AR procedures.     

Getting Buy-In at the Executive Level

This paper provides three different perspectives on Organizational Behavior Management: the consumer, the salesperson and the program implementor. The consumer view emphasizes the need for technology to develop human resources and an organizational culture in which they can work effectively. The sales approach describes packaging, marketing and direct sales as critical components in an effective program. Finally, the implementation perspective emphasizes customer involvement in program design and implementation and methods of obtaining full support from the customer once the procedures are initiated.     

Bootstrap Determination of the Co‐Integration Rank in Vector Autoregressive Models

This paper discusses a consistent bootstrap implementation of the likelihood ratio (LR) co‐integration rank test and associated sequential rank determination procedure of Johansen (1996). The bootstrap samples are constructed using the restricted parameter estimates of the underlying vector autoregressive (VAR) model that obtain under the reduced rank null hypothesis. A full asymptotic theory is provided that shows that, unlike the bootstrap procedure in Swensen (2006) where a combination of unrestricted and restricted estimates from the VAR model is used, the resulting bootstrap data are I(1) and satisfy the null co‐integration rank, regardless of the true rank. This ensures that the bootstrap LR test is asymptotically correctly sized and that the probability that the bootstrap sequential procedure selects a rank smaller than the true rank converges to zero. Monte Carlo evidence suggests that our bootstrap procedures work very well in practice.     

The Equality Effects of the ‘Hyper‐formalization’ of Selection

This paper explores how formalization of employee selection procedures for the purpose of ensuring equality of opportunity can become so extensive that the intended outcome of fairness is undermined. Drawing on empirical evidence from a large media organization, the analysis reveals the detrimental impact of formalization in relation to the recruitment of ethnic minority staff. While the existing literature describes how, during recruitment of employees, the circumvention of formal equality procedures can occur through managerial neglect and manipulation, the analysis in this paper shows that, paradoxically, circumvention can also occur through compliance with procedures. This new category takes three forms (robotic, defensive and malicious) and appears under conditions of excessive formalization – the term hyper‐formalization is coined to describe this. The paper develops new concepts that add to understanding of the limitations of equality and diversity procedures, and brings fresh challenges to some of the liberal assumptions about the efficacy and desirability of formalization for achieving fairness.     

Improving employees' work centrality improves organizational performance: work events and work centrality relationships

High work centrality is related to positive performance and behaviour of employees. This unique paper discusses a longitudinal study, comparing change in work centrality among individuals who experienced meaningful work events to individuals who did not experience these events, over the course of twelve years. The findings indicate that not experiencing expressive work events (which leads to an improvement in autonomy, interest, variety, and responsibility) reduces work centrality, whereas work events such as promotion, advancement (including to a managerial position) and qualifications, are effected by high work centrality. Work events, such as improvement in pay, working conditions, and interpersonal relations at work, had no effect on those who experienced them and those who did not. The theoretical and practical implications for Human Resources Development (HRD) are discussed.