Behavior Management of Client Contacts in a Real Estate Brokerage

A Project intended to increase client-contacting behavior on the part of 16 real-estate sales persons was described. Both contacts with prospective (initials) and with established clients (followups) were targeted for change. During a 20-week baseline, agent self-reports were used as a basis for posting weekly charts of contact behavior together with measured sales and listing performances. A conjunctive token-reinforcement procedure involving both contact behaviors was introduced during a 15 week intervention phase. For all agents as a group, a sustained increase in both behaviors was noted during this phase. Additional analyses revealed, however, that for low baseline performers, the intervention effect was only short-lived. During a subsequent three-week prewithdrawal stage, the increased behavion from the previous phase reverted nearly to baseline levels, despite the continued intervention, in response to instructions that program withdrawal was imminent. Contact behaviors further declined to below baseline levels during the following 4-week withdrawal stage when both posting and token procedures were actually discontinued. A tenninal 6 week reversal phase was marked by a nearly full recovery for all agents of asymptotic intervention levels of contact behavior under a reversed conjunctive token reinforcement schedule. Evidence indicating a correlation between changes in contact behaviors and changes in sales was presented. Also, other company benefits presumably derived from the program were described. Finally, the outcomes of this study were discussed in terms of several important validity concerns.     

A DEA-based two-stage network approach for hotel performance analysis: An internal cooperation perspective

In the digital era, cooperation has become a new way of firm operation, but only rarely have studies investigated how internal cooperative mechanisms among departments affect firm performance evaluation. Grounded on resource-based view theory, a two-stage network structure model of a hotel (i.e. operations stage and marketing stage) is presented, illustrating how a hotel consumes internal resources and obtains competitive advantages and market profits. A DEA-based bi-objective model is put forward to evaluate the hotel performance from the perspective that the two internal stages cooperate with each other. To solve the proposed model, an extended augmented weighted Tchebycheff metric and a new algorithm are used. An empirical analysis using data from 68 Taiwanese international tourist hotels in 2011 was conducted, and the results corroborated the theorems and remarks about the proposed model. This study offers a comprehensive benchmarking tool to improve hotel decision-making.     

IMPROVING THE DELIVERY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The utility of organizational behavior management (OBM) for improving the delivery of special education and related services in public school districts was investigated in three experimental studies. Each study employed a multiple baseline design to judge the efficacy of an OBM intervention on service delivery problems common to most public school organizations. The problems and OBM interventions were: (1) expanding the range of functioning of school psychologists through performance feedback; (2) training special service teams to develop valuable individual education programs (IEPs) with a behavioral, in-service training program; and (3) ensuring the implementation of a special education resource room program by means of program consultation. All interventions were implemented by public school program managers and staff. In each study, the particular intervention resulted in improvement in service delivery performance. Results of the studies are discussed within the context of the recently enacted legislation for the education of handicapped children and in terms of generality to mental health, business, and industrial settings.     

Decreasing Delivery Drivers' Departure Times

Abstract

A performance feedback and goal setting procedure was used to improve the morning departure times for delivery drivers in a social services agency that provided meals to elderly clients. Daily group feedback with changing-criterion goal setting was delivered using charts in a publicly accessible area. Upon the onset of the intervention, performance improved significantly and accordingly reversed during the first withdrawal phase. These improvements were replicated in a second feedback phase but did not reverse in a second withdrawal phase. Individuals who were relatively low performers during the baseline phase saw their performance improve to equal that of relatively high performers during the intervention phases. This demonstration project replicates and extends a well-established OBM intervention to a transitional work environment.     

Improving the Quality of Hotel Banquet Staff Performance

The banquet staff at a north Texas hotel were responsible for setting up 11 different functions for conferences and meetings. The functions were often set up late and items were often omitted. An analysis suggested that performance problems were Ihe result of weak antecedents, inefficient work procedures, inadequate training, and weak performance contingencies. A treatment package consisting of task checklists, feedback, goal setting, monetary bonuses for quality performance, training and job aids was designed to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of function setups. Performance increased from an average of 68.8% on a quality measure (accuracy plus timeliness of setups) in baseline to 99.7% during the treatment phase. Performance decreased to 82.3% during a second baseline phase in which the intervention was discontinued by hotel management. Performance increased to 99.3% with the reintroduction of the treatment package. Customer satisfaction ratings of banquet setups and service were high during the interventions. Treatment effects are discussed with respect to rule-governed behavior.     

Using Public Feedback and Competitive Rewards to Increase the Safe Driving of Pizza Deliverers

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a safe driving competition facilitated by publicly-posted individual feedback. The turn-signal use, safety-belt use, and complete intersection stopping of 82 pizza deliverers were observed at two experimental and three control stores, as well as among the civilian population. After baseline observations, pizza deliverers received posted weekly individual feedback on their turn-signal use (at Store A) or complete intersection stops (at Store B). The deliverers' safe driving scores were posted individually on a vertical scale along with their names. Each week the deliverer with the highest average performance was rewarded with a free vehicle-maintenance coupon. Turn-signal use among drivers at Store A (n= 24) increased 22 percentage points from baseline to the intervention phase which was maintained into the withdrawal phase. Complete intersection stopping among drivers at Store B (n= 21) increased 17 percentage points from baseline to the intervention phase and was maintained into the withdrawal phase. Although the winners of the weekly competitions had the greatest increase in performance, non-winners also increased their instances of safe driving during the competition.     

A Case Study in the Programming and Maintenance of Institutional Change

While behavior change projects and component analyses have been critical to the development of behavioral technology, behaviorists working in human service institutions have not focused enough attention on the "packaging" and systematic application of a technology for institutional change. In the present study, a package of organizational behavior management procedures was systematically introduced in a human service setting. The goal of intervention was to promote and maintain institutional change sufficient to support the wide scale implementation and maintenance of state-of-the-art behavioral procedures for program management and service delivery. The specific procedures utilized in the study included the following: (1) planning; (2) establishing functional organizational structure; (3) recruiting, orienting, and training management and direct service personnel; (4) contracting for staff performance; (5) scheduling, supervising, and evaluating personnel; (6) obtaining and managing financial resources; (7) evaluating program operation; (8) ensuring legal safety; and (9) disseminating results. Sixteen dependent variables, chosen to illustrate the quantity and quality of institutional change, were measured for the three years prior to, and five years following, intervention. Data from these measures indicated that intervention resulted in a positive change in virtually every aspect of program operation and that change resulting from the study was durable over time. Within the limitations imposed by case study design, these results were interpreted to suggest that institutional change is possible and that the technology required to effect such change is currently available.     

The Effects of a Combined Goal Setting,Feedback and Incentive Intervention on Job Performance in a Manufacturing Environment

Abstract

Baked anodes are used in finished aluminum production. Employees of a large multinational aluminum smelter were responsible for the production of more than 3500 baked anodes per week. During a 74 week long baseline (A) condition, production of unusable anodes exceeded 300 per week or 8.6 percent of their nominal 3500 anode production requirement. A problem analysis suggested that this high rate of defective anodes might have been due to weak antecedents, inefficient work procedures and weak performance contingencies. An intervention package that included a combination of goal setting, performance feedback, and tangible rewards was designed to strengthen antecedents and consequences of job performance. A performance feedback system was introduced with and remained constant across the three types of performance contingent rewards and three successively higher goal levels. The three reward and goal combinations were introduced to “strengthen” antecedents and performance contingencies within an A-B1-B2-B3-A with reversal to baseline conditions design. Anode reject rates were lower (better performance) during the three intervention phases compared to both the pre- and post-intervention baseline phase data. A dramatic performance improvement (lowered rate of rejects) was observed during the B3 phase that included the highest performance goal. These data demonstrate that a treatment combination of specific goal setting, feedback and tangible rewards can “strengthen” antecedents and performance contingencies resulting in improved objective performance in a manufacturing environment.     

Effects of Grouped and Individual Feedback and Feinforcement on Retail Employee Performances

Using a modified withdrawal design, the effeciveness of grouped feedback, individual feedback, and reinforcement plus individual feedback were assessed on cashier precision, punctuality, and money check-out proficiency of 15 part-time employees in a retail drugstore. Publicly posted performance charts were used during all conditions to inform employees of their grouped or individual daily discrepancies between cash register cumulative totals and the actual amount accounted for, the tardiness figures, and the manner in which all daily money was checked into the safe. The final intervention also included contingent reinforcement in the form of movie tickets, soft drinks, and candy bars for performances at or above criterion levels. The use of individual feedback alone and reinforcement with individual feedback increased efficiency substantially in all three areas; whereas, grouped feedback alone did not effectively increase efficiency.     

Managing international business operations in a changing institutional context: The case of the St. Petersburg hotel industry

This article advances the institutional view of business strategy by analyzing the post-socialist institutional transition in Russia and its implications for business strategies in the St. Petersburg hotel industry. The development of the institutional context is divided into three periods: socialist, early transition and late transition. The strategies of foreign hotel enterprises characteristic of each period are investigated with respect to entry/ownership mode, product, supply and human resource management strategies, and sales and marketing. The study is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with hotel managers, and a variety of local archival sources.The analysis shows how tightly companies are integrated with the formal and informal macro- and industry-level institutional context of Russia. In the case of the hotel industry, the impact of the change in the institutional context from a centrally planned to a market economy centers on the connections of the hotel enterprise with public and private sector actors. Here, empirical analysis shows that first, the degree of integration varied between the three time periods examined, second, many relevant institutional effects are observed at industry level, and third, foreign and local enterprises differ especially during the period of rapid institutional change.     

Analysis of Local Decision Rules in a Dual-Kanban Flow Shop

A recent article reported the results of a study on the effects of two kanban policy variables—the length of withdrawal cycle and the type of priority rule—on average customer wait time and total inventory. This study extends that work by adding two kanban policy variables and two performance criteria. It reports the results of simulation experiments that were conducted to determine how four policy variables—withdrawal cycle, priority rule, status of waiting withdrawal kanbans, and number of kanbans influence four performance criteria—average customer wait-time, total inventory, and average number of full containers in the input and output stock points of stations. It was found that the information about waiting withdrawal kanbans in sequencing decisions results in the simultaneous improvement in two conflicting objectives—customer wait time and total inventory. Also, the effects of including the information regarding the status of waiting withdrawal kanbans on system performance are larger than the effects associated with the type of priority rule. The results provide insights into determining the level of each policy variable while fully considering the possible interactions among the variables and the levels of other policy variables to improve system performance. These insights allow for setting the levels of policy variables to make the improvement process smooth.     

Effects of Process and Human Performance Improvement Strategies

Abstract

Organizational performance is a function of many variables, two of which are work process factors and human performance factors. Our study compared the effects of changing a work process versus human performance improvement techniques and the combined effects of combing both techniques. A 2 (manual vs. electronic process) X 2 (with vs. without behavioral intervention) between-subjects design with stratified random assignment was employed. Forty-eight participants performed a word processing task where their minutes-in-possession and error rate were recorded. Results revealed a main effect for process type and a main effect for behavioral intervention. The largest effects were observed with the context of a combined intervention. The implications of using a combined approach and topics for future researchers are discussed.     

酒店收益管理的研究进展与前景

对酒店收益管理的内涵进行了讨论,从六个方面介绍了酒店收益管理的应用特征,归纳 分析了酒店收益管理的常用研究方法. 基于酒店收益管理(包括需求预测、超量预订、客房分配 和定价等) 研究进展的介绍与分析,指出了酒店收益管理的研究发展方向.     

论饭店资源需求战略的系统定位模式

饭店是由各种饭店资源所组合而成的竞争实体,饭店资源的需求战略是饭店对自身所需资源的一种系统规划,它决定了饭店的动态竞争能力。它应该以饭店的生命周期、市场需求和资源柔性作为其基本的决策维度,这同时也是饭店资源需求战略系统定位模式的建构基础。     

酒店网上预订价格离差实证研究——以北京、上海和广州三地为例

本文跟踪收集了2005年6月9日到2006年7月31日中国北京、上海和广州三地11个网站、23家不同星级酒店网上预订的相关数据,分别从房型、酒店星级、地域和时间四个维度进行了分析.结果表明:房型、酒店星级、地域和时间对网上酒店预订价格离差具有显著的影响,其中酒店星级的影响最大,而且房型、酒店星级和地域三个因素其影响并不随时间发生变化;北京、上海和广州三地在网上酒店预订价格离差上存在差异,上海的网上酒店预订价格离差最大,而北京与广州的差别不显著.     

A Comparative Revenue Analysis of Hotel Yield Management Heuristics

Yield management is the dynamic pricing, overbooking, and allocation of perishable assets across market segments in an effort to maximize short-term revenues for the firm. Numerous optimization heuristics for allocation and overbooking exist for the airline industry, whose perishable asset is the airplane seat. When an airplane departs, no revenue is gained from the empty seat(s). In the hotel industry, the perishable asset is the hotel room-once a room is left empty for a night, that night's revenue cannot be recaptured. The literature on yield management heuristics for the hotel industry is sparse. For the hotel operating environment, no research has adequately (1) integrated overbooking with allocation, (2) modeled the phenomenon of hotel patrons extending or contracting their stay at a moment's notice, or (3) performed a realistic performance comparison of alternative heuristics. This research develops (1) two hotel-specific algorithms that both integrate overbooking with the allocation decisions, (2) a simulation model to reproduce realistic hotel operating environments, and (3) compares the performance of five heuristics under 36 realistic hotel operating environments. Seven conclusions are reached with regard to which heuristic(s) perform best in specific operating environments. Generally, heuristic selection is very much dependent on the hotel operating environment. A counterintuitive result is that in many operating environments, the simpler heuristics work as well as the more complex ones.     

The Effects of Task Clarification and Group Graphic Feedback on Early Punch-In Times

Task clarification in the form of workplace policy guidelines coupled with weekly graphic feedback of group punch-in times on the staff clock were presented to waitstaff, cooks, cash register clerks, dishwashers, buffet attendants, and hourly assistant managers in a restaurant sub-franchise. Clocking in early dropped from 130 min during baseline to 62 min per week during intervention. A 1-week return to baseline resulted in 189 min of clocking in early by restaurant personnel. The use of task clarification and group feedback reduced company expenses without reductions in job satisfaction or increased stress.     

Innovation behavior in the hotel industry

We develop and test a model of innovation behavior in the hotel industry. The model relates four types of innovation—i.e., management, external communication, service scope and back-office—to the key determinants: service provider characteristics, customer competences and the market drivers. Using statistical probit models and cross-sectional survey data from a stratified sample of hotels in the Balearic Islands (N=331) we were able to verify the model including innovation types determinants and the innovation impact on hotels performance. Main findings verify the model indicating the effects of these determinants on innovation and the positive impact of the innovation on the hotels performance. Hence, innovation decisions determinants are: the additional services on offer, that bookings are made through tour operators, that hotels are part of a hotel chain and that the owners of the hotel run the business.     

Using Task Clarification and Feedback Training to Improve Staff Performance in an East African Nongovernmental Organization

The present study used a multiple-baseline design to illustrate the effectiveness of an intervention package consisting of a multipurpose job aid and feedback training in improving the performance of supervisors and animal trainers in a nongovernmental organization headquartered in East Africa. Prior to the intervention, the performance of three supervisors and three animal trainers was suboptimal. Performance improved when supervisors were taught to use the job aid and provide feedback, and reached a high and consistent level during a subsequent phase, in which supervisors used the job aid independently. Limited maintenance and generalization data suggest that the intervention package produced lasting and generalized effects, and social validity data suggest that supervisors viewed the intervention as acceptable. These findings appear to be the first experimentally controlled demonstration of the potential value of organizational behavior management in improving performance in nongovernmental organizations working in resource-poor areas.     

Behavior Skills Training with Voice-Over Video Modeling

The present study used behavior skills training (BST) to teach three adult participants to implement a video modeling intervention aimed at teaching social skills to adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). During baseline trials, participants were given access to written instructions before role-play with two actors (who simulated a quiet conversation) and one confederate (who played the role of an adult with ASD). During treatment, participants were given a video model with voice-over instruction depicting how to implement the video modeling intervention to teach social skills, repeated roleplay trials, and feedback following their performance. All participant scores (percentage of steps correctly implemented in each session) increased from baseline to treatment, and generalization was demonstrated with an actual consumer diagnosed with ASD. Additionally, after training participants to use a video model to teach one social skill, there was generalization to teaching as many as three additional novel social skills. Participants showed maintenance of skills during a treatment study that involved training adult clients with ASD to engage in the social skills.