战略实施与企业绩效:项目管理机制的中介效应

项目管理理论认为,战略可以通过项目管理机制得以实施,但多数文献对项目管理机制在业务战略和企业绩效之间的作用机理缺乏系统的研究.本研究把"项目管理办公室"、"项目群管理"、"阶段门审查"等项目管理机制作为中介变量.引入到业务战略对企业绩效的影响过程中.研究发现,三种项目管理机制都对低成本战略一企业绩效有显著的中介效应,项目管理办公室对差异化战略一企业绩效有显著的中介效应,从而证实了项目管理机制在不同程度上可以作为战略实施的有效方式.     

Monetary Discounting of Delayed Consequences Predict Employment Nudity: Exotic Dancers Versus Waitresses

The present study examined temporal monetary discounting rates among exotic dancers, waitresses who are required to wear revealing uniforms, and waitresses at a local restaurant where revealing clothes are not part of work attire. Current findings indicate that exotic dancers and waitresses who are required to wear revealing clothing discounted significantly more than waitresses at restaurants where provocative dress is not required. These results suggest that the type of job held may predict impulsivity, with nude or risqué occupations indicating steeper patterns of overall discounting.     

An Efficient Algorithm for Delay Buffer Minimization

A data flow machine is said to be synchronized if for any vertex u in the underlying data flow graph, all inputs to vertex u arrive at the same time. An unsynchronized data flow machine with an acyclic underlying data flow graph can be transformed into a synchronized system by adding unit delay buffers to the system. This synchronization process can increase pipelining and throughout. Since the addition of delay buffers introduces hardware and area costs, it is desirable to insert the minimum number of delay buffers to synchronize a given data flow machine. Due to important applications in computer design, various delay buffer minimization problems have been studied by many researchers. Several optimal algorithms and heuristic algorithms have been proposed for slightly different models. In this paper, we introduce the concept of extensions of a directed acyclic graph to generalize and formalize several delay buffer minimization problems studied in the literature and present a polynomial time algorithm for computing the minimum delay buffer synchronization of a given data flow machine. Examples are provided to illustrate our algorithm and to show that our algorithm requires fewer delay buffers than previously published optimal algorithms for various models.     

Information Systems Project Continuation in Escalation Situations: A Real Options Model

Software project escalation has been shown to be a widespread phenomenon. With few exceptions, prior research has portrayed escalation as an irrational decision‐making process whereby additional resources are plowed into a failing project. In this article, we examine the possibility that in some cases managers escalate their commitment not because they are acting irrationally, but rather as a rational response to real options that may be embedded in a project. A project embeds real options when managers have the opportunity but not the obligation to adjust the future direction of the project in response to external or internal events. Examples include deferring the project, switching the project to serve a different purpose, changing the scale of the project, implementing it in incremental stages, abandoning the project, or using the project as a platform for future growth opportunities. Although real options can represent a substantial portion of a project's value, they rarely enter into a project's formal justification process in the traditional quantitative discounted cash‐flow‐based project valuation techniques. Using experimental data collected from managers in 123 firms, we demonstrate that managers recognize and value the presence of real options. We also assess the relative importance that managers ascribe to each type of real option, showing that growth options are more highly valued than operational options. Finally, we demonstrate that the influence of the options on project continuation decisions is largely mediated by the perceived value that they add. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.     

Mapping Our Way: New Formations in Technical Services: Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians Annual Conference

Abstract

The annual meeting of the Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) was held May 16–18, 2007, at the Holiday Inn-University Plaza in Bowling Green, Kentucky. One hundred twenty technical services librarians from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and points beyond gathered for programming centered around the theme of “Mapping Our Way: New Formations in Technical Services.”     

非线性中立型系统的稳定性

本文提出一种新的不等式分析技巧以研究非线性中立型系统在 C空间中的大范围指数稳定性,解决了中立型系统在其系数为非常数化下的指数稳定性问题,建立了非线性中立型系统的一些简洁、实用的稳定性代数充分准则.本文提出的方法,一方面解决了时滞系统在系数是随时间变化,且可以无界情形下的指数稳定性问题;另一方面,对半线性的中立型系统,改进了文献[4,9～12]中的相应结果.     

Education DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A TOOL FOR ASSIGNING STUDENTS TO GROUPS FOR CLASS PROJECTS*

Group project work is an integral part of many university courses. Assigning students to project groups can be difficult because of the students' diverse backgrounds. Many instructors therefore decide not to assign group projects. This paper develops and validates an instrument that assigns both experienced and inexperienced students to different project groups, thereby creating a balanced, fair environment. The instrument is checked for reliability and validity and then is used to assign students to different project groups. Based on group performance, the end-of-the-semester results also are provided. Path analysis is used to test a causal model. Conclusions and implications for future research are presented.     

三峡水库重庆库区移土培肥的效益分析——以云阳县为例

应用前后对比分析法,对三蛱水库重庆库区云阳县移土培肥一期与二期工程进行效益分析;得出移土培肥工程将给三峡库区带来巨大的生态效益、经济效益和社会效益的结论;说明该工程不仅能带动库区经济发展,并对其社会及生态环境产生深远影响.     

Estimating the Effects of a Time‐Limited Earnings Subsidy for Welfare‐Leavers

In the Self Sufficiency Project (SSP) welfare demonstration, members of a randomly assigned treatment group could receive a subsidy for full‐time work. The subsidy was available for 3 years, but only to people who began working full time within 12 months of random assignment. A simple optimizing model suggests that the eligibility rules created an “establishment” incentive to find a job and leave welfare within a year of random assignment, and an “entitlement” incentive to choose work over welfare once eligibility was established. Building on this insight, we develop an econometric model of welfare participation that allows us to separate the two effects and estimate the impact of the earnings subsidy on welfare entry and exit rates among those who achieved eligibility. The combination of the two incentives explains the time profile of the experimental impacts, which peaked 15 months after random assignment and faded relatively quickly. Our findings suggest that about half of the peak impact of SSP was attributable to the establishment incentive. Despite the extra work effort generated by SSP, the program had no lasting impact on wages and little or no long‐run effect on welfare participation.     

A Comparison of Due Date Setting,Resource Assignment,and Job Preemption Heuristics for the Multiproject Scheduling Problem*

This research examines a heuristic, rule-based approach for setting due dates in a multiproject, multijob, or assembly shop. Due date estimation is a challenging problem because the operating environment is capacitated, involves the allocation of multiple resources, and allows for the preemption of resources from one project or job to another. The dynamic, continuous arrival of new jobs or orders frequently results in the preemption of resources through the application of managerially determined priority policies. These preemption policies have a significant impact on the ultimate completion time of a job or a project. A three-factor, full-factorial computer simulation experiment is used to assess the relative effectiveness of combinations of four due date setting heuristics, five resource assignment heuristics, and three resource preemption heuristics. Recommendations are made for the selection of due date and resource assignment heuristic combinations under the three preemption policies examined.