Defining complementary tools to the IVI. The Infrastructure Degradation Index (IDI) and the Infrastructure Histogram (HI)

ABSTRACT

The Infrastructure Value Index (IVI) is quickly becoming a standard as a valuable tool to quickly assess the state of urban water infrastructure. However, its simple nature (as a single metric) can mask some valuable information and lead to erroneous conclusions. This paper introduces two complementary tools to IVI: The Infrastructure Degradation Index (IDI) and the Infrastructure Histogram (H_I). The IDI is focused on time (compared to the IVI, focused on value), represents an intuitive concept and behaves in a linear way. The joint analysis of IVI and IDI provides results in a more complete understanding of the state of the assets, while maintaining the simplicity of the tools. The Infrastructure Histogram allows for a full evaluation of the infrastructure state and provides a detailed picture of network age compared to its expected life, as well as an order of magnitude of the required investments in the following years.     

Using self-organizing maps to model turnover of sales agents in a call center

This paper proposes an approach for modeling employee turnover in a call center using the versatility of supervised self-organizing maps. Two main distinct problems exist for the modeling employee turnover: first, to predict the employee turnover at a given point in the sales agent's trial period, and second to analyze the turnover behavior under different performance scenarios by using psychometric information about the sales agents. Identifying subjects susceptible to not performing well early on, or identifying personality traits in an individual that does not fit with the work style is essential to the call center industry, particularly when this industry suffers from high employee turnover rates. Self-organizing maps can model non-linear relations between different attributes and ultimately find conditions between an individual's performance and personality attributes that make him more predisposed to not remain long in an organization. Unlike other models that only consider performance attributes, this work successfully uses psychometric information that describes a sales agent's personality, which enables a better performance in predicting turnover and analyzing potential personality profiles that can identify agents with better prospects of a successful career in a call center. The application of our model is illustrated and real data are analyzed from an outbound call center.     

Analysis of Livelihood Asset Pentagon to Assess the Performance of Irrigation Systems

Abstract

There has been a growing consciousness for the need for a framework that is holistic and comprehensive in the assessment of irrigation system performance. This paper presents the results of statistical tests conducted on the analytical framework developed in Part 1 of the paper to examine whether or not it addresses the important issues of system performance. Information collected from two farmer-managed irrigation systems of Nepal was used to test the validity of the framework. The empirical evidence shows that the framework is valid in identifying and fitting conventionally-overlooked livelihood assets and that it demonstrates differences in farm households' access to these assets resulting in varying performance of irrigation systems.     

用全身计数器测定~(99m)Tc-MDP全身滞留量诊断儿童和成年人代谢性骨病

~(99m)Tc-MDP是一种优良的骨扫描剂,具有骨的摄取量高、亲骨作用强、骨摄取完全等优点。用全身计数器测定24小时 ~(99m)Tc-MDP全身滞留量(WBR)诊断代谢性骨病,这种方法与传统方法比较,有着灵敏度高、重复性好、无创伤、快速和简便等优点。它能够反映出代谢平衡失常患者在骨骼代谢上的主要变化。在临床应用中受到重视。国外只限于成年人的研究。本文报道了对患有代谢性骨病的儿童和成年人体内24小时 ~(99m)Tc-MDP全身滞留量的研究结果。     

Testing the effort-reward imbalance model among Finnish managers: The role of perceived organizational support.

The present study is aimed at examining the combined effects of effort-reward imbalance (ERI), overcommitment (OVC), and perceived organizational support (POS) on turnover intentions and work engagement, among Finnish managers (n = 1,301). Consequently, the study contributes to the research literature by examining how the ERI-outcomes relationship was dependent simultaneously on OVC and POS. The results showed that ERI × OVC × POS interaction was significant only for turnover intentions. The ERI-turnover intentions relationship was strongest under conditions of high OVC and low POS. In addition, the relationship between ERI and decreased work engagement, especially dedication, was strengthened among overcommitted managers, compared to their less committed counterparts. Altogether, the results indicate that interventions aimed at reducing turnover intentions and increasing work engagement by increasing ERI should consider OVC and POS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of professional isolation on teleworker job performance and turnover intentions: Does time spent teleworking, interacting face-to-face, or having access to communication-enhancing technology matter?

Although the teleworking literature continues to raise concerns regarding the adverse consequences of professional isolation, researchers have not examined its impact on work outcomes. Consequently, the authors first examine professional isolation's direct impact on job performance and turnover intentions among teleworkers and then investigate the contingent role of 3 salient work-mode-related factors. Survey data from a matched sample of 261 professional-level teleworkers and their managers revealed that professional isolation negatively impacts job performance and, contrary to expectations, reduces turnover intentions. Moreover, professional isolation's impact on these work outcomes is increased by the amount of time spent teleworking, whereas more face-to-face interactions and access to communication-enhancing technology tend to decrease its impact. On the basis of these findings, an agenda for future research on professional isolation is offered that takes into account telework's growing popularity as a work modality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Water industry asset management: a proposed service-performance model for investment

The water industry in England and Wales has developed over the last century, from small organisations serving local communities to large integrated companies in private ownership, overseen by a government regulator. Asset management practice has developed greatly in the 17 years since privatisation, with companies able to plan their operations and investment as they believe appropriate for the provision of customer services, subject to justifying their plans to the economic, quality and environmental regulators. Investment has flowed into the industry to replace deteriorated assets and to improve the quality of drinking water and rivers. The asset base is complex and, with a replacement value of approximately £231 billion at the 2002–2003 price base index suitable approaches are required to ensure that both the water service and the sewerage service are delivered at the most appropriate long‐term cost. The 2004 UK water industry price review was supported by the introduction of a Capital Maintenance Planning Common Framework to help companies understand and explain their maintenance investment requirement. In this paper, a service‐performance model is proposed to improve managers' understanding of the way in which businesses and the environment change over time, taking account of maintenance and other strategic requirements. Although developed with the water industry in mind, the model is equally applicable to other asset‐intensive industries.     

Asset Price Anomalies under Bounded Rationality

We analyze the classical asset pricing model assuming non fully rationalagents.Agents forecast future prices cum dividend through an adaptive learning rule.This assumption provides an explanation of some anomalies encounteredin the empirical analysis of asset prices under full rationality:returns are serially correlated(positively over a short horizon and negatively over a longer horizon)and the dividend yield predicts future returns (positive correlation).Considering the continuous time limit process,the same regularities are established analytically for price increments.     

人力资产产权特性与企业制度变迁

市场里的企业是人力资产与非人力资产的一个特别契约。具体分析了该资产具有不可分性、专用性和难以计量性等特征。随着经济的不断发展 ,人力资产的不可分性则呈逐渐弱化的趋势 ,资产专用性与难以计量性却不断加强。这些变化可以部分解答企业由古典的“资本雇佣劳动”制度向“经理革命”及现代企业制度变迁的内在原因