Search results for "performance [monitoring]"

On the dynamics of eco-efficiency performance in the European Union

2016

This paper evaluates the evolution of environmental performance in the context of the European Union (EU), over the period 1993–2010. The context is particularly relevant, due to the traditionally high concerns of the EU about these issues, which has triggered off several initiatives and regulations on environmental protection. In this setting, we conduct a two-stage analysis which develops environmental performance indicators in the first stage for each pair country-year, and evaluates its evolution in the second. More specifically, in the first stage we estimate specific efficiencies for three air-pollutants (CO2e, SO2, NOx), along with an eco-efficiency indicator, for which we use the sl…

Test-Bed Evaluation of CA and CF via a Software Defined Radio

2019

In Chaps. 3 and 4, we presented the analytical models and simulation approaches to study the impact of CA and CF on traffic flows in the single-flow single-user and the single-flow multi-user systems. In this chapter, we investigate the impact of CA and CF in a test-bed. We employ a software defined radio (SDR) from National Instruments (NI) to evaluate the performance of a CR system with user datagram protocol (UDP) flows. The adopted SDR is based on LTE protocol stack with additional functionalities that can support CA and CF, and accommodating PUs. By conducting measurements based on the test-bed system, we will be able to confirm that performance improvement can indeed be obtained by ap…

Working conditions, job strain, and traffic safety among three groups of public transport drivers

2018

Background: Working conditions and psychosocial work factors have acquired an important role explaining the well-being and performance of professional drivers, including those working in the field of public transport. This study aimed to examine the association between job strain and the operational performance of public transport drivers and to compare the expositions with psychosocial risk at work of three different types of transport workers: taxi drivers, city bus drivers, and interurban bus drivers. Method: A sample of 780 professional drivers was drawn from three transport companies in Bogota (Colombia). The participants answered the Job Content Questionnaire and a set of sociodemogra…

Building dynamic balanced scorecards to enhance strategy design and planning in public utilities. Key-findings from a project in a city water company

2006

Increasing complexity and uncertainty of both business internal and external variables determines a growing need for prompt and accurate information. On this concern, in the last decade, there has been an increasing effort to provide public utilities with tools aimed to support decision makers in planning and control, by taking into account not only operational but also strategic issues. Among them, for 1instance, customer satisfaction, internal business process efficiency, business image, and bargaining power against other counterparts (e.g. the municipal administration). Often, however, such an effort has been oriented to generate a large volume of data, only focused on financial indicato…

Enhancing Urban Brownfield Regeneration to Pursue Sustainable Community Outcomes through Dynamic Performance Governance

2019

This paper discusses the case of Puerto Madero (Buenos Aires, Argentina) to illustrate how the “Dynamic Performance Governance” framework is able to support policy networks to pursue sustainable community outcomes in urban brownfield regeneration. The case is an example of successful implementation of urban renewal carried out through a significant involvement of the private sector. It portrays a “financially-driven” governance mode which entails balancing the advantage of cash flow reinvestment for public services and infrastructure capacity development, with potential shortcomings in terms of social inclusion. Findings reveal two main trade-offs associated with policy design and implement…

Applying System Dynamics Modeling To Foster a Cause-and-Effect Perspective in Dealing with Behavioral Distortions Associated with a City’s Performanc…

2015

This paper aims to show how applying system dynamics methodology to performance management can provide a powerful modeling perspective enabling public sector organizations to prevent, detect, and counteract behavioral distortions associated with performance measurement. A dynamic performance management approach is able to support performance management system designers in outlining and implementing a consistent set of measures that can allow public sector decision-makers to pursue sustainable organizational learning and development. This perspective implies a major shift from a static to a dynamic picture of organizational processes and results. It means framing delays between causes and ef…

A Dynamic Viewpoint to Design Performance Management Systems in Academic Institutions: Theory and Practice

2014

This article illustrates how to design and apply Performance Management systems in academic institutions by identifying and modeling those factors affecting academic performance through a dynamic performance management view. Particularly, combining performance management with System Dynamics modeling may allow academic decision-makers to better identify key performance drivers for pursuing a sustainable performance improvement in universities. In the second section of the article, a number of examples based on empirical findings from a field project aimed at designing a dynamic performance management model for the University of Palermo (Italy) are discussed.

Teaching Public Administration Abroad through the Fulbright Specialist Program

2011

The purpose of this article is to promote the benefits of the Fulbright Specialist Program—which was created in 2001 as a short-term complement to the Fulbright Scholar Program—and to encourage more public administration scholars to consider teaching abroad. After providing an overview of the Fulbright Specialist Program and the collaborative teaching approach we used for the preparation and delivery of instructional materials, it presents a number of lessons learned from the perspective of the Fulbright Specialist and the host institution for maximizing the experience of teaching abroad. This article also is dedicated to the work of Fulbright, which has pursued its mission to increase mutu…

Implementing Performance Reporting in Local Government: A Cross-Countries Comparison

2016

ABSTRACTProviding information on economy, efficiency, and effectiveness is one of the most important innovations in local government management, with performance reporting emerging as a new component for accountability and decision-making. This article compares 17 countries to ascertain whether there is convergence between them, studying key issues in the implementation of performance reporting by local governments. It also identifies some lessons that can be of use to countries that want to implement or improve performance reporting systems. Findings show that there is no convergence in practice or results, and that institutional factors influence the implementation of performance reportin…

Applying Dynamic Performance Management to the Photovoltaic Sector: the Municipality of Palermo case study

Today, the even more compelling need to limit carbon dioxide emissions from energy generation – to address the ongoing global warming – implies the recourse to renewable energy sources (RESs). Indeed, these latter are able to meet energy demand into a more sustainable way. Considering the EU targets for the year 2020 in the matter of climate and energy, public organizations are expected to take an active role e.g. by adopting and promoting RESs. In Italy, over the last decade, among the various technologies based on RESs, solar PV technology witnessed a remarkable growth thanks to the support of a government incentive scheme, which ceased to be applied in 2013. Since then, the PV power inst…