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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the obstacles and challenges associated with organizational monitoring and follow-up (M & F) processes related to health care quality improvement (QI) and development.

A longitudinal case study of a large health care organization during a system-wide QI intervention. Content analysis was conducted of repeated interviews with key actors and archival data collected over a period of four years.

The demand for improved M & F strategies, and what and how to monitor were described by the respondents. Obstacles and challenges for achieving M & F strategies that enables system-wide and coherent development were found in three areas: monitoring, processing, and feedback and communication. Also overarching challenges were found.

A model of important aspects of M & F systems is presented that can be used for analysis and planning and contribute to shared cognition of such systems. Approaches for systematic analysis and follow-up of identified problems have to be developed and fully incorporated in the organization’s measurement systems. A systematic M & F needs analytic and process-oriented competence, and this study highlights the potential in an organizational function with capacity and mandate for such tasks.

Most health care systems are flooded with a vast amount of registers, records, and measurements. A key issue is how such data can be processed and refined to reflect the needs and the development process of the health care system and how rich data can be used for improvement purposes. This study presents key organizational actor’s view on important factors to consider when building a coherent organizational M & F strategy.

Presents the NUMASS Web‐based system, which was developed for the needs of the European Commission (designed to be used mainly by AIDCO‐A5). Its main objective is to improve the management and monitoring of Tacis Nuclear Safety Programme, by showing in a graphical way the progress of projects/works and prompting for corrective actions.

The collection and dissemination of standardized performance information about students, teachers, schools and school systems offer potentially important tools for school accountability and resource allocation as well as school improvement in developing countries. However, performance monitoring systems in developing countries are in many cases copied from those in high-income countries without a clear understanding of their functioning in contexts of limited resources and capacity for change. The purpose of this paper is to examine the conditions under which and the mechanisms through which system-wide performance monitoring affects school-level organization and processes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The review employs realist synthesis because of the complexity and dynamism of conditions in LMICs, the wide variability in available literature and the aim of explaining how particular organizational outcomes arise, given particular conditions. The authors draw on findings from a systematic review of 22 studies and reports, published since 2001, related to the implementation of performance monitoring.

The findings highlight key barriers to the use of data to inform school accountability and improvement. Capacity to collect, interpret and use data is an important condition to both effective external accountability as well as improvement of schools.

The review uses realist approaches to building middle-level theories to help scholars, educational advisers, policy makers and educational leaders understand the causal processes that result in certain outcomes from monitoring activities and to identify the conditions that are necessary for those processes to have the desired outcomes.

Environmental rating systems typically focus on building characteristics at a specific point in time; but from investment and valuation perspectives, actual performance over time should be the most important thing. Newly constructed commercial buildings today usually come with a high degree of technically advanced installations and a wide range of monitoring possibilities. This provides us with the possibility of monitoring a building’s in-use performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how frontrunners in the Swedish green building market actually monitor their new buildings, and look for similarities in that area.

By investigating a selected case study, conducting a survey and follow-up interviews among Swedish real estate companies and finally studying the available industry information, this paper considers what key performance indicators real estate developers choose to monitor as well as how they go about collecting and using the data. By doing this, we can get an idea of what is already monitored and to what extent. The case study also provides an insight into what is technologically possible.

A comparison of the gathered data from this study is then made with information that investors and property valuers would be expected to be interested in. The results show that these data are, to a large extent, information that the frontrunners already gather, but it is not made publicly available. One area where important information is lacking, however, is data about indoor climate.

The study is solely focussed on commercial buildings in Sweden and also on real estate owners with a high sustainability profile.

This paper presents a starting point in introducing the research area of the continued sustainability performance of our built environment. In order to understand and improve the environmental performance over time of our buildings and the connection to potential value, it is important to know what we can and should monitor.

Leading organizations invest large amounts of time, energy, and financial resources in conducting employee surveys. Through Mercer Human Resource Consulting's work on more than 1,000 survey projects, ten key areas within the survey process have been identified that consistently stand out as potential stumbling blocks to survey success. The purpose of this paper is to make companies aware of these potential blocks, and show that by adopting best practices to avoid them, organizations can significantly improve the odds of conducting a successful survey.

According to Mercer Human Resource Consulting's What's Working™ research, upwards of 50 percent of employers in Sweden, Japan, Singapore, the USA, Brazil, Australia, Canada, the UK, and Ireland regularly conduct employee surveys. Employee engagement is more often the intended ultimate outcome of employee surveying. All the same, employee surveys often fail in their strategic aims. Through Mercer's work on more than 1,000 survey projects, ten key areas within the survey process have been identified that consistently stand out as potential stumbling blocks to survey success.

This article identifies the ten key stumbling blocks to employee survey success as: Project planning; Communication; Questionnaire design; Timing; Prioritization of issues; Engaging senior management; Data delivery; Follow‐up support; Monitoring and accountability, and Linking survey results to business outcomes. These stumbling blocks and methods of overcoming them are described.

It is becoming increasingly clear to organizations that employee engagement has a significant influence on organizational performance and can become a long‐term source of competitive advantage. An original connection is made between effective employee surveys and employee engagement, and best‐practice guidance is provided on ensuring survey success. Otherwise, a survey runs the risk of destroying rather than building employee engagement.

This research determines the impact of local government’s internal audit process on the audit client management’s adoption of audit recommendations. Publicity of financial and operational problems in government in recent years has led to concerns about the quality of government audits, the extent of public managers’ adoption of audit recommendations, as well as citizen demand for accountability in government. In spite of this, the importance of the government audit process in ensuring accountability has gained little attention in public management research. A survey of local government audit executives was conducted to determine various aspects of the local government internal audit process and their relationships with audit client management’s adoption of audit recommendations. Results show that client management’s adoption of audit recommendation is a function of auditor professional designation, due diligence, client relations, documentation and tracking of audit recommendations, as well as of follow-up audits to verify implementation of agreed-upon action plans.

Child mortality has been a problem in developing countries for many years. This article summarizes the factors that were identified as contributing to the sustainability of a community‐based growth‐monitoring program for the prevention of child mortality in Honduras. The program used community volunteers to measure children's growth from birth until they reached two years of age. Honduras received support from the USAID to implement the program. The authors conducted an evaluation of the program that included responses from 32 health care workers, 45 weight monitors, 96 participating mothers and 32 non‐participating mothers. Individual, community, environmental and institutional factors that contribute to the sustainability of the program are summarized. The implications for program replication are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the environmental impact of logistics service provider (LSP) activities in the light of customer priorities and the fragmentation of the road haulage industry in Europe. It also explores the extent to which LSPs can actually monitor the environmental impact of logistics activities in the supply chain (SC).

The research is based on a narrative literature review, an interview study, a case survey and three in-depth case studies. A framework on sustainability challenges in SCs, derived from the literature, is used to structure and analyse the findings.

Despite the ambitious environmental schemes communicated by several LSPs, they show little interest in, and exert little control over, the actual emissions generated from their transport operations. It is clear from the results that any real concern from customers for environmental solutions which negatively influence the cost and time requirements of logistics services is not yet a reality.

This paper implies that LSP sustainability cannot be investigated in isolation if a company does not manage its proprietary resources (like owning trucks and employing drivers), but rather engage subcontractors.

Environmental policies among different LSPs appear to be similar as policies, but differ in practice. This variation of practices emphasises the importance of follow-up control by environmentally aware buyers of logistics services.

This paper represents a novel approach as to how LSP environmental policies should be viewed. It highlights the concrete need for action to achieve the environmental targets of 2020 and 2050 for carbon emissions from road transportation.

RDDirect is a novel telephone help line which was established in response to national policy to improve research consciousness and capacity in the NHS. This regionally funded telephone referral service takes research enquiries from aspiring or experienced researchers, which are then “diagnosed” and directed to relevant sources of advice and information. The infrastructure for RDDirect includes a panel of research specialists, a Web site with links to relevant research resources, and a monitoring and follow‐up system. The first year has been subject to both internal monitoring and evaluation and an external evaluation. Findings from both approaches show that user satisfaction was high, although uptake was low. Advisors were also satisfied, both with interactions with RDDirect staff and referrals received. The Web site was accessed far more than anticipated. A key area of concern is effective publicity for the service.

The purpose of this paper is to review the Rwandan Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice and identify the possible constraints faced by EIA practitioners in Rwanda. The results presented here will help to highlight strengths and weakness of the Rwandan EIA practice.

The EIA practice was evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire survey for respondents including approved EIA experts in Rwanda, government agencies involved in EIA process and corporate which have received environmental clearance. The aspects of practices and challenges were evaluated and include the suitability of institutional arrangements, the scientific methodological bases of EIA, the conduct of EIA, the effectiveness of EIA with respect to influence decision making, overall results and EIA as a learning process. These aspects were rated on different scales by the respondents to identify where the Rwandan EIA practice stands now in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints.

The institutional arrangements of EIA were judged to be good overall by the respondents with main strengths being seen in the policy and legal base, and the scope of application. Only the marginal weaknesses are seen in the monitoring. The scientific and empirical basis for assessment was judged to stand moderately strengthened during the last five years. The performance of key activities is more than satisfactory. A majority of Rwandan EIA stages are good and excellent to some extent.

This paper identifies some of the constraints and challenges faced by the Rwandan EIA practitioners. It will contribute to an understanding of EIA practice and robust practices across the globe.