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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of self-regulated programming learning on undergraduate students’ academic performance and motivation compared to traditional methods.

This study was conducted with an explanatory sequential mixed method. Participants consist of 31 undergraduate students studying in the department of computer and instructional technologies education. The students were separated into two groups as experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 16) in the robotic programming course. Academic performance tests, programming motivation scale and interview form were used as data collection tools. After collecting quantitative data, interviews were conducted with the students regarding their academic performance and motivation.

The results indicated that the self-regulated programming learning process can contribute positively to students’ academic performance and motivation compared to traditional methods. Students stated that self-regulated learning strategies can positively affect their academic performance and motivation.

In this study, a self-regulated learning support system was designed to encourage students to use self-regulated learning strategies. This study has the potential to contribute to the gap in the literature, especially as a study of adapting the phased model of self-regulated learning to programming teaching. Instructors can use the self-regulating programming learning framework by adapting it to different disciplines.

Product innovation is central to the success of most companies. The rewards of a successful innovation programme are highly visible in terms of sales, profits and growth. But not so apparent are the strategies that underlie these product innovation efforts. This monograph is about the ingredients of a winning new product strategy — about strategic decisions on markets, technologies, products — that result in a successful innovation programme.

Empirical findings on the link between work–life programmes and organisational performance have been inconsistent, demanding further investigation of contextual factors. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

This study uses social exchange theory, strategic human resource (HR) management theory and stakeholder theory to examine the relationship between work–life programmes and organisational outcomes, using three performance measures: perceived organisational performance, financial performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It also investigates the moderating effect of HR systems on the work–life programmes–performance relationship. The hypotheses were tested in 192 organisations in Australia, using data from an HR manager survey and archival databases.

The findings support the hypotheses that work–life programmes are positively associated with all three measures of performance. The results partially support the moderating effect of HR systems on the relationship between work–life programmes and perceived organisational performance.

This study provides pioneering evidence for the moderating effect of HR system on the work–life programme–performance relationship. It also includes the rarely studied CSR as an outcome of work–life programmes.

This paper investigates how an externally imposed programme with the objective of improving the income of the poor is measured and managed by a public agency in Malaysia.

A qualitative case study approach is used in this research. The data were collected over a three-year period with interviews conducted with key officers at various levels ranging from the Ministry to the agency responsible for implementing the programme.

The introduction of the programme into the organisation's activity was loosely coupled, reflected by the way in which the programme was being implemented. There was some inter-dependency between the three hierarchical levels in terms of their performance measures and targets, responsibilities and reporting. There were no significant changes to the organisation's practices and weak linkages between the programme's objective, the formulation of indicators and the way the information was used in performance assessment. The lack of integration of the programme resulted in high importance being attached to measurement and reporting, rather than focusing on the achievement of the programme objective.

This paper contributes to understanding the performance management issue regarding the vertical and horizontal coupling of a system in relation to an externally derived programme.

Research on best practices suffers from some fundamental problems. The problem addressed in the article is that authors tend to postulate, rather than show, the practices they address to be best – whether these practices do indeed produce best performance is often not investigated.

This article assumes that the best performing companies must be the ones deploying the best practices. In order to find out what are those practices, the highest performing companies in the 2002 International Manufacturing Strategy Survey database were identified, and the role 14 practices play in these companies was investigated.

Process focus, pull production, equipment productivity and environmental compatibility appear to qualify as best practices. Quality management and ICT may have been best practice previously, but lost that status. E‐business, new product development (NPD), supplier strategy and outsourcing are relatively new, cannot yet be qualified as, but may develop into, best practice. Four other practices do not produce any significant performance effects.

There are four limitations to the research: Incompleteness of the set of practices tested: lack of insight into the effects of interaction between practices and the way in and extent to which they were implemented; good explanatory but poor predictive power; and lack of contextuality.

Taking the position that best practice must be what best performing companies do, the paper is useful for managers using benchmarking to review the design and performance of their manufacturing system, and for scholars engaged or interested in best practice studies.

Performance measurement and programme evaluation have been promoted as a central mechanism of recent Australian public sector (APS) reform. Outlines recent reforms in the APS and identifies links between evaluation and performance information. Identifies the major issue of credibility, when performance information is produced internally and not verified externally. A lack of performance systems and standards can create difficulties for both internal and external programme evaluations. Concludes that: reforms introduced to evaluate performance in the APS were promoted with high expectations which have only partially been fulfilled; the present system is internally focused with a narrow role for evaluation and a lack of credibility because of the independence issue; the present systems associated with the performance approach and its evaluation are not providing enough information to deal with the tough questions of the effectiveness of government programmes. Proposes that a middle ground between internal and external programme evaluation strategies be adopted. This allows the strengths of internal evaluation to be retained. At the same time, it allows the possibility of improving programme evaluation by adding external independent verification and an extended effectiveness role.

This paper aims to describe the introduction of pay‐for‐performance in New Zealand primary health care; compare this policy development with analogous English initiatives; discuss the risk of unintended, adverse consequences of the New Zealand programme; and consider key lessons for the policy development of pay‐for‐performance in health care.

This article is based on description and analysis of policy developments for performance management in New Zealand and England.

It is not clear that the New Zealand Programme appropriately reflects the values and goals of primary health care providers. It encourages slow, incremental change by paying bonuses to Primary Health Organisations, rather than practices, for meeting targets on a small number of performance indicators. The bonuses account for a tiny proportion of the total income of PHOs and in general are for service improvement rather than to supplement practitioner incomes. It is important to align performance incentives with stakeholders' values and goals.

The paper discusses New Zealand developments in pay‐for‐performance in the context of English policy initiatives and considers lessons for all health systems.

The purpose of the study is to explore the dominant ideas in research on the management of time in construction. The focus of research has been to improve techniques for optimising the timing and sequence of activities.

A critical review of research on construction time management, challenging the typical focus. We examine the assumptions different authors make, underline the limitations of the dominant research approaches and examine the prospects for developing a new approach to researching these issues.

The dominant approach in literature focuses on unique activity traits in construction planning and measurable patterns between time-related variables. This assumes that time in construction can be managed by changing the way activities are calculated. These approaches have not been correlated with improvement in performance. Social practice theory may help to explain how programmes figure as one of many objects used during construction.

The focus is on reviewing indicative literature from key journals in construction management. The implication is that research is needed about how such documents are used in practice, which goes further than optimising plans in theory.

Future research could focus on understanding the context of construction planning practice and shift the debate from a focus on optimisation to practice.

An interpretivist approach with a focus on how tools such as planning documents are used on site. Social practice theory may provide a clearer explanation of the place of construction planning within the practice of construction management. This could provide solutions that deal effectively with stakeholder expectations around timely completion of construction projects.

Headlines on all levels of government speak of the pending crisis in public sector services: expect to pay more for less. Budget deficit, once only a concern of the federal level, is a worry in state capitals and municipalities. Additionally, an ever‐looming question at this time of economic reality is: are we getting all the government for which we are paying? This discussion of new developments in performance measures of public programmes covers the causes for the increased concern for public sector productivity. Gives examples of performance measures attempted on the state and local levels. Also analyses a method to compute efficient versus inefficient performance. Lastly, in an effort to introduce competition and force performance measurement, there is a move to convert many services to private sector contractors. Even public school children would be allowed to choose between public or private instruction if the “choice” initiative gains steam and becomes law. The key to this challenge to the public sector is meaningful measurements of performance and taking appropriate action.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of professional training and development for librarians/library staff in the southwest, Nigeria; especially the Federal University of OyeEkiti, Nigeria. Thus, this study intends to assess the impact of staff professional development and training on the job performance of library staff in the Federal University Oye Ekiti, Nigeria.

The descriptive survey research design was used in carrying out this study. The population of study cuts across all library staff/attendants in the Federal University Oye Ekiti departmental, faculty and the university libraries. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the sample for the study (77 library staff). Research instruments, developed by the researchers, Staff Development Programme Questionnaire (r = 0.79), Staff performance Questionnaire (r = 0.81), Challenges of Staff Professional Development and Training Questionnaire (r = 0.82), were used for data collection. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages, mean and standard deviation) and inference statistics (correlation and one-way ANOVA) at a 5% level of significance.

Results revealed that the level of the job performance of library staff in Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) is high; there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between the professional development of library staff and their performance in the job; professional development and training of library staff significantly impact their job performance; orientation, in-house training, seminars, on-the-job training and instructor-led training.

The study was limited to the university libraries in the Federal University Oye Ekiti, Nigeria. The variables used in this study were restricted to training and development of library staff and job performance of librarians in FUOYE, and professional development programmes available for FUOYE librarians.

Other forms of professional development programmes such as Distance Educational Programmes, Conferences/Workshops, Study visits, Formal professional library education and TETFUND Programmes should be made available for university library staff. Universities should always organise staff professional development programmes; since it enhances the job performance of library staff.

This article is original and has not been published elsewhere.