Search results

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the evaluation model of the enterprises' technological innovation system, based on the theory of complex adaptive system.

Combined with the status quo and recent studies of Chinese enterprises' technological innovation, the paper discusses the complex‐system features of the technological innovation. The stimulus‐response model is used to establish the two‐level framework for enterprises' technological innovation system. By means of the adaptive fitness function, the economic and social utility of enterprises' technological innovation is measured from two dimensions. Finally, the fuzzy catastrophe model is introduced to evaluate the enterprises' technological innovation.

The enterprises' technological innovation system has attributions of the subject aggregation, the systematic openness, nonlinearity and diversity. Thus, the macro‐micro based technological innovation system from the perspective of complex adaptive system is proposed. The system utility is considered based on the system subjects and system structure, and the calculation framework of the adaptive fitness for the whole system is obtained by considering the emergent property describing the system scale effect and structure effect. In fact, the fuzzy theory can well reflect the influential situation that the interactions between different factors may cause the mutation of the higher level and the interactions between enterprises can lead to the shifts of the system.

The paper proposes the complex adaptive system for the enterprises' technological innovation based on the special macro environment in China. A new framework for the research of technological innovation is provided by analyzing the system inner model. Fuzzy catastrophe model can reduce the evaluation irrationality due to the subjective index weights.

Educational leadership preparation programs are expected to train graduates who change their practice and produce outcomes for teachers and students. However, programs are challenged to produce evidence of their impact while also evaluating for formative purposes. This paper describes collaboration between an educational leadership program director and a program evaluator to construct an evaluation system that incorporated program theory, processes, and outcomes. The leadership preparation program, grounded in ethical leadership practices, had a unique design with core tenets that informed choices about the evaluation design. Decisions about data sources were informed by evaluation foci, the availability of existing data sources, and resource constraints. The complexity of the evaluation design paralleled the complexity of the program itself. Leadership content expertise, evaluation design expertise, and genuine collaboration were all essential to the successful design of this evaluation plan. Several recommendations are offered for others collaborating to design evaluations of their programs.

Three theories of legitimacy – Dornbusch and Scott’s “Evaluation and the Exercise of authority” (EEA), Walker and Zelditch’s “Legitimacy and the Stability of Authority” (LSA), and Meyer and Rowan’s “Institutonalized Organizations” (IO) – are integrated into a single consistent theory interrelating the internal and external legitimacy processes of organizations. One consequence of IO, the decoupling of sanctions, evaluations, and performance, contradicts EEA and LSA. The contradiction is addressed by aligning the scope of the three theories, which proves to be the source of the contradiction, accommodating their principles to the change in their scope. Translating their terms into a single, consistent language, auxiliary principles are formulated that interrelate their legitimacy processes and conditionalize pressures for evaluation and control and therefore the decoupling of sanctions, evaluations, and performance – the conditions depending on type of environment, extent of dependence on it, and its organization. Integration does not alter the basic principles of EEA or IO but does correct LSA’s over-estimation of the stability of authority and provides IO with a mechanism by which and refines the conditions under which sanctions, evaluations, and performance come to be decoupled.

To propose an evaluation model for the quality implementations in higher education through an analysis of quality systems and program evaluation using a systems approach.

Theoretical background, research and practice of the quality systems in higher education and program evaluation are analysed in conjunction with the concepts of systems approach. The analysis leads to a systems approach‐based program‐evaluation model for quality implementation in higher education.

The three concepts, quality systems in higher education, program evaluation and systems approach, are found to be consistent and compatible with one another with regard to the goals and organizational structure of the higher education institutions. The proposed evaluation model provides a new perspective for higher education management for the effective and efficient implementation of the quality systems and program improvement.

The implementation of the model in a real university setting is necessary for the clarification of the processes.

The study provides a constructive analysis of higher‐education‐related concepts, and a new dimension of quality systems and program evaluation is developed in the model. The approach comprises three subsystems; “social system”, “technical systems”, and “managerial system”. The evaluation of quality in higher education requires inquiry of the components of the systems.

This paper proposes an innovative evaluation model integrating the systems approach into quality tools. The model is claimed to be the first in integrating the three approaches.

A strong, useful theoretical foundation for performance assessment and prediction relies on four components: preliminary observation of a system, identification of key or dominating variables in the system, synthetic and vertical thinking, and successive refinement.

This paper aims to study a modular method for designing a paste filling station (PFS) for a coal mine (CM) to reduce the PFS’s input cost and achieve reutilization.

Modular design criteria for the PFS are proposed and a modular division (MDiv) model and an evaluation method are established. The correlation-strength matrix of the PFS parts expressed in the form of rough numbers is transformed into a fuzzy equivalent matrix. The theory of rough sets and the fuzzy clustering method are introduced for PFS MDiv. The evaluating method is established for the PFS MDiv scheme based on the principle of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation.

Taking a particular CM PFS as an example, the above method is used to modularize the PFS, and the optimal division of the PFS is finally determined via the above evaluation system. Applying this method solves the problem of high cost investment in the initial stage of PFS construction.

The theory of rough sets and the fuzzy clustering method are introduced for PFS MDiv. An evaluating method is established for the PFS MDiv scheme based on the principle of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, thereby providing new ideas for PFS transformation and reutilization.

Management training and development is currently in vogue. There appears to be a growing belief in the benefits of investment in training and development. When a market is buoyant is the time to consider and anticipate the consequences of a future downturn in demand. Such a downturn in demand may demonstrate increasing pressure to “justify” investment in training and development. There is a long established academic body of knowledge on the subject of evaluating training and development. From research evidence and the authors′ experience, the sponsors and the providers of training and development pay scant attention to systematic evaluation of these activities and investments. It is the authors′ contention that when the market′s critical assessment of the value of training and development increases there will be an increasing interest in evaluation. An overview of the history of evaluation traditions is provided and the state of play is commented upon. It is noted that there is a shortfall between theory and practice. It is argued that evaluation is a worthwhile and important activity and ways through the evaluation literature maze and the underpinnings of the activity are demonstrated, especially to management. Similarly the literature on evaluation techniques is reviewed. Tables are provided which demonstrate areas of major activity and identify relatively uncharted waters. This monograph provides a resource whereby practitioners can choose techniques which are appropriate to the activity on which they are engaged. It highlights the process which should be undertaken to make that choice in order that needs of the major stakeholders in the exercise are fully met.

Based on cognitive evaluation theory and gamification affordances, this study aims to understand how gamification affordances influence users’ intention to engage in sustainable behaviour and how new trends in Ant Forest influence its impact on green intrinsic motivation to support sustainable behaviours.

The authors developed a research model to explore the mechanisms underlying gamification affordances, psychological needs and green intrinsic motivation. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to assess the survey data (n = 393) and test the research model.

The results show that different gamification affordances can satisfy users’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which positively influences their green intrinsic motivation and engagement in sustainable behaviours. However, some affordances, such as competition, might negatively impact these psychological needs.

This research updates information system research on environmental sustainability and the Ant Forest context. The authors provide a new framework that links gamification affordances, psychological needs and sustainable behaviour. The study also examines changing trends in Ant Forest and their implications.

This study constructs a three-stage evaluation model for interdisciplinary organizations to solve their ranking problems effectively.

A three-stage interdisciplinary organization evaluation model abounds the key problems of “who will evaluate the projects?” and “how to evaluate the projects?”. In the first stage, the authors build a consensus maximization model to identify the selected experts based on the interval grey number because of the uncertainty in assessment. In the second stage, considering the reliability of the experts, the authors calculate the reliability of the experts based on historical data. Meanwhile, considering the gradual changes of the experts, the dynamic weighting method is obtained based on the clustering method. In the third stage, considering decision-makers regret psychological behavior, the authors construct a cross-organizational performance evaluation model based on consensus expectations.

First, for selecting the experts responsible for assessing interdisciplinary organizations, the consensus-reaching method can effectively avoid cognitive bias. Second, during the assessment, the authors obtained more reasonable results by considering the psychological changes of experts based on regret theory. Third, based on the results, the cross-organization of colleges focused on the achievements of talent training, cross effects, and system construction.

Our study could help organizations establish a suitable assessment mechanism and promote interdisciplinary development.

First, considering the importance of selecting the experts, the authors use the consensus-reaching process for expert selection. This method could guarantee most experts' preferences. Then, the authors propose a two-stage dynamic weighting method, including a pre-determined and adjusted process. The dynamic method can better perform the preferences of experts. Third, the authors studied the assessment in interdiscipline. In addition, based on the framework and considering the features of the interdiscipline, the authors use the grey number to perform the uncertain preferences of the experts using regret theory.

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to establish a grey clustering evaluation model of center-point triangular whitenization weight function to measure the performance of enterprise's management innovation (MI). The author intends to provide some theory basis and tool support for enterprise's managers and other researchers who are engaged in performance measuring.

The study uses questionnaire survey and expert interviews to determine the index weight of enterprise's MI performance (MIP), classifies the grey clusters based on center-point triangular whitenization weight function, calculates the membership of performance criteria and ranks the performance level of all dimensions.

The survey data of case company shows that production performance is in superior level, employee and society influence performance are in satisfied level, finance and market performance are in intermediate level, total MIP is in satisfied level.

MI is the fundamental way to keep enterprise's core competitiveness and achieve its strategic objectives. Performance is an effective tool to measure the MI. Therefore, based on the practices of MI in China, the study systematically clarifies the performance level of MI from five dimensions.

The evaluation index of enterprise's MIP is built with five dimensions which contain production, market, finance, employee and social influence. The grey clustering evaluation model based on triangular whitenization weight function is applied to assess the performance criteria. This paper presents a new research idea for enterprise's performance evaluation.