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Resource allocation could be influenced by various dynamic elements, such as the skills of engineers and the growth of skills, which requires managers to find an effective and efficient tool to support their staffing decision-making processes. Rescheduling happens commonly and frequently during the project execution. Control options have to be made when new resources are added or tasks are changed. In this paper we propose a software project staffing model considering dynamic elements of staff productivity with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Hill Climbing (HC) based optimizer. Since a newly generated reschedule dramatically different from the initial schedule could cause an obvious shifting cost increase, our rescheduling strategies consider both efficiency and stability. The results of real world case studies and extensive simulation experiments show that our proposed method is effective and could achieve comparable performance to other heuristic algorithms in most cases.

Planning problems are particularly important for the production processes of precast reinforced concrete elements. Currently used modeling of these processes is based on the flow shop problem. Flow shop models are usually used in Enterprise Resource Planning systems, which, however, may not take into account the specifics of the production of such elements. The article presents a new model for scheduling the production of reinforced concrete prefabricated elements, which is distinguished by the possibility of carrying out activities by more than one working group. An additional new constraint is the possibility of parallel performance of some works, which may occur during their production. Also, there will be an individual order of elements assumed for each of the activities. New objective functions will be considered – the sum of idle times of working groups and the total type changes of precast components. The presented scheduling model contains an NP-hard discrete optimization problem. For this reason, metaheuristics were used in the article to solve optimization problems: the simulated annealing algorithm and the tabu search algorithm. Verification of the results obtained with the use of these algorithms confirmed their high efficiency. The application of the presented scheduling model illustrates a practical case study showing the effectiveness of the used algorithms.

The aim of this paper is to study the scheduling process for two types of nursing teams, regular teams from care units and the float team that covers for shortages in the hospital. When managers address this problem, they either use a manual approach or have to invest in expensive commercial tool. We propose a simple heuristic approach, flexible and easy enough to be implemented on spreadsheets, and requiring almost no investment. The approach leads to streamlined process and higher-quality schedules for nurses. The multi-objective model and heuristics are presented, and additional analysis is performed to compare the performance of the approach. We show that our approach compares very well with an optimization software (CPLEX solver) and may be implemented at no cost. It addresses the lack of choice between either manual solution method or a commercial package at a high cost.

Information, Knowledge and Agile Creativity will enlighten entrepreneurs, and is ideal for facilitating an organization's ability to react and adapt to its environment.Creativity is a system that engenders innovation.While integral at the conception stage, it is also important before and after this phase.

Purpose: Many classroom educational assistants (EAs) have a significant amount of responsibility in carrying out educational plans for children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), but they receive little instruction on how to do so (Kent-Walsh & Light, 2003). This study investigates the impact of using a communication partner instructional program to teach EAs how to teach their students to produce symbol combinations on their speech-generating devices. Method: A single-subject multiple-probe-across-participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional program on (a) the EAs' implementation of an interaction strategy with their students who used AAC and (b) the rates of multisymbol message productions for the students who used AAC. Results: All 3 participating EAs learned to use the interaction strategy appropriately, and all 3 participating students who used AAC increased their multisymbol message production rates. Conclusions: Results provide further evidence (a) of the viability of using a communication partner instructional program for teaching partners how to facilitate the communication skills of children who use AAC and (b) that the interaction strategy can be an effective tool for increasing expressive multisymbol message rates for children who use AAC. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

The objectives of this study were to develop a novel training model for using mass-casualty incident (MCI) scenarios that trained hospital and prehospital staff together using Microsoft Visio, images from Google Earth and icons representing first responders, equipment resources, local hospital emergency department bed capacity, and trauma victims. The authors also tested participants' knowledge in the areas of communications, incident command systems (ICS), and triage. Participants attended Managing Multiple-Casualty Incidents (MCIs), a one-day training which offered pre- and post-tests, two one-hour functional exercises, and four distinct, one-hour didactic instructional periods. Two MCI functional exercises were conducted. The one-hour trainings focused on communications, National Incident Management Systems/Incident Command Systems (NIMS/ICS) and professional roles and responsibilities in NIMS and triage. The trainings were offered throughout communities in western Montana. First response resource inventories and general manpower statistics for fire, police, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and emergency department hospital bed capacity were determined prior to MCI scenario construction. A test was given prior to and after the training activities. A total of 175 firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, hospital personnel or other first-responders completed the pre- and post-test. Firefighters produced higher baseline scores than all other disciplines during pre-test analysis. At the end of the training all disciplines demonstrated significantly higher scores on the post-test when compared with their respective baseline averages. Improvements in post-test scores were noted for participants from all disciplines and in all didactic areas: communications, NIMS/ICS, and triage. Mass-casualty incidents offer significant challenges for prehospital and emergency room workers. Fire, Police and EMS personnel must secure the scene, establish communications, define individuals' roles and responsibilities, allocate resources, triage patients, and assign transport priorities. After emergency department notification and in advance of arrival, emergency department personnel must assess available physical resources and availability and type of manpower, all while managing patients already under their care. Mass-casualty incident trainings should strengthen the key, individual elements essential to well-coordinated response such as communications, incident management system and triage. The practice scenarios should be matched to the specific resources of the community. The authors also believe that these trainings should be provided with all disciplines represented to eliminate training \"silos,\" to allow for discussion of overlapping jurisdictional or organizational responsibilities, and to facilitate team building.

With 13 sets of debates confronting both large and small companies today, this excellent resource provides critical insights and various perspectives on leading human capital issues that are paramount to managing successful organizations. Written by authors, consultants, academics, and practitioners from across 14 countries, this record addresses various topics, including talent management, organizational effectiveness, leadership development, human resources strategy and planning, and building a strategic human resources function.

Praise for Learning in 3D \"Learning is the key to our future and powerful learning will result from immersive, interactive, and creative 3D designs. Tony O'Driscoll and Karl Kapp have written a disruptive book about a disruptive technology that we all need to explore. This is a must read!\" -Elliott Masie, chair, The LearningCONSORTIUM \"Karl Kapp and Tony O'Driscoll are, amazingly, both the best theorists and practitioners in using virtual worlds in every type of educational venue. Many will love their vision, but I am more hooked on their practicality and hand-holding.\"-Clark Aldrich, author, Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction \"Kapp and O'Driscoll nailed it. The right balance of case studies, theories and practical advice for any organization pursing the use of virtual worlds for learning. If you are interested in virtual worlds for learning and collaboration, this book is for you.\" -David A. Manning, managing partner, Performance Development Group \"The big contribution of Learning in 3D is that it provides research informed guidance and practical tips and techniques for using 3D virtual environments to achieve real business results...the case studies are outstanding.\" -Lisa Clune, president, Kaplan EduNeering \"As the world makes its way through a period of significant change, Learning in 3D couldn't come at a better time. Today, organizations and individuals are being challenged to make the most of learning collaboratively. This book stimulates our thinking on how to maximize the impact of technology, while providing a practical blueprint-with 'revolutionary' examples-of how to bring a new dimension to learning.\" -John Malitoris, regional managing director, Duke Corporate Education \"Tony O'Driscoll and Karl Kapp remind us that learning is the fourth dimension-and the one that really counts in collaboration. A must-read for the future of learning in environments virtual and otherwise.\" -Cathy Davidson, Ruth F. DeVarney Professor of English at Duke University and co-director HASTAC/MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition.