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Various safety management systems (SMS) have been introduced to the construction industry as a formal means of managing site safety. There are several shortcomings with the current perspective of SMS which is implemented among construction projects. Firstly, the focus is exclusively on contractors and their performance on safety related factors. However, safety is not only the contractors΄ responsibility but should involve owners as well. Secondly, current SMS presents a fixed set of safety related factors and activities which does not account for the diversity of projects and organizations in construction industry. Lastly, current methods of SMS auditing take a check-and-verify approach and miss customization and development opportunities. This paper proposes an alternative view of SMS based on the well-established Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) framework. The proposal includes owners as active participants/stakeholders during the development of SMS, and allows flexibility during the implementation of SMS. The framework encourages a shift perspective from SMS factor and activity auditing to system development in terms of capability and maturity. This promotes a long term view of SMS development beyond a single project and fosters development of safety management capability within the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are reports that show that the main responsible for ITIL implementation project failures is people΄s resistance to change [1]. So, in order to improve ITIL adoption success rates, we have to invest in overcoming this particular problem.This work has the goal of reducingresistance rates by creating a framework that uses People CMM practices to overcome real organizational problems faced by organizations throughout their ITIL processes implementation. The first version of the framework is scheduled to be ready in July 2010 and will include the Incident Management process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The varying complexity, different maturity and rapid growth of the number of new e-services promote the assessment and their comparison with each other. This paper presents the application of e-service model in assessment and comparison of services in public sector. The model will assist the authorities to evaluate the maturity and complexity of the e-services they provide, and the systems that support these services. It could be helpful in comparing of e-services with other e-services provided by other authorities in the country and/or with other countries. The e-service model is based on the Reference Model for Service Oriented Architecture. A list of evaluation criteria that are based on the model is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We integrate previous work in this area and develop a multiperiod model that simultaneously determines bond refunding, bond issuance, maturity structure, cash holdings, and bank borrowing policies. The focus here is on providing the required debt funds in the most cost efficient fashion. A strength of the model is that it allows for time varying interest costs, transaction costs, issuance costs, and refunding costs to be firm specific. The output of the model lays out the optimal financing decisions for each time interval that minimize the total discounted cost of providing the funds that match the requisite funds. By limiting the surplus funds available, the model minimizes the management incentive to overinvest and thereby reduces the agency costs. The model has economic implications for the firm΄s financing decisions its default risk, growth opportunities, riskiness of cash flows, and firm size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User experience encompasses all aspect of a persons experience with an organization΄s services and products [1]. Organizations may or may not be aware of their customers΄ experience with their services or products and give different degrees of attention to developing and managing their customers΄ experiences. These degrees of attentions given to their customer experience can be measured and charted by phases or stages along a continuum of dedication or maturity. Based on the Capability Maturity Model Integration [2] and the Corporate Usability Maturity [3], this paper presents a model of user experience maturity by level based on an organizations dedication of resources, budget, and process integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on ongoing work in developing a usability/user-experience maturity model, in particular, the results of a workshop about this subject held at the Usability Professionals Association 2009 national conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the stages of growth and development and the impact these can have on performance, technique and motivation can help coaches to develop training programs that are appropriate for all athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM CONTRIBUTOR]

This paper outlines the developmental processes of growth, maturation and adaptation and addresses their implications for issues such as overuse injuries, fracture risk, dropout and talent development. [ABSTRACT FROM CONTRIBUTOR]