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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Tomenendal, Matthias; Bernhard, Martin G. |
| Abstract: | Eine gängige These in Bezug auf den Beratermarkt lautet, dass Beratungsunternehmen entweder als (große) Generalisten oder (kleine) Spezialisten erfolgreich sein können. Der vorliegende Beitrag widerspricht dieser These und schlägt mit dem Modell der "virtuellen Beratungsorganisation" einen dritten Weg vor. Auf Basis eines komplexitätstheoretischen Modells wird anhand der Fallstudie der ECG Management Consulting GmbH argumentiert, dass sich aus Netzwerken von kleinen Beratungsunternehmen projektweise virtuelle Beratungsorganisationen zusammen finden können, die in einem organisatorischen Zustand am "Rand des Chaos" erfolgreich große Projekte durchführen. |
| Abstract: | It is argued that either large generalists or small specialists are successful in today's consulting markets. We challenge this thesis by suggesting a "third route" to success: the "virtual consulting organization at the edge of chaos". At medium levels of connectivity and formalization of interaction among collaborating partners high levels of client satisfaction can be achieved in large projects. Our argumentation is built on a complexity-theory-based model and illustrated by the case of Berlin based ECG Management Consulting GmbH. |
| Date: | 2014 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:imbwps:81&r=ppm |
| By: | Kemal Bagzibagli (Department of Economics, Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus); Glenn P. Jenkins (Queen’s University, Canada and Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus); Octave Semwaga (Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Rwanda) |
| Abstract: | Public investments are key policy instruments used by governments in pursuing their overall development goals and strategies. Given the limited resources available to an economy, the chosen projects should fit into the overall development strategy, which usually concerns many stakeholder groups. Despite this fact, in practice the appraisal of most investment projects carried out by governments, multilateral financial institutions and consultants have tended to be basically a financial analysis with only a partial, if any, economic evaluation. The stated constraints are largely the time frame in which these appraisals are to be prepared, and the lack of data for carrying out a professionally adequate economic appraisal. This paper reports on an effort in Rwanda that, we believe, has successfully addressed both of these constraints. Our paper first presents the adjustments required to convert the financial values of investment projects into their corresponding economic values in a manner that meets a high standard of professionalism. The paper also describes the comprehensive framework and practical approaches to the estimation of the economic prices and Commodity-Specific Conversion Factors (CSCFs) for project inputs and outputs. The paper applies the framework to tradable and non-tradable goods and services in Rwanda, and estimates their CSCFs to be used in the economic appraisal of investment projects in the country. These analytical frameworks have then been used to develop a web-based database of CSCFs for Rwanda (http://rwanda-cscf.minecofin.gov.rw/), containing more than 5,000 tradable commodities, and non-tradable goods and services such as transportation, construction, electricity, and telecommunication. The database provides easy access from anywhere in the world for project appraisal specialists involved in the formulation, evaluation and implementation of projects, and allows them to conduct an up-to-date economic appraisal of investment projects in a professionally satisfactory manner. |
| Keywords: | Economic prices, economic costs and benefits, tax externalities, tradables, importables, exportables, non-tradables |
| JEL: | D61 H23 H43 |
| Date: | 2014–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:qed:dpaper:260&r=ppm |
| By: | Maria, Gerster-Bentaya; Natacha, Crozet |
| Abstract: | The BMBF project “Urban Agriculture as integrative element of a climate-optimized urban development” was designed as a inter- transdisciplinary research project, generating target and transformation knowledge in the field of multifunctional open space systems in the context of emerging megacities and the challenges going along with this development. One component of it is the is the Pilot Project “Peri-urban tourism and agriculture” exploring on possibilities on how to conserve and further develop the recreational benefit of small scale agriculture while improving the livelihoods of the farming families linking local tourism and peri-urban agriculture, processing and direct marketing. This article tries to link selected challenges of a transdisciplinary research approach: framing the problem, dealing with a multitude of actors, defining the types of knowledge and following the principle of recursiveness to the almost six year lasting research process. It describes the methods that were used during the main two phases of the action research process and describes the various types of knowledge generated. The conclusions reflect the application of the transdisciplinary approach itself, insights gained, and some limitations that the project team experienced during the application of the methods and collaboration with the various actors. |
| Keywords: | Transdiciplinarity, action research, pilot project, urban agriculture, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, |
| Date: | 2014–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:gewi14:187320&r=ppm |
| By: | Yanfei LI (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Youngho CHANG (Division of Economics, Nanyang Technological University) |
| Abstract: | This study establishes a system approach in assessing the financial viability of power infrastructure investment for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and ASEAN Power Grid (APG) in the ASEAN+2 (ASEAN plus China and India) region. It aims to identify the financial and finance-related institutional barriers of implementing such regional power interconnectivity. A whole-grid/system simulation model is built to assess both their financial and commercial viability, which implies profitability for investors and bankability for financiers of new transmission projects with the optimised pattern of power trade. The study also determines the optimised planning of new transmission capacities. Results show that the existing planning of power transmission infrastructure in the region, so-called APG+, stands as a commercially and financially viable plan. However, there is room for improvement in the planning in terms of timing, routes, and capacity of the cross-border transmission lines. The study also recommends that GMS-related projects should be prioritised. |
| Keywords: | cross-border power trade, power infrastructure, financial viability, commercial viability |
| JEL: | Q40 Q41 Q48 |
| Date: | 2014 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2014-21&r=ppm |
| By: | Herrera, Helios (HEC Montreal); Reuben, Ernesto (Columbia University); Ting, Michael M. (Columbia University) |
| Abstract: | Turf wars commonly occur in environments where competition undermines collaboration. We develop a game theoretic model and experimental test of turf wars. The model explores how team production incentives ex post affect team formation decisions ex ante. In the game, one agent decides whether to share jurisdiction over a project with other agents. Agents with jurisdiction decide whether to exert effort and receive a reward based on their relative performance. Hence, sharing can increase joint production but introduces competition for the reward. We find that collaboration has a non-monotonic relationship with both productivity and rewards. The laboratory experiment confirms the model's main predictions. We also explore extensions of the basic model, including one where each agent's productivity is private information. |
| Keywords: | turf war, bureaucracy, jurisdiction, competition, information withholding |
| JEL: | D73 D74 D82 |
| Date: | 2014–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8585&r=ppm |
| By: | O'Connor, Alan C. (RTI International); Link, Albert N. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Economics); Downs, Brandon M. (Canada Foundation for Innovation); Hillier, Laura M. (Canada Foundation for Innovation) |
| Abstract: | The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) allied to analyze the impact of their investments in medical imaging research. The CFI funds capital and operating programs for research infrastructure, and CIHR’s mandate concentrates its funding on research activity. It happens that CIHR-funded research consumes CFI-funded infrastructure as an input in the innovation process. Apart from a few partnered programs, by design there is no coordination between CFI and CIHR funding decisions. Together, these agencies invested $916 million over a 14 year period. In this paper we evaluate the economic and health benefits from advancements in one funded area, namely computed tomography perfusion (CTP). CTP is an imaging technique that uses computed tomography to measure blood flow in organs and tissues. It is most used to assess acute ischemic stroke. The net social benefits attributable to these investments are substantially positive: the benefit-to-cost ratio is estimated to be between 6.66-to-1 and 9.99-to-1. We review how public investments from multiple funders comingle in the innovation process to deliver social value and improved health outcomes. |
| Keywords: | cost-benefit analysis; innovation; technology; medical imaging research; innovation; CT perfusion; stroke; Canada |
| JEL: | H43 O31 O33 |
| Date: | 2014–11–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:uncgec:2014_008&r=ppm |
| By: | Yaping Shan (School of Economics, University of Adelaide) |
| Abstract: | We study the agency problem between a firm and its research employees. In a multi-agent contracting setting, we show explicitly the way in which the optimal incentive regime is a function of how agents' efforts interact with one another: relative-performance evaluation is used when their efforts are substitutes whereas joint-performance evaluation is used when their efforts are complements. We also provide an implementation of the optimal contract, in which a primary component of the agents' compensation is a risky security. This implementation gives a theoretical justification for the wide-spread use of stock-based compensation by firms that rely on R&D. |
| Keywords: | Dynamic Contract, Repeated Moral Hazard, Multi-agent Incentive, R&D, Em- ployee Compensation |
| JEL: | D23 D82 D86 J33 L22 O32 |
| Date: | 2013–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:adl:wpaper:2013-20&r=ppm |
| By: | Julia Lane; Jason Owen-Smith; Rebecca Rosen; Bruce Weinberg |
| Abstract: | Longitudinal micro-data derived from transaction level information about wage and vendor payments made by federal grants on multiple U.S. campuses are being developed in a partnership involving researchers, university administrators, representatives of federal agencies, and others. This paper describes the UMETRICS data initiative that has been implemented under the auspices of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. The resulting data set reflects an emerging conceptual framework for analyzing the process, products, and impact of research. It grows from and engages the work of a diverse and vibrant community. This paper situates the UMETRICS effort in the context of research evaluation and ongoing data infrastructure efforts in order to highlight its novel and valuable features. Refocusing data construction in this field around individuals, networks, and teams offers dramatic possibilities for data linkage, the evaluation of research investments, and the development of rigorous conceptual and empirical models. Two preliminary analyses of the scientific workforce and network approaches to characterizing scientific teams ground a discussion of future directions and a call for increased community engagement. |
| JEL: | D85 J0 O3 |
| Date: | 2014–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20683&r=ppm |