Abstract
There has been extensive research on workload and input-output control with the objective of improving manufacturing operations in job-shops. In this paper, a multiple decision-making scheme is proposed to plan and control operations in a general job-shop, and to improve delivery and workload related performance measures. The job-shop characteristics reinforce the need for designing a global system that controls both the jobs entering (order acceptance, due date setting and job release) and the work-in-process (dispatching), leading to an improvement of operational measures. Previous research has concentrated on scheduling a set of orders through the shop floor, according to some decision mechanism, in order to optimise some measure of performance (usually total lead time). This means that, since only a part of the decision-making system is being optimised, the resulting decision may be sub-optimal. In this paper it is shown that the performance of the different decision rules changes when they are considered simultaneously. Hence, a higher level approach, where the four decisions (order acceptance, due date setting, job release and dispatching) are considered at the same time, should be adopted to improve job-shop operational performance.

Abstract
Work flows in a job-shop are determined not only by the release load but also by the number of accepted orders. In this paper the common assumption of accepting all incoming orders regardless of shop condition is relaxed. Instead of placing the orders in a 'pre-shop pool' queue, as in previous research, orders that arrive at the shop, when it is highly congested, may be immediately rejected or their due dates may be negotiated. This paper explores the idea of controlling the workload since the acceptance/rejection stage. A new acceptance/rejection rule is proposed, and tests are conducted to study the sensitivity of job-shop performance to different order acceptance parameters, like the tolerance of the workload limit and the due date extension acceptance. The effect of the negotiation phase on the job-shop performance is evaluated using a simulation model of a generic random job-shop that allow us to conclude that having a negotiation phase prior to rejection improves almost all workload performance measures. Different tolerances of the workload limit slightly affect the performance of the job-shop.

Abstract
Work flows in a job-shop are determined not only by the release load but also by the number of accepted orders. In this paper the common assumption of accepting all incoming orders regardless of shop condition is relaxed. Instead of placing the orders in a 'pre-shop pool' queue, as in previous research, orders that arrive at the shop, when it is highly congested, may be immediately rejected or their due dates may be negotiated. This paper explores the idea of controlling the workload since the acceptance/rejection stage. A new acceptance/rejection rule is proposed, and tests are conducted to study the sensitivity of job-shop performance to different order acceptance parameters, like the tolerance of the workload limit and the due date extension acceptance. The effect of the negotiation phase on the job-shop performance is evaluated using a simulation model of a generic random job-shop that allow us to conclude that having a negotiation phase prior to rejection improves almost all workload performance measures. Different tolerances of the workload limit slightly affect the performance of the job-shop.

Abstract
In this paper, we present greedy randomised dispatching heuristics for the single-machine scheduling problem with quadratic earliness and tardiness costs and no machine idle time. The several heuristic versions differ, on the one hand, on the strategies involved in the construction of the greedy randomised schedules. On the other hand, these versions also differ on whether they employ only a final improvement step or perform a local search after each greedy randomised construction. The proposed heuristics were compared with existing procedures as well as with optimum solutions for some instance sizes. The computational results show that the proposed procedures clearly outperform their underlying dispatching heuristic, and the best of these procedures provide results that are quite close to the optimum. The best of the proposed algorithms is the new recommended heuristic for large instances as well as a suitable alternative to the best existing procedure for the larger of the middle-sized instances.

Abstract
Despite all the differences on markets, cultural environment, and organizational objectives, some changes are modifying the way business occurs, turning competitive advantages difficult to accomplish. In a global marketplace scenario, changes are constant and with variable amplitude. Organizations need to be alert to all movements to counter-answer and re-align themselves with the new market conditions. Thus, it is wise to develop a flexible strategy, where it is possible to monitor the market conditions and the overall performance of the organization. We propose a project portfolio management and evaluation framework which gathers important concepts and tools from different areas, like Organizational Strategy, Organizational Learning, Decision Support Systems (DSS), Project Portfolio Management and Organizational Maturity, fundamental for acquiring and developing competitive advantages, and, therefore, for increasing the organization's overall performance.

Abstract
This paper seeks to give a general idea of the universe of project portfolio management, from its multidisciplinary nature, to the many challenges it raises, passing through the different techniques, models and tools used to solve the multiple problems known. It is intended to contribute to the clarification, with great depth, of the impacts and relationships involved in managing the projects' portfolio. It aims at proposing a technique for the project alignment with the organisational strategy, in order to select projects that later on will be considered in the analysis and selection of the portfolio. We consider the development of a methodology for assessing the project alignment index very relevant in the global market scenario. It can help organisations to gain a greater awareness of market dynamics, speed up the decision process and increase its consistency, thus enabling the strategic alignment and the improvement of the organisational performance.