Abstract: An urban transportation system which comprises a pool of rental urban vehicles all having the same size and physical configuration and having a range of driving which is limited as compared to the range of vehicles that are powered by internal combustion engines. The system includes a computer-controlled mechanized facility for delivering, receiving, processing, servicing and storing the vehicles. Vehicles are automatically recharged while in storage. The system includes areas for on-street parking of the vehicles. There are also several features to combat theft of the vehicles. A user may obtain the most readily available vehicle from any place in the system and return the vehicle to any other place within the system.

Abstract: A method of rating employee performance includes: a) receiving a list of nominated raters from the employee, including at least one manager of the employee, a plurality of the employee's peers, and a plurality of the employee's direct reports; b) electronically soliciting and receiving manager approval of the list of nominated raters; c) electronically notifying the approved raters with instructions for rating the employee; and d) receiving employee ratings data from the approved raters, wherein the steps of electronically soliciting and electronically notifying are automated. The process also includes training all users of the system in a manner in which the ratings are calibrated by comparing case studies to specific behavioral examples to provide immediate feedback to the user in a training process which is fully automated.

Abstract: In relocating vehicles to a port running short of vehicles from another port, the seriousness of shortage is considered. A first computing section computes the number of expected demands. A second computing section computes the number of expected vehicles. An excess/shortage count computing section computes excess or shortage from the difference between the number of demands and the number of vehicles. An evaluation value computing section computes an evaluation value indicative of the degree of seriousness of vehicle shortage. A vehicle relocation setting section sets relocation by considering the evaluation value, namely the degree of seriousness of vehicle shortage.

Abstract: This schedule management system can flexibly cope with an exceptional change or deletion of a part of a schedule. In registering a routine schedule, a unique number (routine number) is added to a series of such schedules. The schedule so registered is so adapted to be able to change only the content of the schedule without changing the added routine number in changing individual schedule. Therefore, an exceptional schedule the content of which has been changed can be flexibly managed by being deleted/changed in a bundle together with other routine schedule, for example. A routine basic condition such as every other day and every Monday and a routine exceptional condition such as shifting down week end and holiday to next day can be set in the routine pattern.