4 research outputs found

    Abordagem participativa e pluridisciplinar na prevenção de lesões músculo-esqueléticas

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    Este trabalho descreve uma intervenção ergonómica desenvolvida por uma equipa multidisciplinar numa indústria de concepção de transformadores. O processo de intervenção foi desenvolvido num contexto de participação e focou-se na interacção dos trabalhadores com os dispositivos envolvidos na realização da actividade, em particular, nas consequências que derivam do facto destes dispositivos não serem desenvolvidos numa perspectiva centrada no utilizador final. Para além da descrição do contexto particular da intervenção e dos aspectos metodológicos que a conduziram, são discutidos os principais resultados, os quais apontam no sentido da necessidade de uma intervenção de reconcepção do posto de trabalho

    O contributo do design ergonómico na interacção com dispositivos de controlo: um caso de reconcepção de um posto de trabalho

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    Neste artigo é apresentado um estudo de caso desenvolvido por uma equipa multidisciplinar numa indústria de concepção de transformadores. A intervenção foca-se na interacção dos trabalhadores com os dispositivos envolvidos na realização da actividade, em particular, nas consequências que derivam do facto destes dispositivos não serem desenvolvidos numa perspectiva de design centrado no utilizador. É descrito o contexto particular da intervenção, das tarefas envolvidas na situação de trabalho analisada, bem como os aspectos metodológicos que conduziram a intervenção. São também apresentados os principais resultados da análise, os quais apontam no sentido da necessidade de uma intervenção de reconcepção do posto de trabalho

    Total Ownership Cost Modeling Of Technology Adoption Using System Dynamics: Implications For Erp Systems

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    Investment in new technologies is considered by firms as a solution to improve their productivity, product and service quality and their competitive advantages in the global market. Unfortunately, not all technology adoption projects have met their intended objectives. The complexity of technology adoption along with little consideration of the long term cost of the technology, are among the factors that challenge companies while adopting a new technology. Companies often make new technology adoption decision without enough attention to the total cost of the technology over its lifecycle. Sometimes poor decision making while adopting a new technology can result in substantial recurring loss impacts. Therefore, estimating the total cost of the technology is an important step in justifying the technology adoption. Total Ownership Cost (TOC) is a wildly-accepted financial metric which can be applied to study the costs associated with the new technology throughout its lifecycle. TOC helps companies analyze not only the acquisition and procurement cost of the technology, but also other cost components occurring over the technology usage and service stage. The point is that, technology adoption cost estimation is a complex process involving consideration of various aspects such as the maintenance cost, technology upgrade cost and the cost related to the human-resource. Assessing the association between the technology characteristics (technology upgrades over its life cycle, compatibility with other systems, technology life span, etc) and the TOC encompasses a high degree of complexity. The complexity exists because there are many factors affecting the cost over time. Sometimes decisions made today can have long lasting impact on the system costs and there is a lag between the time the decision is taken and when outcomes occur. iv An original contribution of this dissertation is development of a System Dynamics (SD) model to estimate the TOC associated with the new technology adoption. The SD model creates casual linkage and relationships among various aspects of the technology adoption process and allows decision makers to explore the impact of their decisions on the total cost that the technology brings into the company. The SD model presented in this dissertation composes of seven sub-models including (1) technology implementation efforts, (2) workforce training, (3) technology-related workforce hiring process, (4) preventive and corrective maintenance process, (5) technology upgrade, (6) impact of technology on system performance and (7) total ownership cost sub model. A case study of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system adoption has been used to show the application of the SD model. The results of the model show that maintenance, upgrade and workforce hiring costs are among the major cost components in the ERP adoption case study presented in Chapter 4. The simulation SD model developed in this dissertation supports trade-off analysis and provides a tool for technology scenarios evaluation. The SD model presented here can be extended to provide a basis for developing a decision support system for technology evaluation

    The effect of work intensification on work-life balance.

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    Master of Commerce in Law and Management Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2015.Today‘s organizations are pressurised to produce goods and quality services, taking cognisance of the demands of contemporary working life and the porosity of the working world. The aim of the study was to get an overall perspective of the perceptions and the effect of work intensification on work-life balance through the distribution of questionnaires to employees in a public sector organization, in KwaZulu-Natal. In this study, major emphasis is placed on the key constructs of the study, taking cognisance of a better balance in employees‘ daily lives. Various forms of work intensification exist, including in those organizations that are not labour intensive. The sub-variables for work intensification are organizational and technological change, work intensity and ergonomic factors, work-related stress and psychological factors, volume of workload and job insecurity. With work-life balance, the current study addresses work-family conflict, work flexibility, managerial/supervisory support, child/elderly care and employee wellness. The literature review addresses various contextual factors and embarks on various domains to understand and address the research problem. The study is quantitative and the final sample comprised of one hundred office based employees (managers, supervisors and employees). A self-developed questionnaire was utilized and a simple random sampling method was chosen. Both, descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized and the reliability and validity of the measuring instrument was established using Factor Analysis and Cronbach‘s Coefficient Alpha, respectively. Hypotheses testing formed part of the study. The study involved the testing of seven hypotheses of which all were partially accepted. The results revealed that work intensification and work-life balance occurred at varying degrees. It was found that work-related stress and psychological factors; volume of workload; managerial/supervisory support and work-family conflict were areas that required improvement. Significant differences surfaced with the biographical profile of employees. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in the perceptions of male and female employees in this organization. The effects of the demands of contemporary working life on work-life balance have been reported on exposing significant correlations between specific sub-dimensions of work intensification and work-life balance. The study culminates with a discussion on recommendations and conclusion and, practical implications are provided
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