Business Process Redesign : a case at a specialized retail industry : Worten

The main purpose of this dissertation is to analyze how Business Process Redesign (BPR) can be used to improve Worten Resolve current processes. Worten Resolve is a premium after sales service which belongs to Worten, a specialized retail store of Sonae which owns more than 150 stores between Portugal and Spain. The everyday work of Worten Resolve is composed by several activities and processes performed by Worten employees, managers and technicians. Always considering the theory of Business Process Redesign, the several activities and processes were observed, monitored and documented in order to understand which one needed to change. Subsequently, the main problems and wasteful activities were identified, such as the technical services, which were the biggest change. For the problems identified, a solution was proposed using flowcharts for visual identification. The gains are also evaluated and mentioned in all the redesigns suggestions. Thus, is possible to conclude that BPR was an effective tool in order to accomplish the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) defined by the team assembled for this project. Consequently, it will save costs for the company and possibly contribute to increase customer loyalty.O principal objectivo da presente Dissertação é o de analisar se o Business Process Redesign (BPR) pode ser usado para incrementar os processos actuais da Worten Resolve. A Worten Resolve é um serviço de pós-venda de excelência proporcionado pela Worten, que por sua vez é um armazém retalhista especializado, enquadrado no perímetro das empresas da Sonae, detendo mais de 150 lojas entre Portugal e Espanha. O trabalho quotidiano desempenhado pelos empregados, directores e técnicos da Worten Resolve, é composto por diferentes actividades e processos. Tendo sempre em conta a teoria do BPR, essas mesmas actividades e processos foram observados, monitorizados e documentados, com vista a ter-se a noção do que precisa de ser alterado. Subsequentemente, foram identificados os principais problemas e perdas de produtividade, como foi o caso dos serviços técnicos, onde foram implementadas as maiores alterações. Para o problema identificado, foi proposta uma solução através de fluxogramas para uma melhor identificação visual. Os ganhos obtidos são também analisados e mencionados em todas as sugestões redesenhadas. Assim, é possível concluir que o BPR foi uma ferramenta eficaz com vista à realização dos KPI’s definidos pela equipa responsável pelo projecto. Consequentemente, são poupados custos à empresa e possivelmente foi conseguido o aumento da fidelização dos clientes

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved