Key issues on partial least squares (PLS) in operations management research: A guide to submissions

Purpose: This work aims to systematise the use of PLS as an analysis tool via a usage guide or recommendation for researchers to help them eliminate errors when using this tool. Design/methodology/approach: A recent literature review about PLS and discussion with experts in the methodology. Findings: This article considers the current situation of PLS after intense academic debate in recent years, and summarises recommendations to properly conduct and report a research work that uses this methodology in its analyses. We particularly focus on how to: choose the construct type; choose the estimation technique (PLS or CB-SEM); evaluate and report the measurement model; evaluate and report the structural model; analyse statistical power. Research limitations: It was impossible to cover some relevant aspects in considerable detail herein: presenting a guided example that respects all the report recommendations presented herein to act as a practical guide for authors; does the specification or evaluation of the measurement model differ when it deals with first-order or second-order constructs?; how are the outcomes of the constructs interpreted with the indicators being measured with nominal measurement levels?; is the Confirmatory Composite Analysis approach compatible with recent proposals about the Confirmatory Tetrad Analysis (CTA)? These themes will the object of later publications. Originality/value: We provide a check list of the information elements that must contain any article using PLS. Our intention is for the article to act as a guide for the researchers and possible authors who send works to the JIEM (Journal of Industrial and Engineering Management). This guide could be used by both editors and reviewers of JIEM, or other journals in this area, to evaluate and reduce the risk of bias (Losilla, Oliveras, Marin-Garcia & Vives, 2018) in works using PLS as an analysis procedure

Scientific publication for dummies. A critical vision of indexed citations

Si queremos hacer avanzar la ciencia, necesitamos comunicar y debatir nuestros resultados para ir construyendo, entre todos, el conocimiento científico. En esta charla me gustaría compartir con vosotros cómo entiendo el sistema de publicaciones científicas, dónde localizar revistas afines a vuestros temas y cómo seleccionarlas (en base a su comité científico, la calidad de sus revisiones o el impacto en vuestro currículum a partir de diversos índices de impacto). También me gustaría personalizar la charla para dar respuesta a vuestras dudas concretas sobe el proceso editorial o recomendaciones que puedo haceros desde mi rol como editor y revisor de diferentes revistas de impacto. If we want to advance the science, we need to communicate and discuss our results in order to build, together, scientific knowledge. In this talk I would like to share with you how to understand the scientific publication system, where to find journals related to your research lines and how to select (based on its scientific committee, the quality of their reviews or impact on your curriculum ). I also like to customize the chat to answer your specific questions about the editorial process or recommendations I can make you in my role as editor and reviewer for various journals of impact.Marín García, JA. (2013). Scientific publication for dummies. A critical vision of indexed citations. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/3200

New concepts in automation and robotic technology for surface engineering

Nowadays, the use of robots for the automation of process is very common. This is due to the advantages provided: cost reduction, quality increase, high reproducibility, etc. Nevertheless the robots have the disadvantage, that a high initial investment is necessary. Thermal spraying processes use industrial robots for many reasons, some of them are: high control of the process, quality increase, dangerous work environment, etc. The industrial robot can control many parameters during the process; like the trajectory and the velocity of the torch, which have a significant influence on the heat and mass transfer to the piece and coating. Properties such as coating thickness, porosity, micro hardness and thermal stress distribution are therefore significantly influenced by the spraying distance, velocity and trajectory. It is thus necessary to implement new tools, which support robot programming and fulfill the requirements of torch handling for thermal spraying and lacquered operation. Optimized robot programming is necessary for high quality products regarding coating properties and functionality. To optimize the robot programming, different off-line programming tools are used. The off-line programming has the advantages: increase of work safety and efficiency, low time to program, continuous production, etc.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería IndustrialUniversidad Politécnica de CartagenaInstitute for Manufacturing Technologies of Ceramic Components and Composites (IMTCCC; University of Stuttgart

Validation of suply chain integration scales and the effect that size, level of vertical integration, industry and country have on their value

Academic literature would appear to indicate that supply chain integration is a major factor in explaining the performance of companies. The results are nevertheless inconclusive. Certain authors put forward the idea that the vast range of results obtained are due, amongst other things, to the fact that there is no exactness to the group of scales used, no-one has yet published an analysis of the measurement models nor clear benchmarks. In this paper, we present the theoretical definition of four supply chain integration scales (clients, suppliers, external and internal) and the convergent and discriminant validity of a measurement instrument based on a list of items taken from earlier papers. We also propose a benchmark to interpret the scales by percentiles, using a diverse international sampling broken down into sub-samples based on sector, type of company, size of company and degree of vertical integration.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación DPI2010-18243Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia DPI2006-0553

Impacto de la tasa de servicio de tren de aseo en los contribuyentes usuarios en el municipio de Juigalpa durante el II semestre del año 2015

El presente trabajo de investigación se considera de suma importancia porque nos damos cuenta sobre el impacto que tiene el servicio de tren de aseo en los pobladores usuarios en el municipio de Juigalpa y conoceremos las medidas que utiliza la Alcaldía Municipal. Planteamiento del problema. El problema de la recolección de basura en la ciudad de JUIGALPA se ha venido acrecentando en la medida que la ciudad se ha desarrollado. En la actualidad nuestro gobierno implementa medidas de asistencia a la población en la parte de salud, atribuyendo que es un derecho constitucional. OBJETIVOS OBJETIVO GENERAL: Determinar el impacto de la tasa del servicio de tren de aseo en contribuyentes en el municipio de Juigalpa durante el II semestre del año 2015. OBJETIVOS ESPECIFICOS: Identificar el conocimiento que tienen los contribuyentes usuarios del servicio sobre los procedimientos que utiliza la Alcaldía. Describir factores que influyen en el pago de la tasa de tren de aseo. Valorar estrategias implementadas por la Alcaldía de Juigalpa para incentivar la recaudación de esta tasa. Elaborar procedimientos sugerentes a mejorar el sistema actual del servicio de tren de aseo Diseño metodológico. Según su finalidad: esta Investigación es aplicada. Según el alcance temporal es transversal. Según la profundidad u objetivo es descriptiva. Según el carácter de la medida es cuantitativa– cualitativa. Según el marco que tiene lugar es de campo. ANALISIS DE RESULTADOS De la muestra tomada en consideración el 95.64% asegura que el camión recolector de basura pasa por sus casas, esto demuestra que la Alcaldía de Juigalpa ofrece una amplia cobertura de recolección de desechos en cada uno de los barrios. La exoneración de multas representa una buena estrategia para agilizar la gestión de cobranza. La mayor parte de los contribuyentes (47.14%) han sido beneficiados con la dispensa de multa alguna vez. La calidad del servicio que presta la Alcaldía de Juigalpa es calificada entre bueno y excelente. CONCLUSIONES Se logra determinar que los pobladores que no hacen uso del servicio de tren de aseo son las personas con bajos recursos. El 76.60% de la población que no hace uso del servicio de tren de aseo es por la falta de interés, el resto por desconocimiento del recorrido que efectúa el camión recolector. RECOMENDACIONES Dar a conocer a la población de Juigalpa la ejecución realizada por la obtención de los ingresos percibidos mediante el servicio de tren de ase

Analysis, Evaluation and Simulation of Railway Diesel-Electric and Hybrid Units as Distributed Energy Resources

The objective of this paper involves the analysis, identification and evaluation of different possibilities offered by technology for the improvement and the management of the use of energy and hybridization in railways: On board generation, demand response and energy storage, both in traction and auxiliary loads, considering the aggregation of resources and its stochastic nature. The paper takes into account the importance of efficient use of energy in railways, both currently (trains in service, prototypes) and in the future, considering the trends driven by energy policy scenarios (2030–2050) that will affect service and operation of units during their lifetime. A new activity has been considered that will be relevant in the future in the framework of a new electricity supply paradigm: Smart-Grids. According to this paradigm, the interaction of the Electric Power System and the Railway Supply System (somehow embedded in the Power System) will bring new opportunities for the collaboration of these two systems to perform, in a wise economic fashion, a better and more reliable operation of the complete energy system. The paper is focused on a mixed profile with low-medium traffic (passenger and freight): The first part of the route is electrified (3 kV DC catenary) whereas the second part is not electrified. Results justify that complex policies and objectives bring an opportunity to make cost-effective the hybridization of railway units, especially in low/medium traffic lines, which improves their social and economic sustainability.Authors are very grateful to the information, data and technical discussions provided by Patentes Talgo S.A. (Spain). This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spanish Government) under research project ENE-2016-78509-C3-2-P; Ministerio de Educación (Spanish Government) under grant FPU17/02753 and especially EU FEDER funds. This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government) under research project ENE-2016-78509-C3-2-P; Ministerio de Educación through grant FPU17/02753 and EU FEDER funds. Authors have also received funds from these grants for covering the costs to publish in open access

Do Age and Educational Stage Influence No-Mobile-Phone Phobia?

Technological progress not only brings with it resources that improve and facilitate the day-to-day life of the people who make up society but also entails health risks, with the emergence of terms, such as nomophobia, which is considered an anxiety disorder produced by the fear that not having a mobile phone generates in a person. This research aims to identify the relationship and influence between levels of nomophobia and the age or educational stage of students. The research method is based on a correlational and predictive design of quantitative methodology. The instrument used is the NMP-Q questionnaire. The study population is students from different educational stages (obligatory secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and university). The results show that students over 12 years old present an average level of “nomophobia” (no-mobile-phone phobia), namely, not being able to communicate with the family where the highest levels are presented. We conclude that students over 12 years of age and of any educational stage present an average level of nomophobia, and it cannot be determined that either the educational stage or the age are determining factors in the presentation of this problem. This can occur at any age and at any level of the different educational stages, although there are risk indicators that we should bear in mind to avoid the appearance of nomophobia.I+D+I Project Research of Results Transfer Office (OTRI) of the University of Granada (Reference: CNT 4439

La trascendencia de la Realidad Aumentada en la motivación estudiantil. Una revisión sistemática y meta-análisis

La llegada de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) al sistema educativo ha propiciado que numerosos recursos novedosos y de gran interés didáctico lleguen a las aulas. Este es el caso de la Realidad Aumentada, tecnología que se ha popularizado por su capacidad para combinar elementos virtuales y reales al mismo tiempo. El presente trabajo ha pretendido indagar en la literatura científica para comprobar si la aplicación de Realidad Aumentada en las aulas promueve una mejora motivacional en el estudiantado de las diversas etapas educativas. Para ello, se recurrió a la metodología correspondiente a las revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis propuestas por la declaración PRISMA tomando como fuente de datos las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science. Un total de nueve de metodología cuasi experimental fueron analizados en torno a la medición de la variable motivación. Los resultados dilucidaron un diagnóstico favorable a los grupos de carácter experimental, por lo que se pudo inferir que la experimentación en el aula con Realidad Aumentada motiva al estudiantado de distintas etapas educativas. No obstante, se plantea la necesidad de realizar mayor número de experiencias con Realidad Aumentada en las aulas para poder establecer un dictamen en torno a un cuerpo más sólido de trabajos científicos.//The arrival of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the education system has meant that many new resources of great didactic interest have reached the classroom. This is the case of Augmented Reality, a technology that has become popular due to its ability to combine virtual and real elements at the same time. This work has attempted to investigate the scientific literature to see if the application of Augmented Reality in the classroom promotes a motivational improvement in the student body of the various educational stages. For this purpose, the methodology corresponding to the systematic reviews and meta-analysis proposed by the PRISMA declaration was used, taking as data source the databases Scopus and Web of Science. A total of nine quasi-experimental methodologies were analysed around the measurement of the motivation variable. The results elucidated a favourable diagnosis to the experimental groups, so it could be inferred that experimentation in the classroom with Augmented Reality motivates the student body of different educational stages. Nevertheless, it is necessary to carry out a greater number of experiences with Augmented Reality in the classrooms in order to be able to establish an opinion around a more solid body of scientific work

El efecto del tipo de producto fabricado y del tamaño de la empresa en los resultados productivos de las empresas de pavimentos y revestimientos cerámicos de la Comunidad Valenciana.

En este artículo, describimos los datos recogidos en las entrevistas realizadas a 101 directores de producción y en las visitas posteriores a sus plantas. En él, presentamos la importancia que tiene el tipo de producto fabricado y el número de trabajadores en plantilla, para explicar las diferencias que existen en los resultados productivos de las empresas. Algunos indicadores como el plazo de fabricación, la cantidad de inventario de producto terminado o la productividad por operario, son sensiblemente diferentes en las distintas agrupaciones de empresas. Sin embargo, la satisfacción percibida por el mando de producción apenas varía al agrupar las empresas por producto fabricado

Grado de uso y resultados de la producción ajustada en las empresas de pavimentos y revestimientos cerámicos

Este artículo presenta una investigación llevada a cabo en el sector cerámico español. Su objetivo radica en determinar el grado de uso de algunas de las prácticas más representativas de la producción ajustada (PA) y su efecto sobre los niveles de calidad y productividad de estas empresas. Se presentan los resultados de 76 plantas industriales (un 79,17% de la población total) dedicadas a la monococción: porosa, gres y gres porcelánico. La conclusión más destacada es que, contrariamente a lo esperado, apenas se utiliza la PA por parte de estas empresas, sin que ello sea obstáculo para que las plantas alcancen unos altos índices de calidad y productividad. Este trabajo se va a unir a otros que señalan que la PA no es un sistema universal, válido en cualquier circunstancia y para cualquier lugar. Por tanto, antes de descartar los sistemas de producción en masa por otros más innovadores (desde el supuesto punto de vista de su eficiencia productiva), se requiere un análisis más detallado, al menos, de las características propias de cada sector. This article presents research carried out in the Spanish ceramic tile industry. The aim focuses on determining the degree of use of some of the most representative Lean manufacturing practices and their effect on the productivity and quality levels of these companies. Results are presented from 76 plants (79.17% of the population) dedicated to single firing ceramics: porous tiles, stoneware floor tiles and porcelain stoneware. The most outstanding conclusion was that, contrary to what was expected, Lean manufacturing is hardly used at all by these companies. However, the plants achieve high rates of quality and productivity. This work falls into line with others that indicate that Lean manufacturing is not a universal system, valid in any circumstances and place. Therefore, before getting rid of mass production systems in favour of more innovative ones (from the point of view of their productive efficiency), a more detailed analysis is required, at least, of the characteristics of each industry