A guide for supply chain integration in SMEs

Supply chain integration (SCI) is a competitive business approach for enterprises that has not been implemented as widely as expected in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). One of the factors explaining this low level of application is the lack of methodologies to develop SCI that fit the characteristics of this type of enterprise. In this article, we present a methodology that enables SMEs to achieve correct SCI in a manner that is simple, straightforward and oriented towards their particular characteristics. Thus, SMEs will be able to align and coordinate the aims, resources, decisions, methods, business processes and employees involved in the supply chain. The methodology addresses the problem of SMEs SCI and it was produced by applying the case study research method to 30 industrial SMEs. The methodology is organised in phases and the activities to be performed, the techniques and supporting tools to be used, as well as the expected outcomes are all described for each phase. With this methodology, it becomes possible to overcome the main barriers that prevent SMEs from achieving a correct integration of their supply chains. In addition to the methodology, this article also outlines the significant benefits observed in the 30 enterprises as a result of its application

Adquisición de conocimiento externo y resultados de innovación: análisis del efecto moderador de la transferencia interna de conocimiento

[ESP] El dinamismo del mercado, el incremento de la movilidad de los trabajadores y los rápidos cambios en las tecnologías de la información han contribuido a que el conocimiento que una empresa precisa para innovar pueda estar disponible y repartido en distintos países, organizaciones y personas. Algunos autores señalan que la ventaja en innovación en la actualidad, no se basa tanto en los recursos internos que posee la organización, como en su capacidad para detectar el conocimiento externo valioso e integrarlo en su propio proceso de innovación. Este escenario de competitividad ha hecho que las actividades de adquisición y de integración del conocimiento externo en la empresa se conviertan en actividades básicas de gestión del conocimiento tecnológico

Research network on interoperability of applications and software for networked enterprises in the Valencian Region (INTERVAL)

Enterprise interoperability is a tool for enhancing the competitiveness of firms, and its importance is brought out by the fact one of the EC’s strategic aims is to accomplish interoperability among European firms by the year 2010. Nevertheless, in the particular case of the Valencian Region (Spain), research into enterprise interoperability is still badly structured, fragmented, overlapping and, in many cases, practically non-existent. The INTERVAL project has been set up in an attempt to solve this problem. The scheme plans to carry out a series of initiatives aimed at integrating research activities and applying them to the complicated Valencian business sector. By so doing these companies would benefit from the application of knowledge created specifically for them and adapted to fit their characteristics. In this paper we present the details of the project, including its goals, aims, activities, results achieved, the methodology used to accomplish them, the economic and/or technological advantages, as well as possible applications and future lines of research

Methodological proposal for business sustainability management by means of the Balanced Scorecard

Organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the need to include the concepts of economic, social and environmental sustainability within their different management models. To help them achieve this, they have a number of different CSR management tools available to them. However, despite offering recommendations on how and where to contemplate the concepts of sustainability within organisations, such instruments do not define a set of guidelines or a structured framework for implementing those concepts. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to enhance one of the tools that is most widely known and used in strategic management, the Balanced Scorecard, so that the concepts of sustainability can be implemented within the strategy and the day-to-day management of the enterprise. To do so, the case methodology was applied to 16 organisations in order to obtain what could be called a Sustainable Balanced ScorecardLas organizaciones son cada vez más conscientes de la necesidad de incluir los conceptos de sostenibilidad económica, social y ambiental dentro de sus diferentes modelos de gestión. Para ayudarles a conseguirlo, tienen un número de diferentes herramientas de gestión de la RSE a su disposición. Sin embargo, a pesar de ofrecer recomendaciones sobre cómo y dónde contemplar los conceptos de sostenibilidad en las organizaciones, tales instrumentos no se define un conjunto de directrices o un marco estructurado para la aplicación de esos conceptos. En consecuencia, el objetivo de este trabajo es mejorar una de las herramientas que es el más ampliamente conocido y utilizado en la gestión estratégica, Balanced Scorecard, por lo que los conceptos de sostenibilidad se pueden implementar dentro de la estrategia y el día a día la gestión de la empresa. Para ello, la metodología de los casos se aplicó a 16 organizaciones con el fin de obtener lo que podría llamarse un Cuadro de Mando Integral Sostenibl

A Software Engineering-Based Methodology for Selecting and Implementing Web 2.0 Technologies for Teaching

Nowadays, university students have grown up surrounded by Web 2.0 technologies, which they are able to use with ease. These technologies provide an opportunity to improve the learning/teaching process through collaboration, the exchange of knowledge and above all, the motivation created by the use of these technologies that are generally utilised by students in their day-to-day social life. The integration of Web 2.0 technologies into the learning/teaching process must be addressed in a critical way, taking into account the objectives to be achieved and the type of teaching to be undertaken. Teachers can find a wide range of available Web 2.0 technologies and it is often difficult for them to decide which type is the best one for their needs. This paper proposes a methodology based on software engineering methods and designed for software selection that provides recommendations to evaluate the function and options of Web 2.0 technologies according to the specific needs and characteristics of the subject to be taught and the types of students involved in higher education. The methodology consists of a formal guide to aid teachers when they need to select and put Web 2.0 technologies into practice in a learning/teaching process. In order to offer a practical demonstration of the application of this methodology, the experiences of various teachers in engineering degrees are described