Process management implementation level. A case study from Cantabria.

Nowadays companies need to efficiently and quickly allocate their resources in order to be competitive and survive. Process management is one of the mechanisms that arise to meet these new needs, giving the company the flexibility to develop their business in today's competitive environment. However, despite companies are aware of the importance of process management, a high percentage of process management initiatives fail. Therefore more research should be done. In this study, the implementation level achieved by companies when implementing process management will be analysed. Results show that the Operations area is the one with most processes defined. Additionally, it may be concluded that it exists an unequal development of process management depending on the functional area

The effect of organizational responsibility in attitudes toward hiring individuals with disadvantages

La presente investigación estudia el cambio de actitudes en el contexto laboral hacia la contratación de personas con discapacidad. Fueron seleccionados aleatoriamente 80 trabajadores de distintas empresas para participar de forma voluntaria y anónima en esta investigación. Se examinó el efecto de la responsabilidad organizacional de los participantes sobre el procesamiento de mensajes persuasivos y las actitudes hacia la incorporación de trabajadores de este colectivo minoritario. Mediante un análisis de varianza, se encontró que los participantes que informaron tener (vs. no tener) responsabilidad sobre otras personas en sus empresas discriminaron en mayor medida entre los argumentos fuertes y débiles de la propuesta persuasiva. En línea con la investigación previa sobre responsabilidad personal y persuasión, estos resultados sugieren que la responsabilidad organizacional influye sobre la cantidad de procesamiento o sobre la validez de los pensamientos generados en respuesta a la propuesta.The present research studies how to promote attitudes toward hiring more people with disabilities in the job market. Eighty workers of different companies were selected randomly to take part voluntarily and anonymously in this study. We examined the effect of organizational responsibility on the processing of persuasive messages and attitudes toward incorporating more workers pertaining to this minority group. By means of an analysis of variance, we found that the participants who reported to have (vs. not to have) responsibility over other employees in their organizations were more likely to discriminate between the strong and weak arguments of the persuasive proposal. In line with previous research on personal responsibility and persuasion, these results suggest that organizational responsibility can influence the amount of processing or the perceived validity of the thoughts generated in response to the proposal

How do companies implement process management? : the case of cantabrian companies.

The constant, and sometimes radical, changes that are taking place in the business environment demand that companies develop more agile mechanisms and management systems that enable them to adapt and, above all, to be competitive. All this means that companies must be able to continuously and quickly adapt to change. In order to do this, they need to develop agile and flexible structures. Process management is a mechanism that arises to meet these new needs, giving the company the flexibility to develop their business in today's competitive environment. Despite the importance of process management techniques, several authors affirm that a high percentage of process management initiatives fail. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse how companies implement process management. Specifically, we would like to know who the people responsible for the implementation were and which phases or steps they followed. In order to achieve this aim, a survey was conducted among companies over 20 employees from Cantabria (a region in the North of Spain) which practised process management. Results show that a high percentage of companies sought external consultancy when implementing process management, especially during the initial stages. Concerning the implementation stages, an implementation methodology is proposed. Results show that it may be considered as appropriate due to the fact that all the stages are frequently used. Overall, we consider that from a theoretical point of view this study adds value to the field as it offers, first, a review gathering together the main implementation methodologies identified along the literature; and secondly it describes the results of an empirical study based on Spain, covering an existing gap. On the other side, from the practitioners’ point of view, this study could be used as guide for them. Not only because of the literature review, but especially because of the empirical case. From the obtained result managers could learn what other companies did when implementing process management. And, specially, they can identify what other companies did wrong in order not to repeat it

Three decades of continuous improvement.

The aim of this study is to provide a literature review on continuous improvement analysing the evolution of the field by combining quantitative and qualitative analysis. More than 1,000 articles have been reviewed. The articles have been collected through the prestigious database Web of Knowledge (Thomson Scientific). The results show an increasing interest in the field of continuous improvement over the past 30 years. The most discussed topics have been “implementation of continuous improvement systems” and “methodologies”. Other findings from the study are: the existence of regional differences in research on continuous improvement, the predominance of the case study and the survey as research methodologies, and the positioning of Total Quality Management and Business Excellence as the lead scientific publication in continuous improvement areas. The present review adds value to other studies on the same topic due to number of items used (1090), the time period covered (1980-2011), the prestigious database used (Web of Knowledge) and the combination of different analysis (quantitative and qualitative)

The main early and late promoters of Bacillus subtilis phage ø29 form unstable open complexes with sA-RNA polymerase that are stabilized by DNA supercoiling

Most Escherichia coli promoters studied so far form stable open complexes with σ70-RNA polymerase which have relatively long half-lives and, therefore, are resistant to a competitor challenge. A few exceptions are nevertheless known. The analysis of a number of promoters in Bacillus subtilis has suggested that the instability of open complexes formed by the vegetative σA polymerase may be a more general phenomenon than in Escherichia coli. We show that the main early and late promoters from the Bacillus subtilis phage ø29 form unstable open complexes that are stabilized either by the formation of the first phosphodlester bond between the initiating nucleoside triphosphates or by DNA supercoiling. The functional characteristics of these two strong promoters suggest that they are not optimized for a tight and stable RNA polymerase binding. Their high activity is probably the consequence of the efficiency of further steps leading to the formation of an elongation complex.This investigation was aided by research grants from the National Institutes of Health (5ROI GM27242-13), Direccion General de Investigaci6n Cientifica y Tecnica (PB90 0091) and an institutional Grant from Fundacidn Ram6n Areces. F.R. was holder of a post-doctoral fellowship from M.E.C. B.N. and M.M were holders of pre-doctoral fellowships from M.E.C and Gobierno Vasco, respectively.Peer reviewe

Port System of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast Side

ABSTRACT: This study aims at doing a comparative analysis of the Mediterranean Port Authorities and their positioning based on their perception about the "innovative effort they have made". In order to achieve this aim, first, a comparative analysis has been carried out in order to obtain an overview of the Mediterranean watershed; secondly, the strengths and weaknesses of each Port Authority have been identified based on the variable "perceived innovative effort". The main results obtained have allowed us to detect the existing expertise on the Mediterranean Port Authorities. For instance, Tarragona is specialized in coal traffic, while Barcelona is specialized in natural gas and oil. Valencia holds the first position regarding traffic of goods. It also shares the first position with Barcelona in reference to container traffic. From the infrastructure analysis, it has been concluded that Tarragona is the Port Authority with a higher number of specialized facilities, followed by Barcelona, Castellón and Valencia. In addition, a detailed analysis of the specific facilities of each Port Authority has allowed us to get more information about the specialization of Port Authorities. Thus, it has been found that Tarragona is the only one that has coal facilities, Baleares is the only one with a dock for unloading butane and Barcelona is the only one with specific facilities dedicated to food (soybean, cocoa, coffee ...). Finally, the strengths and weaknesses analysis provides an overview of the situation of each Port Authority, indicating the potential lines of action and improvement that they can follow. We consider that this study may be useful for the Port Authority managers and policy makers due to it offers an overview of the situation of the Port Authority compared to its nearest competitors, helping with decision making and resource allocation

A Theoretical Overview of the Stockout Problem in Retail: from Causes to Consequences

ABSTRACT: Due to the relevance of stockouts in the retail sector together with their significantly negative effect both on retail and the whole supply chain, this paper offers a theoretical review of the stockout definition, rates, its main causes and consequences

Biomateriales : aplicación a cirugía ortopédica y traumatológica

El siguiente proyecto tiene por objeto el estudio de los pasados y actuales biomateriales para ortopedias y traumatologías. Se evaluarán las principales propiedades que han de cumplir los materiales para ser considerados biomateriales. Se darán a conocer los diferentes biomateriales clasificados según el tipo de material (metálico, cerámico, polímero o naturales) y según la aplicación que vayan a tener (sistema esquelético, sistema vascular,....). Se estudiarán las propiedades mecánicas de cada material en el transcurso de su descripción. Se relacionará el método de fabricación mediante el tipo de componentes que están hechos los biomateriales. De este modo se diferenciarán las mejores opciones para los diversos implantes y mejoras de los mismos, y se conocerán las distintas aplicaciones específicas que un material puede tener dentro del organismo. Se describirán a su vez las alergias, motivos de fallo y otros síntomas que se pueden producir. Con ello, se estudiará la durabilidad de los biomateriales, considerando tanto la degradación del material debido a la interacción con el medio fisiológico que lo rodea, como la falta de adaptación del tejido vivo al material introducido en el organismo junto a los tipos de respuesta del tejido al implante. Se analizarán como aspectos mecánicos las superficies de deslizamiento entre los diferentes materiales de los que están realizadas las ortopedias y prótesis. También se verán las homologaciones de los materiales e implantes y las normas tan necesarias en los aspectos reglamentarios que regulan la comercialización del mercado de los implantes. Por último, se cerrará el proyecto con las aplicaciones actuales (se resumirán las sustituciones más frecuentes) y futuras de los biomateriales en cirugía ortopédica y traumatológica.Ingeniería Técnica en Mecánic

Continuous improvement enablers: Defining a new construct

ABSTRACT: Purpose: Continuous improvement is a means of promoting and working through business excellence. However, due to the complexity of the implementation process, many companies fail. Some authors consider that this partly due to the lack of studies which develop and validate theoretical constructs in order to push theory in the CI field. Therefore, this study aims at identifying and better understanding the factors that could act as enablers when implementing a CI initiative by designing and analyzing a new theoretical construct. Design/methodology/approach: After conducting a rigorous literature review and consulting a group of experts, Rasch Measurement Theory was used in order to validate the construct and rank the enablers. Findings: After validating the construct, a hierarchy of priority was obtained, being the following enablers the most important ones: establishing clear objectives, training, recognizing the achievements and learning from the CI process itself and motivation. Practical implications: Identifying the key enablers could help those companies that are about to start with the implementation process. Additionally obtaining a general classification could help managers to make good decisions and handle these enablers, fostering the most important one. Originality/value: This paper provides additional evidence regarding the main enablers that an organization that decides to implement CI can foster. Additionally, as far as authors are concerned, this is the first paper that defines a theoretical construct concerning continuous improvement enablers. Going one-step further, this paper obtains a hierarchy of priority, identifying the main enablers according to managers' opinions