Succès d'implantation des technologies manufacturières avancées

L'implantation des technologies manufacturières avancées : une innovation technologique -- Le concept d'implantation -- Technologie et stratégie -- L'incertitude et l'implantation de TMA -- Problématique spécifique de recherche -- L'importance des PME -- Les technologies manufacturières avancées -- Conditions de réussite à l'implantation des TMA -- Le concept d'intégration -- Le degré de maturité technologique -- Succès d'implantation des TMA -- Cadre conceptuel -- Méthodologie de recherche privilégiée -- Approche qualitative versus quantitative -- Étude longitudinale versus ponctuelle -- Choix de l'outil de cueillette de données -- Choix de l'unité d'analyse, de l'unité d'observation et du répondant -- Description de la population étudiée et des étapes de réalisation de l'enquête -- Modalités de l'enquête sur le terrain -- Effet des variables de contrôle -- Résultats et analyses statistiques multivariées -- Analyse discriminante : Profil distinctif des entreprises ayant connu un succès d'implantation élevé

Transnational Ideas and Connections: Understanding Asian Civil Society Activism

Whether one looks back at armed insurgency movements, the Philippines’ People Power, or Jakarta’s riots against Suharto, transnational ideas, models of collective action, and activists have been keys in inspiring and fostering civil society mobilization and organizations in Southeast Asia. What are some of the common characteristics of Asian civil society activism, and what are some of the differences? Can we explain these similitudes and differences across countries, especially within Southeast Asia? Are there themes for activism that are more dominant than others? To answer these questions, we first undertook a short historical and comparative review of social activism in the region before conducting a preliminary analysis of a database on NGOs, networks, and coalitions in various Southeast Asian countries. Our results seem to show that national organizations tend to be influenced by agenda setting on the part of regional organizations, to the point where it might trump the importance of national/local issues, such as the regime type, and might homogenize the issues on which organizations work across countries. At the same time, national/local animosities also influence regional organizations, whether they want it or not. In sum, regional and national organizations shape each other, and that the influence is far from going only in one single direction

Critical Success Factors in the Development and Implementation of Special Purpose Industrial Tools: An Ergonomic Perspective

AbstractThe variety of different manual tasks performed in industry is infinite. In many circumstances, these tasks are carried out under difficult conditions with ergonomic concerns about the postures, force or repetitions involved. These tasks are sometimes performed using a dedicated special purpose tool, often developed by the workers themselves. These special tools are generally task-oriented only, with very little consideration of basic ergonomics. Therefore, in many cases, the design of a new or improved special purpose tool is one of the solutions that could enhance the ergonomics of the performed task. However, developing and implementing a new or improved tool is not an easy assignment and the ergonomist could face many unexpected challenges and pitfalls. This paper discusses the pitfalls that could compromise these ergonomic interventions and the critical success factors that should be considered. The main difficulties that could arise during such a project include the poor understanding of the user's needs, the hidden constraints related to the requirements of the task to be performed, the construction and testing of the prototypes, and the users’ resistance to change. Critical success factors related to worker participation, needs and constraints analysis, and the implementation of prototypes, are presented. Examples from industrial projects involving the development and implementation of special purpose tools are used to support the discussion. This paper should provide some guidance in this particular field of applied ergonomics

Les déterminants de l’excellence manufacturière au sein des PME : vers la disparition des arbitrages traditionnels

Les nouvelles règles de la compétition obligent de plus en plus les entreprises à maîtriser simultanément plusieurs aspects de la performance manufacturière. Cette réalité diffère de la vision traditionnelle selon laquelle les organisations doivent choisir entre des objectifs tels que la réduction des coûts, la qualité ou la flexibilité. Une étude auprès d’entreprises manufacturières québécoises a été menée afin d’évaluer le degré de résolution de ces arbitrages traditionnels. Des facteurs relatifs à différentes pratiques manufacturières ont été examinés en fonction de diverses priorités de compétition au sein d’un échantillon de 250 PME. Les résultats ont notamment dévoilé qu’un bon nombre de celles-ci ont su résoudre les arbitrages traditionnels et qu’un degré élevé de résolution est associé à une meilleure performance financière. Ces PME les plus performantes se caractérisent par ailleurs par des compétences distinctes liées au processus de développement de nouveaux produits et le recours à une main-d’œuvre plus flexible.The intensification of competitive pressure now requires companies to achieve high levels of manufacturing performance on several dimensions in a simultaneous way. This reality challenges the traditional idea that the production function cannot be all things to all people and must choose between manufacturing objectives such as low cost, high quality or flexibility. This paper presents the results of a study conducted in 250 SMEs in the manufacturing sector. It examines the level to which companies were able to resolve manufacturing performance trade-offs. The results demonstrate that a large number of SMEs have managed to avoid the traditional trade-offs and that trade-offs avoidance is linked with superior financial performance. These high performance SMEs are also characterized by new product development capabilities and the use of flexible operators.Las nuevas reglas de la competencia obligan cada vez más a las empresas a dominar simultáneamente muchos aspectos del resultado manufacturero. Esta realidad difiere de la visión tradicional según la cual las organizaciones tienen que hacer concesiones durante la determinación de los objetivos sobre la reducción de los costos, la mejoría de la calidad o de la flexibilidad. Se realizó un estudio con empresas manufactureras localizadas en Québec, para evaluar la habilidad de hacer compromisos durante la gestión de los sectores tradicionales. En una muestra constituida de 250 pequeñas y medianas empresas (PME), factores relativos a diferentes prácticas manufactureras fueron examinados en función de diferentes prioridades manufactureras. Entre otras cosas, los resultados demostraron que un gran número de PME saben hacer concesiones y que la resultante está asociada a un mejor resultado financiero. Por otro lado, estas PME se caracterizan por sus competencias distintas vinculadas al proceso de desarrollo de nuevos productos y a una mano de obra más flexible.Die neuen Wettbewerbsregeln verlangen von den Unternehmen immer mehr die Fähigkeit, gleichzeitig mehrere Aspekte der Produktionsleistung zu beherrschen. Diese Realität unterscheidet sich von der traditionellen Vision, nach der die Unternehmen wählen müssen zwischen Zielen wie Kostenreduzierung, der Qualität und der Flexibilität. Eine Untersuchung bei Produktionsunternehmen in Québec wurde durchgeführt, um den Lösungsgrad von diesen traditionellen Vergleichen zu beurteilen. Auf Basis einer Stichprobe von 250 KMU wurden verschiedene Faktoren von Fertigungslösungen untersucht, welche im Zusammenhang mit verschiedenen Wettbewerbsprioritäten stehen. Die Ergebnisse haben besonders enthüllt, dass eine Vielzahl von Unternehmen, welche die traditionellen Vergleiche aufgelöst hatten, eine bessere finanzielle Leistung aufweisen. Diese am stärksten leistungsfähigen KMU, sind im weiteren charakterisiert durch unterschiedliche Kompetenzen, die gebunden sind an die Entwicklungsprozesse von neuen Produkten und an eine flexible Arbeitnehmerschaft

Incidence and Mortality of Prostate Cancer in Canada during 1992–2010

In Canada, prostate cancer is the most common reportable malignancy in men. We assessed the temporal trends of prostate cancer to gain insight into the geographic incidence and mortality trends of this disease. Three independent population-based cancer registries were used to retrospectively analyze demographic data on Canadian men diagnosed with prostate cancer and men who died of prostate cancer between the years of 1992 and 2010. The incidence and mortality rates were calculated at the provincial, city, and forward sortation area (FSA) postal code levels by using population counts that were obtained from the Canadian Census of Population. The Canadian average incidence rate was 113.57 cases per 100,000 males. There has been an overall increasing trend in crude prostate cancer incidence between 1992 and 2010 with three peaks, in 1993, 2001, and 2007. However, age-adjusted incidence rates showed no significant increase over time. The national mortality rate was calculated to be 24.13 deaths per 100,000 males per year. A decrease was noted in crude and age-adjusted mortality rates between 1992 and 2010. Several provinces, cities, and FSAs had higher incidence/mortality rates than the national average. Several of the FSA postal codes with the highest incidence/mortality rates were adjacent to one another. Several Canadian regions of high incidence for prostate cancer have been identified through this study and temporal trends are consistent with those reported in the literature. These results will serve as a foundation for future studies that will seek to identify new regional risk factors and etiologic agents