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

The effect of the use of multimedia applications on the motivation of POM students

Students are not always motivated to learn and on occasion their goal is simply to pass examinations. The POM teacher must therefore attempt to increase student motivation for the study of POM. In our opinion, ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) -based teaching tools (e.g. multimedia training applications) boost interest and strengthen the motivation to learn to the extent they are adapted to the user’s needs and demonstrate the use and practical application of POM. With a view to contrasting this hypothesis we have conducted empirical research with Business Administration students at the University of Seville (Spain). The research compares two distance learning scenarios: a self-learning multimedia application (that we have designed as teaching material) and traditional written materials. In this paper, the effects on motivation are presented along with the students’ perception of the degree to which the method adapts to their needs

A study of supply chain integration in the aeronautics sector

Competitive pressure, high development costs, long lead times, rapidly changing technologies and the risks inherent in projects combined with the delays seen in the latest aircraft models (with the rise in costs that these have entailed) highlight the need to reorganise the supply chain in the aeronautics sector paying special attention to an improvement in inter- and intra-organisational integration. The aim of the present study is to analyse the situation of supply chain integration (SCI) in the aeronautics sector using three dimensions (information integration, coordination and resource sharing and organisational relationship linkage), considering both internal integration and external integration with customers and suppliers. A group of first tier supplier experts analyse the dimensions and assess the degree to which the factors that define SCI have been achieved. The results enable strengths and weaknesses to be determined and indicate possible improvements to the situation that is detected with clear managerial implications.Ministerio de Educación JC2010-010

Caracterización del crecimiento urbano en Latinoamérica

El crecimiento urbano en Latinoamérica es muy diverso, variando sus modelos con el nivel de desarrollo socioeconómico de cada país. Los países más desarrollados de la región están afrontando el reto del crecimiento urbano con políticas masivas de vivienda normal. Los menos desarrollados están inmersos en modos de crecimiento con infraviviendas que presentan graves problemas sociales, sanitarios y urbanos. Con muchas dificultades el grupo de países en vías de desarrollo, con la ayuda de organismos internacionales, está tratando de afrontar las carencias que lastran un crecimiento urbano normal y sostenible.Urban growth in latin america is very diverse, varying its models with the level of socioeconomic development of each country. The most developed countries of the region are facing the challenge of urban growth with massive policies of normal housing. the less developed are immersed in growth modes with substandard housing that present serious social, health and urban problems. With many difficulties, the group of developing countries, with the help of international organizations, is trying to confront the shortcomings that hamper normal and sustainable urban growth

Active learning in Operations Management: interactive multimedia software for teaching JIT/Lean Production

Purpose: Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) can be a fundamental aid for the design of new teaching methods that better adapt to the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this context, this study aims to develop and assess a complex and truly interactive ICT-based teaching tool for instruction in OM. Design/methodology/approach: A multimedia application for Just-in-Time (JIT) / Lean Production has been conceived, designed and assessed. A constructivist focus was followed in its conception and design to encourage active and flexible learning adapted to each individual’s own requirements. Using empirical research the tool has been assessed by students and compared to the traditional teaching methods. Findings: The interactive multimedia application has been clearly valued for the way it conveys information and for its usability, for the way the application is structured and the improvements to students’ understanding of the knowledge. Students are also in favour of ICT being incorporated into teaching over more traditional methods. The assessment took students’ gender and the average overall mark on their academic records as control variables but, broadly-speaking, no significant differences were found. Research limitations/implications: The study was carried out in a controlled environment and not in the normal on-site university teaching process. Conclusions could be extended to OM and other related subjects, especially if they make use of similar tools to the one described in this paper. Practical implications: This study provides a contribution that allows reflections to be made on the design of specific software for OM and students’ perceptions when using it. Originality/value: Through this paper we contribute to an improvement in learning methods in general and to higher education in OM in particular.Peer Reviewe

Financial Management of Large Projects: A Research Gap

This paper analyses the research published in high-impact journals on Financial Management in large projects. Our purpose is to answer the following research questions: (a) Which financial aspects are analysed? (b) How are the financial theories applied to large project management? (c) What are the potential areas for further research? The methodology applied is a bibliographic review of articles related with research questions published from 2000 to February 2013 as stored in the main databases. Our findings show that performance is the most intensely studied aspect although no agreement in performance measurement has yet been reached

Un estudio sobre las escalas que definen la Gestión de la Calidad Total y los programas de alta implicación de los Recursos Humanos.

Los programas de gestión de recursos humanos (HRM) son un sistema formal de actividades usadas en la organización, que dan a los empleados las habilidades, información y motivación para intervenir en la toma de decisiones y, como resultado de ello, transforman la mano de obra en una fuente de ventaja competitiva sostenible, siempre y cuando se utilicen integrados con la estrategia de la empresa (Guerrero y Barraud-Didier, 2004; Guthrie et al., 2002; Mayson y Barrett, 2006; Wood y de Menezes, 2008; Zatzick y Iverson, 2006). Por otra parte, los programas de gestión total de la calidad (TQM) tienen por objetivo mejorar y mantener la calidad de los productos y procesos para cumplir y superar las expectativas de los clientes, aprovechando la implicación de los mandos, trabajadores, clientes y proveedores (Cua et al., 2001; Martinez-Costa y Jimenez-Jimenez, 2009; Ooi et al., 2007; Sila, 2007; Wood y de Menezes, 2008). Tanto HRM como TQM forman un sistema coherente de prácticas, consistente y reforzado, en el que el resultado global es superior a la aplicación aislada de alguna de ellas (Drummond y Stone, 2007; Shah y Ward, 2007

La aplicación de las TIC a la enseñanza universitaria y su empleo en la formación en dirección de la producción/operaciones

La evolución de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y de las comunicaciones (TIC) está provocando importantes cambios en numerosos aspectos de nuestra sociedad. La educación no se muestra ajena a esta nueva realidad y está tratando de incorporar todos aquellos elementos de las TIC que mejoren el proceso de enseñanza. Ante esta situación, juzgamos oportuno desarrollar un estudio en el cual pretendemos, como objetivos principales, (1) analizar cómo se están incorporando las TIC a la enseñanza universitaria, (2) determinar los factores que limitan y favorecen dicha incorporación y (3) estudiar el uso de las TIC en la enseñanza de Dirección y Gestión de la Producción/Operaciones en la universidad española.The evolution of the new Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) is implying an important change in several aspects of our society. The education is not indifferent to this new reality, and it is trying to incorporate all the ICT elements that improve the teaching process. Taking this situation into account, we consider appropriate to develop a study in which we want to get, as main objectives, (1) analysing how the ICT are being incorporated to the university teaching, (2) determining the factors that limit and help this incorporation and (3) studying the use of the ICT in the teaching of Production and Operations Management (POM) in the Spanish University

Cultura jurídica

En los últimos 40 años el concepto de “cultura jurídica” ha ganado mucha importancia en diversos ámbitos de estudios, como en sociología del derecho, teoría del derecho y derecho comparado. Esto se debe a la necesidad de conectar una noción formal como conjunto de normas con las concretas actividades de los operadores jurídicos, profesionales y profanos, en un contexto social. En esta entrada, intento identificar algunos rasgos básicos del concepto de cultura jurídica a partir de las contribuciones de Lawrence Friedman y Giovanni Tarello.Palabras clave: Cultura jurídica, sistema jurídico, operadores jurídicos, interpretación, ideología.Abstract: In the latest 40 years the notion of "legal culture" has taken the pride of place in different fields of study, as in legal sociology, jurisprudence, comparative legal studies. This is due to the necessity to connect the formal notion of legal system as a set of norms with the concrete activities of citizens and legal professionals in a social context. In this entry I try to identify some central features of the concept of legal culture considering the contributions of Lawrence M. Friedman and Giovanni Tarello.Keywords: Legal culture, legal system, legal operators, interpretation, ideology