Diseño de modelo para la implementación de la oficina de gestión de proyectos (PMO) de dirección, con estándar PMI, para H2O Consulting S.A.S., pyme de consultoría colombiana en el sector de infraestructura y obra civil

225 páginas y anexosEl presente informe recopila los resultados del trabajo de grado elaborado para optar al título de “Magíster en Gestión y Evaluación de Proyectos de Inversión” de la Universidad Externado de Colombia, a partir de una intervención empresarial realizada a H2O CONSULTING S.A.S., empresa colombiana de Ingeniería Civil dedicada al desarrollo de actividades de consultoría relacionadas con la evaluación y formulación de proyectos, la ejecución de estudios de mercado y los análisis de pre factibilidad y factibilidad, para el sector de infraestructura y obra civil. Dicha intervención pretende contribuir al conocimiento, los valores y las habilidades necesarias para el fortalecimiento de la gestión de proyectos en esta organización, a partir de una propuesta que responda a la estandarización de procesos y a la implementación de buenas prácticas que estimulen el alcance de los objetivos estratégicos de la organización, la toma de decisiones y la creación de ventajas competitivas en el sector. Así mismo, se reúnen algunos conceptos y fundamentos teóricos sobre la gestión de proyectos, el diagnóstico de la situación actual de la empresa, la propuesta de implementación para la conformación de una PMO de dirección y un informe de conclusiones y recomendaciones finales.This report gathers the results of the thesis prepared to qualify for the degree title of "Master in Management and Assessment of Investment Projects", granted by the Externado de Colombia University. The presented analysis is derived from a business intervention made at H2O CONSULTING SAS, a Colombian civil engineering company, dedicated to ongoing consultancy activities related to the assessment, formulation and development of projects, the execution of market studies and the pre-feasibility and feasibility analysis for the infrastructure and civil works sector. The afore mentioned intervention aims to contribute to the knowledge, values and skills necessary to strengthen project management in this organization. It is based on a proposal that responds to the standardization of processes and the implementation of good practices that encourages successful attainment of strategic objective aspects of the organization, proper decision making and inception of competitive advantages in the sector. Furthermore, we present concepts and theoretical foundations on the management of projects, the diagnosis for the current situation of the company, the implementation proposal for the conformation of a PMO management and a final report with conclusions and advised recommendations.Magíster en Gestión y Evaluación de Proyectos de InversiónMaestrí

Technological mediation and user created content in tourism

A development in Information and Communication Technologies promising to have a large impact on tourism is the phenomenon known as the Web 2.0. A key to this development is the encouraging of interactivity due to User Generated Content (UGC). This paper focuses on a specific type of UGC: Tourist Created Content (TCC). Based on an exploratory examination of the Web and an extensive analysis of the content, the study systematizes the knowledge about TCC, presents a classification system and provides an overview of its characteristics. The paper shows the processes that allow the tourist to digitalize content and reveals how TCC relates to the cultures of the Internet and shapes the tourism experience

Revealing the attractiveness of outrageous beer tourism

Tourism is often linked to ideas of escapism and release from everyday duties and obligations. Modern societies are characterized by highly complex systems of social and cultural control, and citizens of these societies find forms of liberation in travel (Jafari 1987). Tourism destinations act as magnetic spaces of leisure and relaxation that can be visualized as the realm of ‘touristhood’– a theatrical arena in which individuals adopt different masks and conduct themselves according to expectations and norms that differ from those that rule their everyday lives. The consumption and enjoyment of alcoholic drinks constitutes a relevant element of the scenery of touristhood. In touristic spaces the beer product is socially transformed and constructed; tourists enact beer tourism through drinking practices and rituals performed at the destination. Alcohol, and in this case beer consumption, is constitutive of socio-cultural traditions in many national cultures (such as those in Northern Europe). National and local beer cultures are however being transformed and re-shaped in tourism destinations. This study examines the interrelation of beer cultures, more specifically German beer culture, and tourism. It examines how beer culture, combined with touristhood, produces extreme and novel forms of consumption transforming both tourism practices and the world of beer

Revealing the attractiveness of outrageous beer tourism

Tourism is often linked to ideas of escapism and release from everyday duties and obligations. Modern societies are characterized by highly complex systems of social and cultural control, and citizens of these societies find forms of liberation in travel (Jafari 1987). Tourism destinations act as magnetic spaces of leisure and relaxation that can be visualized as the realm of ‘touristhood’– a theatrical arena in which individuals adopt different masks and conduct themselves according to expectations and norms that differ from those that rule their everyday lives. The consumption and enjoyment of alcoholic drinks constitutes a relevant element of the scenery of touristhood. In touristic spaces the beer product is socially transformed and constructed; tourists enact beer tourism through drinking practices and rituals performed at the destination. Alcohol, and in this case beer consumption, is constitutive of socio-cultural traditions in many national cultures (such as those in Northern Europe). National and local beer cultures are however being transformed and re-shaped in tourism destinations. This study examines the interrelation of beer cultures, more specifically German beer culture, and tourism. It examines how beer culture, combined with touristhood, produces extreme and novel forms of consumption transforming both tourism practices and the world of beer

What Social Media Tell us About the Heritage Experience

Tourists have happily embraced the possibilities of interactivity and publication provided by social media and Web 2.0. The last decade has seen a massive increase of digital content generated by tourists online. This paper examines the digitalization of tourists’ heritage experience, analyses the impact of social media and user generated content in the consumption of heritage sites, and discusses new forms of technologically mediated authenticity in tourism. Netnography and a constructive approach have been adopted for the examination of online communities and social networks. There are different types of tourist generated content online. This study focuses on the review genre and examines a purposive sample of data collected from Tripadvisor which, with over 30 million contributions, is the largest online community focusing on tourism and travel. Through a systematic analysis of tourists’ narratives and socio-technical structures, this study assesses how technologies influence tourists’ heritage experience. The research findings provide insights into the role that tourists’ online reviews play as mediators of the tourism experience and illustrate the features of an emerging virtual tourism culture