Human resources policies for strategic csr. The experience of ree (Red Eléctrica de España)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies have a strong link with human resources policies. Not only because employees are one of the main stakeholders and because leaders’ style is directly related to the deployment of the strategy, but also, and with a growing importance, because a company culture aligned with CSR values could be a key competitive factor. The relationships among CSR values, employees’ commitment and productivity is one of the research lines of the GIOS (Grupo de Investigación de Organizaciones Sostenibles, Sustainable Organizations Research Group). Employees’ commitment management is one of the main challenges managers face, particularly in companies with a high proportion of knowledge workers. Many pieces of research indicate the direct relationship between employees’ commitment and company success. In this paper the results of a case study in REE (Red Eléctrica de España) identify some key variables to demonstrate that relationship. Based on commitment construct with the duality of emotional and rational commitment, and on the REE employee satisfaction survey, a direct relationship with organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) variables appears. These OCB variables are an intermediate step with CSR values.From the results analysis of this survey a direct linear relationship can be seen between commitment and organizational citizenship behaviours. The relationships among emotional and rational commitment and OCB are examined separately with the conclusion being reached that there is a strong correlation in both cases. Moreover, the correlation between emotional commitment and OCB is somewhat stronger than that existing between rational commitment and OCB. it can also be seen how emotional commitment increases more strongly than rational commitment as organizational citizenship behaviours are gradually incorporated.

c&d-learning implementation architecture: Adapting e-learning to developing countries

From the educational point of view, the most widespread method in developing countries is on-site education. Technical and economic resources cannot support conventional distance learning infrastructures and it is even worse for courses in universities. They usually suffer a lack of qualified faculty staff, especially in technical degrees. The literature suggest that e-learning is a suitable solution for this problem, but its methods are developed attending to educational necessities of the First World and cannot be applied directly to other contexts. The proposed methodology is a variant of traditional e-learning adapted to the needs of developing countries. E-learning for Cooperation and Development (c&d-learning) is oriented to be used for educational institutions without adequate technical or human resources. In this paper we describe the c&d-learning implementation architecture based on three main phases: hardware, communication and software; e.g. computer and technical equipping, internet accessing and e-learning platform adaptation. Proper adaptation of educational contents to c&d-learning is discussed and a real case of application in which the authors are involved is described: the Ngozi University at Burundi.

Alternativa a la fabricación de costillas con otros materiales compuestos

La investigación tiene como objetivo establecer los valores organizacionales que afectan la productividad. El trabajo empírico se desarrolló en una muestra intencional de 142 PYMES del sector metalmecánico de Venezuela. Se consultó a un panel de expertos a fin de determinar la importancia relativa de estos valores en la productividad. Fueron sometidos a evaluación 22 valores. Los valores que resultaron más importantes son: Recurso Humano, Calidad, Trabajo en equipo, Responsabilidad y Seguridad. Se recomienda a la PYME metalmecánica Venezolana, orientar esfuerzos hacia la promoción y puesta en práctica de este Sistema de Valores, pues tan sólo Recurso Humano y Calidad son los valores que tienen una mayor presencia en sus filosofías de gestión. The research aims to establish the organizational values that affect productivity. The empirical work was conducted in a purposive sample of 142 SMEs in the engineering sector in Venezuela. We consulted a panel of experts to determine the relative importance of these values on productivity. Were evaluated at 22 values. The values that were most important are: Human Resources, Quality, Teamwork, Responsibility and Safety. SMEs are encouraged to Venezuelan metalworking, focusing efforts towards the promotion and implementation of this system of values, as only Human Resources and Quality are the values that are more active in their management philosophies.

Políticas de esfuerzo combinado económico-laboral en la retención y atracción del conocimiento científico: un estudio del caso español

El objetivo de este trabajo es la aportación de un caso que evidencie la importancia de realizar esfuerzos tanto en el terreno económico como en el laboral para conseguir una adecuada retención y atracción del conocimiento científico. Para ello, se analizan los datos de un estudio que destaca estas cuestiones para un país como España, que necesita urgentemente mejorar su balance de movilidad investigadora. Los resultados confirman la importancia de la aplicación de estas medidas y las debilidades que presenta en este tipo de políticas el sistema nacional de investigación, desarrollo e innovación (I+D+i). Abstract: The goal of this paper is to disclose a case study which highlights the impor tance of realising effor ts at an economic and labour scale in order to reach an adequate retention and attraction of scientific knowledge. Although science has evolved during different periods through the flow of mankind and ideas, studies about international mobility of scientists are recent in time. It started mid XXth century with the brain drain phenomenon. To alleviate the loss of scientists, countries have disclosed different politics. Some countries like Singapore, Southern Korea, India and China have been successful in bringing scientists back home. Those countries have made huge effor ts in human resources investments and scientific infrastructures, so as to enforce their national R&D&I systems. Despite such experiences and despite the increasement in terms of evidences related with international scientific mobility, few studies and figures have been disclosed. The goal of this current work is to disclose data, which backs up the liability of such kind of politics that combine effor ts in economic and labour terms. For that reason, data has been analyzed from a study which highlights these key aspects for a country like Spain and which recently established a wide range of politics in order to attract scientists. Despite the increasement of financial resources, such politics have turned out unable to reach a proper balance in terms of mobility research. Such data as well as it analysis comes from the development of an annual survey to Spanish scientists during the period 2008- 2011. Based on sample data and analysis an expectations index for the coming year has been constructed. This compares the level of confidence which related the support and prestige of their national R&D&I systems in which they operate. Two groups where surveyed: young researchers which currently work in Spain and as a group are more likely to go working abroad and Spanish scientists who are currently working abroad. Samples were obtained for young researchers were the following: 2008 (217), 2009 (270), 2010 (390) and 2011 (610). In the case of Spanish scientists abroad, the following data were obtained: 2008 (218), 2009 (250), 2010 (241) and 2011 (167). Both groups assume simple random sampling, with a level of confidence of 95%. The results obtained confirm the importance of this combined effor t of labor and economic policies which presents weaknesses of Spanish national R&D&I systems and its application, so that Spain becomes a pole of excellence in terms of attraction and retention of scientific knowledge.

Spatio-temporal filtering with morphological operators for robust cell migration estimation in "in-vivo" images

The understanding of the embryogenesis in living systems requires reliable quantitative analysis of the cell migration throughout all the stages of development. This is a major challenge of the "in-toto" reconstruction based on different modalities of "in-vivo" imaging techniques -spatio-temporal resolution and image artifacts and noise. Several methods for cell tracking are available, but expensive manual interaction -time and human resources- is always required to enforce coherence. Because of this limitation it is necessary to restrict the experiments or assume an uncontrolled error rate. Is it possible to obtain automated reliable measurements of migration? can we provide a seed for biologists to complete cell lineages efficiently? We propose a filtering technique that considers trajectories as spatio-temporal connected structures that prunes out those that might introduce noise and false positives by using multi-dimensional morphological operators.

Modelo de competencias profesionales para directivos escolares: desarrollo y aplicación al ámbito de la educación particular subvencionada, Chile

La trascendencia de la educación sobre la construcción del capital humano y social, ha sido vastamente discutido, considerando entre otros elementos, la correlación entre las inversiones en educación, las políticas educativas, los actores involucrados, y los efectos que tienen sobre la calidad de la educación. Esto se refleja en los esfuerzos, de los diferentes estamentos, por mejorar los resultados del proceso educativo, intentando construir una sociedad más equitativa en la cual todo individuo pueda tener acceso a una educación de calidad, que permita tener las mismas oportunidades para el desarrollo personal, profesional y social. La educación entonces, pasa a ser un pilar fundamental en los modelos de desarrollo - y un tema de debate constante- en especial en aspectos tales como: resultados de aprendizaje, gestión y efectividad escolar, como ejes para mejorar la construcción del capital humano en la sociedad. En Chile, a partir de un proceso de descentralización de la educación iniciado en los 80, el modelo de planificación y gestión de la educación pública fue transformado, pasando de un modelo centralizado a un enfoque en el cual el establecimiento educacional – el proyecto educativo – adquiere autonomía de gestión que se vuelve determinante en la calidad de la educación. Es al interior de los establecimientos escolares donde los diferentes agentes educativos llevan a cabo los procesos pedagógicos y administrativos, y se generan las condiciones para poder desarrollar una educación de calidad. Durante los últimos 30 años, los esfuerzos se han centrado en las capacidades docentes y en alcanzar la cobertura universal. Sin embargo, en los últimos 10 años la investigación aplicada ha evidenciado que los directores y equipos directivos tienen efectos directos e indirectos sobre la gestión escolar, pedagógica y de convivencia dentro de la escuela a través de su desempeño y liderazgo escolar. Es en este contexto, que se propone esta investigación con el fin de contribuir en el fortalecimiento de las capacidades de estos actores y promover un desempeño que impacte positivamente en la calidad de los aprendizajes en las escuelas Esta tesis se estructura en cinco capítulos. En el primer capítulo, se define y analiza el marco conceptual de la investigación centrado en los dos ejes de este trabajo: por un lado, conceptos de competencia, competencias profesionales; y por otro lado, liderazgo y dirección escolar, definiendo el concepto de competencias profesionales para la dirección escolar. A continuación, en el segundo capítulo, se presenta un análisis del contexto enfocado en el proceso de descentralización de la educación pública en Chile y sus efectos sobre el rol de los directivos escolares en Chile, el cual a través de su proceso de evolución ha transformado las responsabilidades de este estamento, en cuanto la gestión y la administración de los proyectos educativos definiendo un perfil del directivo escolar. Complementariamente, y en función de la gestión directiva, se realiza una conceptualización de buenas prácticas directivas como los instrumentos a través de las cuales se movilizan los elementos de competencia. En el tercer capítulo, se presenta la propuesta de modelo de competencias profesionales para la dirección escolar, como la principal aportación de esta investigación, que se sustenta sobre cuatro componentes como base científica: el enfoque holístico de competencia, el enfoque de dirección de proyectos de la International Project Management Association (IPMA), el paradigma de gestión escolar y el modelo Working with People (WWP). La propuesta considera una metodología de implementación para el desarrollo de procesos de intervención para la mejora de la gestión escolar, articulando las competencias profesionales directivas y las prácticas de gestión, como los principales componentes del modelo. En el cuarto capítulo se presenta la aplicación del modelo propuesto en un estudio de caso desarrollado en el Colegio público Kings´ School de San Bernardo (Chile), un establecimiento particular subvencionado, del área urbana de Santiago con condiciones socioeconómicas media, con un alto porcentaje de vulnerabilidad y cuyos resultados en las pruebas de evaluación nacionales evidencian una caída. La aplicación del modelo se realiza a lo largo del curso 2012-13, trabajando de forma directa con el equipo de dirección, a través de un proyecto de innovación educativa, diseñando e implementando una propuesta de intervención de la cual se sistematizan los resultados y los aprendizajes obtenidos. A partir de la investigación y los resultados obtenidos permiten concluir que el modelo propuesto puede ser considerada una herramienta estratégica de planificación e intervención para la gestión de proyectos educativos, promoviendo que a los equipos directivos contrastar su realidad con los estándares propuestos, y de esta forma poder articular las capacidades – en términos de competencias - de los recursos humanos con las prácticas directivas que buscan lograr los objetivos y resultados esperados, incidiendo positivamente en los resultados de aprendizaje y la calidad educativa. ABSTRACT The importance of education on the construction of human and social capital, has been vastly discussed, considering among other things, the correlation between investments in education, educational policies, stakeholders, and the effects they have on education quality. This is reflected on the efforts of different stakeholders, to improve educational outcomes, trying to build a more equitable society in which every individual can have access to quality education, allowing the same opportunities for personal, professional and social development. Education then becomes a cornerstone at development models - and a topic of constant discussion, especially in areas such as learning outcomes, management and school effectiveness, as core concepts to improve the construction of human capital in the society. In Chile, after a process of decentralization of education that started in the 80s, planning and management model of public education was transformed from a centralized approach to a decentralized perspective in which schools - the educational project - acquires management autonomy and becomes determinant in the quality of education outcomes. It is within the school context where teachers, principals and administrative assistants held teaching and administrative processes, and generates the conditions to develop quality education. During the past 30 years, efforts have been focused on teaching skills and achieve universal coverage. However, in the last 10 years applied research has shown that the principals and management teams have direct and indirect effects on school management, teaching and school environment through their performance and school leadership. This research is proposed within this context in order to contribute to strengthen the capacities of these actors, and promote a professional performance that will positively impact schools´ quality of learning. This thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter defines and analyzes the conceptual framework focused on the two main ideas of this work: first, concepts of competence, professional competence; and secondly, leadership and school management, defining the concept of professional competences for school leadership. Then, in the second chapter is developed a context analysis focused on the process of decentralization of public education in Chile, and its effects on the role of school leaders which through this process has been transformed the responsibilities on management and administration of educational projects, allowing to define a school leader’s profile. In addition, and related to principals´ management, it is proposed a conceptualization of school leadership best practices, as the instruments through which competence elements are mobilized and placed in action. Within chapter three, is presented the proposed model of professional competences for school principals, as the main contribution of this research which is based on four components as scientific basis: holistic competence approach, project management approach from the International Project management Association (IPMA), effective school management paradigm; and Working with People model (WWP). The proposal considers an implementation methodology for the development of intervention processes to improve school management, articulating professional competences and school leadership practices, as main elements of the model. Chapter four presents the implementation of the proposed model, using a case study at the Kings´ School of San Bernardo (Chile), subsidized school located at the urban area of Santiago with average socioeconomic conditions, with a high percentage of vulnerability and whose national educational assessment results show a fall. Model implementation was developed through 2012- 2013, working directly with the management team, through an innovative educational management project, designing and implementing an intervention which processes, results and lessons learned are systematized. Research and obtained results through its implementation indicates that the proposed model can be considered a strategic tool for planning and operational management for educational projects, encouraging the principals to compare their reality with the proposed standards, and thus articulate capacity - in terms of competences – in human resources with principals´ practices to achieve the objectives and expected results, impacting positively on learning outcomes and educational quality.

Desarrollo de una herramienta de gestión de proyectos y recursos en la nube integrada en Salesforce CRM

La actividad de muchas empresas, y en concreto las de software, está basada en proyectos. Típicamente, estas empresas tendrán un modelo de negocio orientado a productos para un mercado abierto, o un modelo de negocio orientado a consultoría para otras empresas. La empresa LeadClic Solutions se incluye en el segundo grupo. Se trata de una consultoría especializada en una tecnología emergente, Salesforce, cuya labor consiste en el desarrollo de aplicaciones cloud en esta plataforma que satisfagan las necesidades de sus clientes, desde empresas relativamente pequeñas hasta grandes empresas internacionales. Ante esta variedad de realidades, LeadClic necesita una herramienta versátil que permita una gestión eficaz de proyectos de distinta índole, integrando al mismo tiempo gestión de clientes, planificación, control de tiempo y costes, seguimiento, y gestión de recursos humanos. En la actualidad, la empresa basa esta gestión en un gran elenco de programas especializados, desatacando hojas de cálculo, herramientas de gestión de proyectos en diversos programas locales o en la nube, correo electrónico, servicios de comunicación y desarrollos personalizados en Salesforce. El objetivo de este Trabajo Fin de Grado es el diseño, implementación y validación de una herramienta en la nube, sobre la plataforma Salesforce, que integre las soluciones a todas las necesidades de la empresa. ---ABSTRACT---Many companies’ activity, in particular software companies’, is based on projects. Typically, these companies have a product for open market - oriented business model, or a B2B consultancy business model. The company LeadClic Solutions is included in the second group. It is a small consultancy, specialized in an emergent technology, Salesforce, that develops cloud applications in that platform to satisfy its clients’ needs, from small companies to big international ones. Faced with this variety of situations, LeadClic needs a versatile tool able to cope with an effective management of projects of different types, integrating at once client management, planning, time and costs control, monitoring, and human resources management. At the moment, the company bases this management on a wide range of specialized programs, such as spreadsheets, local and cloud based project management tools, emailing, communication services and Salesforce based custom developments. This Final Degree Project seeks to design, implement and validate a cloud based tool, on the Salesforce platform, to integrate the solution to all of the company’s needs into one single application.

An Ant Colony System adaptation to deal with accessibility issues after a disaster

One of the main problems relief teams face after a natural or man-made disaster is how to plan rural road repair work tasks to take maximum advantage of the limited available financial and human resources. Previous research focused on speeding up repair work or on selecting the location of health centers to minimize transport times for injured citizens. In spite of the good results, this research does not take into account another key factor: survivor accessibility to resources. In this paper we account for the accessibility issue, that is, we maximize the number of survivors that reach the nearest regional center (cities where economic and social activity is concentrated) in a minimum time by planning which rural roads should be repaired given the available financial and human resources. This is a combinatorial problem since the number of connections between cities and regional centers grows exponentially with the problem size, and exact methods are no good for achieving an optimum solution. In order to solve the problem we propose using an Ant Colony System adaptation, which is based on ants? foraging behavior. Ants stochastically build minimal paths to regional centers and decide if damaged roads are repaired on the basis of pheromone levels, accessibility heuristic information and the available budget. The proposed algorithm is illustrated by means of an example regarding the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and its performance is compared with another metaheuristic, GRASP.