Supply Chain Management practices in the electro-electronics sector in Brazil: Evolutionary approach, information technology adoption and management actions

This paper examines the current level of adoption of Supply Chain Management (SCM) practices in the electro-electronic sector in Brazil and aims to identify the management and Information Technology (IT) actions that have been implemented to support the adoption of those practices. An e-mail survey was conducted. Descriptive statistics techniques were employed for data analysis. This study makes contributions to the electro-electronics sector and to the topics related to SCM, such as identifi cation and level of adoption of SCM practices. Another contribution of this research is the investigation of whether approaches such as Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP), Workshop with Customers, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Workshop with Suppliers and electronic Kanban are commonly used to support SCM practices. So far, this is the fi rst research on SCM practices in the electro-electronics sector in Brazil. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Information technology as a technical resource for the memories: memories of UNATI-Marília in the virtual environment

UNATI (Open University of the Third Age), UNESP, Marília campus, has offered subsidies for the development of this work aimed at researching the existing relationships between information mediation processes and technological devices, especially computers, assuming that reading practices and textual construction in online environments could help the “third age” population to have access to these devices, thus promoting digital inclusion in this group. Mediation was presented as an interventionist action that, by introducing an intermediate element in the learning process, causes a rupture in the ways of living and personal digital inclusion processes hitherto experienced. In the context of a workshop, we found out that there is a physical relationship between subjects and technological supports and such a contact proved to be necessary, considering that handling a computer required knowledge of procedures, thus furthering a logic of use. It turned out to be necessary to develop actions that would enable the handling of a computer so as to bring about acceptance of these supports. Accordingly, activities were developed so as to articulate reminiscent processes, memories of older adults, the writing down of such memories and the creation of a blog to bring enhanced visibility to the content produced by older people. Such actions have shown that remembering, writing down and posting can reshape not only social relations but somehow significantly promote digital inclusion among older adults.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TO THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE BRAZILIAN ELECTRONICS SECTOR

The objective of this paper is to identify and analyze various aspects of the internal and external operations management of Brazil's electronics sector and to consider the opportunities for and the threats to increasing the competitiveness of its participation in the global supply chain. To address this shortage in the literature, a survey of Brazilian Electric and Electronic Industry Association (ABINEE) companies was conducted. The collected data were complemented with secondary data to establish an overall view of the electronics sector in Brazil. The results suggest that electronics product assembly companies have the opportunity to invest more in information technology to expand process integration, plan and develop products, integrate customers, and maintain rather than expand their supply chain practices. The alignment between internal and external operations management becomes important in this context. The originality of this paper lies in its clarification of operations management in an economically important sector and the insight it provides to academics, practitioners and policy makers involved in the domestic and international electronics sector.

Desenvolvimento de um sistema de gerenciamento de energia (EMS - Energy Management System) para a rede elétrica inteligente (Smart Grid)

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS