World Class Manufacturing (WCM) aineettoman pääoman johtamisen työkaluna

Tämän kvalitatiivisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tarkastella jatkuvan pa-rantamisen työkalun, WCM:n, roolia aineettoman pääoman johtajana. Tutkimuksen teoreettisessa osassa selvitetään aineettoman pääoman eri muotoja; inhimillistä, suhde- ja rakennepääomaa. Lisäksi tutkitaan WCM:n ideologiaa, sen käyttöönottoa ja eri osa-alueita. Teoriaosan lopussa selvite-tään WCM:n ja aineettoman pääoman yhteyttä toisiinsa ja niiden vaikutusta suorituskykyyn. Teoriaa tukemaan tehtiin empiirinen tutkimus case -organisaatiossa haastattelemalla organisaation toimihenkilöitä sekä työntekijöitä. Empiirisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää case –organisaation jatkuvan parantamisen mallin kehitystarpeita WCM:n ja inhimillisen pääoman näkö-kulmasta. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että WCM:llä voidaan johtaa aineettoman pää-oman eri muotoja – saaden siten myös suorituskykyä paremmaksi.

Vuokratyöntekijän työsuhdeturva: Sääntelyn haasteita ja tulkintoja

Tutkimus pyrkii selvittämään, vastaako vuokratyöntekijän työsuhdeturva työlainsäädännön tavoitteita ja niiden taustalla vaikuttavaa työntekijän suojelun periaatetta. Lainsäädännössä vuokratyöntekijän työsuhdeturvan kohdalla olevat keskeisimmät aukkokohdat ja tulkinnat esitetään juridisen argumentaation avulla. Tilanteen tekee ongelmalliseksi erityisesti se, että nykylainsäädäntö ei varsinaisesti estä käyttämästä vuokratyössä toistuvia, kunkin toimeksiannon mittaisia määräaikaisuuksia. Tulokset osoittavat, että sekä kollektiivinen että individuaaliperusteinen irtisanomissuoja on käytännössä heikko. Lisäksi työsuhdeturvan ja joustavuuden tasapaino työmarkkinoilla näyttää olevan melko vaikea yhtälö ratkaistavaksi. Eräänä mahdollisena ratkaisuna tutkimuksen lopussa esitetään Ruotsissa käytössä oleva malli, jossa työntekijät ovat toistaiseksi voimassa olevissa työsuhteissa, ja saavat palkkaa myös toimeksiantojen väliseltä ajalta. Järjestelmään liittyy vahvasti myös alan järjestäytyminen ja eettisten pelisääntöjen määritteleminen liittojen välisin sopimuksin. Tällä tavalla vuokratyöntekijän työsuhdeturvaan liittyvät ongelmakohdat ratkaistaan, mutta toisaalta vuokratyön työllisyyttä ja kilpailukykyä tukeva vaikutus menetetään. Vaihtoehtoisina keinoina on esitetty lukuisia kevyempiä keinoja yksittäisten ongelmakohtien ratkaisuksi.

Speed limit laws in America: economics, politics and geography

The regulation of speed limits in the US had been centralized at the federal level since 1974, until decisions were devolved to the states in 1995. However, the centralization debate has reemerged in recent years. Here, we conduct the first econometric analysis of the determinants of speed limit laws. By using economic, geographic and political variables, our results suggest that geography -which affects private mobility needs and preferences- is the main factor influencing speed limit laws. We also highlight the role played by political ideology, with Republican constituencies being associated with higher speed limits. Furthermore, we identify the presence of regional and time dependence effects. By contrast, poor road safety outcomes do not impede the enactment of high speed limits. Overall, we present the first evidence of the role played by geographical, ideological and regional characteristics, which provide us with a better understanding of the formulation of speed limit policies.

«Me quedaré con lo positivo»: Análisis de blogs de mujeres con cáncer de mama

En este artículo se analizan siete blogs escritos por mujeres con cáncer de mama. En primer lugar, se indaga sobre su forma de concebir el cuerpo en relación, por un lado, al impacto del cáncer en los órganos y procesos corporales ligados a la feminidad y, por el otro, a su carácter mortal. En segundo lugar, se analiza su atribución de agencia en relación a la enfermedad y su curación. Se observa que la responsabilidad en la curación se atribuye principalmente a los médicos, pero aparece con fuerza la idea que la mujer se puede sanar mediante cambios en su estilo de vida y a través del pensamiento positivo. Este establece un marco en el que las afectadas de cáncer encuentran dificultades para reconocer y expresar aspectos considerados negativos del proceso como la rabia, la desesperación o el miedo a la muerte, al mismo tiempo que marca una distinción entre pacientes con trayectorias de éxito en su curación y los que no lo consiguen, que son culpabilizados.

The First Privatization Policy in a Democracy: Selling State-Owned Enterprises in 1948-1950, Puerto Rico

In the 1940s, when the Governor of Puerto Rico was appointed by the US President and the Puerto Rican government was answerable only to the US Federal government, a large state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector was established on the island. Public services such as water, transportation and energy were nationalized, and several new manufacturing SOEs were created to produce cement, glass, shoes, paper and chalkboard, and clay products. These enterprises were created and managed by government-owned corporations. Later on, between 1948 and 1950, under the island’s first elected Governor, the government sold these SOEs to private groups. This paper documents both the creation and the privatization of the SOE sector in Puerto Rico, and analyzes the role played by ideology, political interests, and economic concerns in the decision to privatize them. Whereas ideological factors might have played a significant role in the building of the SOE sector, we find that privatization was driven basically by economic factors, such as the superior efficiency of private firms in the sectors where the SOEs operated, and by the desire to attract private industrial investment to the Puerto Rican economy.

Institutional Determinants of Military Spending

Drawing on a database for 1988-2006 containing information on 157 countries, we investigate the effects on military spending of government form, electoral rules, concentration of parliamentary parties, and ideology. From an OLS regression on pooled data, our results show that presidential democracies spend more than parliamentary systems on defense, whereas the presence of a plurality voting system will reduce the defense burden. Our findings suggest that, in contrast to theoretical predictions in the literature, institutions do not have the same impact on the provision of all public goods. We present as well evidence regarding the effect of ideology on defense spending.

Estudi introductori sobre l’educació per a la ciutadania a primària

Aquest treball pretén aproximar-se a la controvèrsia a través d’alguns dels qüestionaments que es plantegen; hi ha alguna relació entre l’educació i el concepte de ciutadania? És possible ensenyar ciutadania o valors cívics sense adoctrinar en pro d’una ideologia determinada? En tant que és una matèria que toca directament a l’àrea de filosofia, hi ha alguns autors que hagin tractat aquesta temàtica? Però també s’han generat preguntes més contextuals com: Què diu la legislació espanyola sobre l’Educació Ciutadana? Quin posicionament pren Europa sobre aquest tipus d’educació?

Michel Foucault, la familia y el poder psiquiátrico. (Historia de una rectificación)

[esp]Durante la primera mitad de los años setenta, Michel Foucault modificó en algunos aspectos su pensamiento, pasando de su etapa <> a su etapa <>. Como consecuencia de esta transformación, negó que la familia fuera (como había defendido en los años sesenta) un modelo adecuado para explicar la organización de las primeras instituciones psiquiátricas. En este trabajo, estudiaremos las relaciones existentes entre dicho cambio de perspectiva y la crítica foucaultiana a la definición del término <> propuesto por Althusser.

Detecció de problemes en l’atenció a dones víctimes de violència de gènere durant el procés judicial a Catalunya

Aquesta recerca té per finalitat aproximar-se a la percepció que tenen les víctimes de violència masclista del tracte que reben dels diferents operadors en seu judicial, i mostrar com aquestes actuacions les han afectat no només a nivell personal, sinó també a nivell processal. L’objectiu principal és copsar l’experiència de les dones víctimes de violència de gènere en referència al seu pas pels jutjats especialitzats de Catalunya. Per la consecució de l’objectiu s’ha treballat, d’una banda, amb la revisió i actualització teòrica i contextual del tema d’investigació i, per l’altra i principalment, amb la realització de més de 40 entrevistes als diferents operadors judicials i a dones víctimes de violència masclista i a entitats que treballen amb elles. Els resultats ens demostren que existeixen múltiples mancances en l’abordatge de la violència masclista als jutjats, que es reflecteixen en temes com: la manca d’informació, la valoració del risc, l’existència de mites i prejudicis vers les dones, la manca de formació, ... Aquestes mancances són generadores de l’anomenada victimització secundària. La situació descrita posa de manifest la necessitat de fer un veritable abordatge dels problemes detectats per tal de fer realment efectiva i eficient la lluita contra la violència masclista sobre les dones a seu judicial.

Estudi i implantació de programari lliure

Actualment la majoria de nosaltres sabem de l’existència de molts programes lliures, però hem tenir clar que lliure no vol dir sempre programa gratuït. Tot i que a vegades sí que pot ser-ho, es té en compte molt més que això: és una manera de pensar i entendre el programari i al llarg dels anys ha generat tot un moviment social. Considerem que un programa lliure és aquell que garanteix als usuaris la llibertat per executar, copiar, distribuir, estudiar, canviar i millorar el codi programat, com molt bé defineixen les seves llibertats bàsiques. El programari lliure el podem trobar funcionant en ordinadors personals, escoles, empreses diverses, administracions, etc. ja que la majoria de programes que utilitzenactualment, com hem vist, tenen el seu equivalent en lliure. El fet de si és viable que una empresa es passi a programari lliure, depèn ben bé del seu entorn, ja que en funció d’aquest li serà més o menys fàcil la migració. La finalitat d’aquest projecte és, primer de tot, fer un ampli estudi del món del programari lliure i del seu moviment social. S’ha fet una recerca de diferents aspectes dins del programari lliure per conèixer-lo a fons i després s’ha proposat una possible implantació d’aquest en un usuari domèstic i en una administració pública, tenint en compte tots els aspectes vistos en l’estudi, valorant si totes les idees que defensa i els beneficis que aporta són aplicables i viables en qualsevol persona i àmbit i el perquè. Com a conclusió principal en destacaria que tot i que el programa lliure disposa d’una ideologia que agrada i té uns programes tècnicament perfectes (sense que això sigui el seu objectiu principal), penso que encara hi ha molt camí per recórrer quant a una migració en grans entorns, ja que per exemple en un ajuntament una migració total és encara difícil (tot i que no impossible perquè n’hi ha que s’hi han migrat). A l’apartat d’annexos s’hi inclou un glossari amb un seguit de terminologies amb paraules que no tothom pot saber i s’ha cregut oportú incloure-les en aquest apartat. La primera vegada que apareix alguna d’aquestes paraules la podem trobar senyalitzada amb un *.

Ikääntyvät työelämässä. Päihittääkö nuoruus ja koulutus aikuisuuden ja kokemuksen?

The Ageing in Working Life. Do Adolescence and Schooling Beat Adulthood and Experience? This study examines the changes in the work and the work organisations of employees in the fields of health care and retail trade who have turned 45 and their experience of change. In addition, the question of how ageing employees experience their status in post-modern working life is explored. Attention is also focused on the choices and decisions connected with staying at work and retiring. These views are examined in relation to professions and professional cultures. Thematic interviews (N=98) were used to gather the material. The effects of the market liberalistic turn in welfare policy are clearly seen in the everyday work of the health care professions. These changes were examined from the point of view of managing by outcomes and quality assurance, multi-professional cooperation, flexibility in the division of labour, and the spread of market-like procedures. The discourse of those in involved retail trade was dominated by extremely tight global market competition and control of outcomes, and by the structural changes taking place in the retail trade sector. This change discourse was to a large extent a reaction to those changes in the functional environment which were experienced as negative and to the conflict between their own professional identity and professional ethics on the one hand, and their functional environment on the other. There were also obstacles connected with professional culture: defending one's own station and power, guarding the 'frontier', showed up in attitudes towards new management and organisation models or towards structural and functional reforms. The deep structures of professional culture and the mindset of the actors change much more slowly than the functional practices of organisations. For those in a supervisory position, the loss of power due to becoming part of a chain or because of the introduction of a team organisation model was not an easy thing to accept. The nurses and others in related fields felt that they were forced to do work that was below their level of training and professional skill. For sales personnel and those who did assisting work in health care, power and the possibility of having an influence were not so important, as long as they were able to do their work in their own way and were trusted. This view is often completely forgotten, for example, in various organisation models in which power and the possibility of having an influence entwined with power are taken for granted as being clearly positive and desired aspects of job satisfaction. Up to date professional skills were experienced as being important from the point of view of professional identity and self-worth. Thus, training can be understood as a moral obligation, which in turn is intertwined with professional ideology. In the rhetoric of adult education, an adult is expected to be an active player who will seek training again and again if working life so requires. The dark side of this ideology, which leads to feelings of guilt, was apparent in the thoughts of the respondents. Am I never good enough at my job; why must I continually strive for better, additional qualifications? The majority of the respondents evaluated their expertise as being at quite a high level. This self-confidence did not extend to applying for a job. Job recruitment was seen as a situation in which age discrimination reached its peak. The interviewees were unanimous about the idea that society favours the young. Especially among those in the retail trade sector, there was a feeling that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a new job of the same level or a permanent post if they were made redundant. Age discrimination was also apparent in the retail trade field in the form of older employees being retired against their will or transferred to other tasks. It was felt that ruthless forced retirement of older workers was part of the personnel policy of some organisations. The importance of one's outward appearance was connected with the theme of discrimination. This phenomenon is described using the concept of the double standard of ageing in feminist research. An ageing woman is relegated to an inferior position due to both her age and her sex. A culture that would both make possible and allow various types of choices regardless of age, which is described as being characteristic of the post-modern era, does not seem to be very topical in the practice of working life. It is important for employees that the management and the personnel policy that is being implemented makes them feel like both their contribution and they as individuals are appreciated, that their opinions are listened to and that they are noticed as persons. The interviewees hoped for gratitude and a concern for the well-being of employees that shows in everyday life. They valued training and activities aimed at maintaining their work ability, but thought that better coping at work and a pleasant working environment cannot be achieved through such measures as along as the foundation is 'in a mess'. Development of the quality of working life is the only thing that can improve job satisfaction and get people to remain in the work force longer than at present. There should be a sufficient number of properly trained employees at the work place. It was important to the respondents that they be able to stay on their job to the end with honour, since compromising with their own quality standards or acting contrary to their ideal self-image in terms of professional ethics would strike a blow to their professional self-esteem. They called for the development of various types of workplace flexibility, and felt that they have the right to a lightened workload and to early retirement. Early retirement was even seen as an altruistic deed: it would free up a place for younger workers. Thoughts of retirements were explained by familiar factors such as health and finances, life situation, the enticement of free-time, as well as by various factors related to work. It is very important to ageing employees that their work has meaningful content. The values related to self-fulfilment are felt to be of great importance, and if they cannot be realised at work, the respondents wanted more free time, either through retirement or in the form of flexibility in working life.

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Sijoituspalveluita tarjoavan tiedonantovelvollisuus vakuutussopimuslain ja arvopaperimarkkinalain mukaan. Case: Blomqvist

Tämän lainopillisen tutkimuksen aiheena on sijoituspalveluita tarjoavan tahon tiedonantovelvollisuus ei-ammattimaista asiakasta kohtaan. Tiedonantovelvollisuutta käsitellään sekä vakuutussopimuslain että arvopaperimarkkinalain kannalta. Viime vuosikymmenien aikana tiedonantovelvollisuuksiin liittyvä sääntely on lisääntynyt suuresti pankkisektorilla. Tiedonantovelvollisuuden tarkoituksena on antaa asiakkaalle riittävät tiedot perutellun päätöksen tekemiseksi. Riittävä tiedonannon taso vaihtelee tapauksesta ja asiakkaasta riippuen. Joissakin sijoituspalvelutyypeissä yleinen tiedonanto riittää, kun taas toisissa vaaditaan tuote- ja asiakaskohtaista erityistä tietoa. Yleisesti ottaen ei-ammattimaiset asiakkaat tarvitsevat enemmän tietoa kuin ammattimaiset asiakkaat. Yleisenä sääntönä voidaan kuitenkin esittää, että mitä suurempi taloudellinen merkitys palvelulla on asiakkaalle, sitä kattavampi tulisi tiedonantovelvollisuuden olla.