The Ergonomic Analysis and Back Injuries in Flexible Production System

Back injuries identification and diagnoses in the transition of the Taylor model to the flexiblemodel of production organization, demands a parallel intervention of prevention actors at work. This study uses simultaneously three intervention models (structured action analysis, muscle skeletal symptoms questionnaires and muscle skeletal assessment) for work activities in a packaging plant. In this study seventy and two (72) operative workers participated (28 workers with muscle skeletal evaluation). In an intervention period of 10 months, the physical, cognitive, organizational components and productive process dynamics were evaluated from the muscle skeletal demands issues. The differences established between objective exposure at risk, back injury risk perception, appreciation and a vertebral spine evaluation, in prior and post intervention, determines the structure for a muscle skeletal risk management system. This study explains that back injury symptoms can be more efficiently reduced among operative workers combining measures registered and the adjustment between dynamics, the changes at work and efficient gestures development. Relevance: the results of this study can be used to pre ent back injuries in workers of flexible production processes.

La gestión de relaciones con clientes (CRM): sector de seguridad privada

Esta tesis pretende describir la situación actual del sector de seguridad privada, al implementar y adoptar estrategias de CRM. Con una revisión confiable y el estudio de casos relacionados con el tema, lo cual permitirá constatar la realidad en cuanto la aplicación del modelo, en el sector de seguridad privada, según lo planteado por diversos autores. Los resultados obtenidos permitirán, de este modo, al sector y a sus gerentes, desarrollar estrategias que ayuden a la satisfacción de sus clientes y a la prestación de un mejor servicio. En el campo académico, este estudio servirá como guía teórico-práctica para estudiantes y profesores, de modo que permitirá afianzar conocimientos en cuanto al CRM, al marketing relacional y su uso en el sector de seguridad privada. Según este modelo la información acerca de los clientes, es una información estratégica vital para las organizaciones que ayuda a la toma de decisiones, pronosticar cambios en cuanto a demanda, además de establecer control sobre procesos en los que se involucre el cliente; de modo que la adopción e implementación de CRM, ayude a la empresa, en este caso a las del sector de seguridad privada, a estar atentos a la manera como se interactúa con el cliente y por ende mejorar el servicio, lo que tendrá repercusión en la percepción que tenga de la organización el cliente. De este modo, se ve como en la actualidad las estrategias de CRM definen el rumbo de una empresa, ayudando atraer nuevos clientes y además de esto, ayuda de igual modo a mantener felices a los clientes actuales; lo cual repercute en la demanda o el requerimiento del servicio, y así en una mejor rentabilidad para las empresas del sector. Razones por las que el sector de vigilancia se verá beneficiado por medio de las estrategias del CRM, lo que lo llevara a ofrecer mejores servicios a sus clientes.

Desarrollo de un estado de la cuestión acerca de las interacciones entre el control de gestión y el aprendizaje organizacional.

Las organizaciones en la actualidad deben encontrar diferentes maneras de sobrevivir en un tiempo de rápida transformación. Uno de los mecanismos usados por las empresas para adaptarse a los cambios organizacionales son los sistemas de control de gestión, que a su vez permiten a las organizaciones hacer un seguimiento a sus procesos, para que la adaptabilidad sea efectiva. Otra variable importante para la adaptación es el aprendizaje organizacional siendo el proceso mediante el cual las organizaciones se adaptan a los cambios del entorno, tanto interno como externo de la compañía. Dado lo anterior, este proyecto se basa en la extracción de documentación soporte valido, que permita explorar las interacciones entre estos dos campos, los sistemas de control de gestión y el aprendizaje organizacional, además, analizar el impacto de estas interacciones en la perdurabilidad organizacional. ​

Estudio del manejo de residuos sólidos en el Relleno Sanitario Doña Juana con el fin de delinear un borrador de propuesta para el manejo integral de residuos sólidos en la ciudad de Bogotá D.C

Con el presente trabajo se busca realizar una propuesta de solución al sistema de manejo de los residuos sólidos urbanos en el relleno sanitario de Doña Juana en la ciudad de Bogotá, porque los desechos producidos por el consumo humano al no ser tratados de la forma correcta, afectan negativamente a la ciudad, rompen el cirulo vital del desarrollo y desequilibran el medio ambiente. Se realiza un diagnostico histórico al manejo de los residuos sólidos en la ciudad de Bogotá, para poder entender la forma en que el sistema funciona, teniendo en cuenta, sus errores y aciertos, posteriormente por medio Programa 21 de Naciones Unidas, se lleva a cabo el análisis de la información obtenida en el diagnóstico, para que de esta forma, se pueda realizar una propuesta a los problemas identificados en el relleno sanitario de Doña Juana, partiendo de los aspectos económicos, ambientales y sociales.

Relación entre el desarrollo de sistemas de control de gestión y los recursos y capacidades caso : Teleperformance Colombia

Siguiendo un marco teórico integrado por varios autores entorno a los sistemas de control de gestión a lo largo de varias décadas, este trabajo pretende estudiar y contrastar la relación entre el desarrollo de dichos sistemas y los recursos y capacidades. Para tal fin, se desarrolló un estudio de caso en Teleperformance Colombia (TC), una empresa dedicada a prestación de servicio de tercerización de procesos o business process outsourcing. En el estudio se establecieron dos variables para evaluar el desarrollo de sistema de control de gestión: el diseño y el uso. A su vez, para cada uno de ellos, se definieron los indicadores y preguntas que permitieran realizar la observación y posterior análisis. De igual manera, se seleccionaron los recursos y capacidades más importantes para el desarrollo del negocio: innovación, aprendizaje organizacional y capital humano. Sobre estos se validó la existencia de relación con el SCG implementado en TC. La información obtenida fue analizada y contrastada a través de pruebas estadísticas ampliamente utilizadas en este tipo de estudios en las ciencias sociales. Finalmente, se analizaron seis posibles relaciones de las cuales, solamente se ratificó el relacionamiento positivo entre uso de sistema de control gestión y el recurso y capacidad capital humano. El resto de relacionamientos, refutaron los planteamientos teóricos que establecían cierta influencia de los sistemas de control de gestión sobre recursos y capacidades de innovación y aprendizaje organizacional.

Informality in the City: a Theoretical Analysis

This thesis theoretically studies the relationship between the informal sector (both in the labor and the housing market) and the city structure.

Paisatge i abandonament agrari a la muntanya mediterrània: una aproximació al cas de les Valls d'Hortmoier i Sant Aniol (Alta Garrotxa) des de l'ecologia del paisatge

The methodology is focused on the use of digital air photos to monitor changes in land covers and to study its dynamics and its patterns in the last 50 years. The dissertation also take into account the relationship between open habitats patterns/dynamics versus biodiversity persistence, increase risk of fire, land ownership and management. Therefore Geographic Information System (GIS) is a very interesting mapping tool that enables geographic or spatial data capture, storage, retrieval, manipulation, analysis and modeling. Finally this research develop a heuristic model to create sites using suitability maps and a reserve design model to select the most optimum sites in order to increase landscape heterogeneity at the less cost.

The economic dimensions of integrating flood management and agri-environment through washland creation: a case from Somerset, England

In many river floodplains in the UK, there has been a long history of flood defence, land reclamation and water regime management for farming. In recent years, however, changing European and national policies with respect to farming, environment and flood management are encouraging a re-appraisal of land use in rural areas. In particular, there is scope to develop, through the use of appropriate promotional mechanisms, washland areas, which will simultaneously accommodate winter inundation, support extensive farming methods, deliver environmental benefits, and do this in a way which can underpin the rural economy. This paper explores the likely economic impacts of the development of flood storage and washland creation. In doing so, consideration is given to feasibility of this type of development, the environmental implications for a variety of habitats and species, and the financial and institutional mechanisms required to achieve implementation. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Studies on weed infestation and tea growth under various weed management methods in a young Tea (Camellia sinensis [L.] kuntze) plantation

A field experiment was conducted in the low country of Sri Lanka, during the period 1994–1995 to investigate the severity of weed infestation and tea growth in relation to weed management methods in newly established tea (Camellia sinensis[L.] Kuntze). Manual weeding (hand and slash weeding) at various intervals was compared with various herbicides, with or without mulching. Weed control with herbicides was superior to that of hand weeding at 6-week intervals or more. Weed control with oxyfluorfen at 0.29 kg ai ha−1 + paraquat at 0.17 kg ai ha−1 or glyphosate at 0.99 kg ai ha−1 + kaolin at 3.42 kg ha−1 were superior. Plots unweeded for 12 weeks or more produced significantly greater (P < 0.05) weed biomass than plots unweeded for 6 weeks. Although the least weed dry weight (P < 0.05) and the greatest number of weed species were recorded with hand weeding at 2 week intervals, there was no particular benefit on tea growth when compared with hand weeding at 6 and 12 week intervals. Inter row mulching in chemically treated plots was more favorable for tea growth than no mulching, while living weed cover in unmulched slash weeded plots suppressed tea growth. A combination of mulching and herbicides, particularly oxyfluorfen and paraquat, followed by hand weeding at least every 6–8 weeks was considered the most appropriate weed management system for young tea.

A model of intelligent building energy management for the indoor environment

People's interaction with the indoor environment plays a significant role in energy consumption in buildings. Mismatching and delaying occupants' feedback on the indoor environment to the building energy management system is the major barrier to the efficient energy management of buildings. There is an increasing trend towards the application of digital technology to support control systems in order to achieve energy efficiency in buildings. This article introduces a holistic, integrated, building energy management model called `smart sensor, optimum decision and intelligent control' (SMODIC). The model takes into account occupants' responses to the indoor environments in the control system. The model of optimal decision-making based on multiple criteria of indoor environments has been integrated into the whole system. The SMODIC model combines information technology and people centric concepts to achieve energy savings in buildings.

Assessing the environmental performance of English arable and livestock holdings using data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN)

Agri-environment schemes (AESs) have been implemented across EU member states in an attempt to reconcile agricultural production methods with protection of the environment and maintenance of the countryside. To determine the extent to which such policy objectives are being fulfilled, participating countries are obliged to monitor and evaluate the environmental, agricultural and socio-economic impacts of their AESs. However, few evaluations measure precise environmental outcomes and critically, there are no agreed methodologies to evaluate the benefits of particular agri-environmental measures, or to track the environmental consequences of changing agricultural practices. In response to these issues, the Agri-Environmental Footprint project developed a common methodology for assessing the environmental impact of European AES. The Agri-Environmental Footprint Index (AFI) is a farm-level, adaptable methodology that aggregates measurements of agri-environmental indicators based on Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) techniques. The method was developed specifically to allow assessment of differences in the environmental performance of farms according to participation in agri-environment schemes. The AFI methodology is constructed so that high values represent good environmental performance. This paper explores the use of the AFI methodology in combination with Farm Business Survey data collected in England for the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), to test whether its use could be extended for the routine surveillance of environmental performance of farming systems using established data sources. Overall, the aim was to measure the environmental impact of three different types of agriculture (arable, lowland livestock and upland livestock) in England and to identify differences in AFI due to participation in agri-environment schemes. However, because farm size, farmer age, level of education and region are also likely to influence the environmental performance of a holding, these factors were also considered. Application of the methodology revealed that only arable holdings participating in agri-environment schemes had a greater environmental performance, although responses differed between regions. Of the other explanatory variables explored, the key factors determining the environmental performance for lowland livestock holdings were farm size, farmer age and level of education. In contrast, the AFI value of upland livestock holdings differed only between regions. The paper demonstrates that the AFI methodology can be used readily with English FADN data and therefore has the potential to be applied more widely to similar data sources routinely collected across the EU-27 in a standardised manner.

Contested H2O: science, policy and politics in water resources management in Chile

This paper critically explores the politics that mediate the use of environmental science assessments as the basis of resource management policy. Drawing on recent literature in the political ecology tradition that has emphasised the politicised nature of the production and use of scientific knowledge in environmental management, the paper analyses a hydrological assessment in a small river basin in Chile, undertaken in response to concerns over the possible overexploitation of groundwater resources. The case study illustrates the limitations of an approach based predominantly on hydrogeological modelling to ascertain the effects of increased groundwater abstraction. In particular, it identifies the subjective ways in which the assessment was interpreted and used by the state water resources agency to underpin water allocation decisions in accordance with its own interests, and the role that a desocialised assessment played in reproducing unequal patterns of resource use and configuring uneven waterscapes. Nevertheless, as Chile’s ‘neoliberal’ political-economic framework privileges the role of science and technocracy, producing other forms of environmental knowledge to complement environmental science is likely to be contentious. In conclusion, the paper considers the potential of mobilising the concept of the hydrosocial cycle to further critically engage with environmental science.

Sustainable land management and development: the role of the chartered surveyor

Despite the growing intensity of the debate about environmental management, it is only recently that rural practice surveyors have become aware of its significance and potential. Consequently, few surveyors are yet in a position to offer professional advice, despite evidence from the RICS's client needs survey that nearly half of all existing clients require more advice on environmental matters. As a prerequisite to becoming involved in environmental management, it is clear that chartered surveyors have to develop new skills alongside new perceptions of their work. Rather than being conterminous, however, the alignment of these attributes reflects a fundamental tension. This is focused on the dichotomy between the strategic construction of the environment as a basis for realigning corporate policy and the more limited evocation of environmentalism as potential new business. This paper seeks to explore the nature and policy context of sustainable development, in the process examining its significance for rural chartered surveyors. In doing so, the paper will seek to contrast the essentially anthropocentric utilitarianism of surveyors' current attitudes with the radical agenda inferred by a more ecocentric, sustainable development approach to professional management and advice. The paper will conclude with a discussion about how far the principles of sustainable development can be incorporated into the management of surveying businesses, and what this implies for the future of the rural practice chartered surveyor as land manager.

An objective, niche-based approach to indicator species selection

1. Species-based indices are frequently employed as surrogates for wider biodiversity health and measures of environmental condition. Species selection is crucial in determining an indicators metric value and hence the validity of the interpretation of ecosystem condition and function it provides, yet an objective process to identify appropriate indicator species is frequently lacking. 2. An effective indicator needs to (i) be representative, reflecting the status of wider biodiversity; (ii) be reactive, acting as early-warning systems for detrimental changes in environmental conditions; (iii) respond to change in a predictable way. We present an objective, niche-based approach for species' selection, founded on a coarse categorisation of species' niche space and key resource requirements, which ensures the resultant indicator has these key attributes. 3. We use UK farmland birds as a case study to demonstrate this approach, identifying an optimal indicator set containing 12 species. In contrast to the 19 species included in the farmland bird index (FBI), a key UK biodiversity indicator that contributes to one of the UK Government's headline indicators of sustainability, the niche space occupied by these species fully encompasses that occupied by the wider community of 62 species. 4. We demonstrate that the response of these 12 species to land-use change is a strong correlate to that of the wider farmland bird community. Furthermore, the temporal dynamics of the index based on their population trends closely matches the population dynamics of the wider community. However, in both analyses, the magnitude of the change in our indicator was significantly greater, allowing this indicator to act as an early-warning system. 5. Ecological indicators are embedded in environmental management, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policy and practice where they act as metrics against which progress towards national, regional and global targets can be measured. Adopting this niche-based approach for objective selection of indicator species will facilitate the development of sensitive and representative indices for a range of taxonomic groups, habitats and spatial scales.

Scale sensitivity of drivers of environmental change across Europe

The development of effective environmental management plans and policies requires a sound understanding of the driving forces involved in shaping and altering the structure and function of ecosystems. However, driving forces, especially anthropogenic ones, are defined and operate at multiple administrative levels, which do not always match ecological scales. This paper presents an innovative methodology of analysing drivers of change by developing a typology of scale sensitivity of drivers that classifies and describes the way they operate across multiple administrative levels. Scale sensitivity varies considerably among drivers, which can be classified into five broad categories depending on the response of ‘evenness’ and ‘intensity change’ when moving across administrative levels. Indirect drivers tend to show low scale sensitivity, whereas direct drivers show high scale sensitivity, as they operate in a non-linear way across the administrative scale. Thus policies addressing direct drivers of change, in particular, need to take scale into consideration during their formulation. Moreover, such policies must have a strong spatial focus, which can be achieved either by encouraging local–regional policy making or by introducing high flexibility in (inter)national policies to accommodate increased differentiation at lower administrative levels. High quality data is available for several drivers, however, the availability of consistent data at all levels for non-anthropogenic drivers is a major constraint to mapping and assessing their scale sensitivity. This lack of data may hinder effective policy making for environmental management, since it restricts the ability to fully account for scale sensitivity of natural drivers in policy design.