Controlo e gestão da produção no setor de corte térmico

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Mecânica

Turnaround across diverse global supply chains using shared metrics and change methodology: The Case of Amer Sports Corporation

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to document the outcome of a global three-year long supply chain improvement initiative at a multi-national producer of branded sporting goods that is transforming from a holding structure to an integrated company. The case company is comprised of seven internationally well-known sport brands, which form a diverse set of independent sub-cases, on which the same supply chain metrics and change project approach was applied to improve supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach - By using in-depth case study and statistical analysis the paper analyzes across the brands how supply chain complexity (SKU count), supply chain type (make or buy) and seasonality affect completeness and punctuality of deliveries, and inventory as the change project progresses. Findings - Results show that reduction in supply chain complexity improves delivery performance, but has no impact on inventory. Supply chain type has no impact on service level, but brands with in-house production are better in improving inventory than those with outsourced production. Non-seasonal business units improve service faster than seasonal ones, yet there is no impact on inventory. Research limitations/implications - The longitudinal data used for the analysis is biased with the general business trend, yet the rich data from different cases and three-years of data collection enables generalizations to a certain level. Practical implications - The in-depth case study serves as an example for other companies on how to initiate a supply chain improvement project across business units with tangible results. Originality/value - The seven sub-cases with their different characteristics on which the same improvement initiative was applied sets a unique ground for longitudinal analysis to study supply chain complexity, type and seasonality.

Scientific mindfulness: A foundation for future themes in international business.

We conceptualize new ways to qualify what themes should dominate the future international business and management (IB/IM) research agenda by examining three questions: Whom should we ask? What should we ask, and which selection criteria should we apply? What are the contextual forces? Our main findings are the following: (1) wider perspectives from academia and practice would benefit both rigor and relevance; (2) four key forces are climate change, globalization, inequality, and sustainability; and (3) we propose scientific mindfulness as the way forward for generating themes in IB/IM research. Scientific mindfulness is a holistic, cross-disciplinary, and contextual approach, whereby researchers need to make sense of multiple perspectives with the betterment of society as the ultimate criterion.

Aggregate stability by the "high energy moisture characteristic" method in an oxisol under differentiated management

Studies testing the High Energy Moisture Characteristic (HEMC) technique in tropical soils are still incipient. By this method, the effects of different management systems can be evaluated. This study investigated the aggregation state of an Oxisol under coffee with Brachiaria between crop rows and surface-applied gypsum rates using HEMC. Soil in an experimental area in the Upper São Francisco region, Minas Gerais, was studied at depths of 0.05 and 0.20 m in coffee rows. The treatments consisted of 0, 7, and 28 Mg ha-1 of agricultural gypsum rates distributed on the soil surface of the coffee rows, between which Brachiaria was grown and periodically cut, and compared with a treatment without Brachiaria between coffee rows and no gypsum application. To determine the aggregation state using the HEMC method, soil aggregates were placed in a Büchner funnel (500 mL) and wetted using a peristaltic pump with a volumetric syringe. The wetting was applied increasingly at two pre-set speeds: slow (2 mm h-1) and fast (100 mm h-1). Once saturated, the aggregates were exposed to a gradually increasing tension by the displacement of a water column (varying from 0 to 30 cm) to obtain the moisture retention curve [M = f (Ψ) ], underlying the calculation of the stability parameters: modal suction, volume of drainable pores (VDP), stability index (slow and fast), VDP ratio, and stability ratio. The HEMC method conferred sensitivity in quantifying the aggregate stability parameters, and independent of whether gypsum was used, the soil managed with Brachiaria between the coffee rows, with regular cuts discharged in the crop row direction, exhibited a decreased susceptibility to disaggregation.

On the tractability of the piecewise-linear approximation for general discrete-choice network revenue management

The choice network revenue management (RM) model incorporates customer purchase behavioras customers purchasing products with certain probabilities that are a function of the offeredassortment of products, and is the appropriate model for airline and hotel network revenuemanagement, dynamic sales of bundles, and dynamic assortment optimization. The underlyingstochastic dynamic program is intractable and even its certainty-equivalence approximation, inthe form of a linear program called Choice Deterministic Linear Program (CDLP) is difficultto solve in most cases. The separation problem for CDLP is NP-complete for MNL with justtwo segments when their consideration sets overlap; the affine approximation of the dynamicprogram is NP-complete for even a single-segment MNL. This is in contrast to the independentclass(perfect-segmentation) case where even the piecewise-linear approximation has been shownto be tractable. In this paper we investigate the piecewise-linear approximation for network RMunder a general discrete-choice model of demand. We show that the gap between the CDLP andthe piecewise-linear bounds is within a factor of at most 2. We then show that the piecewiselinearapproximation is polynomially-time solvable for a fixed consideration set size, bringing itinto the realm of tractability for small consideration sets; small consideration sets are a reasonablemodeling tradeoff in many practical applications. Our solution relies on showing that forany discrete-choice model the separation problem for the linear program of the piecewise-linearapproximation can be solved exactly by a Lagrangian relaxation. We give modeling extensionsand show by numerical experiments the improvements from using piecewise-linear approximationfunctions.

Standardised innovation management systems: a case study of the Spanish Standard UNE 166002:2006

This paper describes the experience of a Spanish manufacturing firm that implemented the UNE 166002:2006 standard, which is the first in the world to offer a certifiable standardised management system for innovation. After a brief review of innovation management in general, the paper describes the history, objectives, and content of the UNE 166002:2006 Spanish standard and the family of standards to which it belongs. The paper then presents a case study of the implementation of the standard in a manufacturing company, describing the benefits and difficulties of the implementation as detected by the company personnel involved. The paper concludes with a discussion of the desirability and feasibility of creating an international innovation management standard and a new generation of innovation management processes based on a standard for innovation

Building governance in the international financial system: Context and challenges

ABSTRACTThe international financial system has undergone deep changes since the 1970s and its stability cannot be reached in spite of actor's interests or the existence of countless coordination fora. Analyzing the system's incentive structure, one can note that its stability depends on the control of imbalances, which are not always harmful for States, creating, thus, a disturbing component in the quest for international financial management. Furthermore, non-state actors have acquired a disproportional share of power following financial globalization, escaping the control of States and of the international community.

Management of Newspaper Industry in Kerala with Special Reference to Marketing

The general objective of the study is to examine in depth the organisation and management practices of newspaper industry in Kerala with particular reference to the marketing aspects, with a View to suggesting measures for improving the economics and the managerial efficiency of the industry. The detailed investigation into the management aspects of the industry is done with particular reference to the two most popular Malayalam dailies in Kerala, namely, the Malayala Manorama and the Mathrubhumi. The purposeful selection of these two papers for the study is amply justified as these two dailies together account for about 80 percent of the total circulation of the newspapers in Kerala. Technically speaking, both these papers are owned by organisations registered as public limited companies and are, to a large extent professionally managed. The Malayala Manorama, though a public limited company in principle, functions, however, more or less as a private company or a family concern. These two papers therefore provide a scope for studying the management of newspaper industry practically under two different organisational set up, namely private limited company and public limited company The study has been divided into eight chapters. Chapter-I spells out an introduction about the newspaper industry and its unique features.Chapter-II, deals with a review of literature, objective, scope, methodology and limitations of the study. Chapter-III deals with origin, growth and status of newspaper industry. Chapter—IV examines the cost, revenue and profitability of the Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi. Chapter-V deals with the Organisation and Management. Chapter-VI examines the Marketing Management of Newspapers. Chapter-VII deals with the Marketing Strategy and Performance of Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi: An Assessment. Chapter-VIII presents the main findings of the study.

Análisis de los procesos de internacionalización en el sector petrolero : Ecopetrol, Petrobras Y Exxonmobil

El presente trabajo se centra en el fenómeno de la internacionalización dentro del sector petrolero. Para esto, se escogió a tres empresas: Ecopetrol, por ser la empresa colombiana más grande; Petrobras, el mayor representante de Latinoamérica; y Exxon Mobil, un gigante del petróleo a nivel mundial. Estas empresas, que se encuentran en diferentes etapas dentro de su proceso de la internacionalización, muestran comportamientos estratégicos similares. Son precisamente estas similitudes las que permitieron proponer un modelo de internacionalización generalizado para las diferentes empresas que componen dicho sector económico. Para alcanzar dicho modelo, se recurrió a diferentes teorías de internacionalización desarrolladas por varias escuelas de negocios en el mundo, tales como el Modelo Ecléctico, el de Uppsala o la Teoría de Redes. Cabe destacar que dicho modelo propuesto es una aproximación teórica a la realidad empresarial de las compañías petroleras, usando como marco de referencia una muestra pequeña de este tipo de organizaciones. Dentro de este modelo, los altos matices de complejidad propios del fenómeno de la internacionalización se ven reducidos de manera considerable, como parte del ejercicio académico propuesto en el presente estudio.

Casos de internacionalización de empresas colombianas Formesan S.A.S Y SQL Software S.A.

El presente trabajo de investigación se basa en la descripción y análisis de las diferentes rutas existentes para la internacionalización de empresas. Así mismo, se conocerá a mayor profundidad el concepto de internacionalización, sus ventajas e implicaciones y diferentes modelos que aplican a este concepto. De igual forma, este estudio muestra las diferencias estratégicas que pueden existir entre los sectores, teniendo en cuenta que Formesan S.A.S. pertenece al sector de la construcción y SQL Software S.A., al sector del software y tecnologías de la información y comunicaciones. A partir de la comparación y análisis del proceso de internacionalización de estas empresas, se puede evidenciar que no existe una ruta específica por la cual toman la decisión de internacionalizarse, sino que en muchos casos, éstas deciden realizarlo desde la búsqueda de oportunidades y la motivación que tengan los empresarios para que esto suceda. Si bien, la internacionalización no es un proceso que está ligado a un modelo teórico sino más bien está asociado a una experiencia dada por las condiciones y decisiones que el empresario decide tomar al querer hacer de su empresa una compañía global.

Proceso de Internacionalización y aproximación a la logística de servicios: TELMEX COLOMBIA

Telmex es una organización que inicia su operación como empresa estatal mexicana con bajos niveles de eficiencia, posterior a su privatización tomó un nuevo rumbo en sus procesos internos, llevándola a generar modelos de negocio diferenciados y enfocados a la prestación de servicios de telecomunicación a la vanguardia. A partir de la búsqueda de nuevos horizontes la compañía logra tener presencia en la mayoría de los países del continente americano operando bajo la marca de “Telmex Internacional”, y a su vez, con sus respectivas subsidiarias en cada uno de los diferentes países, con el objetivo de satisfacer las necesidades locales con mayor efectividad. Con el apoyo de los diferentes acercamientos teóricos se busca identificar los patrones que le permitieron a Telmex llegar a posicionarse como una compañía líder en el sector de las telecomunicaciones en Latinoamérica y específicamente en Colombia, manteniéndose en un mercado competitivo mediante la oferta de servicios de empaquetamiento ajustados a las necesidades de los clientes.

Calculo del valor en riesgo del futuro de energia e internacionalizacion del sector energetico en Colombia

El presente trabajo de grado busca definir cuál es el mejor método para determinar el valor en riesgo del contrato de futuro de energía eléctrica que se transa en Colombia, para cumplir con este objetivo se toma como referencia el marco histórico del VaR y de los futuros seguido de las características de la fijación de precios, la estructura del contrato, que políticas y métodos hay para cubrirse del riesgo y como se realiza en otros países, realizando algunos cálculos de los modelos más tradicionales del Var para luego incorporarlo al marco colombiano y al ente supervisor en este caso la Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia.. Además de revisar las diferentes teorías de internacionalización económicas, de proceso y redes aplicadas al sector energético en Colombia., evaluando su proceso, alcance y posibles mercados futuros.

Teoría de restricciones aplicada a la cadena de suministros en un operador logístico de productos farmacéuticos

En las instituciones hospitalarias es fundamental el tema relacionado con los medicamentos y dispositivos médicos para la atención del paciente, por lo tanto el mecanismo de adquisición y disponibilidad de éstos productos, ha llevado a la participación masiva de operadores logísticos (Outsoursing) interviniendo áreas de la cadena de suministros, desde el punto de fabricación con el producto terminado hasta la dispensación del medicamento o dispositivo médico, para que ser usado o administrado al paciente. Los operadores logísticos han emprendido una búsqueda de soluciones por medio de diferentes metodologías y estrategias que permitan entregar a tiempo en las farmacias hospitalarias, conservando las propiedades físicas y químicas de los medicamentos y dispositivos médicos, garantizando así la calidad de los productos. En ésta tesis se plantea una nueva alternativa de gestión de medicamentos y dispositivos médicos en un operador logístico de productos farmacéuticos a través de la teoría de restricciones (TOC), para emprender acciones que permitan analizar el sistema bajo esta metodología, intervenir de manera oportuna, impactar y estimular al personal a trabajar en la búsqueda del mejoramiento , aumentando a su vez la velocidad del flujo de operación en toda la cadena de suministros, basada no en el mejoramiento de los óptimos locales o de los subprocesos sino en la identificación de la verdadera restricción del sistema, permitiendo realizar un análisis más a fondo encontrando el conflicto raíz para mejorar el sistema a nivel global.

Factores para la implementación eficiente de un sistema de control de gestión en las organizaciones

La implementación del MCS es una necesidad que demandan las organizaciones en la medida en que incrementan de tamaño, pero la experiencia muestra que esta metodología tiene casos de éxito como de fracaso, por lo que es importante identificar y contemplar los factores que influyen en la implementación para que el sistema sea efectivo. Este proyecto pretende analizar las variables y herramientas para la implementación de un MCS en una organización. Para este análisis se hizo una amplia revisión literaria teórica y práctica. Finalmente el resultado que se obtuvo fue definir cuáles son los factores determinantes para la implementación de un MCS efectivo en una empresa.

Bibliometric forms of the international investigation in the urban history. (1973 - 2010)

The objective of this document is to identify the behavior of the academic international production in urban history, from the bibliographical records index-linked in Scopus between 1973 and 2010. We use bibliometric indicators from SCImago Group, applying them to the production in the field of arts and humanities. Afterward, we corroborate the results obtained with the indicators calculated exclusively for 1.098 records of urban history. A geographical concentration is observed in the mechanisms of diffusion, authors and institutional affiliation. Likewise, we identify that over 50% of the works published between 1973 and 2010 have not been used by other authors to create new knowledge.