A model to select processes for IT service management improvement

IT organisations are continually seeking improvements in managing IT service management processes. The selection of relevant processes to improve is one of the most crucial initial decisions to make in service improvement projects. In this paper, we focus on developing a process selection decision model using service perception factors from the Service Quality (SERV-QUAL) model and business drivers from the Balanced Scorecard perspectives along with the main objective of service improvement as improvement driver. We use a Design Science Research method to develop the model and then a prototype from our proposed model. We establish an evaluation protocol to determine the effectiveness of the prototype which will be demonstrated in a case organisation. The main contribution of the paper is to provide evidence-based decision support for IT service providers to select the most relevant service processes to improve.

Characterization of the improvement in depressive symptoms following Bariatric surgery

Background : The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) has been frequently employed as a measure of depression in studies of obesity, with the majority of studies reporting an improvement in scores following weight loss. Given the potential similarity in obesity-related and depressive symptoms, it is uncertain whether all components of depression would improve equally with weight loss.

Method : The study included obese patients who had undergone laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) surgery and had completed BDIs at baseline and 1 year after surgery. Two groups of patients were included, a general background group (N = 191, mean age = 41 ± 9, mean BMI = 43 ± 8) and a group identified as experiencing elevated depressive symptoms based on BDI scores ≥23 (EDS group; (N = 67, mean age = 40 ± 9, mean BMI = 45 ± 7).

Results : Overall, BDI scores fell for both groups, background group at baseline 17 ± 9–8 ± 7 at 1 year and for the EDS group at baseline 30 ± 5–14 ± 10 at 1 year. Patient scores on the negative self-attitude subscale were significantly greater than the two other subscales and showed the greatest improvement 1 year following LAGB. Preexisting antidepressant therapy had little or no association on the BDI scores or on its change following weight loss.

Conclusion : High rates of depression are continually reported in obesity, as is a remarkable decrease in depressive symptoms following weight loss. Negative attitudes towards one’s self appears to be driving elevated BDI scores rather than the overlap in physical symptoms between obesity and depression.

Occasional paper : Towards the development of an online learning environment (OLE) quality management framework

The project is committed to understanding, recognising and developing various forms of institutionally relevant distributed leadership in developing and trialling various components of a quality management framework for online learning environments in Australian higher education. This paper provides an overview of issues related to the management and improvement of quality, including in the context of higher education. In response to the complex and multi-dimensional nature of both quality and online learning environments (OLEs), the concept of a framework for organising policies, procedures and actions relating to the good governance of OLEs can be found in the literature. Such frameworks vary in scope, format and title, and a (non-exhaustive) sample is presented in summary here. Key learnings that can be drawn from the exemplars frameworks and the related literature include:
- the processes for the design of such frameworks;
- the components of such frameworks;
- the measurement mechanisms and metrics employed in such frameworks; and
- the validation of such frameworks.

Performance of the assessment of quality of life measure in people with hip and knee joint disease and implications for research and clinical use

Objective
To comprehensively evaluate the performance of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with hip and knee joint disease (arthritis or osteoarthritis).

Methods
Data from 237 individuals were available for analysis from a national cross-sectional, population-based study of hip and knee joint disease in Australia. AQoL-4D data were evaluated using Rasch analysis. A range of measurement properties was explored, including model and item fit, threshold ordering, differential item functioning, and targeting.

Results
Good overall fit of the AQoL with the Rasch model was demonstrated across a range of tests, supporting internal validity. Only 1 item (relating to hearing) showed evidence of misfit. Most AQoL items showed logical sequencing of response option categories, with threshold disordering evident for only 2 of the 12 items (items 4 and 9). Minor issues with potential clinical and research implications include limited options for reporting pain and some evidence of measurement bias between demographic subgroups (including age and sex). Participants' HRQOL was generally better than that represented by the AQoL items (mean ± SD for person abilities −2.15 ± 1.39, mean ± SD for item difficulties 0.00 ± 0.67), indicating ceiling effects that could impact the instrument's ability to detect HRQOL improvement in population-based studies.

Conclusion
The AQoL is a competent tool for assessing HRQOL in people with hip and knee joint disease, although researchers and clinicians should consider the caveats identified when selecting appropriate HRQOL measures for future outcome assessment involving this patient group.

Composite yarns fabricated from continuous needleless electrospun nanofibers

In this work, a spinning metal wire collector was employed to continuously collect polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers produced by a disc fiber generator and coil them around a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) yarn. The obtained composite yarns exhibited a core/shell structure (PET yarn/PAN nanofibers) with nanofibers orderly arranged on the surface of the PET yarn. The electric field analysis showed that the position of metal wire had insignificant effect on the formed electric field and high intensity electric field was formed at the disc circumferential area, which provided a constant electric field for the production of uniform nanofibers. The spinning solution, spinning speed of metal wire, and winding speed were found to play an important role in producing good quality nanofiber yarns, in terms of morphology, strength, and productivity. Pure nanofiber yarns were obtained after dissolving the core yarns in a proper solvent. This method has shown potential for the mass production of nanofiber yarns for industrial applications.

Using hospital standardised mortality ratios to assess quality of care--proceed with extreme caution

Australian Health Ministers have endorsed the hospital standardised mortality ratio (HSMR) as a key indicator of quality and safety, and efforts are currently underway towards its national implementation. In the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States, the HSMR has been used for several years within organisations to monitor performance and response to various quality and safety programs. In the UK and Canada, the HSMR is also publicly reported and used to compare performance between hospitals. The validity and reliability of the HSMR as a screening tool for distinguishing low-quality from high-quality hospitals remain in doubt, and it has not yet been proven that HSMR reporting necessarily leads to worthwhile improvement in quality of care and patient outcomes.

Ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis

This paper presents a summary of the evidence review group (ERG) report into the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis based upon a review of the manufacturer's submission to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as part of the single technology appraisal (STA) process. The submission's main evidence came from three randomised controlled trials (RCTs), of reasonable methodological quality and measuring a range of clinically relevant outcomes. Higher proportions of participants treated with ustekinumab (45 mg and 90 mg) than with placebo or etanercept achieved an improvement on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) of at least 75% (PASI 75) after 12 weeks. There were also statistically significant differences in favour of ustekinumab over placebo for PASI 50 and PASI 90 results, and for ustekinumab over etanercept for PASI 90 results. A weight-based subgroup dosing analysis for each trial was presented, but the methodology was poorly described and no statistical analysis to support the chosen weight threshold was presented. The manufacturer carried out a mixed treatment comparison (MTC); however, the appropriateness of some of the methodological aspects of the MTC is uncertain. The incidence of adverse events was similar between groups at 12 weeks and withdrawals due to adverse events were low and less frequent in the ustekinumab than in the placebo or etanercept groups; however, statistical comparisons were not reported. The manufacturer's economic model of treatments for psoriasis compared ustekinumab with other biological therapies. The model used a reasonable approach; however, it is not clear whether the clinical effectiveness estimates from the subgroup analysis, used in the base-case analysis, were methodologically appropriate. The base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for ustekinumab versus supportive care was 29,587 pounds per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). In one-way sensitivity analysis the model was most sensitive to the number of hospital days associated with supportive care, the cost estimate for intermittent etanercept 25 mg and the utility scores used. In the ERG's scenario analysis the model was most sensitive to the price of ustekinumab 90 mg, the proportion of patients with baseline weight > 100 kg and the relative risk of intermittent versus continuous etanercept 25 mg. In the ERG's probabilistic sensitivity analysis ustekinumab had the highest probability of being cost-effective at conventional NICE thresholds, assuming the same price for the 45-mg and 90-mg doses; however, doubling the price of ustekinumab 90 mg resulted in ustekinumab no longer dominating the comparators. In conclusion, the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab in relation to other drugs in this class is uncertain. Provisional NICE guidance issued as a result of the STA states that ustekinumab is recommended as a treatment option for adults with plaque psoriasis when a number of criteria are met. Final guidance is anticipated in September 2009.

Principal led school improvement and teacher capacity building in the Barwon South Network : final report, May 2013

The period of interest for this report is the beginning of 2011 to the end of 2012. The period commenced when the Regional Network Leader of the Barwon South Network of schools in the Barwon South Region of the Department of Education and Early Childhood contacted the School of Education at Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus Geelong. The Regional Network Leader outlined a desire to engage with Deakin University to research a short-term-cycle model of school improvement to be implemented in the region. While the model was expected to be taken on by all schools in the region the research was limited to the 23 schools in the Barwon South Network with four schools to be investigated more closely for each of two years (2001 & 2012) – eight focus schools in total.

Many positive outcomes flowed from the implementation of short-term-cycle school improvement plans and their associated practices but there was wide variation in the nature and degrees of success and of the perception of the process. The research team asked the following questions of the data:

1. What aspects of the School Improvement Plan (SIP) approach were important for initiating and supporting worthwhile change?
2. What might we take from this, to provide guidance on how best to support change in teaching and learning processes in schools?

The School Improvement Plan (SIP) worked in a range of ways. At one level it was strongly focused on school leadership, and a need to improve principals’ capacity to initiate worthwhile teaching and learning processes in their schools. Underlying this intent, one might think an assumption is operation is that the leadership process involves top down decision-making and a willingness to hold staff accountable for the quality of their practice.

The second strong focus was on the translation into practice and the consequent effect on student learning, involving an emphasis on data and evidence led practice. Hence, along with the leadership focus there was a demand for the process of school improvement to reach down into students and classrooms. Thus, the SIP process inevitably involved a chain of decision-making by which student learning quality drove the intervention, and teachers responsible for this had a common view. The model therefore should not be seen as an intervention only on the principal, but rather on the school decision-making system and focus. Even though it was the principal receiving the SIP planning template, and reporting to the network, the reporting was required to include description of the operation of the school processes, of classroom processes, and of student learning. This of course placed significant constraints on principals, which may help explain the variation in responses and outcomes described above.

The findings from this study are based on multiple data sources: analysis of both open and closed survey questions which all teachers in the 23 schools in the network were invited to complete; interviews with principals, teachers and leaders in the eight case study schools; some interviews with students in the case study schools; and interviews with leaders who worked in the regional network office; and field notes from network meetings including the celebrations days. Celebrations days occurred each school term when groups of principals came together to share and celebrate the improvements and processes happening in their schools. Many of the themes emerging from the analysis of the different data sources were similar or overlapping, providing some confidence in the evidence-base for the findings.

The study, conducted over two years of data collection and analysis, has demonstrated a range of positive outcomes in at the case study schools relating to school communication and collaboration processes, professional learning of principals, leadership teams and classroom teachers. There was evidence in the survey responses and field notes from ‘celebration days’ that these outcomes were also represented in other schools in the network. The key points of change concerned the leadership processes of planning for improvement, and the rigorous attention to student data in framing teaching and learning processes. This latter point of change had the effect of basing SIP processes on a platform of evidence-based change. The research uncovered considerable anecdotal and observational evidence of improvements in student learning, in teacher accounts in interview, and presentations of student work. Interviews with students, although not as representative as the team would have liked, showed evidence of student awareness of learning goals, a key driver in the SIP improvement model. It was, however, not possible over this timescale to collect objective comparative evidence of enhanced learning outcomes.

A number of features of the short-term-cycle SIP were identified that supported positive change across the network. These were: 1) the support structures represented by the network leader and support personnel within schools, 2) the nature of the SIP model – focusing strongly on change leadership but within a collaborative structure that combined top-down and bottom-up elements, 3) the focus on data-led planning and implementation that helped drill down to explicit elements of classroom practice, and 4) the accountability regimes represented by network leader presence, and the celebration days in which principals became effectively accountable to their peers. We found that in the second year of the project, momentum was lost in the case study schools, as the network was dismantled. This raised issues also for the conduct of research in situations of systemic change.

Alongside the finding of evidence of positive outcomes in the case study schools overall, was the finding that the SIP processes and outcomes varied considerably across schools. A number of contextual factors were identified that led to this variation, including school histories of reform, principal management style, and school size and structure that made the short-term-cycle model unmanageable. In some cases there was overt resistance to the SIP model, at least in some part, and this led to an element of performativity in which the language of the SIP was conscripted to other purposes. The study found that even with functioning schools the SIP was understood differently and the processes performed differently, raising the question of whether in the study we are dealing with one SIP or many. The final take home message from the research is that schools are complex institutions, and models of school improvement need to involve both strong principled features, and flexibility in local application, if all schools’ interests in improving teaching and learning processes and outcomes are to be served.

Improving the quality of prediction intervals through optimal aggregation

Neural networks (NNs) are an effective tool to model nonlinear systems. However, their forecasting performance significantly drops in the presence of process uncertainties and disturbances. NN-based prediction intervals (PIs) offer an alternative solution to appropriately quantify uncertainties and disturbances associated with point forecasts. In this paper, an NN ensemble procedure is proposed to construct quality PIs. A recently developed lower-upper bound estimation method is applied to develop NN-based PIs. Then, constructed PIs from the NN ensemble members are combined using a weighted averaging mechanism. Simulated annealing and a genetic algorithm are used to optimally adjust the weights for the aggregation mechanism. The proposed method is examined for three different case studies. Simulation results reveal that the proposed method improves the average PI quality of individual NNs by 22%, 18%, and 78% for the first, second, and third case studies, respectively. The simulation study also demonstrates that a 3%-4% improvement in the quality of PIs can be achieved using the proposed method compared to the simple averaging aggregation method.

NDVI With Artificial Neural Networks For SRTM Elevation Model Improvement – Hydrological Model Application

Digital elevation model (DEM) plays a substantial role in hydrological study, from understanding the catchment characteristics, setting up a hydrological model to mapping the flood risk in the region. Depending on the nature of study and its objectives, high resolution and reliable DEM is often desired to set up a sound hydrological model. However, such source of good DEM is not always available and it is generally high-priced. Obtained through radar based remote sensing, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is a publicly available DEM with resolution of 92m outside US. It is a great source of DEM where no surveyed DEM is available. However, apart from the coarse resolution, SRTM suffers from inaccuracy especially on area with dense vegetation coverage due to the limitation of radar signals not penetrating through canopy. This will lead to the improper setup of the model as well as the erroneous mapping of flood risk. This paper attempts on improving SRTM dataset, using Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from Visible Red and Near Infra-Red band obtained from Landsat with resolution of 30m, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The assessment of the improvement and the applicability of this method in hydrology would be highlighted and discussed.

Controladoria e Modelo de Gestão Aplicados às Instituições de Ensino Superior

The establishment of the Nova Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional (New Law of Policies and Basis of the National Education) was a mark for the Brazilian educational sector. The institutions of advanced education began to seek two major objectives: the continuous improvement of your academic, pedagogic and administrative practice and the elimination of resources waste. Beyond the implementation of the New Law of Policies and Basis of the National Education, many were the factors that contributed for the change of the paradigms of management of the Institutions of Advanced Education in Brazil. Some of these factors are the following: a) Increasing competition. The competition, each time more present in the day-to- day of the Institutions of Advanced Education, that was regional and closed by, it¿s now professional and global.b) Implantation of the mechanism of quality control, for example the Provão (Exam), by the Ministry of Education.c) Increasing demand for the advanced courses, since the number of students concluding the Middle level courses has being increasing gradually in the last years. d) Education has become a critical factor in the competition between nations, regions and companies.In the present moment, marked by intense competition, complex academic and administrative processes, technologic information as a condition ¿ sine qua non¿ for the decisive process and the exigency for modern and cooperated management, demands big changes in the way the educational institutions manage their resources and evaluate the performance of their administrators.The study demonstrates the pressing necessity of implanting a Control Management that will assist the administration of the Institution of Advanced Education in a way that will optimize the economic results of the entity, as well as the creation and implementation of the mechanisms that will bring a better understanding of the environment in which the entity lives and operates.

Uso estratégico da tecnologia de informação no agribusiness: modelo conceitual para a gestão de estoques e custos de café por qualidade

Os produtores e as Cooperativas de Produtores de Café atuam em um ambiente incerto e competitivo, e estão enfrentando dificuldades de adaptação ao novo cenário econômico e tecnológico mundial. Para ter sucesso no empreendimento é necessário não apenas saber produzir, mas principalmente saber comercializar o café. O tradicional problema de decisão sobre como determinar o melhor momento de vender o café foi agravado pela globalização econômica (aumento da concorrência e crescente exigência em qualidade) e pelo advento da Tecnologia da Informação - TI - (grande quantidade de informações sobre o mercado de café, obtidas de modo desestruturado e às vezes de idoneidade duvidosa). Para avaliar oportunidades e realidades do uso estratégico da TI para a gestão das cooperativas de cafeicultores, considerou-se neste trabalho um problema específico: a questão do controle de estoques de café e a apuração de seus custos por qualidade. Os modelos gerenciais tradicionalmente utilizados envolvem sistemas convencionais de controle de estoque e análise de custos, mas controlam apenas as quantidades estocadas por tipo de café, não controlando seus custos. Normalmente consideram como custo a média dos preços de compra de café, em um determinado período. Assim impossibilitam o conhecimento do verdadeiro custo do produto vendido de acordo com sua qualidade, comprometendo a apuração de sua real margem de lucro em cada operação de venda. Logo, o resultado real das compras e vendas de café só é conhecido quando analisado um longo período, porque sofre influência das flutuações dos vários tipos de café que são comercializados. Partiu-se da hipótese de que o conhecimento da dinâmica da informação no complexo agroindustrial do café e o uso da Tecnologia de Informação como estratégia para instrumentalizar as decisões e melhorar o desempenho na comercialização de café pelas cooperativas de produtores possibilitam uma melhor organização e avaliação das informações necessárias para o planejamento da comercialização por essas cooperativas, aumentando a rentabilidade e contribuindo para a profissionalização do setor. Utilizando a TI para a integração do sistema de controle de estoques, comercialização e custos, foi desenvolvido um modelo conceitual para o gerenciamento dos estoques e custos de café por qualidade, visando a contribuir para a melhoria dos resultados obtidos pelas cooperativas. O estudo partiu da determinação das variáveis envolvidas no processo de comercialização do café. Desenvolveu-se um modelo conceitual para auxiliar o controle e o conhecimento do real custo do café por qualidade, possibilitando a correta apuração do resultado econômico, contribuindo para melhorar o controle estratégico dos estoques de café e o planejamento operacional do preparo dos blends. Em anexo, apresentam-se planilhas simulando a operação do modelo. O uso deste modelo permite que os administradores se antecipem aos problemas, reduzindo riscos e descobrindo oportunidades através de um melhor uso do recurso informação, gerando ganhos em competitividade. O modelo conceitual apresentado integra a gestão de estoques com o gerenciamento de custos de café por qualidade. Parte de uma visão ampliada da administração da cooperativa, considerando o trabalho dentro e fora da empresa, relacionando os controles de estoques da cooperativa e do cooperado, fisico e "virtual" (estoque do cooperado que EAESP/FGV - COA - Luciel Henrique de Oliveira - 1998 6 foi utilizado) e o mercado consumidor, possibilitando um controle mais eficiente para a redução do risco da cooperativa. O conhecimento das caracteristicas dos tipos de café por qualidade, que compõem o controle de estoque fisico e que fazem flutuar a conta opção, traz maior autonomia e segurança. O modelo atende ao desafio da melhoria contínua da qualidade da gestão, através da visão integrada da empresa, possibilitando o conhecimento real dos custos envolvidos e da margem de lucro, por qualidade, em cada operação. Busca-se um melhor controle das operações, dos custos dos produtos vendidos, de acordo com sua qualidade e sua margem de lucro em cada operação de venda, possibilitando um melhor planejamento da comercialização pelas cooperativas. Ao propor um novo modelo, integrando a análise custos e qualidade, o trabalho provocou o exame de vários procedimentos atualmente em uso, preparando o ambiente da empresa para uma nova mentalidade gerencial. Fez com que procedimentos relacionados à qualidade do café fossem devidamente estruturados no modelo de operação da empresa, servindo de referência para os trabalhos rumo à integração gerencial e à certificação ISO 9002, exigência do mercado externo e tendência no mercado interno. Deste modo, a cooperativa iniciou um processo de melhoria contínua, com a constante identificação de oportunidades, inspecionando e atualizando índices, levantando problemas e propondo soluções. O trabalho traz uma colaboração aos estudos de gestão integrada no agribusiness do café. A inovação ocorre através do desenvolvimento de um modelo conceitual de gestão de estoques e custos por qualidade, aliado ao modelo de gestão econômica, contribuindo para a melhoria da administração e do desempenho do setor. Aponta uma oportunidade de se dar um avanço para a gerência de custos e riscos, tornando o setor mais competitivo e de acordo com a nova cultura empresarial e com os padrões de competição de mercado.

Avaliação do novo modelo de ação fiscal de Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado de Pernambuco

Não é tarefa fácil abordar um tema como o de tributos, principalmente em um país como o Brasil, com grandes e históricas dívidas sociais, que permanece com uma das cargas tributárias mais elevadas do Mundo e com uma qualidade na oferta de serviços públicos que, na maioria das vezes, deixa a desejar. Pior ainda é discutir a eficácia do papel do Auditor Fiscal, já que temos a missão de prover o Estado de recursos públicos para a implementação e manutenção de políticas necessárias para a sociedade. Nem sempre para cumprir esse papel conta-se com o apoio integral da classe política e da população. Para compensar tal desafio, a maior motivação e certeza é que há na Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado de Pernambuco verdadeiros empreendedores com capacidade técnica e vontade de mudar algumas realidades, já não tão sintonizadas com os desafios dos tempos modernos. Partindo da premissa que a introdução do Planejamento, por meio da criação da Diretoria de Planejamento e Controle da Ação Fiscal no início de 2002 na estrutura organizacional da Administração Tributária, resultou em um salto de qualidade no resultado da ação fiscal, esse estudo apresenta uma avaliação dos processos fiscais comparando-se a partir de 1998 até o início de 2002 e daí até o ano de 2006. Percebe-se que não houve incremento em relação à efetividade da ação fiscal, constatando-se correlação estatística entre os valores recuperados pelo Fisco quando comparados o período posterior à mudança organizacional com o anterior, verificado pelo Teste de Wilcoxon. Ao mesmo tempo, percebeu-se uma necessidade clara do Estado rever suas leis, prazos e condições de trabalho no que se refere à execução fiscal, sob pena de não conseguir reaver parcela de tributo sonegado em tempo hábil, já que 84,9% dos processos não tiveram suas defesas administrativas apresentadas ou saldos devedores regularizados. Na pesquisa dirigida aos gerentes da Diretoria de Planejamento, suas respostas indicam que o caminho precisa ser mantido, buscando contínua evolução e coerência do planejamento estratégico e permanente aperfeiçoamento do modelo de gestão adotado em busca de resultados, com sensibilidade social e respeito profissional a cada integrante do Órgão.

A participação do empregado na implantação de um programa de gerência de qualidade total

Resumo da dissertação apresentada à Escola Brasileira de Administração Pública - EBAP da Fundação Getúlio Vargas - EBAP, como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Administração Pública A Participação do Empregado na Implantação de um Programa de Gerência da Qualidade Total: A Região Operacional da Embratel no Rio de Janeiro Clarissa de Souza Monteiro Campos Setembro, 1996 Centro de Formação Acadêmica e Pesquisa Orientador: Prof.: Paulo Reis Vieira O trabalho visa analisar um programa de Qualidade Total focalizando a questão da participação dos funcionários no mesmo. Através de uma pesquisa de campo, pretendeu-se levantar a questão da participação dentro dos programas de qualidade, bem como sua repercussão na adesão dos funcionários à filosofia do programa de Qualidade Total e no desenvolvimento do processo da melhoria contínua na organização. De cunho exploratório e caráter qualitativo, a pesquisa de campo desenvolvida não teve pretensões de generalização. Com metodologia qualitativa, a pesquisa objetivou produzir dados descritivos relativos à observação de comportamentos e palavras escritas das pessoas investigadas. Não houve preocupação de resolver os problemas ou avaliar acertos e contradições no processo de implantação do TQC. A pesquisadora baseou-se, para aplicação e avaliação dos dados coletados, na suposição de que: através das contradições podem-se ser configuradas possíveis saídas para problemas e, portanto, estas devem ser olhadas como ponto de partida para a implantação de melhorias no processo atual da organização. A experiência de implantação do Programa de Qualidade Total na Região Operacional do Rio de Janeiro na Embratel, até onde a limitação dos dados coletados permite concluir, teve mais pontos fortes do que fracos no que diz respeito a questão da participação dos funcionários. Pode-se acreditar que as limitações observadas pela pesquisa são passíveis de superação mediante um esforço de esclarecimento sobre os objetivos e, principalmente, sobre as metas do Programa, permitindo um possível aumento do grau de adesão dos funcionários no mesmo.