Metodología de procesos para incrementar la productividad en empresas de desarrollo de software

Bogotá (Colombia): Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ingeniería. Maestría en ingeniería

Manual para la implementación de sistema de gestión de calidad basado en Normas ISO 9001 versión 2000 en la mediana empresa del sector industrial.

Ante la necesidad de la mediana empresa industrial de El Salvador de mejorar su nivel de productividad y competitividad frente al mercado globalizado, considerando la implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad una opción viable, se efectuó la presente investigación que tiene por finalidad determinar el nivel de conocimientos y de interés por adoptar este tipo de herramientas de parte de dicho sector. En tal sentido el objetivo final de la investigación es la creación de un manual de implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad basados en norma ISO 9001 versión 2000, la cual se desarrolló bajo el enfoque hipotético deductivo que mediante técnicas e instrumentos de recolección de datos como la observación, la entrevista, el cuestionario y la sistematización bibliográfica permitió determinar las valoraciones y conclusiones siguientes: Que la mayoría de las empresas industriales están interesadas en comercializar sus manufacturas en mercados extranjeros, y que para ello están muy interesadas en implementar en sus procesos sistemas de gestión de calidad basados en norma ISO 9001 versión 2000, para coadyuvar en ese objetivo. Por otro lado se determinó que pocas empresas industriales tienen conocimientos sobre el tema y todas ellas están muy interesadas en contar con un documento que les proporcione una guía del proceso de implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad. De acuerdo a estas conclusiones se recomienda elaborar un manual para la implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad en la mediana empresa del sector industrial. Por lo tanto se sugiere tomar como base para la adopción de esta herramienta, el presente manual para implementación de sistemas de gestión de calidad basado en norma ISO 9001 versión 2000, aun cuando no necesariamente se busque la certificación ISO.

An activity theory framework for industrial design

Ethnography has gained wide acceptance in the industrial design profession and curriculum as a means of understanding the user. However, there is considerable confusion about the particularities of its practice accompanied by the absence of an interoperable vocabulary. The consequent interdisciplinary effort is a power play between disciplines whereby the methodological view of ethnography marginalises its theoretical and analytical components. In doing so, it restricts the potential of ethnography suggesting the need for alternative methods of informing the design process. This article suggests that activity theory, with an emphasis on human activity as the fundamental unit of study, is an appropriate methodology for the generation of user requirements. The process is illustrated through the adaptation of an ethnographic case study, for the design of classroom furniture in India.

Discrepancy between human resource research and practice : comparison of industrial/organisational psychologists and human resource practitioners' beliefs

There is a large and growing body of research to show that human resource (HR) practices affect individual performance, organisational productivity and organisational performance. Academic findings about effective HR practices, however, have not readily been adopted by practitioners. A variety of theoretical and practical explanations have been advanced about the research-practice gap. Research by Rynes, Colbert, and Brown (2002) suggested that the research-practice gap is due to a lack of knowledge, but the extent to which these findings apply to the Australian context is unknown. The sample consisted of 102 industrial/organisational (I/O) psychologists and 89 HR practitioners. The main aim of the present study was to replicate and extend the work of Rynes et al. by examining and comparing the knowledge of I/O psychologists and HR practitioners. It was found that overall I/O psychologists were better informed about HR research than HR practitioners; in particular, they were more knowledgeable about management practices and recruitment and selection. In both groups, of the five content areas examined (Management Practices; General Employment Practices; Training and Development; Recruitment and Selection; and Compensation and Benefits), the greatest gaps were in Recruitment and Selection.

WorkChoices, ImageChoices and the marketing of new industrial relations legislation

This article takes a critical discourse approach to one aspect of the Australian WorkChoices industrial relations legislation: the government’s major advertisement published in national newspapers in late 2005 and released simultaneously as a 16-page booklet. This strategic move was the initial stage of one of the largest ‘information’ campaigns ever mounted by an Australian government, costing more than $AUD137 million. This article analyse the semiotic (visual and graphic) elements of the advertisement to uncover what these elements contribute to the message, particularly through their construction of both an image of the legislation and a portrayal of the Australian worker. We argue for the need to fuse approaches from critical discourse studies and social semiotics to deepen understanding of industrial relations phenomena such as the ‘hard sell’ to win the hearts and minds of citizens regarding unpopular new legislation.