Helena Alvelos

Applying value stream mapping to eliminate waste: a case study of an original equipment manufacturer for the automotive industry

Since its beginning, lean manufacturing has built a worldwide reputation based on results related to production improvement and cost reduction in several companies. This management philosophy focuses on customer value creation through the elimination of production wastes. Lean methods and techniques have spread their scope from the automotive industry to a wide range of industries and services. This article presents a case study that describes the use of the lean tool value stream mapping in the production process of automotive parts for a major automotive company. At the beginning of the project, relevant data from the process were collected and analysed. Subsequently, the initial process was mapped, the related wastes were identified, and then future processes were mapped and financial results were estimated. The proposals were presented on kaizen meetings, the action plan was discussed and the decision regarding which option to choose was taken. Consequently, the Cycle Time and the level of the workforce were reduced, the process was improved and savings were obtained.

Social tourism programmes for the senior market: a benefit segmentation analysis

The senior market has gained increasing interest from the tourism industry, mainly because of its considerable size and time flexibility. However, seniors are also a group facing many constraints to participating in tourism, which has led some countries to promote social tourism programmes for this market. However, little is known about the success of these programmes, while research showing the benefits derived by participants would be useful to continuously improve these initiatives. This paper presents a segmentation analysis of senior participants in a Portuguese social tourism programme, based on benefits derived. A questionnaire-based survey was undertaken, yielding a total of 848 valid responses, which were subjected to a hierarchical cluster analysis. Three clusters emerged: the least benefitted, the most benefitted and active and the highly benefitted and locally socializing seniors. The clusters were compared regarding socio-demographic profile, travel behaviour, satisfaction and loyalty. Several statistically significant differences among the clusters were observable, providing relevant inputs for managing social tourism programmes for this market.

The Economic Impact of Health Tourism Programmes

The increasing awareness of the benefits that tourism brings to visitors and to destinations, and of the existence of groups with constraints to participate in tourism, has contributed to a rise of social tourism programmes worldwide. Since long, health is one of main issues of social concern. Additionally, the increase of life expectancy and population ageing is a marking feature of modern societies. Taking into consideration that seniors tend to suffer several constraints to participate in tourism, some related to health problems, the development of social health tourism programmes for this segment is crucial. The development of this kind of programmes also results in important economic benefits to tourism destinations. This chapter presents a methodology to quantify the total economic benefits – direct, indirect and induced – of a social tourism programme. This methodology was used to quantify the total economic benefits of a Portuguese social tourism programme focused on health tourism for the senior market in 2007. The empirical study shows that this social tourism programme has high multiplier effects, and originates considerable economic impacts for the national economy in terms of output, employment, household income and value added. The results provide useful inputs for the development of social tourism programmes aiming at maximizing the economic benefits of these programmes.

The use of Web 2.0 tools by students in learning and leisure contexts: a study in a Portuguese institution of higher education

This study analyses and compares the use of Web 2.0 tools by students in both learning and leisure contexts. Data were collected based on a questionnaire applied to 234 students from the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the results were analysed by using descriptive analysis, paired samples t-tests, cluster analyses and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The results show that the tools most used by students in a learning context are video sharing, social network sites and wikis, and that in a leisure context students use social network sites and video sharing more. The profiles of the groups resulting from the cluster analyses reveal that 42% of the students do not use Web 2.0 tools intensively in either one of the contexts. However, findings from comparing the clusters of both contexts show that students who more frequently use the tools in the leisure context are occasional users in the learning context and vice versa. This study contributes to a better knowledge of the student profiles concerning the use of Web 2.0 tools in learning and leisure contexts which can help teachers direct their strategies to the use of the most appropriate tools, thus improving the success of the teaching-learning process.

Motivação dos alunos para a utilização da tecnologia wiki: um estudo prático no ensino superior

Within the teaching-learning (TL) process, the wikis help to create a dynamic and collaborative learning environment through communication, exchange of ideas and sharing of knowledge. The present work is part of a project whose aim is to evaluate the acceptance of the use of this technology as a means to promote the quality of the TL process. In particular, the study described in this article has as its objective to assess the motivation for the use of the wikis by a group of students from the technological area of higher education, and to carry out a comparison between students that intend to continue making use of this tool in future activities and those that do not plan to use this technology. This experience was made in the context of a classroom, and the data were obtained through the application of two questionnaires and analysis of the history of the wiki created for the activity developed in the classroom. The results showed that the students, despite knowing the tool, did not know in practice about its editing mode. The features of the wikis better classified by the students are related to the perceived ease of use and with the usefulness of the tool, in so far as it promotes learning through contents placed in it by others and through the conduction of group work relying neither on the physical presence of the members nor on their schedules. It has also been observed that the motivation for the use of the wikis turned out to be, in some items, significantly different among the groups compared.

A Framework for Innovation: Application in a Business Development Software Company

This paper describes the innovation framework adopted by a software development organization in order to implement the innovation process. There are analyzed knowledge management and innovation concepts as they provide foundation for the further understanding of the framework’s operation. The innovation architecture, on which the innovation process is based, enables the framework adoption by organizations from other sectors.

Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy as a career choice—perspective of students and physiotherapists in Portugal

ABSTRACT We investigated Portuguese physiotherapy students’ and physiotherapists’ (1) perceptions of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy (CRP); (2) factors that influenced their decision to pursue a career in CRP; and (3) suggestions to develop CRP. Online surveys were disseminated to final year students and physiotherapists. A number of 189 students (mean age 23 [SD 6] years; 78% ♀) and 375 physiotherapists (mean age 31 [SD 8] years; 78% ♀) participated. Students’ opinions about CRP were positively influenced by lecturers (n = 112, 69%), clinical experiences (n = 110, 68%), and scientific evidence (n = 93, 57%). Only 13% of students were “extremely interested” in specializing in CRP. Interest in the area and clinical exposure were the main factors influencing students to pursue a career in CRP. A percentage of 15 of responding physiotherapists were working in CRP. Their decision to pursue a CRP career was most influenced by their interest in the area (n = 37, 67%) and opportunity to work in acute settings (n = 31; 56%). Main suggestions to develop CRP were (1) include placements in CRP; (2) emphasize health promotion within the curriculum; and (3) develop CRP skills in broader contexts and training. Strategies focusing on changing the curriculum, increasing exposure to CRP, providing good mentorship, developing health promotion activities, and creating postgraduate courses may increase the attractiveness for CRP.

Reliability and validity evidence of the Assessment of Language Use in Social Contexts for Adults (ALUSCA)

Abstract Background: The appropriate use of language in context depends on the speaker’s pragmatic language competencies. A coding system was used to develop a specific and adult-focused self-administered questionnaire to adults who stutter and adults who do not stutter, The Assessment of Language Use in Social Contexts for Adults, with three categories: precursors, basic exchanges, and extended literal/non-literal discourse. This paper presents the content validity, item analysis, reliability coefficients and evidences of construct validity of the instrument. Methods: Content validity analysis was based on a two-stage process: first, 11 pragmatic questionnaires were assessed to identify items that probe each pragmatic competency and to create the first version of the instrument; second, items were assessed qualitatively by an expert panel composed by adults who stutter and controls, and quantitatively and qualitatively by an expert panel composed by clinicians. A pilot study was conducted with five adults who stutter and five controls to analyse items and calculate reliability. Construct validity evidences were obtained using the hypothesized relationships method and factor analysis with 28 adults who stutter and 28 controls. Results: Concerning content validity, the questionnaires assessed up to 13 pragmatic competencies. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed ambiguities in items construction. Disagreement between experts was solved through item modification. The pilot study showed that the instrument presented internal consistency and temporal stability. Significant differences between adults who stutter and controls and different response profiles revealed the instrument’s underlying construct. Conclusion: The instrument is reliable and presented evidences of construct validity.

Web 2.0 no apoio ao processo ensino/aprendizagem: estudo exploratório no ensino superior

A cloud computing tem aumentado a sua popularidade no contexto das Instituicoes do Ensino Superior. Apesar de ser uma tematica muito abordada nos dias de hoje, existem ainda poucos estudos que explorem quais sao os custos e beneficios trazidos por esta nova abordagem. Este trabalho tem como objectivo examinar quais os factores que levam a adopcao desta tecnologia no contexto de uma instituicao de Ensino Superior. Como referencial teorico adicionamos ao modelo Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) o Risco Percebido. As Expectativas de Desempenho, Expectativas de Esforco, Influencia Social sao facilitadoras da Intencao de Adopcao de Cloud Computing, sendo o Risco percebido o unico que tem um impacto negativo no uso dos servicos de cloud computing. Para o uso de Cloud Computing os facilitadores sao a Intencao de Adopcao de Cloud Computing e as Condicoes Facilitadoras.O Governo Electronico e de elevada relevância nos tempos que correm, contribuindo para a modernizacao do sector publico, tendo como prioridade a melhoria da qualidade dos servicos. Os Sistemas de Informacao tambem estao na linha da frente no tributo ao alcance dos resultados desejados para uma maior competencia na Administracao Publica. A transformacao da Administracao Publica nos ultimos anos tem sido uma aposta clara do Governo Portugues. De modo particular o sector das aguas, e em especial os Servicos Municipalizados de Agua e Saneamento de Tomar (SMAS), como entidade prestadora de um servico publico, cedo se apercebeu que o caminho a trilhar passaria pelo uso da tecnologia. Neste contexto, o objectivo do artigo e proporcionar uma visao clara das melhorias que proporcionou a Governacao Electronica e o uso das Tecnologias de Informacao e Comunicacao para a crescente eficiencia e eficacia dos SMAS de Tomar.The collective development of conceptual structures has not been satisfactorily addressed in the knowledge representation research literature. Nevertheless and assuming that a shared conceptualization of a given reality is the cornerstone to build semantic artifacts such as ontologies, this paper presents ConceptME, a platform that supports the collaborative modeling of conceptual models. The platform is based on semantic web technologies and proposes a set of functionalities for importing, creating, manipulating, discussing and documenting conceptual models that can act e.g., as the specification of a formal ontology. The platform is in a prototype state and is being tested and used in a research project1A prioritizacao de stakeholders, enunciada pela stakeholders salience theory, permite perceber os relacionamentos entre partes interessadas e e alterada pelo e-government. A investigacao desenvolvida assumiu um posicionamento ontologico relativista, epistemologico interpretativista e recorreu a um desenho de investigacao alicercado em estudos de caso. Conclui-se que o e-government condiciona a prioritizacao de stakeholders na medida em que altera a percecao de urgencia das solicitacoes, reduz o poder discricionario e modifica a forma como a legitimidade e exposta, embora se considere que diretamente a legitimidade das solicitacoes nao e alterada.O Customer Relationship Management (CRM) no Sector da Saude e ainda um conceito recente. Devido aos resultados positivos que se tem vindo a alcancar com a utilizacao do CRM em empresas privadas, tem ocorrido uma adaptacao a sua vertente publica, utilizando e mantendo um historico de informacoes, optimizando processos e melhorando o relacionamento com os utentes. Este artigo procura responder a seguinte questao de investigacao: Como e que uma empresa do Sector Publico de Saude beneficia do Citizen Relationship Management (CzRM). Para tanto foi realizado um estudo de caso, de natureza qualitativa e exploratoria, no Instituto Portugues de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, onde foram realizadas nove entrevistas e recolha de documentos secundarios. Com este estudo de caso percebeu-se que o CzRM traz variados beneficios as organizacoes do Sector Publico de Saude. Isto verifica-se uma vez que e uma area info-intensiva, em que a informacao e o seu tratamento sao um elemento-chave do sucesso operacional destas organizacoes.Since the early days of Software Engineering, researchers and practitioners have sought to improve the software development process. The lack of reuse or the low productivity rates are recurring concerns. The research community and industry members have been studying the Software Product Lines paradigm as a mean to industrialize the software development process. This paper takes that premise, materializing the paradigm with applicable technologies and analyses its true potential.A Regiao Demarcada do Douro (RDD) possui caracteristicas unicas a nivel mundial e requer um sistema de classificacao das parcelas com vinha que assegure os niveis de elevada qualidade dos vinhos do Douro e Porto. Com base neste pressuposto, foi desenvolvido um Sistema de Informacao Geografica para a gestao e classificacao das parcelas com vinha da RDD. O sistema foi desenhado utilizando padroes de desenho de software com o objectivo de tornar a sua evolucao sustentavel, respondendo aos novos requisitos e preservando o legado inicial. Neste artigo e apresentada uma metodologia que permite a utilizacao de Rich Internet Application (RIA) sobre as aplicacoes Web tradicionais, proporcionando interfaces graficas (GUI) mais ricas, dinâmicas e interactivas, tornando as aplicacoes mais atractivas para o utilizador. E apresentado ainda um padrao de desenho de software, derivado do Model –View- Controller (MVC) designado por Model – View – LogicGateway (MVLG). E um padrao de arquitectura de software utilizado no desenvolvimento de User Interfaces (UI), que permite a separacao logica e fisica do codigo fonte, proporcionando a sua reutilizacao e facilitando a correccao de erros, tornando o codigo mais limpo e eficiente. Dado a natureza da informacao geografica da parcela com vinha foi desenvolvido um componente modular, baseado em padroes de software, que permite a visualizacao de informacao geografica, utilizando servicos de Web mapping sem custos, provando ser uma alternativa as solucoes comerciais.Outsourcing dos sistemas de informacao, ou como e designado na literatura information systems outsourcing (ISO) e uma das praticas de negocio mais auspiciosa na area das tecnologias de informacao, com enorme potencial de crescimento e capacidade de aprimorar o desempenho das empresas na gestao dos seus processos de negocio. E a gestao das operacoes dos sistemas de informacao levada a cabo por uma empresa externa a organizacao. Contudo, e apesar dos diversos artigos na literatura acerca do tema, devido a crescente tendencia na adopcao do ISO, e de forma a compreender melhor este fenomeno, ha necessidade de ampliar o foco do estudo e incluir factores especificos e adicionais. Assim, e necessario empreender esforcos com outros modelos, para alem daqueles cuja sua aplicabilidade ja foi verificada. Baseado no modelo technology – organization – environment (TOE), oito variaveis (complexidade, vantagem relativa, disponibilidade tecnologica, dimensao da empresa, apoio da gestao de topo, beneficios percebidos, pressao competitiva, ambiente regulatorio) sao propostas para prever a adopcao do ISO, em conjunto com o modelo diffusion of innovation (DOI) com a variavel (atitude para mudar). Os dados recolhidos de 261 empresas com actividade em Portugal foram testados no quadro de investigacao proposto por meio de regressao logistica. Os resultados deste estudo contribuiram para uma melhor compreensao dos factores determinantes para a adopcao do ISO em Portugal.A pretensao de desburocratizar as formalidades administrativas e proporcionar, simultaneamente, um acesso seguro online aos servicos publicos dos Estados-Membros da Europa, atraves da identidade electronica, conduziu a concepcao do projecto STORK. As expectativas na implementacao e possivel expansao da interoperabilidade entre os Estados- Membros sao muito elevadas. A partilha de informacoes, experiencias e custos, seguranca, simplicidade, transparencia, celeridade e economicidade dos processos administrativos transfronteiricos e a mais-valia do STORK. No presente artigo faz-se uma reflexao sobre a utilidade da implementacao do projecto STORK, descrevendo-o de forma objectiva, enunciando as perspectivas e prospectivas, bem como uma analise critica ao mesmo.