Independent Journal of Management and Production

13

Authors: Átila de Melo Lira; Irenilza de Alencar Naas

Initially focused on for-profit companies the Balance Scorecard (BSC) has been adopted by many organizations with different objectives, such as higher education institutions (HEIs). However, it is not clear if the adoption of the BSC model is appropriate, or yet is hard to perceive how HEIs have modified and implemented this tool for evaluating educational institutions, public or privates, in Brazil. This study aims to fill the gap existent in the context of using the BSC in organizations. We intend to demonstrate how these organizations use performance indicators to measure their primary activities. A quantitative and exploratory study was developed from the analysis of performance indicators found in the web sites to Brazilian universities. A total of 91 Brazilian private universities evaluation process were reviewed. Even with a considerable amount of private HEIs there are few that have performance indicators guided by numerical and statistical data covering its main activities which is a concern for their managers in terms of managerial control.

15

Authors: José Manoel Souza das Neves; Fernando Augusto Silva Marins; Getulio Kazue Akabane; Roberto Kanaane

This work investigates the contributions of the MES – Manufacturing Execution System – for improving the competitive priorities of manufacturing. We present a theoretical framework on the information technologies (IT) and its business importance, the contributions of the organizational factors for the implementation of the MES, as well as the main concepts and the possible applications of this tool. The built theoretical framework was decisive to subsidize the research performance in the studied company. It was verified that the MES significantly contributed to the manufacturing related to improvement of cost, quality, flexibility, conformity and reliability. It was concluded that the MES enriched the information quality generated from the plant floor, i.e., information that makes it fast, standardized, reliable and precise. When integrated to the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) of the company, the MES filled out a gap, offering information other to other functional areas of the organization. The interviews, conducted in businesses departments in the company, showed the importance of the products tracking, and the MES implementation was decisive to improve that issue, concluding that the dimension is considered as a competitive priority of the manufacturing.

16

Authors: Thiago Drummond Moreira; Maria Augusta Soares Machado

Traditionally, the teaching and learning process uses the problems resolving for fixing, transmitting and evaluating concepts and knowledge about a subject. Learning is the process of acquiring relative permanent changes in understanding, attitude, knowledge, information, capacity and ability through experience. A change can be decided or involuntary, to better or worsen learning. The learning process is an internal cognitive event. To help this teaching and learning process, it is important the use of a computer tool able to stimulate these changes. Also, it is important that it can function as validation and helping tool to the student. These functions are performed by computer systems called Intelligent Tutoring Systems. This paper describes the use of artificial intelligence techniques as a teaching support tool. Using Intelligent Tutoring Systems and fuzzy logic, this work shows, through electronic ways, teaching will be more efficient and more adapted to students necessities, in group or individually.

17

Authors: Minelle Enéas da Silva; Luis Felipe Nascimento

From sustainability perspective, the supply chain management strategy can use different indicators related to Triple Bottom Line to improve its practices. Some studies on the topic have focused only environmental issues; however in some cases the social issues should be considered as a core of the sustainable strategies. Considering this view, the paper aims to highlight the relevance of social issues in the Brazilian context toward sustainable supply chain. Therefore, a theoretical essay was conducted using the literature about sustainable supply chain in relation to the Brazilian perspective to understand how it is possible to use new approaches seeking an emphasis on social issues. The discussions indicate that to re-conceptualize the social relations in supply chains, it's necessary to use corporate social responsibility and social capital approaches to create a better discussion about sustainable supply chain. This study starts a discussion in the Brazilian context to stimulate new scholars to research this topic.

23

Authors: Sílvia Helena Meyer Carvalho; Annibal Scavarda

Nowadays music constitutes a phenomenon whose complexion entangles aspects simultaneously related to society, culture, art, business, and technology. Due to the combined influence of these aspects, music production-consumption acquires some unique features. Added to that, the swift evolution and growing influence of the economic-technological association have increasingly affected music as a sociocultural phenomenon, as an art form, and as a corporative business, increasing the complexity of an already convoluted context. Given the composite and dynamic constitution of the music field, the present approach departs from an interdisciplinary analysis, establishing a methodological groundwork that comprehends conceptual and qualitative research, elaborated through exploratory study. Under a standard economic perspective, music production-consumption belongs in the structure of the music supply chain, presenting a rather uncertain status between service and good. Apart from the economic understanding, however, music comprises a wide variety of manifestations, which do not suit conventional production-consumption processes. In order to cope with the inexorable duality of this paradoxical coexistence, this study proposes a model intended to contribute to the building of a comprehensive knowledge on music production and consumption. As this model departs from some specific flows of music production and consumption, it creates an array of patterns, pinpointing their situation within the service-good spectrum. In addition, it considers Digital Revolution and globalised communications as enablers that affect the foundations of traditional music, unbalance routine flows inside the supply chain of the music industry and cause music production-consumption relationships to shift their status from product-oriented to service-oriented.

26

Authors: Mohammad Ali Haghighi; Rouhollah Bagheri ; Parisa Sabbagh kalat

Any effective and sustainable changes in an organization refers to three areas related with each other and play the best way in the humans, structure and technology fields. The Knowledge management by emphasizing the three areas with the axis of man and preparing him as a knowledge worker tries to achieve organizational goals. Purpose: The current study aims to investigate the existing relationship between knowledge management infrastructures, knowledge management process capabilities, creative organizational learning, and organizational performance. Originality/value: Previous researches did not appraise the effect of knowledge management and its capabilities on organizational performance, and the specific influence of creative organizational learning was disregarded. The present study demonstrates the mechanism of knowledge management effect on organizational performance and describes the comprehensive dimensions of knowledge management performance. Methodology: Statistical population includes executives of Knowledge based companies in Science and Technology Parks of Iran. The 336 questionnaire was distributed to the census, 248questionnaireswerecompletedcorrectly. The research data were analyzed by PLS software. The unit of analysis is a company that has adopted a KMS. Target population of the research consisted of 700 Top Managers of Knowledge based companies in Science and Technology Parks of Iran (N=700). Random sampling method applied in this study and 248Top Managers were considered as the statistical sample based on "Morgan Table". One standard 5-point Likert questionnaire adopted and distributed between Top managers in the park. 252 questionnaires were returned among which 248 ones were statistically investigated. The structural relations among variables were tested using the partial least squares (PLS) method. Findings: This study shows that the KM processes can mediate between creative organizational learning and factors in the KM infrastructure. The results of the study demonstrate that a knowledge management process capability has the most crucial role in creative organizational learning. The results indicate that there is a significant influence of the infrastructure capabilities (Collaboration, Trust, Learning Culture, Decentralization, Top Management, Promotion, IT support) on the process capabilities, also the impacts of knowledge management process capabilities on creative organizational learning and the impacts of creative organizational learning on organizational performance was confirmed.

30

Authors: Diego H. Álvarez Peralta; Leandro A. Viltard

This article explores the possible applications of Strategic Analysis Tools (SAT) in SMEs located in emerging countries such as Ecuador (where there are no formal studies on the subject). It is intended to analyze if whether or not it is feasible to effectively apply a set of proposed tools to guide mental map decisions of executives when decisions on strategy have to be made. Through an in-depth review of the state of the art in regards to SAT and interviews performed to main participants such as chambers and executives of different firms, it is shown the feasibility of their application. This analysis is complemented with specialists´ interviews to deepen our insights and obtaining valid conclusions. Our conclusion is that SMEs can smoothly develop and apply an appropriate set of SAT when opting for very relevant choices. However, there are some inconveniences to be solved which are connected with resources (such as peoples’ abilities and technology) and behavioral (cultural factors and methodological processes).Once these barriers are knocked down, it would be more likely to enrich current approaches to make strategic decisions even more effective. This is a qualitative investigation and the research design is not experimental (among them it is transversal as it relates to a specific moment in time).