O setor industrial é responsável por uma oferta considerável de postos de trabalho que exigem a realização de movimentos repetitivos, principalmente nos membros superiores, resultando em um número cada vez maior de Lesões por Esforços Repetitivos (LER) ou Distúrbios Osteomusculares Relacionados ao Trabalho (DORT). A prevenção de LER/DORT, pode ser promovida pela aplicação de medidas de gestão e diagnóstico de situações de risco em condições reais de trabalho, com a utilização de ferramentas ergonômicas que avaliem integralmente os principais fatores de risco para a ocorrência de doenças musculoesqueléticas relacionadas ao trabalho. A presente pesquisa utilizou como ferramenta ergonômica, o Método OCRA, em uma indústria no setor metal-mecânico e teve como objetivo, o design de um posto de trabalho e dos seus respectivos procedimentos. A utilização do Check List OCRA possibilitou o mapeamento dos postos de trabalho no Setor Pintura e a caracterização do posto de trabalho com maior constrangimento musculoesquelético por movimentos repetitivos. O Índice OCRA permitiu a identificação e quantificação dos fatores de risco, a previsão de ocorrências de LER/DORT antes e após o reprojeto dos procedimentos e dos postos de trabalho Pintor I. A produtividade dos trabalhadores Pintor I foi mensurada, e observou-se que as melhorias ergonômicas proporcionadas pelo Método OCRA interferiram na produtividade dos trabalhadores. A utilização do Método OCRA e suas orientações para intervenções ergonômicas para o reprojeto de procedimentos e postos de trabalho, possibilitou uma diminuição do Índice OCRA de 15,36 para 2,03, o que correspondeu a um decréscimo de quatro vezes na probabilidade dos trabalhadores apresentarem doenças ocupacionais originadas por movimentos repetitivos. O reprojeto do posto de trabalho interferiu positivamente na produtividade dos trabalhadores, pois a diminuição das ações técnicas e as melhorias das condições posturais resultaram no decréscimo do consumo de tinta utilizado para a pintura das peças metálicas Perfil C; mensalmente, o reprojeto ergonômico, além de possibilitar melhores condições de trabalho, permitiu através dos ganhos de produtividade, economia mensal em mais de 145 kg de tinta para o posto de trabalho Pintor I, sem afetar a qualidade do procedimento. A aplicação do Método OCRA, método reconhecido e recomendado pelas normas internacionais ISO e EN, possibilitou a interface de um método ergonômico, no reprojeto de procedimentos e postos de trabalho, visando melhorias ergonômicas e ganhos de produtividade no posto de trabalho estudado. / The industrial sector is responsible for a high number of working stations which require a lot of repetitive actions, mainly of the upper limbs, resulting in an increasing number of Work Related Musculo Skeletal Disorders (WMSD). The prevention of WMSD, can be promoted by the application of management measures and diagnostic of risk situations in real working conditions, through the use of ergonomic tools to fully evaluate the main risk factors for the occurrence of WMSD. This study employed the OCRA Method as an ergonomic tool in a Metal-Mechanics sector industry and aimed to promote ergonomic improvements and verify the influence of productivity levels in a redesigned working station. The OCRA Check List enabled to map the Paint Sector Jobs and characterize the working station with the highest repetitive action musculoskeletal embarassment. The OCRA Index allowed to identify and quantify risk factors, and predict WMSD occurrences before and after the redesign of Painter I procedures and working stations. Painter I worker productivity was measured and it was observed that the ergonomic improvements provided by OCRA Method influenced the worker productivity. The use of OCRA Method and its guidelines for ergonomic interventions to the redesign of procedures and working stations, resulted in a reduction from to 15.36 to 2.03 in the OCRA Index, which corresponded to four times decrease in the probability of workers presenting occupational disease caused by repetitive actions. The working station redesign positively interfered in the work productivity since the reduction of technical actions and improvement of posture conditions resulted in decrease in consumption of paint used on the Profile C metallic parts; monthly, ergonomic redesign, besides creating better working conditions, enable through productivity gains, savings in more than 145 paint per month for the Painter I working station, without affecting the quality of the procedure. The OCRA Method application, a method recognized and recommended by the international standards ISO and EN, provided the interface of the ergonomic method to the redesign of procedures and working stations, aiming at ergonomic improvements and productivity gains in the workplace under study.

Orientador: Miguel Juan Bacic / Dissertação (mestrado profissional) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T02:12:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vannucci_JoaoCarlosPiedade_M.pdf: 266701 bytes, checksum: 10ee6b7ec000accb8cfc088a830a6efc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / Resumo: As normas ISO 9000, constituindo o guia mais adequado para estabelecer, manter e documentar um Sistema de Qualidade formalizado em empresas de países economicamente expressivos, têm sido o tema de vários estudos e artigos em revistas especializadas. Acredita-se que parte do seu sucesso se deva ao fato de o Sistema da Qualidade ser passível de certificação por um organismo independente. Tal certificação pode indicar que a firma adota um mínimo de controle em seus processos produtivos, podendo gerar bens e serviços. Porém, fica uma questão controversa: a certificação traz ganhos para as empresas certificadas? Este trabalho procura estabelecer uma ligação entre a certificação e a performance empresarial, investigando as pequenas indústrias químicas paulistas que se certificaram nas normas ISO 9000. Dados financeiros públicos de empresas certificadas e não certificadas foram usados para testar a hipótese. Os resultados aqui obtidos podem auxiliar as empresas e os estudiosos do assunto, na sua decisão sobre as vantagens ou desvantagens da certificação / Abstract: ISO 9000 procedures, the most popular indicator to establish, upkeep and document a quality system at almost any company worldwide, have been discussed in many studies and articles in related magazines. Part of its success may be due to the fact that the quality system procedure can be certified by an independent organization. ISO 9000 would show that those certified companies have a certain control over their productive process, and may offer high quality goods and services. However, there still remains a controversy: does ISO 9000 actually bring profits to those certified companies? This essay is to establish a connection between the Certificate itself and certified companies¿ results, focusing on small chemical industries in the state of São Paulo that have adopted ISO 9000 procedures. Public financial data from both certified and non-certified companies were used to verify the hypothesis. The results obtained here may help related researchers and companies, on their decision about whether or not the Certificate brings more advantages / Mestrado / Gestão da Qualidade Total / Mestre Profissional em Engenharia Mecanica

Esta tesis tiene como propósito fundamental diseñar un proceso de gestión comercial en la Cooperativa Agraria de Servicios Agro-Inka C.P.P. Ltda. A través de un sistema de gestión por procesos, el cual incluye al proceso de gestión comercial que permitirá la productividad monetaria y en rendimiento de la cooperativa. En el CAPÍTULO 1; se desarrolla la base teórica para respaldar la presente tesis a través de la revisión de la literatura, así como el marco teórico y casos de éxito que ayudan a la investigación. En el CAPÍTULO 2; se describe la situación actual del sector agrícola como de la cooperativa a través del levantamiento de la información y se analiza la metodología de la investigación, con el cual se identifica el problema y su relación con el proceso de gestión comercial. En el CAPÍTULO 3; se desarrolla la propuesta general y específica, siendo la primera el sistema básico de gestión por procesos y la propuesta del diseño del proceso de gestión comercial, el cual comprende los flujogramas, los procedimientos, la caracterización del subproceso y la ficha del indicador para medir el desempeño. En el CAPÍTULO 4; se realiza la validación del modelo de Gestión por Procesos y Gestión Comercial mediante el juicio de expertos y resultados de los agricultores. Finalmente, en el CAPÍTULO 5; se describe las conclusiones, recomendaciones y futuras líneas de investigación que permitirán la futura implementación del sistema y alcanzar el objetivo de la presente tesis. / The fundamental purpose of this thesis is to design a commercial management process in the Cooperativa Agraria de Servicios Agro-Inka C.P.P. Ltda Through a process management system, which includes the commercial management process that will allow the monetary productivity and performance of the cooperative. In CHAPTER 1; the theoretical basis is developed to support the present thesis through the review of the literature, as well as the theoretical framework and success cases that help the investigation. In CHAPTER 2; The current situation of the agricultural sector as well as that of the cooperative is described through the collection of information and the research methodology is analyzed, with which the problem is identified and its relation with the commercial management process. In CHAPTER 3; the general and specific proposal is developed, the first being the basic system of management by processes and the proposal of the design of the commercial management process, which includes the flowcharts, the procedures, the characterization of the subprocess and the tab of the indicator to measure the performance. In CHAPTER 4; Validation of the Management by Processes and Commercial Management model is carried out through expert judgment and farmers' results. Finally, in CHAPTER 5; It describes the conclusions, recommendations and future lines of research that will allow the future implementation of the system and achieve the objective of this thesis. / Tesis

The relationships between technological change and economic growth, and research and development and economic growth in the manufacturing sector of Korea were investigated. This study was based on an analysis of capital and labor input, research and development (R&D) stock, productivity, and output data for the period of 1971-1989. The effects of technological change and other factor inputs on economic growth were examined using ordinary least squares regression and generalized least squares in the Cobb-Douglas production function. As expected, the results indicated that there is a significant relationship between technological change and output growth. A strong relationship was also found between Research and Development (R&D) and output growth. And the results indicate that R&D stock accumulated domestically has a positive correlation with the stock of imported technology. The rate of return to R&D investment was estimated at 64 percent and was reduced to 20 percent with consideration of the time lag between R&D investment and the application and commercialization of the R&D innovation. The rate of return to imported technology stock was found larger than that of R&D stock accumulated domestically. A description of the theoretical framework, the methodology applied, and the detailed results are included. / Master of Arts

The South African economy desperately requires an injection from small manufacturing enterprises that are productive and highly organized - hence the need to identify suitable productivity measurement approaches for use in these enterprises. The following research question was formulated: Which productivity approach( es) is (are) generally most suitable for small manufacturing enterprises in the steel and engineering industry of South Africa? The following directions of research were identified: (1) A literature search revealed 12 productivity measurement approaches. The theory of each is discussed in detail. (2) An empirical search was performed to establish the requirements of industry. This process is fully discussed. The results of both the literature and empirical searches were used to develop a list of criteria. These criteria were compared with each of the approaches, and only three were found to conform to these requirements. The results of this comparison provided the answer to the research question. / Department of Business Management / M.Com (Business Management)

D.Phil. (Sociology) / In this thesis I am examining the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and Solidarity‘s responses to technological changes at the ArcelorMittal (formerly known as Iron and Steel Corporation of South Africa (Iscor)) Vanderbijlpark Plant in the south of the Gauteng province between 1989 and 2012. As part of the restructuring plans of the Apartheid government, Iscor South Africa was privatised in 1989. At that time the plant was also in a process of restructuring, which included technological changes and work reorganisation, the objective of which was to prepare Iscor South Africa and the plant for competing in a global steel market. Therefore the subsequent technological changes in the plant were also part of the plant‘s positioning in the global competition of the steel market. The ownership of the plant by ArcelorMittal International after 2006 meant that the plant was fully integrated into the global steel market because it became part of the other global plants of the ArcelorMittal International Group in other parts of the world. Technological changes and work reorganisation led to a massive displacement of workers at Iscor South Africa. For example, in 1988, Iscor had about 59 000 employees and this number was reduced to about 9 300 employees in 2010. The key objective of the thesis is to conduct a sociological analysis of trade union responses to the technological changes at ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Plant. One of the discoveries of this thesis is that both trade unions – Solidarity and NUMSA- were not proactive in responding to technological changes at the plant. They argued for more consultation on technological changes, training, and deployment of workers who had been displaced by machines, work reorganisation, and retrenchment packages for retrenched workers. Solidarity, a predominantly white workers‘ union, with its skilled workforce did not use its membership‘s strategic location at the point of production to help it proactively to respond to technological changes. On the other hand, NUMSA, a predominantly black union which was part of a vibrant antiapartheid movement with traditions of grooming worker intellectuals, did not respond proactively to technological changes at the plant.Even after the wave of restructuring and technological changes of the 1990s to early 2000s, both unions did not move away from a reactive approach towards a proactive approach to production technology. The two unions did not combine reproduction and production issues in their bargaining strategies. The unions were still focusing on wages or reproduction as a strategy of engaging factory owners. Production in the form of technological changes and work reorganisation was not being addressed by the union and yet changes in production processes play a major role in determining the number of workers in a plant and the profile of the workforce as shown in this thesis. The reactive responses of both trade unions and a focus on wages is theorised as reproduction reductionism. This means that unions tend to focus on wages and other spheres of income such as politics of ‗upward mobility‘ which play a central role in reproducing workers and their leaders. The focus on these issues means that the unions are prioritising reproduction over production. This then leads to management of the plant having free reign in the sphere of production and technological changes.

Professors Bela Balassa and Paul Samuelson (1964) have made a significant contribution to the theories of exchange rate by bringing a new thinking to the most popular exchange rate model, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). They have elucidated the contribution of productivity in the determination of PPP. Accordingly, the emphasis of this thesis is Balassa and Samuelson’s Productivity Bias Hypothesis (PBH) in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the application thereof to South Africa and Switzerland for the period 1994Q1 -2003Q4. The productivity bias hypothesis that explains real exchange rate movements in terms of sectoral productivities rests on two components: firstly, it implies that the relative price of non-traded goods in each country should reflect the relative productivity of labour in the traded and non-traded goods sectors. Secondly, it assumes that purchasing power parity holds for traded goods. The deviation of PPP from the equilibrium exchange rate or the real exchange rate is directly related to the ratio of productivity in a counter country over that of the base country. With inter-country productivity differences believed to be smaller in the service sector than in the sectors producing goods and with the prices of traded goods equalised through arbitrage, the relative prices of non-traded goods (services) would be directly correlated with productivity levels in individual countries. The thesis employs stationarity and cointegration tests in order to determine the presence of long-term, equilibrium, relationship between PPP and productivity variables of the above-mentioned two countries. The overall finding of this thesis is supportive of the productivity bias hypothesis in purchasing power parity concerning the two countries, South Africa and Switzerland. Accordingly, it has been found out that the deviation from equilibrium exchange rate can be explained by differences in productivity. Though currently being challenged by the service sector, South Africa’s manufacturing sector is assuming an important place in the economy. Given the need for improved competitiveness in the manufacturing sector, it is imperative that policy analysis and formulation render increased emphasis on efficiency and costeffectiveness. Such an integrated approach may aid not only in raising productivity but also in managing the intertwined socio-economic challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

The South African economy desperately requires an injection from small manufacturing enterprises that are productive and highly organized - hence the need to identify suitable productivity measurement approaches for use in these enterprises. The following research question was formulated: Which productivity approach( es) is (are) generally most suitable for small manufacturing enterprises in the steel and engineering industry of South Africa? The following directions of research were identified: (1) A literature search revealed 12 productivity measurement approaches. The theory of each is discussed in detail. (2) An empirical search was performed to establish the requirements of industry. This process is fully discussed. The results of both the literature and empirical searches were used to develop a list of criteria. These criteria were compared with each of the approaches, and only three were found to conform to these requirements. The results of this comparison provided the answer to the research question. / Department of Business Management / M.Com (Business Management)

There are different views on the nature and content of strategies that ensure positive performance in the economic crisis environment. This has created the need for studies focusing on the relationship between strategies and performance in different economic crises. Manufacturing firms in Zimbabwe have experienced declining performance since 1996. It is against this background that this study examined the dimension of strategic orientations (as measures of strategies) exercised by firms to determine their relationship with performance during the economic crisis. Data on the various dimensions of strategic orientation was collected through questionnaires, while data on performance were collected through questionnaires and financial statements. The study sample was obtained through a stratified sampling technique which falls within the sphere of probability sampling methods. The multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between the six dimensions of strategic orientation and performance. The analysis dimension of strategic orientation was dominantly exercised by many firms. The analysis dimension of strategic orientation was also the most effective because it had a positive relationship with performance (positive profitability and growth). This makes the analysis dimension of strategic orientation relevant in economic crisis. The study showed that the pro-activeness dimension of strategic orientation focused by very few firms had a positive relationship with performance (positive profitability and growth) and hence making it relevant in economic crisis. Moreover, it was established that the relationship between aggressiveness and riskiness dimensions of strategic orientation was negative and hence less relevant in economic crisis. It is therefore recommended that, for manufacturing firms in Zimbabwe to survive, improve performance and ensure sustainability in the current economic crisis environment, they need to focus dominantly on the analysis and pro-activeness dimensions of strategic orientation. This requires firms to invest more in research and development, develop strategic partnerships with other firms, strong networks, innovative and creative capabilities. In addition, firms must avoid fighting competitors and taking risky decisions. This study considered firms that are currently operational and it is recommended that future studies consider firms that closed during the economic crisis to acquire a deeper understanding of the effective strategies in economic crisis. / Business Management / D.B.L.

Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished