Celeste Amorim Varum, Carla Melo, António Alvarenga and Paulo Soeiro de Carvalho
This paper seeks to discuss the process and results of a scenario exercise applied to the Portuguese tourism and hospitality industries with a 2020 horizon.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to discuss the process and results of a scenario exercise applied to the Portuguese tourism and hospitality industries with a 2020 horizon.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an intuitive‐logical process adapted to the specific purposes of the research, four alternative scenarios of the evolution of the industry were developed. The exercise involved three workshops, with the participation of a group of experts, academics, representatives from industry and local government.
Findings
Based on the nature and dynamics of the key forces and trends, the four scenarios identified are: southern experience; global emotions; “sin surprise”; and non‐charming Portugal. In all scenarios there is increased global competition amongst tourist destinations. A desire for authenticity opens the opportunity for Portugal as a tourist destination but it also poses challenges for managers and policy makers. These scenarios are of practical use for managers, policy makers and other practitioners as they provide a framework for the development and assessment of robust strategies and policies, i.e. strategies that will survive several kinds of external development.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the knowledge of scenario methods in practice and to help policy planners and managers recognize, consider and reflect on uncertainties they are likely to face. The work is also valuable for the international foresight community by discussing the method and addressing some drawbacks of the scenario exercise and recommendations for practice.
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Carlos Willie Alvarenga, Luiz Henrique Fernandes, Antonio Pazin-Filho and Luciane Loures dos Santos
The purpose of this paper is to test whether training correctional facility (CF) officers in the admission process would identify risk factors for inmates’ unscheduled transfers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test whether training correctional facility (CF) officers in the admission process would identify risk factors for inmates’ unscheduled transfers to healthcare units in the first 24 hours.
Design/methodology/approach
Correctional officers (COs) were trained to use a questionnaire with ten closed questions, which seeks to identify occupational or nosocomial risk, applied upon the admission of inmates to a CF.
Findings
There were 1,288 admissions in six CFs in Ribeirão Preto and Serra Azul/Brazil from March 2010 to May 2011. Of those admissions, 21.2 percent were in penitentiaries and 78.9 percent in provisional detention centers. Of the questionnaires applied, 580 answered affirmatively (45 percent) for one or more of the questions, with nearly 60 percent related to drug use in the last 12 hours, 37.7 percent use of medications while the most frequently mentioned diseases were respiratory diseases (37 percent) and mental disorders (19 percent).The number of positive responses per evaluation presented an odds ratio of 3.6 (CI 95% – 1.6, 10.5) for unscheduled transfers for external clinical evaluation.
Research limitations/implications
The lack of a control group and the fact that morbidities described by prisoners could not be confirmed are study limitations. The research does, however, still contribute to the goal of achieving appropriate medical care within CFs.
Originality/value
The training of COs to identify risk factors that predict the need for unplanned transfers to healthcare units was feasible. These findings have important implications for CFs that do not provide ongoing medical service, a universal reality in Brazil.
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Stael de Alvarenga Pereira Costa, Leonardo Barci Castriota and Marina Salgado
This article presents the current situation of Ouro Preto, the first Brazilian city to be inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific…
Abstract
Purpose
This article presents the current situation of Ouro Preto, the first Brazilian city to be inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1980. It explores the evolution of the urban form, especially concerning public policies and development strategies as the motors to prompt the city's expansion.
Design/methodology/approach
Landscape architecture concepts were employed to understand impacts caused by the settlement within its urban landscape. In addition, urban morphology methods were used to research the urban form considered as a product of public policies, shaped by political, social and economic forces. In this manner, building typologies and new urban forms occupying the surrounding hills of the historical city's core were viewed as urban morphology issues, whereas the impact of the new housing scheme on the land and on the city skyline was a subject related to landscape architecture.
Findings
In general, it was observed that the public policies that have been implemented mainly control individual buildings, rather than whole homogeneous areas. Consequently, this has been contributing to environmental damage and the loss of the city's character.
Originality/value
The added value of the article is its contribution to studies focusing on uncontrolled expansions, as well as the occupation of the city's surrounding hills, as it explores the evolution of the city by considering it a product of society's actions that materialise through public policies.
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Bruno Ocelli Ungheri, Carla Augusta Nogueira Lima e Santos, Maria Aparecida Dias Venâncio, Edmur Antônio Stoppa and Hélder Ferreira Isayama
This paper is an excerpt from a countrywide study entitled “Leisure in Brazil: representations and realizations of daily experiences”, which aims to investigate what Brazilians do…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is an excerpt from a countrywide study entitled “Leisure in Brazil: representations and realizations of daily experiences”, which aims to investigate what Brazilians do in their leisure time, what they would like to do and why they do not do it.
Design/methodology/approach
Specifically, in this paper, the authors analyze data referring to the elderly population from southeastern Brazil. Sampling of the national survey comprised representative quotas of the population, considering region and state, and, in each state, quotas of sex, age, education level and family income, according to data obtained by IBGE in 2010. A total of 2,400 interviews were conducted in total. For the present study, the 91 interviews conducted with elderly subjects from the Southeast region of Brazil were considered.
Findings
The majority of participants understand leisure as a time for resting and fun and have physical/sports interests as their favorite leisure activity during the week. On weekends, social and tourism interests stand out, and idleness stands out in the preference of this public during the holiday period. Lack of time and financial resources are the main barriers to the access to and permanence in the desired leisure practices.
Originality/value
Having knowledge of the relationship between leisure and aging in Brazil is a way to contribute to the potential of this stage of life, based on the quality of life and continued learning provided by the content they enjoy.
Renata V. Klafke, Caroline Lievore, Claudia Tania Picinin, Antonio Carlos de Francisco and Luiz Alberto Pilatti
This study aims to expose the main knowledge management (KM) practices applied in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) industries using scientific literature published in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to expose the main knowledge management (KM) practices applied in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) industries using scientific literature published in the Scopus database from 2001 to 2010.
Design/methodology/approach
A search was performed in papers selected from the Scopus database, which houses the KM practices of industries in BRIC countries.
Findings
The results show that Brazil, Russia and India have an easier way of converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge compared to China, where informal relationships of trust and friendship play a special role within organizations, as well as where the political structure (communism) is an intervening factor. Brazil, Russia and India practice similar KM mechanisms such as the use of technology, process standardization and electronic data management. They also model the positive experiences of western companies. In China, interpersonal relationships shape the tacit and explicit features of organizations.
Research limitations/implications
The methodological filter could potentially limit the volume of responses, as not every case study can demonstrate the usual practices of KM. Empirical studies are able to capture the nuances and even provide a holistic picture of these practices.
Practical Implications
The results have practical implication, in particular. They are expected to help managers and workers to better comprehend KM practices in BRIC countries or even suggest new KM practices in the business.
Originality/value
The main discussion of this paper brings together a large range of KM practices applied in BRIC, addressing similarities and differences between KM deployments.
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António Ferreira and Mário Franco
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of strategic alliances (knowledge/learning, efficiency and market motives) on the development of human capital.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of strategic alliances (knowledge/learning, efficiency and market motives) on the development of human capital.
Design/methodology/approach
To do so, a quantitative study was chosen, with data on technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal, leading to 257 valid answers.
Findings
The results obtained from a structural equation model show that motives for strategic alliances (knowledge/learning, efficiency and market) have a strong influence on the human capital of the SMEs analysed.
Practical implications
These outcomes reveal that strategic alliances are a way for SMEs to overcome resource constraints in terms of human capital, representing an important implication for business practice. As strategic alliances influence human capital, the relations SMEs establish with other firms are increasingly important for their sustainability and development. Acting in isolation in the market can reduce this type of firm’s chances of survival.
Originality/value
Despite some studies relating the formation of strategic alliances and human capital, there is a gap regarding the relationship between the role of strategic alliances and human capital in the technology-based sector. Therefore, this research represents a contribution and innovation in academic terms in this area.
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Beatriz Picazo Rodríguez, Antonio Jose Verdú-Jover, Marina Estrada-Cruz and Jose Maria Gomez-Gras
To understand how organizations, public or private, must increase their productivity perception (PP), independently of the sector. This article aims to analyze PP in the digital…
Abstract
Purpose
To understand how organizations, public or private, must increase their productivity perception (PP), independently of the sector. This article aims to analyze PP in the digital transformation (DT) process to determine how it is affected by technostress (TS) and work engagement (WE), two concepts that seem to be forces opposing PP.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data from a questionnaire addressed to personnel in two organizations (public and private). The analysis applies partial least squares technique to the 505 valid responses obtained from these organizations. This analysis is based not on representativeness but on uniqueness.
Findings
The results suggest a positive, significant relationship between DT and PP. This article integrates DT and its effects on aspects of people's health, PP and WE. The model thus includes interactions of technology with human elements. In both business and administrative environments, PP is key to optimizing resources and survival of organizations.
Research limitations/implications
DT processes are different and complex because every organization is different. The authors recommend expanding this study to other sectors in both spheres, public and private. Aligning the objectives of the institutions for aid with DT is also quite complicated.
Practical implications
This study contributes to improving participating organizations. It also provides government institutions with a clear foundation from which to encourage actions that promote the health and WE of their workforce without reducing productivity. In addition, this study adds novelty to the research line.
Originality/value
The authors have deepened this line of research by developing fuller knowledge of the relationships among novel and necessary variables in organizations. The authors provide complementary, different and inspiring value in addressing this line of research.
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Leandro Feitosa Jorge, Elaine Mosconi and Luis Antonio Santa-Eulalia
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to support small organizations to navigate the context of an accelerated Digital Transformation using Enterprise Social Media…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to support small organizations to navigate the context of an accelerated Digital Transformation using Enterprise Social Media platforms, in response to external contingencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal action research study, supported by an exploratory analysis that follows a hybrid approach of deductive and inductive reasoning, has been conducted in the context of a small organization. Several data collection techniques were used for context understanding and problem-solving.
Findings
Findings suggest that value creation related to the use of Enterprise Social Media platforms supports small organizations in this accelerated context of Digital Transformation. Value perception is central in overcoming adoption barriers and achieving sustainable use of these platforms in daily basis activities, especially in remote working. External pressures, like those imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, play an important role in catalyzing digital initiatives.
Research limitations/implications
As the main limitations to this paper, we highlight the study of a single organization in a specific context and the number of actors involved; hence, there is room to extend the study to other industries, organization sizes and contexts.
Practical implications
This paper provides managers with insights into how to conduct their Enterprise Social Media initiatives in a turbulent environment, highlighting their key success elements, and their potential to create value for their organizations and stakeholders. Furthermore, managers could explore the potential of Enterprise Social Media platforms to support organizations in the Digital Transformation journey.
Social implications
Small organizations play an important role in generating wealth for nations around the world. However, governments encounter difficulties in supporting the Digital Transformation of this type of organization. This paper provides insights into how to use an affordable and intuitive technology to include this type of organization in the Digital Transformation journey.
Originality/value
A long-term study of Enterprise Social Media is recommended, but quite rare in the Information Systems literature. This study adopts a longitudinal investigation to analyze the use of Enterprise Social Media to support a small organization to adapt, in balance with their internal and external contingencies, providing a further contribution to the contingency theory. This research also adds contributions to the sociotechnical system perspective, analyzing the deep imbrication between social and technical subsystems in the required organizational change, supporting a small organization for coping with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Elyn Lizeth Solano Charris, Jairo Rafael Montoya-Torres and William Guerrero-Rueda
The purpose of this paper is to present a decision support system (DSS) for a Colombian public utility company in order to aid decision-making at the operational level regarding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a decision support system (DSS) for a Colombian public utility company in order to aid decision-making at the operational level regarding route planning and travel time. The aim is to provide a tool to assist technicians that perform interruption and reconnection of domiciliary services for about 2,000 customers a day.
Design/methodology/approach
The real-life problem is modeled as a Single Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (SDVRP-TW), which is a well-known optimization problem in Operations Research/Management Science. A two-stage approach integrated into decision-making software is provided. The first stage considers the clustering of customers generated by a combination of the sweep and the k-means algorithms, while the second phase plans the routing of technicians using the nearest-neighbor and the Or-opt heuristics. The proposed approach is tested using real data sets.
Findings
In comparison with the current route planning approach, the proposed method is able to obtain savings in total travel times, improving operational productivity by 22.2 percent.
Research limitations/implications
Since the analysis is carried out based on mathematical modeling, assumptions about the relationships between variables and elements of the actual complex problem might be simplified. Although the proposed approach aids the route planning, decision makers make the final decisions.
Practical implications
The proposed DSS has a critical impact on actual operational practices at the company. Productivity and service level are improved, while reducing operational costs. The decision-making process itself will be improved so technicians and higher decision makers can focus on performing other tasks.
Originality/value
The real-life problem is modeled using mathematical programming and efficiently solved through a two-stage approach based on simple, quite intuitive, solution procedures that have not been implemented for such services. In addition, as actual data from the company is employed for experimental purposes, the solution approach is tested and its efficiency and efficacy are both validated in a realistic setting, hence providing realistic behavior for decision makers at the company.
Propósito
presentar un sistema de soporte a las decisiones (Decision Support System, DSS) para una empresa colombiana de servicios públicos con el fin de apoyar el proceso de toma de decisiones a nivel operativo en lo relacionado con la planeación de rutas y el tiempo de servicio. El objetivo es suministrar una herramienta que ayude a los técnicos a desempeñar el servicio de corte y reconección de servicios domiciliarios para aproximadamente 2000 clientes por día.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
el problema de una empresa real es modelado como un problema de enrutamiento de vehículos un único depósito y ventanas de tiempo (Single Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows, SDVRP-TW). Éste es un problema de optimización muy conocido en Investigación de Operaciones / Ciencias de la Administración. Se presenta un enfoque de dos etapas integrado en un software de ayuda a la toma de decisiones. La primera etapa considera el agrupamiento de los clientes generado por una combinación de los algoritmos del barrido y el k-media, mientras que la segunda fase define el plan de rutas para los técnicos utilizando las heurísticas de vecino más cercano y Or-opt. El enfoque propuesto es validado empleando datos reales.
Hallazgos
en comparación con el plan de rutas actualmente utilizado por la empresa, el método propuesto es capaz de obtener ahorros en el tiempo total de viaje incrementando la eficiencia operativa en un 22.2%.
Limitaciones de la invstigación/implicaciones
puesto que el análisis se lleva a cabo a partir de un modelo matemático, los supuestos sobre las relaciones entre las variables y los elementos del sistema real complejo podrían simplificarse. Además, aunque el sistema propuesto realiza la planeación de rutas, la decisión final es tomada finalmente por las personas.
Implicaciones prácticas
el DSS propuesto tiene un impacto crítico en la práctica operativa real de la empresa. La productividad y el nivel de servicio se mejoran, mientras se reducen los costos operativos. El proceso de toma de decisiones en sí mismo se verá mejorado pues los técnicos y los tomadores de decisiones pueden enfocarse en realizar otras tareas.
Originalidad/valor
el problema real es modelado utilizando programación matemática y se resuelve de forma efectiva con un procedimiento de dos etapas sencillo y básicamente intuitivo que no ha sido puesto en marcha antes para tales empresas de servicios. Además, puesto que datos reales de la empresa son utilizados en la experimentación, el enfoque de solución es validado y su eficiencia y eficacia son comprobadas en un ambiente real, suministrando así un comportamiento real para los tomadores de decisiones en la empresa.
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Khairy A.H. Kobbacy and Sunil Vadera
The use of AI for operations management, with its ability to evolve solutions, handle uncertainty and perform optimisation continues to be a major field of research. The growing…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of AI for operations management, with its ability to evolve solutions, handle uncertainty and perform optimisation continues to be a major field of research. The growing body of publications over the last two decades means that it can be difficult to keep track of what has been done previously, what has worked, and what really needs to be addressed. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present a survey of the use of AI in operations management aimed at presenting the key research themes, trends and directions of research.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper builds upon our previous survey of this field which was carried out for the ten‐year period 1995‐2004. Like the previous survey, it uses Elsevier's Science Direct database as a source. The framework and methodology adopted for the survey is kept as similar as possible to enable continuity and comparison of trends. Thus, the application categories adopted are: design; scheduling; process planning and control; and quality, maintenance and fault diagnosis. Research on utilising neural networks, case‐based reasoning (CBR), fuzzy logic (FL), knowledge‐Based systems (KBS), data mining, and hybrid AI in the four application areas are identified.
Findings
The survey categorises over 1,400 papers, identifying the uses of AI in the four categories of operations management and concludes with an analysis of the trends, gaps and directions for future research. The findings include: the trends for design and scheduling show a dramatic increase in the use of genetic algorithms since 2003 that reflect recognition of their success in these areas; there is a significant decline in research on use of KBS, reflecting their transition into practice; there is an increasing trend in the use of FL in quality, maintenance and fault diagnosis; and there are surprising gaps in the use of CBR and hybrid methods in operations management that offer opportunities for future research.
Originality/value
This is the largest and most comprehensive study to classify research on the use of AI in operations management to date. The survey and trends identified provide a useful reference point and directions for future research.