Suchergebnisse

No ambiente competitivo atual, as empresas são forçadas a elevar constantemente o grau de competitividade de sua produção e, nesse sentido, a filosofia lean é de grande valia. Entretanto, é escasso na literatura o número de referências que possuam como foco a análise do nível de maturidade de células que operam de acordo com a referida filosofia. Devido à importância dessa temática, o presente artigo tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão da literatura procurando evidenciar quais são os parâmetros relevantes para avaliar a maturidade de células de manufatura que operam segundo a filosofia lean. Para isso, foram analisados diversos artigos e uma lista foi estruturada. Tais parâmetros foram divididos em grupos de acordo com suas similaridades. Entre os parâmetros levantados, destacam-se as ergonomias física e cognitiva e a sustentabilidade. Os parâmetros obtidos como resultado desta pesquisa podem ser utilizados como um ponto de partida para a avaliação de células de manufatura lean.

Purpose
This paper aims to discuss how the theory of complex thinking can be considered an interesting element in engineering education, especially in the context in which challenges toward sustainable development are multidisciplinary.


Design/methodology/approach
This viewpoint synthesizes the main reflections and discussions generated during a process of debate, research and creation of a proposal for an undergraduate engineering course at a higher education institution in Brazil. The literature on engineering education, sustainability and complexity was considered in an integrated way. Debates were conducted considering the authors' knowledge and experience as professors of engineering courses and researchers in the field of sustainability. A qualitative and reflexive approach was used to organize the main discussions.


Findings
The prevailing classical engineering paradigm trains professionals to think from a Cartesian, reductionist perspective, appropriate for solving well-structured problems with known solution paths and convergent answers. However, addressing sustainability challenges requires a different kind of thinking capable of dealing with situations characterized by uncertainty, emergence and incompleteness of knowledge. Complexity thinking can be useful for this purpose as it provides a broad system approach to deal with ill-defined, ill-structured and unpredictable problems. This study can be understood as a call to researchers and professionals to consider the value and importance of complexity thinking to advance engineering education for sustainability.


Originality/value
The need to overcome the limits of the classical engineering paradigm is emphasized in the context of sustainability. Complex thinking is considered as a path toward a paradigm shift in engineering education for sustainability. It can contribute to the training of professionals to face pressing challenges now and in the future. This viewpoint provides some insights to enhance debates on education engineering.

O Lean Manufacturing é uma estratégia de produção aplicada em empresas de diversos segmentos. Seu principal objetivo é reduzir ao máximo os desperdícios a fim de maximizar o lucro. A transição para o referido estágio, entretanto, não é simples e muitas são as barreiras enfrentadas para se alcançar os objetivos supracitados. Nesta trajetória, as empresas apresentarão diferentes estágios de maturidade e a mensuração desta maturidade torna-se importante. Tomando por base as informações mencionadas, o presente artigo tem por objetivo identificar quais são as principais métricas utilizadas por empresas brasileiras na avaliação da maturidade de sistemas lean. Métricas utilizadas em projetos lean foram listadas a partir da literatura e informações sobre a aplicação das mesmas foram levantadas junto a 43 profissionais que participaram de uma survey. Respondentes outliers foram identificados a partir do Escalonamento Multidimensional (EMD) e, na sequência, as métricas foram ordenadas via um mecanismo utilizado pelo software SPSS para combinação linear de variáveis, empregado na Análise Fatorial Exploratória. Os resultados evidenciaram que as métricas mais aplicadas estão relacionadas à produtividade dos funcionários, número de reclamações dos consumidores, tempo de setup, lead times e índice de estoques. Os resultados decorrentes deste estudo poderão ser utilizados por outros pesquisadores em suas futuras pesquisas.

Tendo em vista a competição acirrada presente na economia nos dias atuais e a necessidade crescente de conquistar clientes e mantê-los fiéis, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo aplicar a consagrada Teoria das Filas em uma agência bancária com a finalidade de apontar oportunidades de melhorias no tempo de espera dos clientes, a partir do pressuposto de que as filas analisadas seguem a distribuição de Poisson. Tal pressuposto é decorrente da comparação realizada entre a referida distribuição com os dados de chegada dos clientes em todas as filas analisadas. Constatou-se também a existência de filas com sazonalidade na demanda, enquanto outras apresentaram uma demanda regular. A partir do estudo realizado, melhorias no gerenciamento desta agência bancária poderão ser realizadas como, por exemplo, a realocação de funcionários em determinados períodos para funções com maior demanda. Concluiu-se, portanto, que a aplicação da teoria é viável e que pode auxiliar no aumento das vantagens competitivas da agência

PurposeThis research aims to analyse difficulties experienced by Brazilian managers in coordinating teams working from home during the coronavirus disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological strategy used was a survey with 39 managers who led teams working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven difficulties indicated by current literature were analysed using a fuzzy scale. First, a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) approach was used to group managers according to managers' similarities and capacity to infer the difficulties. Responses of each group identified were weighted considering the capacity to assess the theme. In the sequence, data were analysed via frequencies and the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) approach and difficulties were ordered.FindingsComparatively, the main difficulties evidenced are (1) to reconcile personal and professional life tasks in the same place; (2) to motivate collaborators in a period when social isolation affect employee's mental health and (3) to keep team members integrated and working within the activities scope in a virtual environment.Originality/valueThe findings present in this paper contribute to theory and practice. For theory, this article contributes to the knowledge on WFH and leadership, evidencing in a comparatively way the difficulties that are experienced by managers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers in future studies can better analyse these difficulties. For practice, managers who conduct managers' teams remotely can use the information to analyse teams' practices and improve performance critically. This was an atypical moment of humanity, and different aspects need to be considered by managers compared with previous periods.

Purpose
The inclusion of sustainability in higher education courses has been debated in recent decades and has gained particular emphasis throughout the COVID-19. This paper aims to show how the context of the pandemic, which demanded the transition from in-person classes to virtual classes, was used to illustrate better the concepts of life cycle assessment (LCA) for Production Engineering students in a Brazilian University.


Design/methodology/approach
The research strategy used was action research. Throughout the discipline offering, the environmental impacts resulting from in-person and remote classes were comparatively assessed through a practical activity using LCA. Students' behaviour and perception of the activities were recorded by the professor and discussed with the other researchers on the team. At the end of the course, students answered a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with different aspects of the discipline, and these data were analysed via Fuzzy Delphi.


Findings
The results focus on discussing the pedagogical aspects of this experience and not the environmental impacts resulting from each class modality. It was possible to notice a greater engagement of students when using a project that directly involved their daily activities (food, transportation, use of electronics, etc.) compared to the traditional approach of teaching LCA concepts. In this traditional approach, the examples focussed on the industrial sector, a more distant context from the reality of most students. Student feedback demonstrated great acceptance by them regarding the approach adopted.


Originality/value
This study contributes to expanding debates about sustainability insertion in higher education and the training of professionals more aligned with the sustainable development agenda.

PurposeConsidering the requirements of sustainable development regarding professionals training and the challenges evidenced during Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to contribute to the debates regarding the need to insert sustainability into engineering education in the current context.Design/methodology/approachFor this, the literature about sustainability in engineering education was considered, and the need for sustainability insertion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was debated. It is important to emphasize that this debate was based on the authors' experience regarding sustainability research and teaching.FindingsThe current moment unveiled companies' financial management problems, constantly evidenced by media. In this sense, the interest of engineering students in business management may lead them to believe that companies' survival depends only on financial aspects, neglecting environmental and social aspects. This study is characterized as a reminder to academic staff in the field of engineering to continue valuing the principles of sustainable development with their students during the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThe need to make engineering students understand the importance of social projects in the current period is emphasized. The training of professionals to consider all the sustainability aspects even during crisis moments is evidenced now and should be used as a learning lesson for the future.

Purpose
Considering the relevance of education for sustainable development (SD) to enhancing engineers' abilities to contribute towards sustainability-related issues, this study aims to help understand the global context of the insertion of SD into engineering education and to provide guidelines to further evolve research and efforts towards implementing Engineering Education for Sustainable Development (EESD).


Design/methodology/approach
This study performed a longitudinal analysis using bibliometrics and a content analysis via Conceive–Design–Implement–Operate standards. SciMAT software was used to support the bibliometric analysis.


Findings
In addition to an increase in the practical aspects presented due to a change in the approaches taken to examine key topics, evidence on important concepts such as "life cycle assessment" and "digitalisation" increased in more recent years. However, it was possible to show that, despite the evolution observed throughout the years, several important opportunities exist for engineering programmes to improve and, for researchers, to fill the related gaps in the research.


Originality/value
This study can be used as a guide for future research and as a source of insights for EESD implementation and improvement.

PurposeJunior enterprises have been gaining increasing attention in the Brazilian Higher Education Institutions. In addition, these companies are contributing to enhance the training of future professionals. Improvements in future professionals' training must consider education for sustainability. In this context, this paper aims to critically analyze the role of junior enterprises in the training of undergraduate students in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachTo discuss the ways for junior enterprises to contribute to students' training with a higher alignment with sustainable development, it is necessary to know the routine of their activities well. Therefore, the strategy used in this research was to use the Delphi process with students who participated/participate in this kind of extracurricular activity in their institutions and are familiar with the SDGs disseminated by the United Nations.FindingsFrom the rounds of Delphi method debates, eight items were listed and presented an agreement greater than 50% of the participants. Illustratively, three of them are cited here: most participants understand that some current metrics used by junior enterprises require greater alignment with the SDGs; most participants agree that junior enterprises need to better monitor the results of their postexecution projects because in general beneficial impacts on sustainability are observed in the long term; and most of the participants understand that the actions developed by junior enterprises are aligned with corporate sustainability and conscious capitalism.Originality/valueThe contribution of junior enterprises to the promotion of sustainability education is practically not addressed in the literature. The findings presented here, resulting from the Delphi process, can greatly contribute for junior enterprises to rethink their actions to better prepare future professionals to act toward sustainable development.

PurposeThis study aims to analyse how the materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes can be better aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachInitially, a content analysis was performed in 39 materials selection course descriptions from 40 engineering undergraduate programmes of Brazilian higher education institutions, and subsequently, Delphi method procedures were conducted with professors that teach or have taught the course and are knowledgeable in the subject of sustainability.FindingsConsidering the analysed course descriptions, it was shown that most of the materials selection courses do not consider or present little emphasis on sustainability aspects. Regarding the Delphi method, eight items were evidenced to consider sustainability aspects in the analysed courses.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the debates about sustainability insertion in engineering undergraduate programmes. More specifically, the findings presented consolidated information that professors and coordinators can use to align materials selection courses with the SDGs better.

Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the adoption of sustainable procurement practices adopted by Brazilian manufacturing companies in supplier selection; additionally, it is aimed to understand which of these practices enable a better differentiation of the analysed companies.


Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was performed to compose the theoretical base of this research. In addition, a detailed study of ISO 20400 standard was conducted. The guidelines of ISO 20400 were used as a base to structure a questionnaire used in a survey with professionals working in procurement sphere of manufacturing companies in Brazil. The data were analysed via frequency and CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) method.


Findings
A moderate dispersion in the adoption level of sustainable procurement practices in supplier selection process of the manufacturing companies was observed; in practices associated with social aspects, the dispersion is greater. A negative issue to be highlighted is that almost 20% of analysed companies did not even considered in their supplier selection process if their candidates accomplish philanthropic activities, generate jobs in local community and fulfill the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of United Nations (UN). Those two last practices are the ones with the best capacity to differ the companies in the sample.


Originality/value
There are few studies that focuses on understanding the adoption of sustainable procurement practices in manufacturing companies' supplier selection process. The main contribution of this study to the literature is to evidence that social requirements in supplier selection process are considered in a clear and well-structured form only by few Brazilian manufacturing companies. Despite the sample size, companies analysed in this research are prominent organisations in manufacturing sector. Thus, if this situation occurs in these companies, a more critical scenario will be evidenced in other organisations. This study has implication for practice and academy. For companies' managers, information present here can be used to debate the theme in the organisational context and the nine practices and scale can be used to perform a critical analysis of company's practices. For researchers, the information present here can be used as starting point for futures studies.

Purpose
This paper aims to understand the difficulties faced by Latin American oil and gas (O&G) companies in adopting integrated practices aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda.


Design/methodology/approach
A Delphi study was conducted with 14 experts with extensive knowledge and experience in the O&G sector to collect opinions and investigate sustainable practices in the Latin American context.


Findings
A consensus was reached after two rounds, demonstrating a unified view of sustainability experts on the difficulties faced by O&G companies to adopt practices aligned with the SDGs. The difficulties identified through the Delphi method were allocated into five clusters named: "public sector and governments," "civil society," "corporate issues," "technology and innovation" and "financial aspects." These clusters were used to discuss the main challenges associated with implementing business practices that recognize the SDGs and their achievement as a synergistic reinforcing system rather than an additive structure.


Originality/value
This study provides further insights into the underexplored subject relating to the challenges experienced by Latin American O&G companies in the implementation of the SDGs, adopting the perspective of academic and industry experts in this field. The findings can help professionals in O&G companies implement sustainable practices, policymakers in debates about futures laws and regulations and academic in future research.