Integration of the information systems in the production process: a case study

This paper evaluates the execution of an ERP – enterprise resource planning in a production process. The changes that were made to processes to make them compatible with ERP modules and adaptations that were required by the ERP implementation are presented. The presented study is different from the normal patterns of a vertical implementation, since its application is not direct. In order to use the standard modules of the ERP system, the internal processes were embellished and the data collection steps were integrated into the production process (production orders, inventory, production, daily consumption, daily output). The case study shows that the ERP implementation caused an improvement of the processes in the areas adjacent to production (purchasing, logistics, distribution, supply and sales). In conclusion, this paper presents the main advantages and disadvantages of the ERP system implementation, as well as some considerations and recommendations for the future ERP implementations.     

Die neue Rolle des Projektmanagements – mit dem richtigen Projektmanagement-Assessment zu Wettbewerbsvorteilen

Companies are facing new challenges. Project management can help to address these challenges. But this requires an extended interpretation of project management. This article presents such an extended interpretation in form of project management as a management approach. On this foundation a continuum of project management is being deducted and the new goals, tasks and methods of project management are outlined. In addition this extended interpretation of project management imposes the responsibility on management to ensure the existence of the required project management competences and the need to bring them alive in daily project business. This usually requires the establishment or further development of situational project management competences on corporate and on individual level. The execution of a project management assessment can identify which project management competences are required and to which extent they are already available in the company. But the extended interpretation of project management also imposes new requirements to the assessment model. Those requirements are being described in this article. Furthermore COACH PM, an exemplary realisation of this new type of assessment model, is being introduced to demonstrate how the application of such an assessment model can improve the company’s capability for self-reflection significantly.     

A characterization of the Nash bargaining solution

We characterize the Nash bargaining solution replacing the axiom of Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives with three independent axioms: Independence of Non-Individually Rational Alternatives, Twisting, and Disagreement Point Convexity. We give a non-cooperative bargaining interpretation to this last axiom. Received: 4 September 2000/Accepted: 6 September 2001     

Means Testing and the Heterogeneity of Housing Assets: Funding Long-Term Care in Spain

The access to publicly funded long‐term care (LTC) in Spain has been traditionally rationed through the use of means tests based on individuals’ current income and needs. However, individuals’ wealth, primarily housing assets, is progressively taken into account. Parallel to this feature, the responsibilities for the organization of LTC services have been devolved to region‐states – autonomous communities (ACs), giving rise to some regional heterogeneity, though limited evidence has been reported on the underlying determinants. This paper examines the current role of housing assets in determining public and private funding for long‐term care in Spain. Secondly, we present a qualitative and quantitative examination of the regional heterogeneity in the provision and public funding criteria determining eligibility for public support for LTC. Finally, we report survey evidence on the individual's willingness to sell (WTS) their housing assets in order to either totally or partially finance the access to LTC. Our findings suggest that housing assets are the main source of wealth accumulation at old age. Yet there is significant regional heterogeneity in the access to LTC resulting from regional differences in the means testing criteria. Progressively, all ACs are considering housing assets in their means testing criteria. Interestingly, individuals’ willingness to sell their housing assets declines with age and is more common among less skilled and widowed individuals.     

University efforts to address confidentiality issues for STI services

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed university policies for addressing confidentiality issues for students seeking STI services. Participants: Universities with sponsored health insurance plans (SHIP) and/or wellness centers were selected from a university health services survey in 2017. Methods: STI service coverage and polices for addressing confidentiality issues related to explanation of benefit (EOB) forms were stratified by institution type (4-year versus 2-year) and minority serving institution (MSI) status. Rao-Scott chi-square tests were used to assess for differences in STI service coverage and polices. Results: More non-MSIs (61.6%) had SHIPs compared to MSIs (40.0%, p?<?.001). Only 40.8% of health centers had a policy for addressing EOB-related confidently issues. Of those, the most reported policy was that students could pay out-of-pocket to avoid generating an EOB (36.2%). Conclusions: Reducing confidentiality barriers are important for STI prevention in students. Universities may consider establishing policies for addressing EOB-related confidentiality concerns.     

Are authentic leaders associated with more virtuous,committed and potent teams?

Through a team-level analysis, the study shows how authentic leadership (AL) predicts team potency both directly and through the mediating role of team virtuousness and team affective commitment. Data about AL and team virtuousness were collected two months before data collection on team affective commitment and team potency. Fifty-one teams were selected for testing the hypotheses. The main findings are the following: (a) AL predicts team affective commitment through the mediating role of team virtuousness; (b) team virtuousness predicts team potency through the mediating role of team affective commitment; (c) AL predicts team potency through the mediating role of team virtuousness and team affective commitment. By focusing on two positive constructs (AL and team virtuousness), for which interrelations have rarely been explored, the study contributes to the Positive Organizational Scholarship movement, and suggests that AL and virtuousness are good in themselves and also potential facilitators of team success.     

The effects of building size on personal crime and fear of crime

The research that formed the basis of Newman's bookDefensible Space demonstrated that building height is one of the leading predictors of robbery rate in low-income public housing projects. Research reported in this article was undertaken to extend the scope and detail of the earlier work and, most importantly, to examine the causal mechanisms underlying the relationship of physical design to crime and fear of crime. The study sites in this new research are moderate-income, federallyassisted housing developments and low-income public housing projects. The major source of data is a household survey of residents. The findings provide important empirical support for the postulates of defensible space theory by showing that building size affects personal crime and fear of crime through residents' control and use of the space outside their apartments. Building size has a large total effect on residents' fear of crime, but despite its important indirect effects on personal crime, the total effect of building size on personal crime is not as strong as expected. Possible reasons for this unexpected finding are used to suggest refinements to defensible space theory.This paper is based on the final report of a study of crime and instability supported by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, U.S. Department of Justice, Grant 76-NI-99-0036-S-2. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Sociological Association in Toronto, August, 1981. The authors are grateful to Ralph Taylor and anonymous reviewers for their suggestions.     

Even Cycles and Perfect Matching Problems with Side Constraints

We study two different types of graphs that contain even cycles and, possibly, some chords. The objective is to analyze some properties of these types of graphs that can be used to solve perfect matching optimization problems with side constraints. In particular, we obtain the maximum number of edges of certain classes that can occur in the solutions to the considered problems. Finally, we apply the obtained results to derive a class of valid inequalities and a possible enumerative scheme.