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Purpose: This paper intends to evaluate the impact of Toyota Way (TW) focused activities on operational performance and its connection to sustainability and longterm success. Methodology/Approach: Three theoretical-practical activities were implemented in a real pickup assembly plant. Performance was assessed through the recording of standard documentation before and after implementation, direct observation at the gemba, and anonymous qualitative surveys of those involved. Findings: Results show how TW enhances workers' skills alongside TPS through experiential learning, fostering continuous improvement with minimal or no financial investment and creating value iteratively and exponentially. However, it had a limited impact on environmental factors. TW emerges as a critical link between short-term operational performance and long-term sustainable growth. Research Limitations/Implications: The sample is restricted to a single assembly plant in Portugal. The surveys involved between 5 and 13 respondents per activity. Originality/Value of paper: In contrast to TPS and lean manufacturing, current literature on TW is limited, often outdated, and lacks clarity regarding its Japanese and American interpretations. Furthermore, few studies emphasise the human element as a driver of company growth--a factor often overlooked by companies. Category: Case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We propose an unprecedented model for incorporating agile methodology (AM) into the development of an Integrated Management System (IMS). Design/Methodology: The research design employed a literature review and content analysis approach. We identified ten distinct IMS models from academic literature and subjected them to critical cross-analysis. Additionally, we conducted an exhaustive review of seminal agile literature to pinpoint essential characteristics of both AM and IMS. Findings: The comprehensive content analysis and coding process facilitated identifying fundamental agile elements to be integrated into the proposed framework. As a result, we present an interdisciplinary Agile-based Integrated Management System (AIMS) framework. Originality: This framework draws upon insights from diverse research sources and introduces a three-level analysis perspective: strategic, tactical, and operational. Integrating IMS with AM empowers organisations to make more agile and responsive decisions concerning IMS implementation. Within this framework, the IMS backlog is defined concurrently with its development, reflecting an adaptive approach in contrast to the conventional project scope delineation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study proposes directions for developing Entrepreneurship Education (EE) based on innovation by identifying and grouping its driving elements. It intends to build entrepreneurial skills and capacities, enabling individuals to create and manage their businesses successfully. Methodology/Approach: This work used the scientific method of Content Analysis to identify and analyse the EE-boosting elements in the literature. Findings: Among this work's theoretical contributions, the theoretical articulation of EE with the Triple Helix sectors--universities, industry, and Government--stands out. These contributions support the advancement of the state of the art and the development of new research. Research Limitation/implication: Discuss deeper insights into EE elements and their applicability in various educational contexts. Originality/Value of paper: The main contribution of this work was a more efficient interaction between public and private educational institutions, Non- Governmental Organizations, public agencies, and private companies, favouring innovation in the teaching-learning process and the insertion of young people into productive activities. Category: Literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainable Human Resource Management (S-HRM), Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), and Environmental Human Resource Management (Environmental HRM) are terms that have been increasingly used in the field of human resources. This article aims to analyse how these terms are being used in the literature to identify if there are conceptual differences between them. Methodology/Approach: The study was based on analysing publications on the subject indexed in the Web of Science, covering 543 articles. Clustering techniques based on co-citation and co-occurrence of keywords were used to verify the existence or absence of distinct groupings that differentiated these terms. Findings: The results indicate the existence of well-defined Clusters concerning co-citation. The analysis of the co-occurrence networks of keywords also suggests the existence of specificities regarding the use of the terms S-HRM and GHRM. Research Limitation/implication: The research was limited to the database analysed, and it was suggested that the sample be expanded with other databases. Originality/Value of paper: this study can contribute to advancing discussions on the subject, which is relevant for standardising concepts among researchers and practitioners who work in the area. Category: Literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article shows the proposal of a useful application, which facilitates communication and interaction between two people, promoting and putting into practice the concept of Freecycle. The aim is to improve the quality of life for people. Methodology/Approach: A contextualisation of the theme is done, namely the concept of Freecycle, showing how it emerged and evolved, as well as how technology can be applied to it for its promotion. Based on this study, the information systems and technological architectures of the proposed solution are shown. Findings: Freecycle has been gaining more and more relevance, being seen as a way to reduce the waste of goods, which can lead to the reduction of raw materials spent to produce new goods. The proposed application allows this concept to be put into practice, playing an active role in improving the quality of products. Research Limitation/implication: The application is under development, and this article presents the results achieved so far. In the future, more tests will be done when the application is fully developed with a larger population. Originality/Value of paper: The currently existing applications do not contemplate all the potentialities of Freecycle, so the proposed solution intends to improve the dissemination of this concept and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, protecting the quality of life on our planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Their production processes involve several risks and repetitive tasks and adoption of penalizing postures, which can cause musculoskeletal disorders and occupational accidents. The objective of this paper is to elucidate the situation of Occupational Health and Safety in the automotive sector in the Agulhas Negras region and in Brazil. Methodology/Approach: For this bibliographic research was carried out to characterize and define the processes and concepts pertinent to the economic activities of the sector; collect and treat the most frequently registered data and elaborate a comparative study for better visualization of the scenarios. Findings: The result was the identification of different behaviours of the curves, which showed the national scenario being linear and constant, while the regional one proved to be unstable, with many variations over the years. Research Limitation/Implication: The research was developed in a region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and it is recommended to conduct a global survey. Originality/Value of paper: The analysis of the characteristics of occupational accidents, with the most frequent type of injury, the most affected body parts, the groups of causative agents, and the most notified occupations in accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand whether or not the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model and the Shingo Model promote and are embedded into the three pillars of sustainability, as well as to propose a conceptual model for excellence in business towards sustainability. Methodology/Approach: Following the PRISMA methodology, 102 articles were included in the review. A bibliometric co-citation network was created based on those publications to understand the link between the topics, using the VOSViewer software. This paper presents a literature review on the topics of the EFQM and Shingo Model, Corporate sustainability (CS), and the relationship between the excellence models and CS. Findings: Findings from the literature review indicate that effectively the new version of the EFQM Model and the Shingo Model guide organisations towards achieving sustainable economic, social, and environmental results. Research Limitation/Implication: There are still a restricted number of articles on the Shingo Model and on the relationship between the Shingo Model and CS, as well as, on the latest version of the EFQM Model and therefore on the relationship between this model version and CS, which presents a limitation to this paper. Originality/Value of paper: This paper contributes to filling the literature gap regarding the lack of studies evolving the EFQM 2020 model version and the Shingo Model, as well as its relationship with CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aimed to make a diagnosis of the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma philosophies in Portuguese laboratories and to evaluate the impact of these philosophies on organizational performance. Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research methodology was used, based on the survey research strategy, and using as data collection instrument an original online questionnaire, validated and distributed to the Portuguese laboratories via email. The sample was composed by 106 laboratories. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were applied to the data, using IBM SPSS software. Findings: It was found that most laboratories do not know the Lean Approach and/or Six Sigma philosophies, and their implementation occurred in about one tenth of the sample. The laboratories that implemented the philosophies were found to have a larger number of employees and turnover. Finally, regarding organizational performance it was found to be superior in laboratories that implemented at least one of the philosophies when compared to laboratories that did not implement any Lean and/or Six Sigma philosophy. Research Limitation/Implication: The small sample size, which corresponds to approximately 15% of the population, is the main limitation of the study. Originality/Value of paper: This study is the first diagnosis on the application of Lean and Six Sigma philosophies made in the Portuguese laboratory market, and may provide relevant inputs for decision-making in this context. Category: Research paper [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present paper addressed the application of the Six Sigma method for process management to reduce the variability and scrap of packages manufactured at a company located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Methodology/Approach: Exploratory research was conducted to understand the context, analyse, and create familiarity with the problems identified in the company, making them more explicit. Findings: Through Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) the company was able to identify the main causes of customer complaints and the factors that led to these complaints. Using management tools, it was possible to solve the problems with packaging outside the specifications, which was the reason for complaints from customers. The benefits of this research were the identification and analysis of the quality management tools. Research Limitation/Implication: The present research had as a limitation the application of the method is only one company, so it is proposed as a future study of the application in different production processes of different organizations. Originality/Value of paper: It was evidenced that there is a positive relationship between the application of Quality management methods and company billing, as there was an increase of 1.7% in company billing. In past surveys, new possibilities for improvement to be addressed emerged, making the team aware of the need to continue the process of continuous improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study identifies elements and systematises them into pillars based on relevant scientific publications on the subject, highlighting actions that contribute to the public authorities and private organisations for developing Solid Waste Management (SWM), contributing to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Methodology/Approach: This research used the content analysis method with the aim of identifying the main elements of SWM. To this end, the inductive approach was used to classify in a logical and organised manner the elements identified in the literature and then systematise them into pillars. Findings: The pillars identified in SWM were: Public Management, Public Policies, Environmental Solutions and Triple Bottom Line. Research Limitation/Implication: The main limitation of the study is the use of articles between the periods 2014 and 2018. Originality/Value of paper: The main scientific contribution was to expand and deepen the literature on the subject, articulating concepts in pillars that can be developed and improved according to the characteristics of different regions or localities, improving the use of SWM resources. As to the applied contribution, it was possible to analyse the fields of direct and indirect action of public and private sectors that can be implemented in SWM, improving the understanding of the limits that each stakeholder can contribute to the effectiveness of SWM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work was carried out in a company of the upholstery sector in northern Portugal to demonstrate that Investment in Preventive Measures, within the scope of Environmental Management and supported by a Circular Economy approach, is a significant investment decision, with transversal benefits to the entire organization. Methodology/Approach: This study focuses on an interview, a financial costbenefit analysis and a sensitivity analysis. The company is in line with concerns about the Circular Economy. Findings: The findings support that the cost-benefit analysis is a valuable tool for decision-making and for identifying the potential benefits that can arise from implementing measures from the Circular Economy perspective. An action plan was structured with several recommendations in a logic of action priorities. A case study was carried out in the company and a model was designed. Research Limitation/Implication: The studied company is still at an embryonic stage. Nevertheless, it was possible to identify all environmental aspects, namely, impacts, consumption. The study in question was carried out only in one company. It can be extended to many more companies. Originality/Value of paper: The measures to be implemented, in addition to bringing economic and financial benefits to the Company, will contribute to a better and greater environmental sustainability and a better intervention at a social level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to introduce an economic instrument called Theory of Pollution Credit Certificates in the management of municipal solid waste in Brazil, in order to create opportunities to achieve the goal established in the above mentioned policy at lowest possible social costs. Methodology/Approach: The methodology adopted has as a starting point the "constructo" of a scenario in which a city comprised of five brazilian districts produces its urban solid waste made up of 50% organic material. In the proposed scenario, similar to what happens in practice, a fee for collection and treatment of organic material would be charged for two different situations. Findings: The result showed that the use of Pollution Credit Certificates Theory has a better cost-effectiveness for solid waste management because it allows reaching the environmental goal at a lower cost to society. Research Limitation/Implication: Subjectivity of the analysis, due to the "constructo" proposition in the studies. Originality/Value of paper: From the results obtained, we inferred that the use of the Pollution Certificates Theory for the management of brazilian municipal solid waste benefits from economies of scale as it allows in the scenario determined, that districts sell their spaces at the landfill and parallel to this, to promote the practice of composting organic waste in the municipality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was carried out in a cork company. Its purpose was to observe and analyse the practices and methods used during the tools/series change moments and to propose improvements to these same procedures so that the time needed to carry out the setup is reduced by 15% in both lines. Methodology/Approach: The methodology included the following phases: 1st - historical data collection, 2nd - footage analysis and conduction of informal interviews with employees, 3rd - flow, Gantt, and spaghetti charts creation and making of an action plan based on the waste and improvement opportunities, 4th - validation with the line workers of the new operating mode created with the SMED tool, 5th - placement of plasticized cards on the cutting lines to ensure that new operating mode is followed in the action plan. Findings: Throughout this project using observations, video recording and its subsequent analysis, as well as, interviews to the workers operating in the line, it was found the existence of several actions carried out by them during the setups which did not add value to the product and lack of work tools in general. Research Limitation/Implication: The study was limited by the lines and products under study and by the duration of the curricular internship, which was about five months. Originality/Value of paper: The article demonstrates the added value in terms of product quality and production output rate that SMED methodology can bring to companies that adopt the lean philosophy and in particular this continuous improvement tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given its large number of publications, the subject "strategy" stands out as an important field of scientific literature with multidisciplinary characteristics, involving the most varied research areas. The aim of this paper is to analyse the state of the art on business strategy, which have enabled the identification of the characteristics of the most influential articles and authors. Methodology/Approach: This article is a literature review based on bibliometric parameters, which the main novelty has been the identification of specific characteristics of the main publications and researchers on business strategy during the peak production period of 1998-2017. Findings: The main contribution of this article is to guide researchers interested in developing studies related to business strategy, highlighting the subject's chronological evolution and the correlations analyses among publications. Research Limitation/Implication: The searches and selection of bibliometric parameters have been limited to two of the most relevant databases (Scopus and Web of Science). Another restriction was that only articles and reviews containing the term "business strategy" in their respective titles were considered. Originality/Value of paper: Although bibliometric studies have already been published in managerial and strategic areas and subareas, the scientific literature still lacks articles with the same level of details and analysis performed in this paper, which portrays the main novelty of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The collaborative work between universities and enterprises is increasingly important given the growing competitive environment, transformed by intense global competition, rapid technological change and shorter product life cycles. In this article several case studies are analysed, as well as relevant academic literature, to get an insight concerning the current relationship status between enterprises and universities. Methodology/Approach: The methodology is grounded on the literature review on University-Industry Partnerships, selected from indexed sources, and targeted to case-based experiences where practical feedback is given. Findings: It is shown that university-industry knowledge transfer contributes significantly to an increase of quality, productivity and economic value of businesses. It is found that the lack of controlling mechanisms and lack of efficient communication paths have a strong negative impact in collaboration. Key collaboration factors that support stronger relationships were compiled and discussed in support of better mitigation strategies. Research Limitation/implication: The limited availability of case studies reporting on operative improvements introduced by policy changes hinders the effectiveness of the findings. Originality/Value of paper: The paper analyses the collaboration of the university with industry based on case studies with a focus on value creation and how to gain a competitive advantage through collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study comprised two main goals. The first goal demonstrates how LT (Lean Tools) allows the highest impact during the implementation phase. The second goal consisted of introducing procedure changes based on the Management of Human Resources through Lean Leadership tool. The target for these two objectives is to achieve an increase of 5% in machine occupancy rate and a reduction of 10% regarding the costs of defective products per hour. Methodology/Approach: The research methodology is a Action- Research/Research-Action developed by Professor Kurt Lewin of MIT that goes through cycles of five stages: Diagnosis; Planning; Implementation; Evaluation, Conclusions. Findings: Regarding the two objectives above mentioned, it was observed an increase of 8.5% in machine occupancy rate and a reduction of 27.9% regarding the costs per hour of defective products. It was created an additional motivation in the employees and very satisfying results in every production. Research Limitation/implication: The study is limited to a Portuguese Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) in the metalworking sector. Originality/Value of paper: Lean tools can be rapidly and easily implemented and quickly understood by the workers. With that implementation, the occupation of the machines has increased and the defects and their costs have decreased, so the added value grows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to obtain a diagnosis regarding the implementation of QMS (Quality Management System) according to ISO 9001 in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of Angola. Methodology/Approach: The research was conducted through a questionnaire proposed to survey selected 55 institutions. Fifty completed questionnaires were received, representing the sample of this work. The statistical analysis SPSS version 22.0 for Windows was used for the treatment of the data. Findings: The results of the study show that of the 50 Angolan HEIs surveyed, only 20% of them have the Quality Management System implemented. As main benefits of the implementation of the QMS in HEIs of Angola, we can highlight: Improvement of the quality of teaching; Improvement of student satisfaction; Improvement of confidence of students and other stakeholders; Improvement in student assessment; Improvement of teacher competences. Research Limitation/implication: The main limitation of the study lies in the fact that of the 50 Angolan HEIs referred, only 20% of them have the Quality Management System implemented, which shows that there is still much work to be done in this area. Originality/Value of paper: Higher education in Angola has had an evolution in terms of demand and access. Due to the quantitative development of higher education in Angola, it is necessary to be accompanied by qualitative growth, which implies the reinforcement of the need for quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To clarify the different types of data likely to occur in any service or industrial process, the main applicable statistics for each type of data and the Six Sigma metrics that allow characterising and benchmarking organisational processes. Methodology/Approach: A short reference to the statistical process control is carried out, from Shewhart's works to Motorola's achievements, followed by a short discussion of the use of Six Sigma tools as a part of today's total quality approaches, and by a discussion of the continuous, attribute and counting data worlds and their main applications in process analysis. Because many quality professionals may have difficulties dealing with engineering perspectives, a review of main classic and Six Sigma process metrics is done with examples. Complementing discussions, four functions written in the R language are presented, which can deal with real organisational data, or can be used for training purposes. Findings: The functions developed provide useful graphical displays and calculate all necessary metrics, having the ability to let the user provide theoretical values for training activities. Real and simulated case studies help understanding data worlds and respective Six Sigma metrics. Research Limitation/implication: This paper reports an intentionally simple theoretical perspective of Six Sigma metrics and friendly software which is available to all interested professionals on request to the authors. Originality/Value of paper: The paper presents clear definitions of main data types and metrics and is supported by a set of four new functions that can be used by any researcher with a minimum knowledge of the R software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate companies' perception of the latest version (2015) of ISO 9001 in terms of motivations that pushed companies to the implementation of a Quality Management System. Methodology: The research was conducted through a questionnaire proposed to 3,975 ISO 9001 certified companies, making a simple random sampling among the 150,143 Italian companies certified in 2018. Among the companies contacted, 493 participated in the survey and gave shape to the reference sample. Findings: The results of the study show that the "culture of quality" is rooted in Italy and mainly in the North, which represents the most economically advanced area. With regard to the evolution of the standard from ISO 9001:2008 to 2015, companies seem to have perceived the main changes introduced with the latest revision, that helps to easily adopt its principles in companies. Research Limitation: The main limitation of the study lies in the fact that the focus of the research was based on Italian companies. It would be important for future research to consider also other European countries, and make a comparison between them, in order to consider if companies of different markets have different motivations for implementing the standard and perceive different benefits and barriers to its implementation. Value of paper: Few researches have focused on the latest version of the ISO 9001 standard; therefore this study gives a broad vision of how companies that have had to deal with the new standard consider it in relation to the previous version, highlighting the main strengths and weaknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Portuguese textile industry in which way quality culture influences the organization's performance. Thus, it was created an investigation model made up of three hypotheses. The aim was to obtain the interconnection among "error detection culture, error anticipation culture, creative culture, and continuous improvement, and finally performance". Methodology/Approach: A questionnaire tested before in similar studies (Cameron and Sine, 1999; Costa, 2008; Leal, Roldan and Acedo, 2002), was sent to 71 companies. The questionnaire was structured in three sections. The geographic area chosen for analysis was the North of Portugal. Were received 60 valid answers, which represents a sample with a percentage of 84.5% of useful answers. Findings: The results show that the existence of strong interconnections for the "error detection culture negatively influences performance" and for the "creative culture and continuous improvement" positively influences performance. Many companies of this research are managed according to reactive quality cultures. They are still oriented by values and attributes that should be improved in the paradigm of quality management. Research Limitation/implication: The study is limited to a geographic area, designated Northern Portugal. Originality/Value of paper: From the obtained results it was found the existence of a dominant quality culture (the error detection culture). This means that Portuguese textile industries, and others industries in another countries, with the "error detection culture", are oriented by quality values which must be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]