Academic literature on the topic 'OHS management systems'

AbstractOccupational health and safety (OHS) management is a cycle of decision-making processes, many of which are in fact multi-criterion processes in nature. Therefore, it is important to look for and develop tools to support decision-makers in their actions aimed at improving work safety levels. The objective of this paper is to propose and verify the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method applied to compare and assess the ways OHS management systems function in different companies. The fuzzy TOPSIS method has already been used for a number of years in assessments of alternative solutions in many different areas, but the application that uses ordered fuzzy numbers is quite original in nature. It is especially beneficial to use the fuzzy approach in OHS management systems, as it makes it possible for experts to assess different criteria using most frequently used linguistic variables. The adopted approach was verified in the study of OHS management systems in four furniture manufacturing companies. Assessment criteria were requirements of the PN-N 18001: 2004 Standard. Thanks to the ordered fuzzy TOPSIS method, the analysed OHS management systems were streamlined from the point of view of 24 assessment criteria, and the best and the worst functioning system was identified. The approach presented here may constitute a significant tool for improving OHS management systems.

About 67% of workers employed in the industrial and service sectors in the European Union are currently contracted by Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which represent the economic heart of the European economy. However, this strength is counterbalanced by a considerably higher overall accident rate compared to Large Enterprises (LEs), and this trend seems to be confirmed worldwide. Moreover, most available tools for risk assessment and occupational health and safety (OHS) management are originally designed to fit the needs of LEs, resulting in a gap for SMEs. Therefore, the effective management of OHS in SMEs has become a crucial issue for researchers, practitioners and policymakers, aiming to improve the social and economic sustainability of small companies. The main purpose of this study is to provide guidelines to implement effective risk assessment processes and integrate them with OHS management systems in SMEs. A literature analysis of risk assessment and OHS management in SMEs highlights the main findings and gaps. Then, the three-phases methodology adopted is presented, outlining the main steps and outputs of the project. Finally, the web-based software tool for OHS risk analysis and management, designed to answer the specific needs of SMEs, is presented.

AbstractCurrently operating enterprises are more and more willing to adopt a process approach in their structures. The process approach means the transition from traditionally understood management towards adapting to constantly changing environmental conditions. This change is accompanied by the possibility of using a wide range of tools of ICT technology, that allow modelling of any type of process occurring in the enterprise, including processes related to OHS. Thus, the objective of the paper is to indicate the opportunity for the integration of OHS processes with other processes (primary and auxiliary) of the organization using ERP systems. In the first part of the study, there will be indicated the determinants of the development of the process approach in modern enterprises. Subsequently, there will be characterized OHS processes against the background of other processes of the organization. In the third part, there will be indicated the most significant features of ERP systems. The last part will refer to the practical implementation of the process in the area of OHS in the Macrologic Merit system.

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between individual task performance of garment workers and occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) in the garment industry of Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a quantitative research approach and using a four-stage cluster sampling technique, data collected from 610 workers of twelve garments supplier factories using a structured questionnaire. Mean, standard deviation, correlation and stepwise multiple regressions performed to understand the relationship between task performance and OHSMS.FindingsThe study results demonstrate that occupational health and safety (OHS) policy, benchmarking, worker participation, OHS training, communication, emergency response, preventive and protective action, monitoring and review are the significant predictors of individual task performance of garment workers; and OHS policy contributes most substantially to the variance of task performance in the garment industry of Bangladesh.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s findings contribute to operations management, human resources management and the health and safety management literature by demonstrating a link between operational performance, human resources management and OHSMS.Practical implicationsThis study could be beneficial for garment suppliers to understand how effective OHSMS can reduce production costs by increasing worker efficiency.Originality/valueThis is a unique research attempt as it considers the task performance dimension of an individual garment worker from the OHS management perspective.

Despite the popularity of online health services (OHSs) among patients in recent years, academic research on this phenomenon is limited. Drawing on the valence framework, the authors proposed a model to explore both the most important facilitators of OHS use intention from the perceived value perspective and inhibitors of OHS use intention from the perceived risk perspective. Data were collected from 407 OHS users through an online survey. Results showed that the inhibitors of OHS use intention include privacy risk and social risk, while facilitators include social support value, convenience value, and utilitarian value. These findings enrich the OHS literature by revealing both the inhibitors and facilitators of OHS use intention. This study also provides practical implications for platforms offering OHS in relation to effectively attracting users.

The development and enhancement of occupational health services (OHS) at the national level is central to ensuring the sustainable health, well-being and work engagement of the working population. However, due to differences in national health, social security and occupational safety and health systems, the content, capacity, coverage and provisions of OHS vary considerably across national contexts. Obtaining a better understanding in terms of such similarities and variations internationally is essential as such comparative information can help inform evidenced-based decision-making on OHS at both policy and practice levels. This paper therefore reviews and analyses the key policies, standards and approaches in OH systems and services, using both academic and grey literature, across 12 industrialised countries (Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and the United States of America). It provides a detailed overview and categorization of OHS in these selected countries in terms of the legal and policy context, organisation and financing and coverage and staffing while specifically discussing variations aimed at psychosocial risk management and the promotion of mental health and well-being at work. It draws conclusions on key development needs of OHS internationally to ensure psychosocial risk management and mental health promotion are prioritised effectively in a preventive manner.

OHS management systems and professionals have done much to ensure the health and safety of workers and societies in general. However, where these systems have become complex, overbearing and authoritarian, they have stifled workers and the community’s ability to respond to unique or unanticipated occurrences of occupational and general risk. This predicament is exacerbated when the general public lose faith in an OHS culture that has “gone mad”, or become “out of control”, and where “open season” has been declared by the media on safety regulators, their systems and regulations. This may be a perceived rather than actual truth, however, perceptions drive personal attitudes and responses, and the reputation and effectiveness of OHS is at stake. Driving some contemporary attitudes towards OHS is a barrage of lampoon, satire and angry comment pervade by mischief-makers, the press and the electronic media. The profession has also looked into the mirror and revealed areas of self-doubt. This paper looks at an unfolding and worrying scenario for occupational health.

The aim of paper is to understand the role and significance of supply chain leverage in promoting health and safety management at sea, the institutional contexts in which it occurs and under which circumstances it is effective. This is a qualitative research study that examined the views of seafarers and their managers on what drives the implementation of occupational health and safety (OHS) management arrangements in two shipping sectors, namely, the independent oil and chemical tanker trade and the container trade. It is based on interviews with seafarers working on board several of these vessels and with representatives of the companies managing and operating the ships. As might be anticipated from previous theorizing of supply chain effects on OHS, the study found there to be strong evidence of its influence on OHS management arrangements on tankers. The most significant driver of this effect for both managers and seafarers appeared to be the surveillance of their OHS arrangements instituted by the heads of the supply chain—in this case the oil majors and their inspection systems. Perhaps more surprisingly, despite the more diffuse, transactional and arms-length supply arrangements in the container trade, in the one case study from this sector examined in the paper, supply chain influences on OHS were nevertheless discernable. However, it also demonstrated the positive role played by the framework for maritime regulation in determining the significance of these influences. Essentially, the results indicate that, under certain conditions, supply chain relations are useful in helping to support implementation of arrangements for OHS management on merchant vessels. However, it also more broadly demonstrates that such leverage is most likely to be effective when it operates within a wider institutional framework in which public regulation and its surveillance by regulatory authorities remains a key element.

AbstractThe paper discusses options for assessing risks with a view to identifying the nature and scope of the impacts of non-conformities and defining improvement opportunities. Such options are described in terms of hazards and opportunities. The opportunities reflect the measures required to increase the chances of establishing more effective safety management systems. The hazards reflect the circumstances that may prevent organizations achieving the desired benefits and that must therefore be eliminated in the course of system deployment and operation. Once identified, the above will help build the capacity to improve the existing management system in any organization that seeks to systemically modify its occupational safety system. The paper invokes the requirements set forth in ISO 45001, which it cross-references with binding legislation (including Directive 89/391/EEC). The approach helps define the benefits to be derived from assessing risks with a view to identify improvement opportunities and hazards by methods best suited to an organization’s environment.

Background: Swedish law demands a systematic work environment management system (SWEM) and establishes the employer as responsible for this. In 2016, 44 % of Swedish Work Environment Authorities’ submissions regarded lack of SWEM. The law defines occupational health and safety services (OHSS) as an objective part with expert knowledge within the fields of work environment and rehabilitation. Aim of the study: The purpose of this study is to investigate how OHS engineers employed in OHSSs assist customer enterprises in the work of developing and maintaining OHS management systems. The study further aims to identify resources, factors of success, necessary skills and other factors that facilitate this work. Method: Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with OHS engineers employed in one of the top five largest OHSS companies in Sweden. Result and analyses: Respondents were found to apply similar methods in supporting clients’ OHSM although working in different regional branches and no nationwide training program exists. In working with OHSM support the OHS engineers mainly used self-produced, flexible tools along with external checklists and templates. Dialogue, an active involvement of the client in developing the OHSMS, internal motivation of the company and experience and competence of the OHS engineer was described as the most essential factors of success. Conclusions: Our study shows that the OHS engineers interviewed to a large extent work with OHSM support in a way that is consistent with what is found in other studies to be a successful way of collaborating with client companies. Areas of improvement for the OHSS company include deepening relations with clients, contracts better supporting collaboration and procedures for spotting client’s OHSM shortcomings earlier.There is a challenge to find a balance between giving OHS engineers freedom in choosing how they work, providing clients flexible solutions and assuring that certain standards of service are met.We identify the need of a mentorship program for OHS engineers within the OHSS company that would include tutoring both in OHS interventions and the consultant role.Finally, OHS engineers may need to develop their skills in OHS related business economy and how to integrate OHS interventions with the business strategies of the client companies.
Bakgrund: Svensk lagstiftning kräver att arbetsgivare arbetar med systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete (SAM). Under 2016 ledde 44 % av Arbetsmiljöverkets inspektioner till anmärkningar på grund av brister i SAM. Lagen definierar företagshälsovård (FHV) som en objektiv part med expertkunskap inom arbetsmiljö och rehabilitering. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur arbetsmiljöingenjörer inom FHV hjälper kundföretag med arbetet att utveckla och underhålla ledningssystem för arbetsmiljö. Studien syftar också till att identifiera resurser, framgångsfaktorer, nödvändig kompetens samt andra faktorer som främjar arbetet med SAM. Metod: Sex semi-strukturerade intervjuer utfördes med arbetsmiljöingenjörer anställda i ett av Sveriges fem största företag inom företagshälsovård. Resultat och analys: Respondenterna använde liknande arbetssätt i arbetet med att stötta kunders SAM. Detta trots att de arbetade i olika regioner inom företaget samt avsaknad av nationella riktlinjer. I arbetet med SAM använde arbetsmiljöingenjörerna framförallt egenproducerade, flexibla verktyg samt externa checklistor och mallar. Dialog, aktiv deltagande av kund under utveckling av SAM, intern motivation hos kundföretaget samt erfarenhet och kompetens hos arbetsmiljöingenjören beskrevs som de viktigaste framgångsfaktorerna. Slutsatser: Studien visar att de intervjuade arbetsmiljöingenjörernas arbete med SAM i stor utsträckning överensstämmer med vad andra studier funnit vara ett framgångsrikt samarbete med kundföretag. Förbättringsområden för FHV-företaget inkluderar fördjupande av kundrelationer, kontrakt som bättre stödjer sådant samarbete och rutiner för att upptäcka brister i SAM tidigare.En utmaning är att hitta en lämplig balans mellan arbetsmiljöingenjörens behov av fritt arbetssätt, erbjuda kunden flexibla lösningar och samtidigt säkerställa en likartad service inom företaget.Behov av ett mentorprogram, som inkluderar handledning inom både arbetsmiljöarbete och konsultrollen, för arbetsmiljöingenjörer inom FHV-företaget identifierades.Slutligen kan arbetsmiljöingenjörer behöva utveckla kompetens inom arbetsmiljöekonomi samt hur arbetsmiljöarbetet kan integreras med affärsstrategier inom kundföretagen.

A new model was developed to enhance the understanding of the full context of work associated hazards, to explore the connection between OHS performance and a systematic approach to safety, and to simplify approaches to OHS management. This Safe Place, Safe Person, Safe Systems model was derived from the literature and used as the basis for the development of a framework, consisting of 60 elements which was transformed into an assessment tool. This assessment tool was trialled with a pilot study on a medium sized manufacturing plant in the plastics industry, and the tool and Preliminary Report peer reviewed by an expert panel using the Nominal Group Technique. After refinements were made to the assessment tool it was applied to eight case studies that were drawn from advertisements. This qualitative study consisted of two parts: firstly the assessment using the Safe Place, Safe Person, Safe Systems framework; and secondly a controlled self assessment exercise to target improvements to three of the elements over a period of four months. The study illustrated that the Safe Place, Safe Person, Safe Systems framework could be successfully applied in a range of industries to promote OHS improvements and to provide a systematic, planned approach to fulfilling OHS responsibilities. The application of this framework highlighted that: there is a need for further education on the correct application of the risk assessment process and the responsibilities owed to contractors; techniques such as dynamic risk assessments are more suitable where the place of work is variable and hazards are unpredictable; more focus is needed on the appropriate management of hazardous substances with long term health consequences; and that the level of formality invoked for treating hazards does not necessarily equate to improved risk reduction outcomes. The Safe Place, Safe Person, Safe Systems framework was found to be applicable to small, medium and large organisations provided the assessment was scoped to a small division of relatively homogeneous activity to ensure a more representative hazard profile. This approach has provided a way forward to simplify OHS management and also offers practical direction for implementing a targeted OHS improvement program.

With the transition from closed to open innovation in recent years, the next trend for companies has been to bring in new ideas from external stakeholders using innovation tools, known as Open Innovation Software (OIS). The most common type of OIS, called idea management systems, allows participants to submit, evaluate, and engage in discussions around ideas. However, implementing software to support innovation is not a sure success and potential problems may arise. The purpose of this thesis is to research problems within features in current idea management systems, and to provide guidelines that suggest ways that may eliminate or reduce the impact of the particular problems. Interviews were conducted with representatives from five different idea management systems. The respondents demonstrated their systems, which made it possible to gather features and to learn about problems that exist in these systems. Five problems within features were found; these were related to engagement, duplicates, idea evaluation, complexity, and bias. Numerous recommendations regarding how the impact of these problems may be reduced have been identified. The findings of this thesis show that Problems with engagement is best dealt with using features that delivers better feedback in order to give more motivation to the participants. As for managing duplicates, it is recommended to implement a feature that suggests similar ideas during the idea submission phase. It was found that allowing users to have an unlimited amount of votes should be avoided. To prevent bias, managers should be careful of having features that displays idea ratings before users have casted their vote, features that allow users to edit their casted vote unless an idea has been edited,  and  for instance features that show ideas in order of popularity.

ICT development and deployment and supporting policies take place within a fiercely contested globalised political economy. For organisations there is a pervasiveness of change processes, often externally imposed, which are rising with these globalising effects. This not only implies that the context in which organisations are situated is continuously changing, but also that the nature of the organisation itself is subject to change (Van Tonder, 2004). However, the external influences imposed on an organisation are often heterogeneous and make the management of adapting to the external environment extremely complex. This thesis explores such an externally imposed change on an organisation around the implementation of a contentious national policy. This entails not only dealing with the more usual dimensions of change in an organisation, but also the implications of the national debate and contentions around the national policy playing out in the local setting of the organisation. In this thesis the change explored is within a government department from a proprietary Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system to an open source ECM system. An interpretative approach was followed, using a longitudinal case study. Two main aspects of this change process are explored. The first is the impact of the national open source policy on government departments - an externally imposed change of mission, vision and values. The second is how internally the government department changed its internal work processes and information systems to comply with that policy. These two aspects are intertwined. Alignment of the organisation mission, values and objectives, with the proposed technological innovation and change management models emerges as a necessary condition for managing change. However, what emerged as a more challenging issue was whether internal organisational changes can be aligned with contentious national policy imperatives. Three theoretical lenses are used to explore this contentious issue: the HEM model of Du Plooy’s (1998); the improvisational change management model of Orlikowski and Hofman (1997); and institutional theory as it applies to Information Systems. The improvisational change model of Orlikowski and Hofman (1997) in combination with Du Plooy’s (1998) HEM model, was used to understand the change process unfolding in the implementation of an OS ECM system in a Government department in SA. The result of this application is some practical recommendations for government officials on future OS implementations, as well as a theoretical add-on to extend the change management model applied. The researcher found that models can increase our understanding and reveal how one can ‘cultivate’ the human environment within which technology is to be implemented. However, the process of developing an understanding of how national policy was developed and the rationale for it was also found to be important, as is developing an understanding of the rationale of this particular department for choosing to implement the OS ECM system. By adding to, or expanding on Orlikowski and Hoffman’s (1997) model to include a fourth element, indicating the external forces in the environment, such as government regulations; government policy; and the debate on global and national FOSS versus PS, highlights the need for this external alignment as well as prevents the focus on internal alignment only. Institutional theory was consequently applied in an attempt to unpack the organisational and change management dimensions of the change model, aiming at understanding the institutional forces which legitimates or contradicts the technical/rational ideas and actions of the change. The findings were threefold. Firstly, the role played by IS as an institutional process in and of itself and the way in which this could have affected the implementation of the new OS ECM system was discussed, pointing to the possibility that the new system was not necessarily being implemented to streamline the work practices, but rather due to its institutional status of being a ‘rational myth’; something which had to be done as ‘it’s just the right thing to do.” Secondly, OSS and PS were argued to be different ‘types’ of institutions. Using the institutional pillars it was argued that OSS and PS were driven by different institutional forces, with PS leaning towards the regulative pillar and OSS being more in line with the normative pillar. These two institutions were found to mainly differ with regard to their basis of compliance and the logic behind them. The insights offered by this argument revealed that when changing from OSS to PS, it would be very valuable to recognise that OSS and PS are two different ‘types’ of institutions, and to not only understand that the new system could therefore change the organisational processes when it is implemented, but to also acknowledge the change which will take place within the IS/IT institution itself – moving from the regulative to the normative. The change should thus be understood both within the two different IS innovations themselves, and in how these two innovations interact. Lastly, the research in this thesis went beyond the technical/rational actions of the stakeholders, and included an in depth analysis of the institutional forces at play in the broader social context of the Government department. It explained the institutions which were at play on the international, national and organisational levels, pointing out which of these forces worked in favour of or against the technical/rational actions, and in the process contributed to the unexpected outcome of the new OS ECM implementation process.
Thesis (PhD-- University of Pretoria, 2014
Informatics
unrestricted

Nowadays preservation of safety is one of the most important conditions for consequential air traffic development. That was the reason why the Safety Management System was formed by the ICAO. Thesis´ objective was especially to scrutinize all the aspects relating to implementation of this system. In the first place every component of the system was described, eventually its function. Next point was to draft an implementation plan for small aviation operators. Besides that ways and means of evaluating effectiveness of the system and expected benefits were described. The process of implementation was consulted with several aviation operators and organizations related to civil aviation whether from the Czech Republic or abroad. Their knowledge helped in many ways to make an issue of practical implementation of the Safety Management System clear. Finally it is true to say that the Safety Management System going to be an essential part of every aviation operator in few years.

In this thesis I focus on a safety audit in a plant for the preparation of concrete carried out according to Self-Audit Handbook for SMEs. In the first part some examples of accidents in plants for the preparation of concrete in Czech Republic as well as in abroad are stated. In the second part I describe the subject of work injury in Czech Republic and the obligations of employees and employers in accordance with the labour code. The third part deals with the safety management, occupational health and safety management system and briefly covers various types of audits. The next part analyses briefly concrete composition and its production process, the function of plant for the preparation of concrete and safety requirements demanded from the plant for the preparation of concrete in accordance with an appropriate standard. The last part describes the audit itself processed according to Self-Audit Handbook for SMEs at two plants. The aim of this thesis is to process and to evaluate results of two audits that took place at plans for preparation of the concrete and to propose corrective actions and process improvements.

Die Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz – als zentrale Informations-Service-Einrichtung der TU – stellt sich der wandelnden Entwicklung in der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie durch die Möglichkeiten des Internets. Der Anteil der im Open Access veröffentlichten Artikel steigt weltweit. An der TU Chemnitz waren es 2014 bereits 10% des Gesamtartikelaufkommens. Das Open-Access-Team unterstützt die Wissenschaftler bei der Auswahl geeigneter Journale bzw. Verlage, berät bei der Klärung rechtlicher Fragen und bei der Finanzierung von Veröffentlichungen. Einfache Workflows, transparente Verfahren und standardisierte Softwareumgebungen kennzeichnen die Dienstleistung. Das Beratungs- und Marketingkonzept auf Basis der Qualitätssicherung, beinhaltet verschiedenste Kommunikationswege und vertieft damit das Verständnis und die Akzeptanz für die freie Verfügbarkeit wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse
The University Library Chemnitz, as the central provider of information services at the TU Chemnitz, embraces the possibilities of the world wide web in changing the nature of information and communication patterns. The digital transformation is accompanied by the growth of Open Access publishing in the global scientific community. At the TU Chemnitz, 10 per cent of all research papers published in 2014 were immediately made available through Open Access. The Open Access Team of the University Library supports scientists and scholars by helping with the selection of suitable Open Access journals for publication, by funding Open Access publications and by providing guidance on licensing and legal technicalities. Clear and simple workflows, transparent procedures and standardised software platforms characterise the services activities. The consulting and marketing concept, through a distinct focus on quality assurance, serves to foster the comprehension and the acceptance for the free distribution of scientific knowledge among all members of the TU Chemnitz

Há uma ligação intrínseca entre desenvolvimento sustentável e ética empresarial, quer na origem — os maiores desastres do mundo foram fruto de companhias “que não seguiam standards aceitáveis” (United Nations, 1987, p. 188) — quer na convicção de que nenhum desenvolvimento sustentável será possível sem um alinhamento nesse objetivo por parte das empresas. Alinhamento que implica por si uma postura ética de preocupação com o bem comum. Esta tese tem como objetivo contribuir, através da reflexão sobre a prática, para o desenho de um sistema corporativo de gestão do desempenho ético para empresas transnacionais, que muitas vezes têm um turnover maior do que alguns países (United Nations, 1987). A investigação tem como ponto de partida uma convicção: a forma como as empresas gerem hoje em dia a ética é reativa e exógena, parte da regulação de pressões, do medo de penalizações e de perdas de mercado. É uma ética que não está incorporada que por vezes desperta mesmo algum cinismo nos colaboradores, ou seja, que chega a ser contraproducente. A abordagem à ética das empresas de que precisamos e que nos pode verdadeiramente ajudar a atingir um desenvolvimento sustentável não é esta. É uma ética incorporada na gestão, que faça parte da reflexão sobre cada ato, como acontece com áreas como as finanças. Para isso é necessária uma abordagem sistémica, global e holística, incorporada na cultura. A nossa investigação vai então no sentido de tentar perceber quais as condições necessárias para a adoção de uma abordagem sistémica na gestão do desempenho ético das empresas (com um foco nas empresas transnacionais e multinacionais). Essa reflexão é feita a partir de dentro, da prática, da forma como a ética é vivida nas empresas, uma investigação mais centrada no porquê da situação, incluindo as emoções, as tensões, os obstáculos e as estratégias para os ultrapassar. Acreditamos que esta abordagem, de um ponto de vista da Academia, permitirá reforçar o conhecimento relativamente às práticas da ética empresarial, aos processos utilizados pelas empresas para promoverem um melhor desempenho ético, à forma como a ética é vivida. Para quem atua no terreno, nomeadamente as entidades que desenvolvem referenciais na área da ética, pode permitir conceber mecanismos operacionais que possam incentivar de modo mais adequado o desenvolvimento de uma gestão ética mais eficaz e sustentável. Para as empresas, acreditamos que, o nosso trabalho, através de uma narrativa que lhes é próxima e onde eventualmente se podem rever, fornece bases para uma reflexão e poderá ser um elemento facilitador do diagnóstico e da definição de objetivos. Para identificar as condições necessárias à adoção de uma abordagem sistémica na gestão do desempenho ético das empresas procurámos a resposta a cinco perguntas: 1. Que características deve ter um sistema para gerir o desempenho ético? 2. Quais as características de uma empresa orientada para a ética? 3. Qual a abordagem das empresas à ética? 4. Que características deve ter um código de ética para que possa ser aceite em diferentes países e culturas? 5. Será a ética completamente dependente dos líderes? Para responder a cada uma destas perguntas adotámos diferentes estratégias e abordagens metodológicas, podendo no entanto dizer-se que, de uma forma geral, a nossa abordagem nos diferentes artigos foi qualitativa, uma vez que o se pretendia era descobrir, através dos sinais e da interpretação desses sinais, a forma como a ética é vivida nas organizações e não testar variáveis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008, p. 13). As respostas às perguntas 2 e 3 (capítulo 2) deram origem ao artigo What do we Talk about when we Talk about Ethics? A Research Journey through the World Most Ethical Companies publicado no International Journal of Managerial Studies and Research (IJMSR) Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2020, PP 60-75. A resposta à pergunta 3 (capítulo 4) deu origem ao artigo Corporate Codes of Ethics — the How factor que foi submetido para publicação no International Journal of Cross Cultural Management e aguarda decisão. Finalmente a quinta pergunta (capítulo 5) corresponde ao artigo Ethics Beyond Leadership — Can ethics Survive Bad Leadership? Que foi aceite e aguarda publicação no Journal of Global Responsibility. De seguida apresentamos a abordagem para cada uma das perguntas e as conclusões a que chegámos. 1. Que características deve ter um sistema de gestão do desempenho ético das empresas? A primeira pergunta, fundamental para tentar clarificar o próprio objeto da tese, foi a única à qual não se tentou responder através da prática. Começámos por identificar o que diferencia um processo (o que a grande parte das empresas têm nomeadamente na gestão das reclamações) de um sistema, que tem por base a inter-relação, a necessidade do todo e a existência de um propósito. Foi realizada uma pesquisa em publicações académicas e empresariais que teve uma especial dívida para com o trabalho desenvolvido sobre os sistemas complexos por Edgar Morin (2008) e por Kelly-Eve Mitleton (2003, 2016). De facto, um sistema para gerir uma área tão ampla como a ética, potencialmente aplicável a qualquer operação da empresa, dependente da cultura e até das características pessoais do próprio ator na sua atuação e que diz respeito a comportamentos, não pode ser desenhado como se fosse a gestão de um produto ou de um serviço. Um sistema para gerir uma área como a ética é necessariamente um sistema complexo e isso implica a impossibilidade do controlo total, a aceitação de que sistemas complexos não se baseiam no cumprimento de ordens e planos definidos, são do âmbito do desassossego, da procura constante, da autodescoberta, da insatisfação, da satisfação incompleta. Quanto mais exigentes formos em relação à ética mais complexos terão de ser os sistemas para a gerir. 2. Quais as características de uma empresa orientada para a ética? Tomámos como referência o índice World’s Most Ethical Companies do Ethisphere Institute que, desde 2007, todos os anos distingue cerca de 100 empresas em todo o mundo pelo seu desempenho na área da ética. Escolhemos este índice no enquadramento da prática, por ser assumido como a referência pelas grandes empresas mundiais, aquilo a que procuram responder. Fizemos uma análise das perguntas do questionário de candidatura e das hipóteses de resposta que lá são apresentadas e desenhámos (concebemos) o retrato de uma empresa com orientação ética, que assumimos para este trabalho como o paradigma do que é pedido às empresas. De acordo com esse retrato, uma empresa orientada para a ética é: uma empresa que considera a ética como algo central, relativamente à qual o Conselho de Administração quer estar informado, e sobre cujo desempenho reflete para identificar novos desafios e novas formas de a fazer crescer dentro da organização; onde há uma pessoa com posicionamento de topo com a função de gerir a ética, que está exclusivamente dedicada a esta temática e que é convidada a apoiar a reflexão nas diferentes áreas da empresa, participando igualmente no desenvolvimento da estratégia geral e na análise de risco; uma empresa onde todos os colaboradores têm formação regular em ética, mas onde, para além dessa formação, a ética é um tema recorrente nas reuniões de trabalho das equipas; uma empresa onde a ética é um tema vivo, percecionado como um must have e que, como tal, faz parte das avaliações de desempenho e dos bónus dos gestores. Uma empresa onde o programa de gestão da ética é avaliado anualmente, bem como a cultura e o clima éticos sendo os resultados comunicados de forma adequada às partes interessadas. 3. Qual a abordagem das empresas à ética? O índice World’s Most Ethical Companies e as empresas distinguidas, serviram-nos também de base para a resposta à terceira pergunta. A pesquisa foi feita através da grounded theory, uma metodologia onde se parte do nada para a construção da teoria, ou seja, é uma metodologia que implica uma abertura para identificar a teoria que possa emergir nos objetos de análise, a análise começa quando se começa a recolher a informação (Corbin & Strauss, 1990, p. 6). Os objetos de análise neste caso foram os relatórios (gestão, ética, sustentabilidade) das 18 empresas europeias distinguidas no índice. A análise da informação foi feita com o apoio do software MAXQDA e mostrou inconsistências no uso da palavra ética e falta de clareza relativamente ao papel da ética nas organizações. Mostrou também que a maioria das empresas está no modo de compliance, sem uma incorporação real da ética na estratégia e nas questões core. O aspeto-chave para uma incorporação decisiva da ética parece ser a assunção de um propósito que encoraje a ação para além da existência ou não de exigências legais ou de regulação. 4. Que características deve ter um código de ética para que possa ser aceite em diferentes países e culturas? A formulação desta pergunta teve como ponto de partida o facto de o código de ética ser o instrumento fundador da generalidade dos programas de ética nas empresas. É, contudo, um instrumento com palavras que podem ter diferentes interpretações, de cultura para cultura, o que pode afetar a sua credibilidade e aceitação por parte dos colaboradores (Talaulicar, 2009). Para responder a esta pergunta foi realizado um estudo de caso em profundidade da revisão de um código de ética por uma empresa transnacional utilizando uma estratégia investigação-ação. O caso é apresentado numa abordagem de storytelling. Documenta-se o processo de elaboração do código e da avaliação do resultado obtido em dois momentos: na altura e três anos depois. O estudo de caso foi antecedido de uma pesquisa de arquivo sobre a relevância dos códigos de ética para as organizações transnacionais e sobre o impacto do método utilizado no seu desenvolvimento para a aceitação e incorporação do código na organização. Concluiu-se que uma metodologia participativa na conceção do código e uma abordagem mais axiológica do que normativa no conteúdo são aspetos críticos para a aceitação do código. O código deve ser concebido numa perspetiva de negociação e de abertura onde seja possível manter as diferenças que se justifiquem. Em termos de conteúdo é importante não colocar no código o que não pode ser conseguido e ter contenção no uso de palavras como “nunca” quando se assume que pode haver exceções. A questão da tradução e da linguagem aparece como uma questão chave que merece mais atenção do que lhe tem sido dada. Palavras como respeito tem significados diferentes de país para país (materializam-se de forma diferente) e mesmo expressões como corrupção, podem ter traduções tecnicamente corretas com significados jurídicos distintos de país para país. No desenvolvimento do código as características pessoais do líder, a energia que o move, são um aspeto fundamental para dar credibilidade ao processo e para os resultados que são conseguidos. É, naturalmente, o aspeto mais difícil de replicar e que pode fazer com que, seguindo os mesmos procedimentos, se chegue a resultados completamente diferentes. 5. Será a ética completamente dependente dos líderes? Se a cultura ética de uma organização for totalmente dependente dos líderes então qualquer sistema que se desenvolva estará sempre dependente de cada mudança de líder. Nesse sentido, o objetivo da nossa investigação, mais do que responder à questão sobre a dependência, é tentar perceber o que pode tornar a cultura ética de uma organização mais resistente às mudanças de líder. Foi realizado um estudo de caso onde se retrata o impacto em ternos de clima e cultura éticos da mudança de liderança numa empresa multinacional — trata-se de uma narrativa construída a partir da entrevista ao CEO já afastado das suas funções e à responsável pelo Compliance. O objetivo foi, a partir da análise da narrativa, a partir da revisão da literatura e da nossa experiência, tentar identificar as circunstâncias (instrumentos, processos, procedimentos) que teriam, por hipótese, dificultado a ocorrência do caso relatado ou, de forma mais abrangente, tornado esta ou outra qualquer empresa mais resiliente face a mudanças de liderança. A estratégia metodológica adotada foi a narrativa, sendo construída através da reprodução do discurso oral dos narradores (oral history), seguida depois de uma análise crítica. Escolhemos esta metodologia porque acreditamos, tal como refere Hannah Arendt, que através dos discursos, das suas exatas palavras, as pessoas mostram quem são, revelam a sua identidade pessoal e as suas singularidades (Arendt, 2001). Esta abordagem permite mostrar os sentimentos que enquadram a ação, que são, de acordo com Scharmer (2015), um dos elementos menos estudados. Concluímos que os aspetos que poderiam tornar a organização mais resiliente às mudanças de liderança seriam o tipo de formação que é dada aos colaboradores, que deve ser mais centrada nos valores, na responsabilidade individual e no desenvolvimento de soft skills. A preparação do processo de sucessão dos líderes também é um aspeto fundamental. A implementação de medidas de combate ao silêncio moral, tais como a explicitação da obrigação de falar (denunciar), criar espaços seguros para diálogo e desenvolver ferramentas que garantam que a empresa sabe o que se passa, como por exemplo entrevistas de saída, são aspetos relevantes tal como divulgar o resultado das denuncias que são feitas, para mostrar que vale a pena, que falar tem impacto. Conclusões gerais Mais do que a soma das conclusões de cada um dos artigos, apresentamos uma reflexão sobre os aspetos que encontrámos transversalmente na resposta a cada uma das nossas perguntas de investigação. Concluímos que, para a maior parte das empresas analisadas, este é ainda o momento do compliance. Não há uma identificação clara do propósito da ética e não há, sobretudo, uma assunção da ética como fazendo parte do propósito da empresa e da missão dos líderes. A questão da liderança, da falha, no ponto de vista ético da liderança, é também uma conclusão transversal. Há a perceção de que um sistema de gestão do desempenho ético dificilmente pode ter como motor, de uma forma ampla, os líderes. Os líderes empresariais, tal como são hoje na sua maioria, têm medo de gerir a complexidade, não acreditam suficientemente na ética ao ponto de a incluir na reflexão estratégica, sentem que, se forem pelo caminho da ética, não têm futuro e, enquanto líderes, têm muito a perder. Esta situação é fruto de um modelo vigente que qualquer sistema de gestão do desempenho ético seriamente assumido tem de ter como propósito mudar, empresa a empresa. Surgem como condições fundamentais para a adoção de uma abordagem sistémica à gestão do desempenho ético nas empresas, a identificação do propósito por caminhos diferentes dos que têm até agora maioritariamente sido seguidos, a aceitação da complexidade, uma abordagem mais axiológica do que normativa, a aposta nas pessoas com liderança ética, independentemente de serem líderes formais ou informais, a perceção de que serão os 10% que procuram ter de modo constante uma conduta ética que farão a diferença e que é importante desenhar um sistema a pensar nessas pessoas e a apoiá-las.
Corporate ethics, companies’ adoption of a management focused on the common good, is recognised as a necessary condition for sustainable development. Many companies, especially large companies, have ethics management programmes, but those programmes are often reactive, partial and very dependent on leadership. How do we move from this situation to an effective incorporation of ethics into the company’s culture? We believe a systemic approach is needed. With such premise, the aim of this thesis is to identify what are the necessary conditions for moving to a systemic approach to ethics in companies. We start from five research questions: what characteristics should an ethical performance management system have? What are the characteristics of an ethics-oriented company? What is companies’ approach to ethics? What are the conditions for a Code of Ethics’ adoption in different countries and cultures? And finally, is an ethical culture completely dependent on leaders? In order to answer the above-mentioned questions, in addition to the business and academic literature review, we used multiple methodological approaches and strategies: case study, action research, storytelling, oral history, and grounded theory (with support of MAXQDA software for content analysis). We started by analysing the application questionnaire to the Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies index, which distinguishes companies with excellence in management in the field of ethics. We made that to draw a portrait of what could be considered an ethicsoriented company. Based on this portrait and using grounded theory we started the content analysis of the reports of the 18 European companies distinguished in the 2019 index. We chose that methodology because we wanted to guarantee an open approach to the information provided by companies and to understand, solely through this approach, as well as the cross-checking between different indicators, how ethics was being lived in corporations. We also conducted two case studies: the process of reviewing a code of ethics in a transnational company and the narrative of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), about the impact of a leadership change in the ethical culture of a multinational company. In terms of results, we conclude from our research that a system for ethical management is necessarily a complex system; that a purpose for ethics, clearly assumed and assimilated by companies, is lacking; and that the existence of this purpose is a necessary condition for the system’s existence. We conclude that the system can hardly be based on those who are now the companies’ top managers because they hardly have an ethical leadership, they were not educated to consider ethics as a priority and the shadow of an ethical break would always be present in every change of leadership. One of promotion rather than of ethics management, the system needs, at this point, to be developed by and for the 10 % of the companies’ population that consistently have an ethical behaviour. Those will be the leaders, formal or informal, who can make ethics consistently embedded in the company’s culture.

O objetivo do projeto inventiveTr@ining é criar uma ferramenta destinada a formadores, que lhes permita conceber, planear e acompanhar o desenvolvimento de projetos tecnológicos na área de Eletrónica e Automação. Consiste este projeto no desenho e desenvolvimento de componentes para permitir que a plataforma online Inven!RA possa ser utilizada para acompanhamento de projetos curriculares no âmbito das UFCD de cursos profissionais (nível 4) e CET (nível 5), inseridas na área de formação 523-Eletrónica e Automação, de acordo com o Catálogo Nacional de Qualificações.
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AbstractAs all conceptual layers in the software stack depend on the operating system (OS) to reliably provide resource-management services and isolation, it can be considered the “reliable computing base” that must be hardened for correct operation under fault models such as transient hardware faults in the memory hierarchy. In this chapter, we approach the problem of system-software hardening in three complementary scenarios. (1) We address the following research question: Where do the general reliability limits of static system-software stacks lie, if designed from scratch with reliability as a first-class design goal? In order to reduce the proverbial “attack surface” as far as possible, we harness static application knowledge from an AUTOSAR-compliant task set, and protect the whole OS kernel with AN-encoding. This static approach yields an extremely reliable software system, but is constrained to specific application domains. (2) We investigate how reliable a dynamic COTS embedded OS can become if hardened with programming-language and compiler-based fault-tolerance techniques. We show that aspect-oriented programming is an appropriate means to encapsulate generic software-implemented hardware fault tolerance mechanisms that can be application-specifically applied to a selection of OS components. (3) We examine how system-software stacks can survive even more adverse fault models like whole-system outages, using emerging persistent memory (PM) technology as a vehicle for state conservation. Our findings include that software transactional memory facilitates maintaining consistent state within PM and allows fast recovery.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) systems are designed to identify and minimize risks at the workplace. A thriving business community should seek to create jobs, wealth, good leadership, safe, and healthy working conditions that are essential for production of goods and provisions of services. Therefore, managers have a legal and moral duty to safeguard the health and safety of those who work for them, and the exercise of these duties needs to be seen as central to the role of leadership. There is a growing interest among researchers and organizational practitioners about occupational safety in recent years. The chapter provides an exhaustive discourse on the relevance of occupational health and safety systems in modern day workplaces as well as the nexus between management leadership and occupational health and safety. It highlights the guiding principles to leadership and key issues in efficient administration of OHS. The chapter concludes by recommending the role leaders should play to improve safety and health in the workplace.