Claudia M. Burgos Cruz;Reyna Virginia Barragan Quintero;Angel Contreras-Cruz
{"title":"Managing Happiness in the Mexican Maquiladora Industry: A Turnover Management Challenge","authors":"Claudia M. Burgos Cruz;Reyna Virginia Barragan Quintero;Angel Contreras-Cruz","doi":"10.1109/EMR.2025.3566648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2025.3566648","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores a turnover management case by implementing exploratory human-centered design (HCD) strategies, combining a collaborative tool in a Mexican maquiladora in Tecate, Baja California. To reduce turnover, the tool was designed, prototyped, and tested to foster the emotional well-being of employees, enhance employee engagement, and promote a sense of belonging in the workplace. The company leaders and managers were trained to use the HCD prototypes, such as the happiness dashboard, a visual feedback system using emojis to collect data during regular shifts, and the Gemba Walks, a method for collecting information through observing and interacting with workers. Organizational strategies for maquiladoras were identified to reduce turnover rates and increase talent loyalty. Our findings align with emerging research that suggests the importance of combining emotional salary, work flexibility, and emotional support with economic benefits. After 13 months of gathering data, the results show decreased employee turnover from 11.8% to 5.8% and increased satisfaction and work commitment. We suggest three propositions that were formulated based on the leaders’ interest in their employees, attention to their psychosocial needs, and the positive influence of job satisfaction and staff retention. Our study provides empirical evidence that supports the three propositions, prioritizing human well-being in the workplace, its feasibility, and results in tangible benefits for the organization from a human-centered perspective. This engineering management methodology can be replicated in similar contexts, offering new perspectives for future research at the intersection between happiness management and organizational performance.","PeriodicalId":35585,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Engineering Management Review","volume":"54 3","pages":"99-114"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148559909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paul Sanmartin-Mendoza;Camilo Palacio;Brian Coronel;Luis Villegas;Eduardo Ahumada-Tello;Cesar Viloria-Nunez
{"title":"Business Performance, Social Networks, and Workforce Mental Health in Post-COVID-19 Barranquilla, Colombia","authors":"Paul Sanmartin-Mendoza;Camilo Palacio;Brian Coronel;Luis Villegas;Eduardo Ahumada-Tello;Cesar Viloria-Nunez","doi":"10.1109/EMR.2025.3575426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2025.3575426","url":null,"abstract":"In the contemporary global business environment, the interaction between business performance and various social, technological, and health factors has intensified markedly. This study explores how mental health, specifically depression and anxiety, along with the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing use of social networks, influence business performance. The research is conducted in the metropolitan area of Barranquilla, Colombia, where Twitter data from 2020 were analyzed to assess sentiment trends related to workplace well-being. The findings suggest that mental health conditions and social network usage play a crucial role in shaping organizational resilience in a postpandemic business landscape. The results highlight that while social networks can enhance communication and market reach, they also reflect significant emotional distress among the workforce. These insights contribute to a better understanding of how companies in Barranquilla adapted to pandemic-induced disruptions and emphasize the need for organizations to implement strategies that support employee mental health while leveraging digital tools for business sustainability.","PeriodicalId":35585,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Engineering Management Review","volume":"54 3","pages":"115-129"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148553526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Call for Papers TEMSCON Global Montreal 2026","authors":"","doi":"10.1109/EMR.2026.3695030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2026.3695030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35585,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Engineering Management Review","volume":"54 3","pages":"C4-C4"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11618886","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148553528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Key to Automating On-Sight Railway Operations","authors":"Steffen Schäfer;Martin G. Cichon","doi":"10.1109/EMR.2025.3625857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2025.3625857","url":null,"abstract":"The success of automation initiatives in the rail sector hinges on selecting the appropriate tools for development, testing, and authorization processes. Automated systems should be proven to be trustworthy and safe in every possible situation before they are brought to market. This article uses a railway shunting yard as an example to illustrate how digital twin techniques can overcome challenges. It demonstrates localization-data-based environment virtualization for realistic and coherent perception data emulation across navigation systems, optical cameras, laser ranging systems, and vehicle velocity. This progress reduces the reliance on real data recordings for the development of automated driving stacks. This article presents a comprehensive, domain-specific approach to developing and independently testing automated driving functions against functional requirements. Within a fully virtual, closed-loop laboratory setup, it highlights the advantages of flexible scenario design for effective and efficient development. In addition, a test run observer module is introduced, enabling successive test sequences while automatically detecting collisions and incorrect driving decisions. The study also provides an outlook on integrating AI-based algorithms and on transferring validated functions back to real-world operations.","PeriodicalId":35585,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Engineering Management Review","volume":"54 2","pages":"242-251"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148517758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Toward Sustainable Development Goals: How Does Factor Market Integration Affect Common Prosperity?","authors":"Xiang Ma;Lijun Nie;Yuehan Shi;Lingli Qing","doi":"10.1109/EMR.2025.3620530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2025.3620530","url":null,"abstract":"To achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) 10 and 17, exploring the potential linkages between factor market integration and common prosperity is necessary. However, limited research examines whether and how factor market integration affects common prosperity. This article analyzes panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2010–2020) using ordinary least squares and fixed effects’ models to empirically investigate this relationship. The results show that factor market integration significantly enhances common prosperity, a conclusion supported by robustness checks. Further analysis reveals that factor market integration promotes common prosperity through industrial upgrading and improved labor productivity. In addition, the digital economy positively moderates this relationship. Heterogeneity analysis reveals a more pronounced impact in China's eastern and western regions. We recommend advancing factor market integration, prioritizing digital economy development, promoting industrial upgrading, and enhancing labor productivity to achieve common prosperity. Our conclusions also offer theoretical guidance and practical insights for other economies striving toward SDGs and common prosperity.","PeriodicalId":35585,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Engineering Management Review","volume":"54 2","pages":"105-124"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148518580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}