Adaptação sociocultural de gestores espanhóis expatriados no Brasil

This study aims at understanding how sociocultural adjustment occurs in the case of managers, and their spouses, expatriated to Brazil by private and public Spanish organizations. To do so, it adopts as main theoretical frame the expatriate adaptation model proponed by Parker & McEvoy (1993), based on Black, Mendenhall & Oddou s model (1991), which establishes three dimensions of adaptation: adjustment to work; adjustment to general environment and adjustment to interaction with host country nationals. This work, of exploratory and descriptive nature, used field research to gather primary data subsequently analyzed with a qualitative approach. Data collection came from individual in-depth interviews with three Spanish managers expatriated in Brazil and two of their spouses. Resulting data were analyzed through one of content analysis procedures, thematic analysis. This research shows that adjustment is obstructed by cultural distance or cultural novelty rather than by work role characteristics, being more successful in expatriates that carry previous solid sociocultural knowledge about host country. It also verifies that the degree of expatriate adjustment is enhanced by the comprehension of cultural differences that originate values and behaviors different from those of the expatriate. It points out that individual factors such as perception and relation skills, flexibility, empathy and self-efficacy are positively linked to the three dimensions of adjustment: work, general adjustment and interaction adjustment. It finds expatriate adjustment to be lowered by spouse unsuccessful adjustment and shows that location in an environment perceived as short in key infrastructures is negatively linked to adjustment in expatriates coming from strongly urban environments. It concludes that expatriate adjustment occurs through progressive understanding of host country environment and through comprehension of the sociocultural context that explains differences between host country behaviors and values and those from the country of origin, a process which is favored by expatriate individual characteristics not directly linked to his/her technical qualification, such as perception and relation skills, flexibility and empathy, together with solid sociocultural knowledge about the host country. This research propones, therefore, that organizations involved in expatriation processes should include in their selection criteria the degree to which candidates possess personal characteristics and sociocultural knowledge that may facilitate adaptation

Fatores de sucesso ou insucesso do turismo ambientalmente sustentável : percepção das autoridades públicas no pólo costa das dunas do Rio Grande do Norte

This study aims to compare the thermal performance of tiles made from recycled material (waste packaging cardboard with aluminized film) with the tiles of fiber and bitumen, fiber cement and red ceramic with the aim of verifying the suitability of tile to be used in hot and humid climate of low latitude. The samples were selected according to the availability from Natal RN market, as they are sold to the consumers. The methodology was based on studies that used experimental apparatus composed of thermal chambers heated by banks of incandescent bulbs, to analyze the thermal performance of materials. The tiles in the study were submitted to analysis of thermal performance, thermophysical properties and absorptance, using chambers of thermal performance, measuring the thermophysical properties and portable spectrometer, respectively. Comparative analysis of thermal performance between two samples of the recycled material with dimple sizes and different amounts of aluminum were made, in order to verify, if these characteristics had some interference on the thermal performance of them; the results showed no significant performance differences between the samples. The data obtained in chambers of thermal performance and confirmed by statistical analysis, showed, that the tile of recycled material have similar thermal performance to the tile of fiber cement. In addition to these tests was carried out the automatic monitoring of a building covered with tiles of recycled material, to verify its thermal performance in a real situation. The results showed that recycled shingles must be used with technical criteria similar to those used for fiber cement tiles, with regard to the heat gain into the building. Within these criteria should be taken into account local characteristics, especially in regions with hot and humid climate, and its use must be associated, according to the literature, to elements of thermal insulation and use of passive techniques such as vented attics, ceilings and right foot higher

Fatores de riscos cardiovasculares em adolescentes da cidade do Natal-RN

Estudos têm demonstrado elevada prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular em adolescentes a redor do mundo, entretanto, é possível que esses fatores de risco se comportem de modo diferente em diferentes localidades. Objetivos: Examinar a prevalência do sobrepeso/obesidade e sua associação com outros fatores de risco cardiovasculares, em adolescentes, da cidade do Natal-Brasil. Métodos: Estudo observacional de delineamento transversal, realizado em 626 adolescentes (10 a 19 anos) de ambos os sexos. Foram estudadas as variáveis: peso, idade, gênero, cor, escolaridade, renda familiar, hábitos de vida, história familiar, peso, estatura, índice de massa corporal, relação cintura/quadril, pressão arterial, perfil lipídico, Glicose e Insulina de jejum e pós Dextrosol. Resultados: Foram avaliados 273 (43,6%) adolescentes do sexo masculino e 353 (56,4%) feminino. 26,4% dos adolescentes apresentaram sobrepeso/obesidade. A presença de obesidade familiar foi relatada por mais de 30 % da nossa amostra. Na análise de regressão logística múltipla; Idade, renda familiar, percentil de pressão sistólica, história familiar de hipertensão e obesidade, triglicerídeos, HDL colesterol, e HOMA RI mostraram-se associados com sobrepeso/obesidade. A relação cintura quadril apresentou-se mais elevada nas mulheres, e encontramos 10,9 % dos adolescentes com percentil de pressão sistólica (PAS) 95, e 7,4 % com percentil de pressão diastólica (PAD) 95. As dosagens de triglicerídeos, colesterol HDL e HOMA-RI alterados foram mais prevalentes nos que apresentavam IMC aumentado. As alterações do xi colesterol total, triglicerídios, glicemia pós dextrosol e HOMA teste, tiveram maior prevalência no gênero feminino. Na regressão logística binária, foram observadas associações do sobrepeso / obesidade com idade; OR 0,85, IC de 95% (0,78-0,92); p<0,001, pressão arterial sistólica; OR 2,65, IC de 95% (1,18- 5,94); p< 0,020, renda familiar; OR 2,34, IC de 95% (1,53-3,58); p< 0,001, história familiar de hipertensão arterial; OR 1,76, IC de 95% (1,15-2,71); p< 0,009, história familiar de obesidade; OR 1,50, IC de 95% (1,09-2,27); p< 0,04, aumento dos trigliceridios; OR 2,74, IC de 95% (1,69-4,43); p< 0,001, redução do colesterol; HDL OR 0,58, IC de 95% (0,38-0,87); p< 0,009 e o aumento do HOMA OR 3,16, IC de 95% (1,64 - 6,02); p<0,001. Conclusão: A prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular em Natal – Brasil se constitui em grave problema de saúde pública, atingindo níveis que se igualam ou até superam os de outras cidades tanto no Brasil, como em outros países

Distribuição socioespacial dos fatores dinâmicos da população na Região Metropolitana de Natal

The Metropolitan Region of Natal, like other metropolitan regions in Brazil, was marked by intense and rapid urbanization of the country occurred only in the second half of the twentieth century, coinciding with the process of consolidation of the industry in the country, resulting in serious urban social problems, such as the increase in slums, lack of infrastructure and this increase in violence in urban centers. When enters the reality of the metropolitan region, assessing the impacts of restructuring productive in the context of globalization, analyzing how the socio-economic factors influencing the dynamic of the population, whose configuration was shown to be contradictory according to social class busy. Accordingly, we studied the demographic configuration of the Metropolitan Region of Natal, analyzing their spatial distribution and their socio-demographic differences in light of building a type socio-space, which cuts the metropolitan space in homogeneous areas