Os efeitos das reclamações online na lealdade dos consumidores: um estudo experimental

In an environment of constant change, technological developments, market competition and more informed consumers, the search for a lasting relationship through the conquest of loyalty has become the objective of companies. However, several authors suggest that this loyalty can be affected by negative comments available on the internet. Therefore, this dissertation has as objective to examine if the complaints are available on the internet impact the loyalty to a brand of mobile phone. The research used as the basis the Expanded NCSB model suggest by Johnson et al. (2001), studying five prominent drives of loyalty: image/brand reputation, affective commitment, calculative commitment, perceived value and trust, beyond the satisfaction construct as moderator variable. The research method adopted was the experimental design which included 285 undergraduate students, with the trial which included 285 undergraduate students, with the field study of the mobile industry, specifically, the brands of cell phones. The research approach was quantitative and methods were descriptive statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis, linear regression and non-parametric test of Wilcoxon for data analysis. Of the 16 hypothesis stemmed from the research model proposed, 12 were confirmed. The results showed that the complaint available on the internet, here represented by the available on the site Reclame Aqui, may impact consumer perceptions about brand loyalty, as well as its antecedents, being that these complaints can affect all the consumers, regardless of historical satisfaction with the brand. It also noted the positive relationship between the independent variables trust, image/brand reputation, perceived value, affective commitment and calculative commitment and the dependent variable - loyalty, even when considering the data obtained after exposure to the complaint. However, no unanimous conclusion that the relationship between these variables was strongest in the group with satisfactory experience. At the first moment of the research, the trust was the most important variable for the formation of loyalty. However, after exposure to treatment, the image/brand reputation, was more relevant. Contributions of the study, limitations and recommendations for future researches are approached in the present investigation

Desenvolvimento de um sistema de nitretação por plasma em fonte pulsada e sua influencia sobre a nitretação do titânio

The pulsed plasma nitriding is a solution currently used in the metallurgical industry to resolve problems earlier in the processing of parts by using plasma DC voltage. These problems consisted mainly of edge effect and opening arches caused due to non-uniformity of electric fields on uneven surfaces. By varying the pulse width can reduce these effects. However, variations in pulse width can drastically affect the population of the plasma species and hence the final microstructure of the nitrided layer. In literature, little is known about the effect of process parameters on the properties of the plasma species and, consequently, the surface properties. We have developed a system of nitriding with pulsed source with fixed period of 800  pulse width is variable. Examined the variation of these parameters on the properties of nitrided surface when keeping constant temperature, gas composition, flow, pressure and power. It was found that the values of width and pulse repetition time of considerable influence in the intensities of the species present in plasma. Moreover, we observed the existence of the edge effect for some values of pulse widths, as well as changes in surface roughness and hardness

Influência das espécies ativas na absorção de intersticiais durante a carbonitretação a plasma do TI

Physical-chemical properties of Ti are sensible to the presence of interstitial elements. In the case of thermochemical treatments plasma assisted, the influence of different active species is not still understood. In order to contribute for such knowledge, this work purposes a study of the role played by the active species atmosphere into the Ar N2 CH4 carbonitriding plasma. It was carried out a plasma diagnostic by OES (Optical Emission Spectroscopy) in the z Ar y N2 x CH4 plasma mixture, in which z, y and x indexes represent gas flow variable from 0 to 4 sccm (cm3/min). The diagnostic presents abrupt variations of emission intensities associated to the species in determined conditions. Therefore, they were selected in order to carry out the chemical treatment and then to investigate their influences. Commercial pure Ti disks were submitted to plasma carbonitriding process using pre-established conditions from the OES measurements while some parameters such as pressure and temperature were maintained constant. The concentration profiles of interstitial elements (C and N atoms) were determined by Resonant Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) resulting in a depth profile plots. The reactions used were 15N(ρ,αγ)12C and 12C(α,α)12C. GIXRD (Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction) analysis was used in order to identify the presence of phases on the surface. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was used in order to qualitatively study the carbon into the TiCxN1 structure. It has been verified which the density species effectively influences more the diffusion of particles into the Ti lattice and characteristics of the layer formed than the gas concentration. High intensity of N2 + (391,4 nm) and CH (387,1 nm) species promotes more diffusion of C and N. It was observed that Hα (656,3 nm) species acts like a catalyzer allowing a deeper diffusion of nitrogen and carbon into the titanium lattice.

Avaliação de economias de escala e escopo no desempenho de equipes de serviços aplicando Análise de Envoltória de Dados DEA: um estudo em Empresa de Telecomunicações no Brasil

This Master s Thesis proposes the application of Data Envelopment Analysis DEA to evaluate economies of scale and economies of scope in the performance of service teams involved with installation of data communication circuits, based on the study of a major telecommunication company in Brazil. Data was collected from the company s Operational Performance Division. Initial analysis of a data set, including nineteen installation teams, was performed considering input oriented methods. Subsequently, the need for restrictions on weights is analyzed using the Assurance Region method, checking for the existence of zero-valued weights. The resulting returns to scale are then verified. Further analyses using the Assurance Region Constant (AR-I-C) and Variable (AR-I-V) models verify the existence of variable, rather than constant, returns to scale. Therefore, all of the final comparisons use scores obtained through the AR-I-V model. In sequence, we verify if the system has economies of scope by analyzing the behavior of the scores in terms of individual or multiple outputs. Finally, conventional results, used by the company in study to evaluate team performance, are compared to those generated using the DEA methodology. The results presented here show that DEA is a useful methodology for assessing team performance and that it may contribute to improvements on the quality of the goal setting procedure.

Análise de retorno de escala e tamanho do mercado no desempenho de equipes de vendas aplicando análise de envoltória de dados DEA: um estudo em empresa de Telecomunicações no Brasil

This Master s Thesis proposes the application of Data Envelopment Analysis DEA to evaluate the performance of sales teams, based on a study of their coverage areas. Data was collected from the company contracted to distribute the products in the state of Ceará. Analyses of thirteen sales coverage areas were performed considering first the output-oriented constant return to scale method (CCR-O), then this method with assurance region (AR-O-C) and finally the method of variable returns to scale with assurance region (AR-O-V). The method used in the first approach is shown to be inappropriate for this study, since it inconveniently generates zero-valued weights, allowing that an area under evaluation obtain the maximal score by not producing. Using weight restrictions, through the assurance region methods AR-O-C and AR-O-V, decreasing returns to scale are identified, meaning that the improvement in performance is not proportional to the size of the areas being analyzed. Observing data generated by the analysis, a study is carried out, aiming to design improvement goals for the inefficient areas. Complementing this study, GDP data for each area was compared with scores obtained using AR-O-V analysis. The results presented in this work show that DEA is a useful methodology for assessing sales team performance and that it may contribute to improvements on the quality of the management process.

Gestão ambiental na indústria do petróleo : fatores associados ao comportamento pró-ambiental de empregados de uma empresa brasileira de óleo e gás

This survey develops a study about the pro-environment behavior of a brazilian company of oil and gas sector, emphazing the Petróleo Brasileiro S/A PETROBRAS in its Unit of Business of Exploration and Production in the State of Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará − UN-RNCE. The work s development adopt the bibliographic research methodology with the descriptive exploratory analisys, with the purpouse of identifying related points with the knowledge and the analysed enterprise s staff conduct, by the aplication of the interview with a instrument of data colecting with closed variable questions from answers that varies from o to 10.The answers allowed us to know the employees knowledge about the related aspects of environmental responsability, knowing also the involvement of the employees with the politics of environmental managment that has been implemented in the operating area of the company. The research led us to an important verification of the pro-environmental behavior of the people interviewed. The results depends of a wise acting, not only inside the company, but also outside, where the results of this acting will be more perceived for the society. Finally, we conclude that the company has a politics of management with a great importance, emphasinzing that the employees are been in constant training about their behavior resulting in satisfaction

Correspondência estéreo usando imagens em multiresolução com profundidade variável

We propose a multi-resolution, coarse-to-fine approach for stereo matching, where the first matching happens at a different depth for each pixel. The proposed technique has the potential of attenuating several problems faced by the constant depth algorithm, making it possible to reduce the number of errors or the number of comparations needed to get equivalent results. Several experiments were performed to demonstrate the method efficiency, including comparison with the traditional plain correlation technique, where the multi-resolution matching with variable depth, proposed here, generated better results with a smaller processing time

Purificação da glicerina bruta obtida a partir da transesterificação do óleo de algodão

The crude glycerine is a raw material that can be used in a wide variety of products. Even with all the impurities inherent in the process of being obtained, the crude glycerin is already in a marketable product. However, the market is much more favorable to the commercialization of purified glycerine. The glycerin is a byproduct gotten from the process of transesterification of waste oils and fats in the production of biodiesel. More recently, the deployment of the new Federal Law of Brazil, related to the implementation of energy resources, forces, from 2008, the increase of 2% biodiesel in diesel common with prospects for 5% (B5). Therefore, it is indispensable that new routes of purification as well as new markets are developed. The objective of this work was to purify, through ion exchange, the crude glycerin, obtained from the reaction of transesterification of cottonseed oil. The cottonseed oil was characterized as the fatty acid composition and physical-chemical properties. The process of ion exchange was conducted in batch. In this process were used strong cation, low anion resins and a mixed resin used to de-ionize water. The purified glycerin was characterized as the content of metals. Tests were performed with activated charcoal adsorption, and for this, it was made tests of time contact with coal as well as quantity of coal used. The time of activation, the amount of the activation solution, the contact time of the glycerol solution in resins, the amount and type of resin applied were evaluated. Considering the analysis made with activated charcoal, when the glycerin solution was treated using the resins individually it was observed that in the conditions for treatment with 10 g of resin, 5 hours of contact with each resin and 50 mL of glycerin solution, its conductivity decreased to a cationic resin, increased to the anionic resin and had a variable value with respect to resin mixed. In the treatment in series, there was a constant decrease in the conductivity of the solution of glycerin. Considering two types of treatment, in series and individually, the content of glycerol in glycerin pre-purified solution with the different resins varied from 12,46 to 29.51% (diluted solution). In analysis performed without the use of activated charcoal, the behavior of the conductivity of the solution of glycerin were similar to results for treatment with activated charcoal, both in series as individually. The solution of glycerin pre-purified had a glycerol content varying from 8.3 to 25.7% (diluted solution). In relation to pH, it had a behavior in accordance with the expected: acid for the glycerin solution treated with cationic resin, basic when the glycerin solution was treated with the anionic resin and neutral when treated with the mixed resin, independent of the kind of procedure used (with or without coal, resins individually or in series). In relation to the color of the glycerin pre-purified solution, the resin that showed the best result was the anionic (colorless), however this does not mean that the solution is more in pure glycerol. The chromatographic analysis of the solutions obtained after the passage through the resins indicated that the treatment was effective by the presence of only one component (glycerol), not considering the solvent of the analysis

Planejamento experimental aplicada a um novo separador líquido-líquido utilizado no tratamento de águas residuais contaminadas com petróleo

The present work had as objective to apply an experimental planning aiming at to improve the efficiency of separation of a new type of mixer-settler applied to treat waste water contaminated with oil. An unity in scale of laboratory, was installed in the Post-graduation Program of Chemical Engineering of UFRN. It was constructed in partnership with Petrobras S.A. This called device Misturador-Decantador a Inversão de Fases (MDIF) , possess features of conventional mixer-settler and spray column type. The equipment is composed of three main parts: mixing chamber; chamber of decantation and chamber of separation. The efficiency of separation is evaluated analyzing the oil concentrations in water in the feed and the output of the device. For the analysis one used the gravimetric method of oil and greases analysis (TOG). The system in study is a water of formation emulsified with oil. The used extractant is a mixture of Turpentine spirit hydro-carbons, supplied for Petrobras. It was applied, for otimization of the efficiency of separation of the equipment, an experimental planning of the composite central type, having as factorial portion fractionary factorial planning 2 5-2, with the magnifying of the type star and five replications in the central point. In this work, the following independents variables were studied: contents of oil in the feed of the device; volumetric ratio (O/A); total flowrate ; agitation in the mixing chamber and height of the organic bed. Minimum and maximum limits for the studied variables had been fixed according previous works. The analysis of variance for the equation of the empirical model, revealed statistically significant and useful results for predictions ends. The variance analysis also presented the distribution of the error as a normal distribution and was observed that as the dispersions do not depend on the levels of the factors, the independence assumption can be verified. The variation around the average is explained by 98.98%, or either, equal to the maximum value, being the smoothing of the model in relation to the experimental points of 0,98981. The results present a strong interaction between the variable oil contents in the feed and agitation in the mixing chamber, having great and positive influence in the separation efficiency. Another variable that presented a great positive influence was the height of the organic bed. The best results of separation efficiency had been obtained for high flowrates when associates the high oil concentrations and high agitation. The results of the present work had shown excellent agreement with the results carried out through previous works with the mixer-settler of phase inversion

Um estudo na teoria do movimento brownianno com viscosidade variável

In this work we investigate the stochastic behavior of a large class of systems with variable damping which are described by a time-dependent Lagrangian. Our stochastic approach is based on the Langevin treatment describing the motion of a classical Brownian particle of mass m. Two situations of physical interest are considered. In the first one, we discuss in detail an application of the standard Langevin treatment (white noise) for the variable damping system. In the second one, a more general viewpoint is adopted by assuming a given expression to the so-called collored noise. For both cases, the basic diffententiaql equations are analytically solved and al the quantities physically relevant are explicitly determined. The results depend on an arbitrary q parameter measuring how the behavior of the system departs from the standard brownian particle with constant viscosity. Several types of sthocastic behavior (superdiffusive and subdiffusive) are obteinded when the free pamameter varies continuosly. However, all the results of the conventional Langevin approach with constant damping are recovered in the limit q = 1

Análise de células t regulatórias foxp3+no líquen plano oral

T regulatory cells have the function of controlling immune responses and maintaining self-tolerance. The FoxP3 has been considered the most specific marker for Treg cells. The aiming of this paper was to evaluate the immunoexpression of FoxP3 in the inflammatory infiltrate from oral lichen planus (OLP) and to compare it with the infiltrate in fibrous inflammatory hyperplasia (FIH) and then, between reticular and erosive forms of OLP. The samples were composed by 32 cases of OLP (17 reticular and 15 erosive) beyond 10 cases of FIH that were submitted to immunohistochemistry staining for FoxP3. Localization of the staining was classified in underepithelial and intraepithelial and the amount of FoxP3+ cells was evaluated through cells counting in 10 consecutive fields, at 400x power magnification. The values were expressed in mean ± standart deviation, and submitted to statistical tests with 5% of significance level. It was observed a statistical significant difference in the amount of FoxP3+ Treg cells between the two combined forms of OLP (1,6 ± 2,2) and the FIH (0,5 ±0,4) (P<0,05). This maybe could be explained by immunological mechanism of OLP, which involves a permanent antigenic induction likely with consequent perpetuation of lesion, eliciting the proliferation and constant recruitment of Treg cells. Otherwise, FIH presents a different etiopathogenesis, in which there is also generation of a variable inflammatory infiltrate, however qualitatively distinct from that seen in OLP. The erosive form of OLP exhibited a greater number (1,7 ± 2,4) of FoxP3+ Treg cells than reticular form (1,5 ± 2,1). These alterations could have relation with the great disease activity verified in erosive OLP, or also, with abnormalities in the regulatory function of Treg cells that could cause the increase observed. Considering the capacity already well established in the literature, both about Treg cells in modulating immune responses, as in the oral mucosa in showing great potential for regeneration, it is suggested that the possibility of development and implantation of immunotherapeutic strategies that regulate the frequency and function of these cells, may help in future treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as OLP