Risk management in software projects through Knowledge Management techniques: Cases in Brazilian Incubated Technology-Based Firms

In businesses such as the software industry, which uses knowledge as a resource, activities are knowledge intensive, requiring constant adoption of new technologies and practices. Another feature of this environment is that the industry is particularly susceptible to failure; with this in mind, the objective of this research is to analyze the integration of Knowledge Management techniques into the activity of risk management as it applies to software development projects of micro and small Brazilian incubated technology-based firms. Research methods chosen were the Multiple Case Study. The main risk factor for managers and developers is that scope or goals are often unclear or misinterpreted. For risk management, firms have found that Knowledge Management techniques of conversion combination would be the most applicable for use; however, those most commonly used refer to the conversion mode as internalization.. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. APM and IPMA.

Gestão do conhecimento em bibliotecas universitárias: análise de experiências no Brasil e em Portugal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Barriers to environmental management in clusters of small businesses in Brazil and Japan: from a lack of knowledge to a decline in traditional knowledge

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diagnosis of Public Programs focused on Herbal Medicines in Brazil

The present study is aimed to diagnose the current public programs focused on herbal medicines in Brazil by means of in loco visits to 10 programs selected by means of questionnaires sent to 124 municipalities that count on herbal medicine services. The main purpose of the implementation of program programs is related to the development of medicinal herbs. 70% of them are intended for the production of herbal medicines and 50% are aimed to ensure the access of the population to medicinal plants and or herbal medicines. The initiative of the implementation of these programs was related to the managers (60%). The difficulties in this implementation were due to the lack of funding (100%) of the programs. In 60% of the programs, the physicians did not adhere to herbal medicine services due to the lack of knowledge of the subject. Training courses were proposed (80%) to increase the adhesion of prescribers to the system. Some municipalities use information obtained from patients to assess the therapeutic efficiency of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. of the programs underway, cultivation of medicinal plants was observed in 90% and 78% of them adopt quality control. In most programs, this control is not performed in accordance with the legal requirements. The programs focused on medicinal plants and herbal medicines implemented in Brazil face sonic chronic problems of infrastructure, management, operational capacity and self-sustainability, which can be directly related to the absence of a national policy on medicinal plants and herbal medicines.

Violence against children and adolescents: the importance of knowledge of the spectrum of bruise colors in its diagnosis

Introduction: One of the violence types more observed against children is the physical abuse, which produces many types of traumatic injuries. Contusions are common trauma signs and may indicate aggression when frequently present in locations where accidental injuries are rare. Contusions in skin undergo color changes with the passage of time, and such change in color is called “spectrum of bruise colors of Legrand du Saulle”. Thus, it is possible to estimate the age of the lesion based on the evaluation of color. Injuries caused by child abuse often reach regions of head, face and neck, because they are exposed and easily accessible. Therefore, the dentist is responsible with regard to the diagnosis and the actions to be undertaken against the cases of child abuse. Objective: To present and discuss the significance of the spectrum of bruise colors as a considerable visible trace in suspicion of violence against children and adolescents, during dentists’ clinical routine. Literature review: The study of the “spectrum of bruise colors of Legrand du Saulle” refers to the estimation of the age of the injury, in respect to the color change. The application of this study is of great value for identify if a lesion occurred from a single incident or from multiple incidents, especially in cases where it occurs in the same region of the body, indicative of repetitive trauma. Conclusion: The spectrum of bruise colors is very important for health professionals, such as dentists, for the identification or suspicion of cases of abuse against children and adolescents. As great part of the lesions originated of abuse involve the areas of head and neck, it is unacceptable that these professionals are unaware of the basic signs to help in early diagnosis, which is the case of the colors of the lesions. However, concerning the chronology of the spectrum of bruise colors, it is not possible to establish rigorous times.

Hepatitis C infection: challenges in dental management and diagnosis of extrahepatic manifestations

Hepatitis C is associated with autoimmune diseases, hepatocellular carcinoma,and extrahepatic manifestations that, in conjunction, may seriously compromise the patient's quality of life. We herein describe a case of chronic hepatitis C with oral manifestations and discuss some implications for diagnosis and treatment. A 63-year-old woman complaining of spontaneous bleeding of the oral mucosa presented with bilateral asymmetric ulcers surrounded by white papules and striae on the buccal mucosa. Her medical history revealed leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and skin lesions associated with chronic hepatitis C. Propranolol and ranitidine had recently been prescribed. Lichen planus, lichenoid reaction, and erythema multiforme were considered in the differential diagnosis. Histopathological analysis revealed lymphocytic infiltrate in a lichenoid pattern. The lesions partially healed after 1 week and completely regressed after 6 months, despite the maintenance of all medications; no recurrence was observed. The final diagnosis was oral lichen planus associated with hepatitis C. Chronic hepatitis C may present oral manifestations, which demand adjustments in dental treatment planning. Medication side effects may interfere with the clinical presentation and course of the disease and should be accounted for in the differential diagnosis. The possibility of spontaneous remission of oral lichen planus should always be considered, especially when putative etiological factors of a lichenoid lesion are withdrawn in an attempt to differentiate oral lichen planus from lichenoid lesions. This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing the extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C as a cause of increased morbidity.

Diagnosis of Public Programs focused on Herbal Medicines in Brazil

The present study is aimed to diagnose the current public programs focused on herbal medicine in Brazil where the following results can be observed. The main purpose of implementation of these programs was the demand of the users of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. The initiative of the implementation of these programs was related to the managers (58%). The difficulties in this implementation were due to lack of funding (90%) of the programs. In 80% of the programs, the physicians did not adhere to herbal medicine services due to lack of knowledge in the subject. Training courses were proposed (70%) to increase the adhesion of prescribers to the system. Some municipalities use information obtained from patients to assess the therapeutic efficiency of medicinal plants and herbal medicines. of the programs underway, cultivation of medicinal plants was observed in 50%, and 67% of the programs adopted quality control. In most programs, this control is not performed in accordance with the legal requirements.

Knowledge-based integrated production management model

Purpose - This paper aims to propose a model of production management that integrates knowledge management, as a third dimension, to the production and work dimensions and to identify factors that promote a favorable context for knowledge sharing and results achievement in the production operations shop floor environment.Design/methodology/approach - The model proposed is built from opportunities identified in the literature review.Findings - The factors in the model integrate its three main components: knowledge management, production organization and work organization, providing a representation of the dynamics of the workplace and shop floor environment.Practical implications - The proposed model and its factors allow managers to better understand and to improve the organization activities, because it integrates knowledge management with the production organization and work organization components of traditional models.Originality/value - Literature acknowledges the role of knowledge as competitive advantage, but it is still dealt in an implicit way within the traditional models of production management. This paper proposes a model and factors that provide a favorable context for tacit knowledge sharing and results achievement in the production operations shop floor environment. The model explicitly integrates knowledge management with traditional models' components.

The Approach To The Administrative Mapping In Knowledge Management For Portugal Libraries

In the study of theoretical trends in Administration, the management of information follows the development of theories of Administration; constant-adaptations are suffered. Information Science as Museums, Archives and Libraries, understands and concerns itself with the changes wrought in these endeavour of the knowledge society as new forms of communication and integration. They interact in ways such as to maximize access to information and facilitate improvement on their structural environment. The research aims at identifies the requirements and specifications of an information system for knowledge management in the public's library enviromnent and proposes to achieve a pre-defined structure for the implementation of administration management. The research is conducted with public's library of the metropolian region of the North's Portugal. In the improvement of systems theoretical administrative trends become management decisions and result in the ultimate success of the organization.

Use of knowledge regarding LH receptors to improve superstimulatory treatments in cattle

Embryo transfer is a biotechnology that has been used worldwide to increase the production of offspring from female bovines. Treatments to induce multiple ovulations (superovulation) have evolved from superstimulatory protocols that depended upon detection of oestrus to treatments that synchronise follicle growth and ovulation, allowing for improved donor management and fixed-timed AI (FTAI). The protocols associated with FTAI facilitate animal handling and produce at least as many viably embryos as conventional treatment protocols that required detection of oestrus. Recent knowledge regarding LH receptors (LHR) and follicular development can be applied to improve embryo transfer protocols. In fact, improvements in the superstimulatory treatment called the 'P-36 protocol', which include hormones that stimulate LHR, indicate that adjustments related to LHR availability may increase bovine embryo yield compared with conventional protocols based on the detection of oestrus.

Knowledge-based integrated Production Management Model applied to automotive companies

This paper aims to examine the relevance of a production management model, in the shop-floor operations environment, that integrates the dimensions of production organisation (lean and mass production), work organisation (enriched and semi-autonomous groups) and knowledge management. A theoretical model has been applied to automotive companies to verify model adherence. Each of those dimensions has been described by factors. Shop-floor personnel interviews were conducted to confirm the factors relevance to that company. Results have shown that the model represented the reality of those companies concerning the researched dimensions. The factors allow managers to promote a favourable context for knowledge sharing. © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

An aproach for implementing knowledge management in small and medium companies in Brazil: A case study

The search for competitive advantage in a global environment must consider the use of tacit and explicit knowledge circulating inside companies. Differential factors can be easily replicated nowadays. Due to the great volume of knowledge and information, it is necessary to create a system that allows the management of important knowledge. Existing models for Knowledge Management are based on the reality at large companies. In Brazil, most of the companies are smaller ones. This work presents a simplified model to implement Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Companies in Brazil, based on a unique case study with limited scope. Despite some human and financial restrictions, Knowledge Management can help smaller companies, preserving organizational memory and increasing process efficiency. Observing a unique case prevented any generalization of the model. But the recommendations can be references to other companies, because projects like this must address the specific issues of each organization. The objective of this study is to introduce a simplified model for planning Knowledge Management at small companies in Brazil, considering their restrictions and also seeking to create a competitive advantage. Human aspects are very important in Knowledge Management, but that is not the focus of this study. The model was conceived presuming the participation of all people involved.

The CND-Goiaba 1.0 software for nutritional diagnosis of guava (Psidium guajava L.) 'Paluma', in Brazil

Computer programs enable the transformation of raw data into useful information for decision making in many fields, including agriculture. Various programs have been developed to assist farmers to make better decisions about crop management practices and plant nutrition parameters. This article introduces the CND-Goiaba 1.0 software (C Sharp) and its use as a tool to perform the mathematical calculations involved in determining the compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) indexes for the guava tree. This program was developed in Brazil, the world's leading producer of red guavas. A database was created based on 205 leaf samples collected in commercial plots (sampling units) of cultivated 'Paluma' guava trees (Psidium guajava L.) with ages between 5 and 20 years, during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 growing seasons. The production data were normally distributed according to the Shapiro-Wilk test (W=0.988; p=0.11). The software made it possible to diagnose that 63% of the orchards evaluated needed to improve the nutritional status of their trees. The CND method showed severe nutritional imbalances in Mg and Zn in these orchards. © ISHS.

Knowledge-based risk management: Survey on Brazilian software development enterprises

A risks management, carried on in an effective way, leads the software development to success and may influence on the organization. The knowledge takes part of such a process as a way to help taking decisions. This research aimed to analyze the use of Knowledge Management techniques to the Risk Management in software projects development and the possible influence on the enterprise revenue. It had, as its main studying subject, Brazilian incubated and graduated software developing enterprises. The chosen research method was the Survey type. Multivariate statistical methods were used for the treatment and analysis of the obtained results, this way identifying the most significant factors, that is, enterprise's achievement constraining factors and those outcome achievement ones. Among the latter we highlight the knowledge methodology, the time of existence of the enterprise, the amount of employees and the knowledge externalization. The results encourage contributing actions to the increasing of financial revenue. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Measuring Knowledge Management: A Strategic Approach to Library Information Services

In the study of theoretical trends in Administration, the management of information follows the development of theories of Administration; constant-adaptations are suffered. Information Science area understands and concerns itself with the changes wrought in these endeavour of the knowledge society as new forms of communication and integration. The libraries interact in ways that maximize access to information and facilitate the improvement on their structural environment as strategic approach for your services. The research aims at identifying the requirements and specifications of an information system for knowledge management in the public’s library environment and proposes to achieve a pre-defined structure for the implementation of administration management. The research is conducted with public’s library of the metropolitan region of the North’s Portugal. Portugal libraries are institutions that operate in the social process of their communities reflecting the society and its organic sphere of informational performance. These libraries have developed the organizational theories to make a framework easily for effective management practices and have been using their produced knowledge in the optimization of their actions. In the improvement of systems, theoretical administrative trends become management decisions and result in the ultimate success of the organization. In order to achieve its objectives the study verified an economy based on knowledge management, and its production emphasizes the human capital that permeates the condition of the information in support for the development of communities.