Initial performance of corn in response to treatment of seeds with humic acids isolated from bokashi

ABSTRACT The humified organic matter presents bioactivity similar to the auxinic effect. As bokashi is produced by a special process of humification, information is needed about the bioactive potential of its humic acids. The objective of this work was studying the initial performance of corn-indicator plants in response to the application of different concentrations of humic acids isolated from bokashi. The corn seeds were treated for 16 hours with solutions containing 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 80 mmol L-1 of C in the form of humic acids. Then, the seeds were planted in pots of 1 dm3 containing corrected and fertilized soil, in greenhouse. Growth characteristics of shoot and root systems were evaluated. The results showed that the humic acids extracted from bokashi had positive effects on the initial performance of corn.

An optimal level of technology reliance on foreign partners in a global sourcing partnership: components procurement, technology management and market performance

Existing studies on global sourcing strategy have implicitly adopted a cJosed-systems perspective in which sourcing activities are managed within a multinational company across national boundaries. Produd and process innovations and components procurement that are jointly managed by a consortium of cooperating firms have not been examined. In this paper, we empiricallyexamine the issues concerning sourcing partnerships in an open-systems perspective. Findings suggest that even in a sourcing partnership arrangement with a foreign supplier, the principal firm's ability to procure and control the supply of major components has a positive bearing on its market performance.

Ambiente, estratégia e performance organizacional no setor industrial e de serviços

Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar a influência do perfil estratégico e do nível de percepção ambiental de gestores sobre a efetividade organizacional de suas empresas. O modelo proposto pela pesquisaé analisado e são discutidos os resultados obtidos com sua aplicação em empresas industriais de médio porte e hospitais da rede privada, localizados em Belo Horizonte. Foram aplicados questionários ao nível gerencial, e os dados, tratados com o uso de estatística multivariada. Os resultados obtidos indicam a existência de causalidade entre capacidade de percepção ambiental e o uso de estratégias prospectivas com a variável efetividade organizacional. Os gestores das organizações pesquisadas revelaram-se apenas medianamente seguros para analisar e oferecer respostas ao ambiente. O perfil estratégico das empresas privilegiou o uso de estratégias prospectivas para enfrentar a concorrência, e, paradoxalmente, houve maior preferência por posturas defensivas para gerir a estrutura e os processos internos.

Impacto dos recursos da empresa na performance de inovação

A abordagem VBR, visão baseada em recursos da empresa (resource-based view of the fi rm), para desenvolver e explorar os benefícios que os recursos internos podem oferecer às empresas, tem sido um tema de impacto na literatura da área de Administração Estratégica. Tem havido grande interesse no papel que os recursos internos da empresa podem assumir na criação de vantagem competitiva, em especial no seu impacto na performance de inovação. Visando um aprofundamento desse tema, este artigo teve como objetivo principal a avaliação da relação de recursos da empresa com a performance de inovação, com ênfase em recursos como a orientação para o mercado, as capacidades gerenciais, a capacidade de conexão com os clientes, os ativos de recursos humanos e a capacidade de inovação. Para tanto, um modelo teórico foi desenvolvido e testado pela aplicação da técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais, em um estudo que envolveu empresas de diversos setores econômicos do Brasil. Os resultados do estudo expõem alguns caminhos pelos quais os recursos, ativos e habilidades empresariais infl uenciam a performance da inovação nas organizações.

Antecedentes do relacionamento e da performance em empresas da cadeia de suprimentos: estruturação e aplicação de modelos de equações estruturais

O relacionamento entre empresas constitui importante questão na gestão de cadeias de suprimentos. Vários aspectos relacionados ao fluxo e à troca de informações ao longo da cadeia são considerados como tendo influência decisiva no sucesso desse relacionamento. O objetivo central deste trabalho foi estruturar e testar alguns modelos de vínculos entre aspectos dessa natureza com o desempenho e com o relacionamento comprador-fornecedor na cadeia de suprimentos. Foram investigados aspectos pertinentes à comunicação e ao uso de tecnologia da informação no relacionamento entre as empresas. A relação do desempenho com o relacionamento também foi investigada. A pesquisa realizada foi calcada em dados empíricos apurados por meio da modelagem de equações estruturais. Os resultados mostram que alguns aspectos contribuem de forma significativa para o sucesso do relacionamento, enquanto outros, que a priori seriam considerados importantes, não evidenciam contribuição.

"Aprecie com moderação": a identidade da organização como drama e atos de performance

A questão do que constitui a identidade de uma organização motivou produtivas conversações em busca de teorias, desde os anos 1980. Neste estudo, conduzimos o diálogo entre essa literatura e os conceitos desenvolvidos no campo da Antropologia da Performance. Como elemento facilitador desse diálogo, nós apresentamos, a título de ilustração, o processo de construção identitária da Ambev, companhia do setor de bebidas, em um período de contestação das regras sobre o consumo de álcool. Nossa análise mostra a natureza relacional do conceito de identidade da organização, um processo de múltiplas e fluidas interações construído em situações dramáticas e por atos de performance. Às questões que capturam a essência desse conceito, já presentes na literatura, nós adicionamos outra - "O que ou quem estamos nos tornando como organização?"

STRATEGIES FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE IN RECESSIONS: PRO OR COUNTER-CYCLICAL?

Recessions are recurring events in which most firms suffer severe impacts while others are less affected or may even prosper. Strategic management has made little progress in understanding such performance differences. In a scenario of decreased demand, intensified competition, and higher uncertainty, most firms try to survive by pro-cyclically cutting costs and investments. But firms could take advantage of undervalued resources in the market to counter-cyclically invest in new business opportunities to overtake competitors. We survey Brazilian firms in various industries about the 2008-2009 recession and analyze data using PLS-SEM. We find that while most firms pro-cyclically reduce costs and investments in recessions, a counter-cyclical strategy of investing in opportunities created by changes in the market enables superior performance. Most successful are firms with a propensity to recognize opportunities, an entrepreneurial orientation to invest, and the flexibility to efficiently implement investments.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: THE SPANISH CASE

ABSTRACT The enormous interest aroused by corporate social responsibility both in the academic and the business worlds forms the background for this study. Its objective is to analyze the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance in view of the debate in the literature on the subject. The study focuses on a sample of Spanish companies taken from the IBEX 35 stock market index, using panel data methodology, which offers advantages in comparison to methodologies used in other studies. We analyzed the period from 2003 to 2010. Our findings suggest that there is no obvious relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial results, at least in the case of Spain.

Schizophrenia in males of cognitive performance: discriminative and diagnostic values

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the discriminative and diagnostic values of neuropsychological tests for identifying schizophrenia patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 36 male schizophrenia outpatients and 72 healthy matched volunteers was carried out. Participants underwent the following neuropsychological tests: Wisconsin Card Sorting test, Verbal Fluency, Stroop test, Mini Mental State Examination, and Spatial Recognition Span. Sensitivity and specificity estimated the diagnostic value of tests with cutoffs obtained using Receiver Operating Characteristic curves. The latent class model (diagnosis of schizophrenia) was used as gold standard. RESULTS: Although patients presented lower scores in most tests, the highest canonical function for the discriminant analysis was 0.57 (Verbal Fluency M). The best sensitivity and specificity were obtained in the Verbal Fluency M test (75 and 65, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The neuropsychological tests showed moderate diagnostic value for the identification of schizophrenia patients. These findings suggested that the cognitive impairment measured by these tests might not be homogeneous among schizophrenia patients.

Performance of an immunochromatography test for vivax malaria in the Amazon region, Brazil

The study was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the ICT malaria Pf/PvTM test for vivax malaria diagnosis in Belém, Amazon region, Brazil. The results of blood malaria parasites examination using an immunochromatography test were compared with thick blood film (TBF) examination. It was also evaluated the performance of this test storaged at three different temperatures (25°C, 30°C, and 37°C) for 24 hours before use. Overall sensitivity of ICT Pf/PvTM was 61.8% with a specificity of 100%, positive and negative predictive value of 100% and 71.8%, respectively and accuracy of 80.6%. The test sensitivity was independent of the parasite density. This test needs to be further reviewed in order to have better performance for P. vivax malaria diagnosis.

Effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on task performance and physiological function

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on performance and physiological functions, an experimental study was carried out under simulated night shift schedules. METHODS: Six students were recruited for this study that was composed of 5 experiments. Each experiment involved 3 consecutive days with one night shift (22:00-8:00) followed by daytime sleep and night sleep. The experiments had 5 conditions in which the length and timing of naps were manipulated: 0:00-1:00 (E60), 0:00-2:00 (E120), 4:00-5:00 (L60), 4:00-6:00 (L120), and no nap (No-nap). During the night shifts, participants underwent performance tests. A questionnaire on subjective fatigue and a critical flicker fusion frequency test were administered after the performance tests. Heart rate variability and rectal temperature were recorded continuously during the experiments. Polysomnography was also recorded during the nap. RESULTS: Sleep latency was shorter and sleep efficiency was higher in the nap in L60 and L120 than that in E60 and E120. Slow wave sleep in the naps in E120 and L120 was longer than that in E60 and L60. The mean reaction time in L60 became longer after the nap, and faster in E60 and E120. Earlier naps serve to counteract the decrement in performance and physiological functions during night shifts. Performance was somewhat improved by taking a 2-hour nap later in the shift, but deteriorated after a one-hour nap. CONCLUSIONS: Naps in the latter half of the night shift were superior to earlier naps in terms of sleep quality. However performance declined after a 1-hour nap taken later in the night shift due to sleep inertia. This study suggests that appropriate timing of a short nap must be carefully considered, such as a 60-min nap during the night shift.

Living conditions and receptive vocabulary of children aged two to five years

OBJECTIVE: To assess the receptive vocabulary of children aged between two years and six months and five years and eleven months who were attending childcare centers and kindergarten schools. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in the municipality of Embu, Southeastern Brazil. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and analysis of factors associated with children's performance were applied. The sample consisted of 201 children of both genders, aged between two and six years. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate analysis and logistic regression model. The dependent variable analyzed was test performance and the independent variables were child's age, mother's level of education and family socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: It was observed that 44.3% of the children had performances in the test that were below what would be expected for their age. The factors associated with the best performances in the test were child's age (OR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.6-3.5) and mother's education level (OR= 3.2; 95% CI: 1.3-7.4). CONCLUSIONS: Mother's education level is important for child's language development. Settings such as childcare and kindergarten schools are protective factors for child development in families of low income and education.