Análise da influência da qualidade em um ciclo de serviços na satisfação do cliente: estudo de caso em uma instituição de ensino.

With the increasing offer of education services in Brazil, it is necessary to evaluate the quality of service in education, especially in those institutions for vocational education which have a greater interaction with the labor market, in order to form qualified professionals and meet the growing demand that the country has today[A1] . In Brazil, the evaluation of the quality of library services has influenced the assessment of educational institutions and in this context, there needs to be a process to monitor the quality of services provided by libraries. However, the service is not done in a single moment and thus to a more detailed assessment it needs to be measured and evaluated each different time the customer uses it. Therefore, the aim of this work consists in measuring the quality in every moment of truth of a cycle of library services to assess which are the most relevant moments in the client's perspective at the library of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) Campus João Câmara in building the overall quality of service. In the literature review, internal secondary sources were used, from the database of the institution studied, and also external sources, through literature in books, articles, dissertations, theses and journals on compost quality, service quality, cycle services, measuring quality, satisfaction, teaching activities, and on library services specifically. We applied a questionnaire to students in the library based on models of quality measurement SERVPERF and SERVQUAL and its variations such as SERVQUAL pondered and SERVPERF pondered . Through analysis based on concepts of reliability and validity of measuring instruments, it was found that the SERVPERF model is the instrument that most closely matches the dimensions of quality assessed in the library with customer satisfaction measured by the questionnaire. From there, the search results as measured by statistical techniques of analysis, indicated that the initial and final moments of truth of the cycle of service quality had the greatest influence on overall customer satisfaction with the library service

A gestão da qualidade nos cursos de graduação a distância da UFRN/SEDIS : a percepção dos discentes

This dissertation has as objective at analyzing the students' perception about the quality of graduate courses distance of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, which was motivated by the following research problem: the perception that graduate students of the distance of the UFRN have on the quality of the undergraduate? To this end, we sought to gather evidence for a satisfactory approach that addresses the complexity of the subject studied: quality management, distance learning and quality in the Higher Education Institutions. We chose to adopt as a research method, case study on the procedure of the research, exploratory research-descriptive about the objective and quantitative research when tackling the problem. The object of the study were six graduate courses distance UFRN/SEDIS, having as target the students of the courses. The sample was calculated using the Stratified sampling on which 217 students, the courses surveyed were selected. The survey instrument consisted of 21 structured questions, of which seven questions designed to identify the profile of students, seven issues of perceptions (manifest variables) on quality management in distance learning, where students have given values (responses) for 24 statements (which address the central theme of this dissertation) composite based on a 5-point Likert s scale, and six questions about general characteristics that may interfere with students' perception about the quality. Was used as statistical method (data analysis), descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. The results show the identification of four latent factors (obtained by exploratory factor analysis), namely: (1) infrastructure and management - polo presence, (2) teaching-learning processes, (3) communication tools and integration; (4) tutors. We also observed that aspects related to infrastructure and management at the pole face had the lowest score among the factors observed, requiring special attention by the education institution. On the other hand, teachers and teaching learning processes were the items with better performance in the perception of students. It is concluded that the perception of students in relation to quality in distance education courses, the median is trending positive perception, ie the perception of overall quality of the courses is not assertive and unison, but tends to positive perception. Thus, the results, it is expected that the managers of the institution to focus attention on critical points in order to minimize them (or eliminate them) and maximize the positive aspects that are perceived by the students

Egressos na avaliação da qualidade de um curso: o caso da Engenharia de Produção da UFRN

This thesis aims at analyzing the perspective of graduates perceived quality of an undergraduate course in order to contribute to continuous improvement. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, we performed a literature search, seeking together the work surrounding this issue, with the intent to update the concepts discussed today on the subject studied, they are: quality management, quality in higher education institutions and the system national assessment of higher education - Sinaes. The methodology is characterized as a case study, quantitative, and the object of study is composed of students who graduated from Production Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, which includes students who graduated from 2002 to 2010; data collection was done through the survey instrument, questionnaire, available online through SurveyMonkey interface, data analysis was done by means of descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis, including factor analysis. The proposed survey instrument consists of questions nineteen and twenty statements that address the central theme of this dissertation. The results show the identification of four latent factors (obtained by exploratory factor analysis), through two perspectives, the analysis of perception and importance, the results were similar in terms of the variable factors. The first factor was related to the support given to students, a factor known to support two extra class, the third factor related aspects of the library, and finalizing the evaluation and approached a factor of 4 facilities. Through research it was concluded that this study presents several points to be improved by the management team, and recommended to continue to evaluate the perceptions of graduates, seeking continuous improvement in service delivery by the university

Gestão de organizações sem fins lucrativos: uma avaliação de desempenho através do balanced scorecard

The methodology Balanced Scorecard (BSC) focuses on the major critical issues of modern organizations, whether with or without profit. The measurement of the effective performance of the latter is by evaluating the successful implementation of organizational strategy. The aim of this paper is to present the development of a system of performance measurement strategy for a nonprofit organization, whose object of study is the Associação de Apoio as Comunidades do Campo - AACC, in the context of the BSC methodology of Kaplan and Norton. The methodology of this case study is an exploratory, descriptive and qualitative, and diagnose the coherence of the Strategy Map in an organization, based strategic planning from 2010 to 2012. Initially conducted a literature review covering the main aspects of strategy maps and performance evaluation involving the translation of the BSC and strategy evaluation. The main results of the proposed approach refers to evaluation of overall scores for each dimension of the BSC methodology, financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth. These results are able to help the organization evaluate and revise their strategy and, in general, to adopt management methods more accurately. Data collection is centered on interviews with semi-structured questionnaire. The findings highlight on balancing and alignment of strategic objectives, low causality map, strategic communication insufficient and fragmented. For interviewees organizational culture is the biggest impediment to structuring a management model based on indicators and strategic process should be initiated by non-financial indicators gradually. The performance indicators of the AACC/RN portray more meritocracy operational procedures of social projects in the context of the Strategic Map determined in a shortterm over the long term. However, there is evidence of improved performance management and strategic taken as a basis of planning as both the strategic map structured. Therefore, the nonprofits need to adopt a form of management that enables planning, setting objectives and targets that provide the continuity of its activities, and generating instruments that can measure the financial performance and non-financial, in order to develop strategic actions for growth and sustainability

Práticas pedagógicas das escolas de ensino médio que contribuem para a escolha do aluno pelo curso de Engenharia de Produção da UFRN

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Sistema de gestão ambiental sob a perspectiva da resource-based view: um estudo de caso no verdegreen Hotel - João Pessoa/PB

The pressure for a new pattern of sustainable development began to require of modern organizations the conciliation between competitiveness and a environmental protection. In this sense, a tool that acts in the implementation of structured strategies is the Environmental Management System (EMS), which focuses on improving environmental performance. This improvement, in turn, can generate to the organizations many benefits , among which, obtaining competitive advantages, susceptible of measurement from different perspectives. One of these is the application of VRIO model, reasoned by the Resource-Based View (RBV), which considers that differences between companies occurs due to differences between its internal resources and capabilities. However, although was been found some studies in the literature that evaluate the competitive potential of certain organizations , such assessments are not performed on specific objects, like the SEM s. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the resources and capabilities (environmental strategies) adopted by the SGA of the Verdegreen Hotel, identifying which of these have the potential to generate competitive advantage. For this, this exploratory-descriptive character study and delineated as field research and case study was used as data collection tools: a literature survey, semi-structured interviews, document research and participant observation. The interpretation of results and consolidation of information were conducted from a qualitative approach, using two techniques of data analysis, namely: content analysis and analysis through VRIO model. The results show that the hotel is quite structured in relation to their EMS, as well as reaching related to improving the management of environmental factors, strengthening the image and gains in competitiveness benefits. On the other hand, the main difficulties for the implementation of the system are related to employees and suppliers. With regard to environmental strategies adopted, of the 25 strategies identified, 10 showed the potential to generate competitive advantage

Estratégias acadêmicas na avaliação de desempenho dos cursos de ciências contábeis no enade em NATAL - RN

O número de instituições de ensino superior no Brasil vem crescendo bastante nos últimos anos. Com isso a preocupação com a qualidade dos cursos ofertados também tem aumentado. Para avaliar essa qualidade do ensino o governo instituiu formas de avaliação e vem aperfeiçoando a cada ano. As instituições, por sua vez, buscam bons resultados nessas avaliações a fim de utilizar como item de vantagem competitiva, uma vez que as notas obtidas por elas chamam atenção de novos clientes. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho buscou analisar as principais estratégias acadêmicas utilizadas na avaliação de desempenho dos cursos de Ciências Contábeis, da região de Natal-RN, no ENADE. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa, e foi aplicado um estudo de caso complementado por um survey. A parte qualitativa foi obtida através de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com os coordenadores dos cursos e a quantitativa foi obtida através da aplicação de um questionário fechado aos alunos aptos a participarem do ENADE no ano de 2012. Foram estudadas todas as instituições em Natal que possuem o curso de Ciências Contábeis, modelo presencial, sendo ao todo 10 (dez) instituições identificadas. Os dados foram analisados por meio da análise de conteúdo (entrevistas) e do software SPSS® 18 (survey). Foram utilizados os métodos de análise fatorial, através da análise de componentes principais, com rotação Varimax e normalização Kaiser. Em relação à análise da importância do ENADE sob a perspectiva dos estudantes, foi utilizado o teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney. Como resultados da pesquisa, foi identificado que tanto os discentes como os coordenadores de curso entendem a importância do ENADE, também observou-se que a satisfação dos discentes com a instituição refletiu nos resultados obtidos por esta, bem como, o momento em que foi iniciada a preparação para o exame também refletiu nas notas recebidas pelas instituições

A influência da gestão do conhecimento nas companhias brasileiras com melhor governança corporativa: uma análise nas empresas classificadas pelo Investor Relations Global Rankings

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Calibração cega de receptores cinco-portas baseada em separação cega de fontes

The exponential growth in the applications of radio frequency (RF) is accompanied by great challenges as more efficient use of spectrum as in the design of new architectures for multi-standard receivers or software defined radio (SDR) . The key challenge in designing architecture of the software defined radio is the implementation of a wide-band receiver, reconfigurable, low cost, low power consumption, higher level of integration and flexibility. As a new solution of SDR design, a direct demodulator architecture, based on fiveport technology, or multi-port demodulator, has been proposed. However, the use of the five-port as a direct-conversion receiver requires an I/Q calibration (or regeneration) procedure in order to generate the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the transmitted baseband signal. In this work, we propose to evaluate the performance of a blind calibration technique without additional knowledge about training or pilot sequences of the transmitted signal based on independent component analysis for the regeneration of I/Q five-port downconversion, by exploiting the information on the statistical properties of the three output signals

Planejamento dos recursos hídricos da bacia hidrográfica do rio Seridó, no Rio Grande do Norte

The present research has the purpose of planning the management of the water resources of the Seridó River watershed, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It has an emphasis on the amount of surface water available in this region, to provide a sustainable water supply. Based on data and information collected from public departments responsible for the management of the water resources of the Rio Grande do Norte state, well as on researches related to water resources , a watershed balance was done, and the results suggested the transposition of the waters from the Piranhas-Açu river watershed taken from the Oiticica and Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves reservoirs, integrated with the construction of 2 hidroelectrical plants and 2 elevation stations, to pump the amount of water needed to the expected demand in some public dams of the region until 2020. So, with the use of the surface water potential that exists in the region, it was demonstrated that, on the contrary of the public policies implemented in the past and in the current by the federal and state realm, it is possible to supply the currently water demands and also the future ones, in a sustainable way, without the need of importing outter water to the respective watershed. Finally, it was proposed the implementation of the Water Resources Plan in the Seridó region WRPS, aiming at providing an auto-sustainable development by significantly diminishing the effects of the dry seasons in that region, by considering the economic, social and environmental sustainability

Involvement of median raphe nucleus 5-HT1A receptors in the regulation of generalized anxiety-related defensive behaviours in rats

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

5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal hippocampus mediate the anxiogenic effect induced by the stimulation of 5-HT neurons in the median raphe nucleus

We evaluated the involvement of dorsal hippocampus (DH) 5-HT1A receptors in the mediation of the behavioral effects caused by the pharmacological manipulation of 5-HT neurons in the median raphe nucleus (MRN). To this end, we used the rat elevated T-maze test of anxiety. The results showed that intra-DH injection of the 5-HT1A/7 agonist 8-OH-DPAT facilitated inhibitory avoidance, an anxiogenic effect, without affecting escape. Microinjection of the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 was ineffective. In the elevated T-maze, inhibitory avoidance and escape have been related to generalized anxiety and panic disorders, respectively. Intra-MRN administration of the excitatory aminoacid kainic acid, which non-selectively stimulates 5-HT neurons in this brain area facilitated inhibitory avoidance and impaired escape performance, but also affected locomotion. Intra-MRN injection of WAY-100635, which has a disinhibitory effect on the activity of 5-HT neurons in this midbrain area, only facilitated inhibitory avoidance. Preadministration of WAY-100635 into the DH blocked the behavioral effect of intra-MRN injection of WAY-100635, but not of kainic acid. These results indicate that DH 5-HT1A receptors mediate the anxiogenic effect induced by the selective stimulation of 5-HT neurons in the MRN. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

A amizade para Foucault: resistências criativas face ao biopoder

O artigo trabalha a noção de amizade em Foucault como um modo de vida que se opõe ao processo de normalização empreendido pelo biopoder. Inicia com uma caracterização acerca do Estado Moderno. Logo após, aborda a historicidade dos processos de subjetivação e de como a atitude frente a estes implica estados de maior autonomia ou sujeição. em seguida, aborda a amizade como resistência à normalização, situando-a em relação ao prazer e à sexualidade. Por fim, discute o papel da filosofia no processo de constituição da amizade, particularmente quanto à possibilidade de pensá-la por meio de uma teoria das relações.

Caracterização espectral de áreas de gramíneas forrageiras infectadas com a doença mela-das-sementes da braquiária por meio de imagens CCD/CBERS-2

Imagens CCD/CBERS-2, nas bandas espectrais CCD2, CCD3 e CCD4, dos anos de 2004 e 2005, de Mirante do Paranapanema - SP, foram transformadas em reflectância de superfície usando o modelo 5S de correção atmosférica e normalizadas radiometricamente. O objetivo principal foi caracterizar espectralmente áreas de pastagens de Brachiaria brizantha em fase de florescimento, isentas e infectadas com a doença mela-das-sementes da braquiária, possibilitando a sua detecção por meio da comparação entre os valores de reflectância de superfície denominada de Fator de Reflectância Bidirecional de Superfície (FRBS). Teve-se, também, o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia das imagens CCD/CBERS-2 para a obtenção de respostas espectrais de pastagens. Os dosséis sadios e doentes da Brachiaria brizantha foram identificados por meio da análise dos valores de reflectância e dos dados observados no Índice de Estresse Hídrico Acumulativo Relativo da Cultura (ACWSI) obtidos na área de estudo. Os resultados indicaram que as principais diferenças foram a diminuição da reflectância na banda CCD3 e o aumento da reflectância na banda CCD4 nas áreas doentes. A metodologia empregada com o uso de dados do sensor CCD/CBERS-2, associados ao ACWSI, mostrou-se eficaz para discriminar dosséis infectados com a mela-das-sementes da braquiária.

CARNITINE SUPPLEMENTATION EFFECTS on NONENZYMATIC ANTIOXIDANTS IN YOUNG RATS SUBMITTED TO EXHAUSTIVE EXERCISE STRESS

Bucioli, SA, de Abreu, LC, Valenti, VE, and Vannucchi, H. Carnitine supplementation effects on nonenzymatic antioxidants in young rats submitted to exhaustive exercise stress. J Strength Cond Res 26(6): 1695-1700, 2012-Previous studies have demonstrated that exercise stress increases oxidative stress in rats. However, antioxidant supplement therapy effects on reactive oxygen substances are conflicting. We evaluated the effects of carnitine on renal nonenzymatic antioxidants in young rats submitted to exhaustive exercise stress. Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: (a) control group (not submitted to exercise stress), (b) exercise stress group, and (c) exercise stress and carnitine group. The rats from group 3 were treated with gavage administration of 1 ml of carnitine (5 mg.kg(-1)) for 7 consecutive days. The animals from groups 2 and 3 were submitted to a bout of swimming exhaustive exercise stress. Kidney samples were analyzed for reactive substances to thiobarbituric acid by malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and vitamin-E levels. Carnitine treatment attenuated MDA increase caused by exercise stress (1:0.16 +/- 0.02 vs. 2:0.34 +/- 0.07 vs. 3:0.1 +/- 0.01 mmmol per milligram of protein; p < 0.0001). It also increased the renal levels of GSH (1:23 +/- 4 vs. 2:23 +/- 2 vs. 3:58 +/- 9 mu mol per gram of protein; p, 0.0001); however, it did not change renal vitamin E (1:24 +/- 5 vs. 2:27 +/- 1 vs. 3:28 +/- 5 mu M per gram of tissue; p < 0.001). In conclusion, carnitine improved oxidative stress and partially improved the nonenzymatic antioxidant activity in young rats submitted to exhaustive exercise stress.