Innovations in microinsurance: evidence from the Philippines

A popularidade e o interesse em microsseguro, especialmente nos países em desenvolvimento, tem aumentado nos últimos anos. Parte do sucesso se deve às inovações desenvolvidas principalmente para a indústria de microsseguros, que é bastante diferente do seguro tradicional. No entanto, há pouca informação sobre o impacto real dessas inovações em termos de aumento da demanda por microsseguro. Este estudo investiga quais as inovações de fato ajudaram a aumentar a demanda de microsseguros. Um método de estudo de caso qualitativo é aplicado sobre a MicroEnsure Filipinas , uma das empresas de microsseguro de maior sucesso no país. Os resultados mostram que as inovações precisam ser implementadas em vários aspectos de uma empresa de microsseguros para que elas sejam um meio eficaz de aumentar a demanda por microsseguro. As descobertas podem apoiar os gestores de microsseguros e formuladores de políticas na tomada de medidas para a criação de inovações de microsseguros benéficas em toda a Filipinas.

Customer intimacy strategy in B2B technology businesses in Colombia

The main objective of this Thesis is to analyze Customer Intimacy Strategy in B2B technology businesses in Colombia and the variables that have a direct relationship with it like perception, trust and networking. And how a Customer Intimacy Strategy can affect a company to achieve positive or negative results in an operation, in terms of business opportunities, relations and profitable and sustainable sales if properly managed or mismanaged. With a population of almost 50 million people, GDP average growth of 4.22%(considering 2013 up to 2017), a strategic geographic location in Latin America close to the middle of the region with direct access to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, on the verge to reach a peace agreement ending its long time social and security conflict with the local guerrillas, Colombia is a country with a stable economic present and promising future. But despite the appealing business landscape and opportunities both in number and size, it is a developing economy where firms who are willing to run a startup or who currently have B2B technology operations in this country will find out that uncertainty and mistrust are two of the most critical variables that need to be overcome in order to achieve success. Their relevance will vary from one region to another, but will still be considered of most importance throughout the country. This matter is highly important to B2B technology businesses in Colombia because few firms are aware of the importance of customer intimacy strategy, believing that it is just a matter of social relationships and not considering the diverse number of variables such us perception, trust and networking that compose it. Customer intimacy strategy at the end becomes the main and most relevant source of sales in a B2B technology environment in Colombia.

Difference variance dispersion graphs for comparing response surface designs with applications in food technology

Variance dispersion graphs have become a popular tool in aiding the choice of a response surface design. Often differences in response from some particular point, such as the expected position of the optimum or standard operating conditions, are more important than the response itself. We describe two examples from food technology. In the first, an experiment was conducted to find the levels of three factors which optimized the yield of valuable products enzymatically synthesized from sugars and to discover how the yield changed as the levels of the factors were changed from the optimum. In the second example, an experiment was conducted on a mixing process for pastry dough to discover how three factors affected a number of properties of the pastry, with a view to using these factors to control the process. We introduce the difference variance dispersion graph (DVDG) to help in the choice of a design in these circumstances. The DVDG for blocked designs is developed and the examples are used to show how the DVDG can be used in practice. In both examples a design was chosen by using the DVDG, as well as other properties, and the experiments were conducted and produced results that were useful to the experimenters. In both cases the conclusions were drawn partly by comparing responses at different points on the response surface.

Innovations in health care services: The CAALYX system

Purpose: This paper describes proposed health care services innovations, provided by a system called CAALYX (Complete Ambient Assisted Living eXperiment). CAALYX aimed to provide healthcare innovation by extending the state-of-the-art in tele-healthcare, by focusing on increasing the confidence of elderly people living autonomously, by building on the knowledge base of the most common disorders and respective characteristic vital sign changes for this age group. Methods: A review of the state-of-the-art on health care services was carried out. Then, extensive research was conducted on the particular needs of the elderly in relation to home health services that, if offered to them, could improve their day life by giving them greater confidence and autonomy. To achieve this, we addressed issues associated with the gathering of clinical data and interpretation of these data, as well as possibilities of automatically triggering appropriate clinical measures. Considering this initial work we started the identification of initiatives, ongoing works and technologies that could be used for the development of the system. After that, the implementation of CAALYX was done. Findings: The innovation in CAALYX system considers three main areas of contribution: (i) The Roaming Monitoring System that is used to collect information on the well-being of the elderly users; (ii) The Home Monitoring System that is aimed at helping the elders independently living at home being implemented by a device (a personal computer or a set top box) that supports the connection of sensors and video cameras that may be used for monitoring and for interaction with the elder; (iii) The Central Care Service and Monitoring System that is implemented by a Caretaker System where attention and care services are provided to elders, where actors as Caretakers, Doctors and Relatives are logically linked to elders. Innovations in each of these areas are presented here. Conclusions: The ageing European society is placing an added burden on future generations, as the 'elderly-to-working-age-people' ratio is set to steadily increase in the future. Nowadays, quality of life and fitness allows for most older persons to have an active life well into their eighties. Furthermore, many older persons prefer to live in their own house and choose their own lifestyle. The CAALYX system can have a clear impact in increasing older persons' autonomy, by ensuring that they do not need to leave their preferred environment in order to be properly monitored and taken care of. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Innovations in measurement in the United States official poverty lines

Includes bibliography

“Eco-innovations in more sustainable supply chains for a low-carbon economy: A multiple case study of human critical success factors in Brazilian leading companies”

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

New product development in brazilian technology-based small and medium enterprises

This article examines new product development (NPD) in small and medium-sized Brazilian enterprises (SMEs) in two technology-based industries: medical devices and process control automation devices. A conceptual model that categorizes factors that contribute to the success of a new product was established. The data were collected from a sample of 62 Brazilian SMEs. The conceptual model was tested to examine the relationships between NPD practices and new product success. Data analysis reveals that new product success in medical device companies is related to organizational characteristics such as NPD proficiency and marketing skills; while in process control automation device companies, they deal in a large degree with product differentiation, innovation and capability to analyze the targeted market. Due to the relatively small sample size, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results.

DRIVING AND RESTRICTIVE FACTORS IN THE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE CREATION: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY IN BRAZILIAN TECHNOLOGY-BASED ENTERPRISES

The article aims to analyze the process of knowledge creation in Brazilian technology-based companies, using as a background the driving and restrictive factors found in this process. As the pillars of discussion, four main modes of knowledge conversion were used, according to the Japanese model: socialization, externalization, combination and internalization. The comparative case method through qualitative research was carried out in nine technology-based enterprises that had been incubated or have recently passed through the stage of incubation (so-called graduated companies) in the Technology Park of Sao Carlos, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Among the main results, the combination of knowledge was identified as more conscious and structured in graduated companies, in relation to incubated companies. In contrast, it was noted that incubated companies have an environment with greater opportunities for socialization, internalization and externalization of knowledge.

Privacy Tradeoffs in Information Technology Law

The thesis aims to make the dynamics of the tradeoffs involving privacy more visible; both theoretically and in two of the central current policy debates in European data protection law, the right to be forgotten and online tracking. In doing so, it offers an explanation for data protection law from an economic perspective and provides a basis for the evaluation of further data protection measures.

Aspiration toxicology of hydrocarbons and lamp oils studied by in vitro technology

Medical literature regularly reports on accidental poisoning in children after aspiration of combustibles such as lamp oils which usually contain hydrocarbons or rape methyl esters (RMEs). We aimed to analyze the toxic potential of alkanes and different combustible classes in vitro with regard to biologic responses and mechanisms mediating toxicity. Two different in vitro models were used, i.e. (i) a captive bubble surfactometer (CBS) to assess direct influence of combustibles on biophysical properties of surfactant film and (ii) cell cultures (BEAS-2B and R3/1 cells, primary macrophages, re-differentiated epithelia) closely mimicking the inner lung surface. Biological endpoints included cell viability, cytotoxicity and inflammatory mediator release. CBS measurements demonstrate that combustibles affect film dynamics, i.e. the surface tension/area characteristics during compression and expansion, in a dose and molecular chain length dependent manner. Cell culture results confirm the dose dependent toxicity. Generally, cytotoxicity and cytokine release are higher in short-chained alkanes and hydrocarbon-based combustibles than in long-chained substances, e.g. highest inducible cytotoxicity in BEAS-2B was for hexane 84.6%, decane 74% and hexadecane 30.8%. Effects of RME-based combustibles differed between the cell models. Our results confirm data from animal experiments and give new insights into the mechanisms underlying the adverse health effects observed.