Distribution strategies for the base of the pyramid: an exploratory study in Brazil

Access has been one of the main difficulties companies have faced in emerging markets (PRAHALAD, 2005). The capillarity of the market, the existence of small, not professionalized and sometimes informal retailers, the lack of infrastructure and high transportation costs are some of the distribution challenges companies face in poorer regions. The literature concerning the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) is still recent and only after the seminal article by Prahalad and Hart (2002), it evolved into many different management perspectives. However, there is a lack of researches concerning distribution strategies to the BoP. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to identify, in the perception of executives working in the market, the conditions associated to a satisfactory distribution for the BoP market in Brazil and to build a substantive theory that helps to shed light to the understanding of the distribution phenomenon adopted by consumer goods companies to reach the BoP market in Brazil. In order to accomplish the objectives of this thesis, a grounded theory methodology (Glaser; Strauss, 1967; Corbin; Strauss, 2008) was used. This approach helped to identify the channel strategies used by local and global companies in the market. Many techniques for data collection were applied. The most important one was in-depth interviews with 26 executives from 24 different consumer goods companies in Brazil. Among the companies there were small, medium and large enterprises; which were also grouped as manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Furthermore, secondary data were examined to identify business strategies to reach BoP and map global distribution initiatives. A database from a consumer panel was also used to analyze what and where BoP consumers purchase non-durable goods. It was verified that small and traditional retailing is a very strong format in BoP markets and in the Northern/Northeastern regions. Cash & Carry is a format that is growing a lot. On the other hand, hypermarkets are not very used by low income population. The results suggest that three major categories are associated to a satisfactory distribution: (a) willingness, which means the effort, knowledge and enthusiasm a firm has to operate at BoP markets; (b) well-done execution, which is related to designing correctly the marketing channel and operating efficiently in an environment full of obstacles, such as lack of infrastructure, capillarity, lack of safety, regional differences and informality, and (c) relationship, which was perceived to be friendlier and essential at BoP markets, since it is very difficult for manufacturers to reach the entire market alone. It is more likely to have a satisfactory distribution when manufacturers establish strong relationships in the marketing channel. Besides, small retailers have a perception of isolation and expect a higher level of relationship. These major categories explain also the competitive advantage that local companies have in relation to MNCs and large companies. Despite of the limitations of an exploratory study, it is expected that this thesis will contribute to the BoP knowledge as well as to the identification of the peculiarities of distribution in BoP markets.

Strategic alliances between companies and non-governmental organizations pursuing the creation of shared value: an exploratory study at the base of the pyramid in Brazil

Na última década, uma crescente atenção tem sido dedicada ao desenvolvimento de estratégias que permitem uma empresa de atender os mercados de baixa renda de uma forma rentável e ao mesmo tempo enfrentar os desafios sociais. Uma das ferramentas estratégicas identificados para operar com sucesso na base da pirâmide ( BoP ), consiste no estabelecimento de alianças com organizações não governamentais (ONGs). Isso, no entanto, é um desafio, especialmente porque os atores do setor empresarial e da sociedade civil são movidos por um propósito diferente e adotam uma abordagem diferente na condução das suas atividades. O objetivo desta pesquisa é, portanto, investigar precisamente como ONGs e empresas podem alavancar os seus respectivos recursos e capacidades para criar valor econômico e social , servindo este segmento. Um estudo de casos múltiplos, com foco na base da pirâmide brasileira é utilizado, a fim de entender as dificuldades e fatores de sucesso para a criação e gestão de tais alianças e identificar os recursos e capacidades que são mobilizados por cada parceiro. Os resultados sugerem que as principais dificuldades estão em encontrar um parceiro adequado; superar percepções estereotipadas negativos e falta de confiança e, finalmente, na diferente estrutura, cultura e processos. Por sua vez, os fatores mais importantes que levam ao sucesso incluem a escolha do parceiro certo; compatibilidade em termos de missão, estratégia e valores; estabelecimento de confiança e comprometimento; comunicação eficaz e, finalmente, a capacidade da aliança de gerar valor para ambos os parceiros. Além disso, os resultados demostram que o papel das ONGs é na maior parte limitado a agir como uma ponte entre a empresa e as comunidades de baixa renda, enquanto as capacidades operacionais e os recursos financeiros são fornecidos pelas empresas.

Why merger talks collapse: an exploratory study about contributing factors to ‘wedding cold feet' and deal making failure in mergers and acquisitions from the perspective of active deal making professionals in Brazil

Why merger talks collapse: an exploratory study about contributing factors behind ‘wedding cold feet' and deal making failure in Mergers and Acquisitions from the perspective of active deal making professionals in Brazil. One basic question encouraged this study: after all the effort, expectations and money usually invested in dealmaking, why are so many transactions simply abandoned, even when the benefits are clear for the business, shareholders, customers and employees?

An improved and fast UHPLC-PDA methodology for determination of L-ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids in fruits and vegetables: evaluation of degradation rate during storage

This study provides a versatile validated method to determine the total vitamin C content, as the sum of the contents of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), in several fruits and vegetables and its degradability with storage time. Seven horticultural crops from two different origins were analyzed using an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatographic–photodiode array (UHPLC-PDA) system, equipped with a new trifunctional high strength silica (100% silica particle) analytical column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm particle size) using 0.1% (v/v) formic acid as mobile phase, in isocratic mode. This new stationary phase, specially designed for polar compounds, overcomes the problems normally encountered in HPLC and is suitable for the analysis of large batches of samples without L-AA degradation. In addition, it proves to be an excellent alternative to conventional C18 columns for the determination of L-AA in fruits and vegetables. The method was fully validated in terms of linearity, detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) limits, accuracy, and inter/intraday precision. Validation experiments revealed very good recovery rate of 96.6±4.4% for L-AA and 103.1±4.8 % for total vitamin C, good linearity with r2-values >0.999 within the established concentration range, excellent repeatability (0.5%), and reproducibility (1.6%) values. The LOD of the method was 22 ng/mL whereas the LOQ was 67 ng/mL. It was possible to demonstrate that L-AA and DHAA concentrations in the different horticulture products varied oppositely with time of storage not always affecting the total amount of vitamin C during shelf-life. Locally produced fruits have higher concentrations of vitamin C, compared with imported ones, but vegetables showed the opposite trend. Moreover, this UHPLC-PDA methodology proves to be an improved, simple, and fast approach for determining the total content of vitamin C in various food commodities, with high sensitivity, selectivity, and resolving power within 3 min of run analysis.

Determination of potassium and sodium in an ash sample by gamma-ray spectroscopy

Neutron activation analysis and gamma-ray spectroscopy were used to determine the quantity of potassium and sodium in an ash sample of Tabebuia sp bombarded with thermal neutrons. These techniques, widely applied in nuclear physics, can be used in the context of wood science as an alternative for the usual physical chemistry methods applied in this area. The quantity of K and Na in an 8.60 +/- 0.10 mg of ash was determined as being 1.3 +/- 0.3 mg and 11.0 +/- 1.8 mu g, respectively. The ratio of Tabebuia sp converted into ash was also determined as 0.758 +/- 0.004%.

Development and Validation of an UV-Derivative Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Glimepiride in Tablets

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

Multivariate optimization and validation of an analytical methodology by RP-HPLC for the determination of losartan potassium in capsules

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Validation of an HPLC Method for quantitative Determination of Benzocaine in PHBV-Microparticles and PLA-Nanoparticles

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

Investigation about the copper adsorption on the chloropropylsilica gel surface modified with a nanostructured dendrimer DAB-Am-16: an analytical application for determination of copper in different samples

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

Sex differences in the phenotypic expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder: an exploratory study from Brazil

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

Determination of the maximum inhibitory dilution of cetylpyridinium chloride-based mouthwashes against Staphylococcus aureus: an in vitro study

The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the maximum inhibitory dilution (MID) of four cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)based mouthwashes: CPC+Propolis, CPC+Malva, CPC+Eucaliptol+Jua+Roma+Propolis (Natural Honey (R)) and CPC (Cepacol (R)), against 28 Staphylococcus aureus field strains, using the agar dilution method. Decimal dilutions ranging from 1/10 to 1/655,360 were prepared and added to Mueller Hinton Agar. Strains were inoculated using Steers multipoint inoculator. The inocula were seeded onto the surface of the culture medium in Petri dishes containing different dilutions of the mouthwashes. The dishes were incubated at 37 degrees C for 24 h. For readings, the MID was considered as the maximum dilution of mouthwash still capable of inhibiting microbial growth. The obtained data showed that CPC+Propolis had antimicrobial activity against 27 strains at 1/320 dilution and against all 28 strains at 1/160 dilution, CPC+Malva inhibited the growth of all 28 strains at 1/320 dilution, CPC+Eucaliptol+Jua+Roma+Propolis inhibited the growth of 2 strains at 1/640 dilution and all 28 strains at 1/320 dilution, and Cepacol (R) showed antimicrobial activity against 3 strains at 1/320 dilution and against all 28 strains at 1/160 dilution. Data were submitted to Kruskal-Wallis test, showing that the MID of Cepacol (R) was lower than that determined for the other products (p<0.05). In conclusion, CPC-mouthwashes showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and the addition of other substances to CPC improved its antimicrobial effect.

Determination of the antimutagenicity of an aqueous extract of Rhizophora mangle L. (Rhizophoraceae), using in vivo and in vitro test systems

An aqueous extract of Rhizophora mangle L. bark is used as raw material in pottery making in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. This extract presents large quantities of tannins, compounds possessing antioxidant properties. Tannin antioxidant activity, as a plant chemical defense mechanism in the process of stabilizing free radicals, has been an incentive to studies on anti-mutagenicity. The present work aimed to evaluate possible antimutagenic activity of a R. mangle aqueous extract, using the Allium cepa test-system and micronuclear (MN) assay with blockage of cytokinesis in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO-K1). The Allium cepa test-system indicated antimutagenic activity against the damage induced by the mutagenic agent methyl methanesulfonate. A reduction in both MN cell frequency and chromosome breaks occurred in both the pre and post-treatment protocols. The MN testing of CHO-K1 cells revealed anti-mutagenic activity of the R. mangle extract against methyl methanesulfonate and doxorubicin in pre, simultaneous and post-treatment protocols. These results suggest the presence of phyto-constituents in the extract presenting demutagenic and bio-antimutagenic activities. Since the chemical constitution of Rhizophora mangle species presents elevated tannin content, it is highly probable that these compounds are the antimutagenic promoters themselves.

Development of an HPLC-UV/Vis method for the determination of dyes in a gasoline sample employing different pre-treatments

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

AN IMPROVED ELECTROPHORETIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF SERUM MILK PROTEIN VARIANTS IN GYR-HOLSTEIN COWS

Milk serum proteins such as alpha-lactalbumin (ALA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) present biochemical polymorphism which is under the control of codominant autosomal alleles. In the present report, we propose modifications of traditional electrophoretic techniques such as increasing the running gel concentration from 5 to 10% and the addition of 5 M urea to the stacking gel, which permitted the detection of two variants (A and B) at the ALA and BLG loci. About 8 mul of milk serum (6 mg/ml protein) and 10 pl of total fresh milk were applied. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunolactoglobulins (ILG) could also be discriminated. Total fresh milk was as useful as the purified serum milk proteins for the discrimination of ALA and BLG serum milk protein polymorphism by alkaline vertical slab polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, BSA and ILG ran with caseins, which prevented their characterization in this system.