The market strategies alternatives of an e-business start-up in Brazil

The e-business market is one of the fastest growing markets in Brazil, with e-business sales accounting for BRL 14.8 billion in 2010 and a growth of 40% per year (+1000% over the past 7 years). Sales-event clubs and collective bargaining websites are one of the most dynamic segments of the e-business market: the number of new players is increasing rapidly, with over 1200 collective bargaining websites currently operating in Brazil. In that context, growth and differentiation seem to be two key success factors for Coquelux. According to webshopper (23rd Edition, e-bit), growth can be achieved by targeting middle and low-income consumers from class C, who represent 50% of the total e-commerce sales. But Coquelux, which is specialized in desire and luxury brands, has built its reputation and competitive advantage through its “exclusivity”, by targeting wealthier consumers from classes A and B who are attracted by its fashionable and high-end positioning. The evolution (growth?) of this market and the development of its competition naturally raise a strategic question for Coquelux’s managers: can Coquelux grow and still maintain its competitive advantage? Should it grow by expanding its consumer base to class C? If so, how? Consumers from classes A, B or C must be targeted through the same online communication channels. Recent studies from the ABEP/ABIPEME emphasized the importance of social networks as a tool for converting new clients and gaining their loyalty, regardless of their social class. However, high-income and low-income e-consumers do not have the same consumption habits, do not respond to the same type of marketing strategies, and most importantly, do not share the same values. Thus, it seems difficult to expand Coquelux’s consumer base to class C without changing its marketing strategies and altering its image Three options were identified for Coquelux: reinforcing its leadership on the luxury segment and focusing on a small niche market (1), which would threaten its survival in the long run; completely changing its strategy and competing for a mass market through commercial brands (2), which requires major financial investments that managers don’t have access to; or finding an intermediary solution (3). This thesis’ recommendation for the third option consists in focusing on premium brands (rather than luxury) in order to increase sales volume (Coquelux’s most profitable sales happened with local desire brands) with products that appeal to class B but also attract the emerging class C which is looking for brand recognition. It could thus implement a slow entry strategy towards the mass market without damaging its main competitive advantage.

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.

Teaching the Rational Use of Medicines to medical students: a qualitative research

Background: Prescribing is a complex and challenging task that must be part of a logical deductive process based on accurate and objective information and not an automated action, without critical thinking or a response to commercial pressure. The objectives of this study were 1) develop and implement a discipline based on the WHO's Guide to Good Prescribing; 2) evaluate the course acceptance by students; 3) assess the impact that the Rational Use of Medicines (RUM) knowledge had on the students habits of prescribing medication in the University Hospital.Methods: In 2003, the RUM principal, based in the WHO's Guide to Good Prescribing, was included in the official curriculum of the Botucatu School of Medicine, Brazil, to be taught over a total of 24 hours to students in the 4th year. We analyzed the students' feedback forms about content and teaching methodology filled out immediately after the end of the discipline from 2003 to 2010. In 2010, the use of RUM by past students in their medical practice was assessed through a qualitative approach by a questionnaire with closed-ended rank scaling questions distributed at random and a single semistructured interview for content analysis.Results: The discipline teaches future prescribers to use a logical deductive process, based on accurate and objective information, to adopt strict criteria (efficacy, safety, convenience and cost) on selecting drugs and to write a complete prescription. At the end of it, most students considered the discipline very good due to the opportunity to reflect on different actions involved in the prescribing process and liked the teaching methodology. However, former students report that although they are aware of the RUM concepts they cannot regularly use this knowledge in their daily practice because they are not stimulated or even allowed to do so by neither older residents nor senior medical staff.Conclusions: This discipline is useful to teach RUM to medical students who become aware of the importance of this subject, but the assimilation of the RUM principles in the institution seems to be a long-term process which requires the involvement of a greater number of the academic members.

Clinical Viability for Immediate Loading of Dental Implants: Part II-Treatment Alternatives

The treatment with implants aims to obtain a direct interface between bone and implant. The implant is kept load-free during 4 to 6 months in the 2-stage procedure, which is considered a requisite for osseointegration. However, this period is based on empirical principles and uncomfortable for patient. So, the immediate loading protocol was Suggested to submit implants to occlusal function after placement. This protocol has been applied for several conditions of edentulism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment alternatives for immediate loading of complete and partial edentulous patients. In general, the studies have demonstrated high previsibility for rehabilitation of complete edentulous arches with full-arch, implant-supported prosthesis. The rehabilitation with immediate loading for maxillary overdenture is questionable because there is no longitudinal study in literature. The studies with partial edentulous arches have demonstrated high success rates for implants placed in the mandibular and maxillary anterior region. Additional care is recommended for posterior region mainly in the maxillary arch, and further studies are suggested to corroborate this treatment.

Use of Medicines Among a Brazilian Elderly Sample: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: The use of multiple medicines is very frequent among the elderly, allowing them to perceive more often adverse side effects from drugs and present undesirable drug interactions.Methods: This article presents a cross-sectional survey about the use of medicines among 300 elderly Brazilians, equally divided into institutionalized and community-dwelling groups.Results: The average daily intake of medicines is 3.2 among institutionalized elderly, a higher (p < 0.001) number when compared with community-dwelling elderly, who takes an average of 1.8 medicines daily. The most commonly used medications are antihypertensives (58.0%), diuretics (23.0%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (22.7%), supplements (21.7%), antidiabetics (16.3%), and antiulcerants (14.0%). Antiulcerants, diuretics, supplements, and central nervous system drugs are more frequently used by institutionalized than by community-dwelling elderly.Conclusion: In this Brazilian elderly sample, the most widely used medicines were antihypertensives, diuretics, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and institutionalized used more medications than community-dwelling elderly. Copyright (C) 2011, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.

Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni thermal spray coatings as alternatives to hard chromium for erosion-corrosion resistance

Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni coatings are widely used for wear applications at high and room temperature, respectively. Due to the high corrosion resistance of NiCr binder, Cr3C2-NiCr coatings are also used in corrosive environments. The application of WC-Ni coatings in corrosive media is 14 not recommended due to the poor corrosion resistance of the (pure Ni) metallic matrix. It is well known that the addition of Cr to the metallic binder improves the corrosion properties. Erosion-corrosion performance of thermal spray coatings is widely influenced by ceramic phase composition, the size of ceramic particles and also the composition of the metallic binder. In the present work, two types of HVOF thermal spray coatings (Cr3C2-NiCr and WC-Ni) obtained with different spray conditions were studied and compared with conventional micro-cracked hard chromium coatings. Both as-sprayed and polished samples were tested under two erosion-corrosion conditions with different erosivity. Tungsten carbide coatings showed better performance under the most erosive condition, while chromium carbide coatings were superior under less erosive conditions. Some of the tungsten carbide coatings and hard chromium showed similar erosion-corrosion behaviour under more and less erosive conditions. The erosion-corrosion and electrochemical results showed that surface polishing improved the erosion-corrosion properties of the thermally sprayed coatings. The corrosion behaviour of the different coatings has been compared using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curves. Total material loss due to erosion-corrosion was determined by weight loss measurements. An estimation of the corrosion contribution to the total weight loss was also given. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of pharmacotherapeutic safety of medical prescriptions for elderly residents in a long-term care facility

The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of elderly using potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and with occurrence of potentially hazardous drug interactions (PHDI), to identify the risk factors for the prescription of PIM and to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical intervention (PI) for the prescription of safer therapeutic alternatives. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was performed in a long-term care facility in São Paulo State, between December/2010 and January/2011. The medical records of the patients >= 60 years old who took any drugs were consulted to assess the pharmacotherapeutic safety of the medical prescriptions, in order to identify PIM and PHDI, according to the Beers (2003) and World Health Organization criteria, respectively. PI consisted of a guidance letter to the physician responsible for the institution, with the suggestions of safer equivalent therapeutics. Approximately 88% of the elderly took at least one drug, and for 30% of them the PIM had been prescribed. Most of the PIM identified (53.4%) act on the central nervous system. Among the 13 different DI detected, 6 are considered PHDI. Polypharmacy was detected as a risk factor for PIM prescription. After the PI there was no change in medical prescriptions of patients who had been prescribed PIM or PHDI. The data suggests that PI performed by letter, as the only interventional, method was ineffective. To contribute it a wide dissemination of PIM and PHDI among prescriber professionals is necessary for the selection of safer treatment for elderly. Additionally, a pharmacist should be part of the health care team in order to help promote rational use of medicines.

Alternatives Panels from Waste Plastics Reinforced With Fibers of Pupunha Palm for Use in Civil Construction and Furniture Industry

In order to cooperate in minimizing the problems of the current and growing volume of waste, this work aims at the production of panels made from industrial waste -thermoplastic (Polypropylene - PP; Polyethylene - PE and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - ABS) reinforced with agro-industrial waste - pupunha palm waste (shells and sheaths). The properties of the panels were evaluated: density, thickness swelling, water absorption and moisture content. It was used the ASTM D1037; EN 317; and ANSI A208.1 standards regarding particle boards. The best results in physical tests were treatments 1 (100% waste plastic), 6 (60% plastic waste and 40% waste of pupunha) and 7 (70% waste plastic and 30% waste of pupunha). The best results in the mechanical tests were treatments 3 (30% de residuos plasticos e 70% de residuos da pupunha), 4 (40% de residuos plasticos c 60% de residuos da pupunha) and 5 (50% de residuos plasticos e 50% de residuos da pupunha). For mechanical tests it was concluded that the results of modulus of rupture and of modulus of elasticity the best treatments were those with more fibers. In the tensile tests perpendicular to the surface, it is clear that using more waste plastics leads to the best results. It was concluded that the waste can be used as raw material for the production of alternative materials mainly in civil construction and furniture industries, and it can be employed in urban or rural environment, given the concept of eco-efficient products.

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.

Alternatives for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis: Physico-Chemical Characterization of an Inclusion Complex Between Praziquantel and Hydroxypropyl-beta-Cyclodextrin

"Alternatives for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis: Physico-Chemical Characterization of an Inclusion Complex Between Praziquantel and Hydroxypropyl-beta-Cyclodextrin". Praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice commonly used for the treatment of shistosomiasis. However, it has low aqueous solubility, which could limit its bioavailability in the body. To circumvent these features, an inclusion complex with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-beta-CD) was prepared. Thus, the objective of this work was to prepare and characterize the PZQ/HP-beta-CD inclusion complex. Morphological, spectroscopic, and calorimetric analysis showed the first signs of the guest/host interaction. The complexation kinetic analysis was used to determine the kinetic constant and, besides that, it was possible to establish the time consumed to reach equilibrium. Using the solubility isotherm, it was observed that the interaction with HP-beta-CD increased 2.4 fold the aqueous solubility of plain PZQ. In vitro cytotoxicity tests, using fibroblast cells, evidenced no toxicity for these cells at the concentrations tested. These results demonstrated that there is a potential use of PZQ in formulations with HP-beta-CD.

Policy alternatives and strategies for the Plurinational State of Bolivia following the end of trade preferences

Include bibliography

Policy alternatives and strategies for the Plurinational State of Bolivia following the end of trade preferences

Includes bibliography

Sistemas de pensiones de América Latina, diagnóstico y alternativas de reforma. Estudios de caso de América Latina y el Caribe: conclusiones y recomendaciones, Santiago 3-5 diciembre 1990 y 22-23 agosto 1991 = Pension systems in Latin America: diagnosis and reform alternatives. Case studies in Latin America and the Caribbean: conclusions and recommendations, Santiago, 3-5 December 1990 and 22-23 August 1991

Documentos presentados a dos seminarios realizados en la Sede de CEPAL en Santiago entre el 3 y 5 de diciembre de 1990 y el 22 y 23 de agosto de 1991

Planificación en economías mixtas de mercado y los paradigmas del desarrollo: problemas y alternativas = Planning in mixed market economies and the paradigms of development: problems and alternatives

Analiza la mayor integracion en una economia mundial inestable e incierta, los limites y potencialidades del actual esquema de planificacion, la crisis de los paradigmas economicos, y la necesidad de constituir un nuevo paradigma economico con un enfoque multidisciplinario.