The expansion model of the major Chilean retail chains

Includes bibliography

Qualidade microbiológica de rações para cães comercializadas no varejo em embalagem fechada e a granel

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Qualidades intrínsecas para inovação de produtos em piso e revestimento de cerâmica vermelha do APL de São Miguel do Guamá

A presente dissertação representa uma contribuição na resolução de problema de inovação de produtos na indústria de cerâmica vermelha no Município de São Miguel do Guamá, no Estado do Pará. Apresenta-se uma metodologia, baseada na estratégia do QFD (Desdobramento da Função Qualidade), que associa os requisitos dos consumidores na elaboração dos projetos do produto e dos processos de produção. A falta de conhecimento dos produtos ou serviços a serem vendidos é uma das principais (e óbvias) razões do fracasso de pequenas empresas varejistas e de serviços. No atual nível de competitividade, a informação é o elemento fundamental para o sucesso empresarial e adaptação ao mercado, não só no sentido de obter e acumular estas informações, mas também de saber interpretá-las e utilizálas adequadamente e de forma criativa. A qualidade do produto é avaliada tanto no aspecto interno (especificações técnicas) quanto no aspecto externo (qualidades exigidas pelos clientes). A pesquisa mostra, além da realidade que vive o setor das indústrias de cerâmica, a importância e os atributos da qualidade definidos pelos consumidores relativo as cerâmicas vermelhas. O trabalho também mostra os resultados da aplicação da metodologia em uma das empresas do setor, mediante o desdobramentos da qualidade exigida, estabelece a qualidade planejada.

Regulamentação Sanitária de Medicamentos

A regulamentação sanitária de medicamentos é uma das oito diretrizes da Política Nacional de Medicamentos. Trata-se da fiscalização e regulamentação de registro de medicamentos e da autorização de funcionamento desde os produtores até o varejo de medicamentos, bem como das restrições àqueles sujeitos a controle especial. A regulamentação sanitária de medicamentos tem como objetivo garantir eficácia, segurança, qualidade e custo aos produtos farmacêuticos. Os estudos clínicos dos medicamentos de Referência, a bioequivalência ou biodisponibilidade relativa e testes de equivalência dos medicamentos similares e genéricos são meios de avaliar a eficácia e a segurança. A qualidade é garantida lote a lote pelas Boas Práticas de Fabricação e Controle dos produtos farmacêuticos e a certificação da empresa pela ANVISA. O custo é avaliado pela câmara técnica de medicamento (CMED), que estabelece os critérios para fixação e ajuste de preços dos produtos farmacêuticos. No pós-registro, a efetividade, segurança e qualidade dos produtos são avaliadas por meio das comprovações exigidas na renovação do registro e, principalmente, pelo programa de farmacovigilância. Palavras-chave: Registro de Produtos. Medicamentos de Referência. Medicamentos Similares. Medicamentos Genéricos. Alteração de Registro de Produtos. ABSTRACT Health Regulations for Drugs The health regulation of drugs is one of eight guidelines issued within the National Drug Policy. It refers to the supervision and regulation of drug registration and the approval of operations, from the manufacturers to the retailers of medicines, as well as the restrictions that apply to drugs under special control. The health regulation of medicines is aimed at controlling the effectiveness, safety, quality and cost of pharmaceutical products. Clinical studies of brand-name (innovator) medicines, bioequivalence or relative bioavailability and the equivalence tests of generic and ‘similar’ brand-name drugs are means used to assess efficacy and safety. Quality is assured on a batch-to-batch basis by compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices and Control of pharmaceutical products and by the certification of companies offered by ANVISA. The cost of a medicine is assessed by the Technical Chamber of Medicine (CMED), which establishes the criteria for setting and adjusting the prices of pharmaceutical products. After registration, the effectiveness, safety and quality of products are monitored by means of the tests required on renewal of registration and especially by the pharmacovigilance program. Keywords: Product Registration. Original Brand-name Drugs. Similar Drugs. Generic Drugs. Modification of Product Registration.

Transição para um novo centro de distribuição logístico em uma indústria de confecção

In a highly competitive environment for manufacturers and retailers in the garment sector, flexible solutions for warehousing, distribution and exhibition of products directly influence the cost and responsiveness to market demands. This work refers to a Textile/Clothing, which undergoes a process of restructuring and growth, where we evaluated the need for professionalism in all its processes, so that the high demands were met in a sales perennial. Thus, this study aims to identify and analyze possible improvements in the process of transition from a logistics/manufacturing force in a Textile/Clothing in existence since 1998, located in São Paulo, a framework for a new logistics Center Distribution Logistics. The theoretical basis of the research literature addresses as Distribution Center and its basic functions, layout and performance indicators. As result it was mapped the current logistics processes, contributing directly to the development of the layout of the new Distribution Center. Have also been established KPI,s ( Key Performance Indicator) and Logistics Performance Indicators showing the actual process performance, helping professionals in make decisions

Análise do clima organizacional na integração de duas empresas do setor varejista: identificando dificuldades e possibilidades de melhoria

In 2010 two retailers signed an association agreement to gain an advantage in the market, however this association has promoted many changes within the companies. So this study had the objective to analyze the organizational climate, in the integration of companies context, in order to early detect deficiencies that could pose risks to the process of integration. The results collected from the questionnaires revealed the perceptions and expectations of employees regarding the integration of companies and their level of satisfaction with the organization, in addition, the data obtained from interviews allowed us to understand and to find some causes to the level of satisfaction presented by employees. The results made possible to identify strengths as the company‟s image, points of failure in communication and training and dissatisfaction with the workload, then some actions were suggested with the intention to achieve greater engagement and commitment of employees and consequently contribute to the success of the Integration Program. The conclusion of this study is that the changes promoted by the integration of companies impacted in the organizational climate and increased employees dissatisfaction

Mudanças estruturais nas cadeias de valor na indústria do vestuário: um estudo de caso

In the early 1990 Gary Gereffi and Miguel Korzeniewicz published the book Commodity Chains and Global Capitalism. In the two decades prior to the publication, industrialization worldwide, had undergone significant changes, made more segmented and dispersed in certain regions. In the book, the authors produce a new set of categories to analyze the new standards for establishment and operation of global value chains, their organization, the new geography of manufacturing and the role of the countries in this scenario. Today, in the middle of the second decade of this century, world trade has expanded and multiplied continuously throughout this period, encouraged by reducing barriers and national borders promoted by 'peddlers' of this new era. The purpose of this study is to show that retailers are establishing purchasing offices in producing countries - or in nearby regions - to directly hire outsourced production

Validação de protocolo sensorial para avaliação de carne bovina

Beef quality control, particularly its sensory characteristics, is an important factor for producers and retailers in order to satisfy consumer’s choices. Sensory analysis is an important tool to evaluate attributes that cannot be measured by easily available instrumental techniques, as well as texture – tenderness and juiciness – whose human perception is more complete, through trained panels. The aim of this study was evaluate the use of a beef sensory analysis protocol in three different laboratories. Six commercial samples of different brands of aged beef and 14 samples from crossbred animals (Bonsmara × Nelore - 7 and Canchim × Nelore - 7), aged during 14 days were analyzed. The samples were distributed to each participant laboratory, where 7 to 12 panelists were trained. A sheet containing a 9 cm non-structured scale with 14 attributes was used. The attributes were brown colour (CMAR); aponevrosis (PNAP); hydration degree (GH); characteristic beef aroma (SCCB); salty taste (SS); liver flavour (SF); fat flavour (SG); metallic flavour (SM); tenderness (MZ); juiciness (SL); fibrosity (FBS) and liver texture (SF). Obtained data was analyzed using analysis of variance and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that there was no interaction between samples and laboratories, indicating that all of them responded in a similar manner in relation to the samples, except PNAP attribute, which was expected as meat is very non-uniform normally. Samples were well differentiated in all laboratories as it could be observed in PCA graphs. With proper training it is possible to use a standard protocol for beef sensory analysis.

Groups of services delivered by Brazilian branchless banking and respective network integration models

Over the last decade, Brazil has pioneered an innovative model of branchless banking, known as correspondent banking, involving distribution partnership between banks, several kinds of retailers and a variety of other participants, which have allowed an unprecedented growth in bank outreach and became a reference worldwide. However, despite the extensive number of studies recently developed focusing on Brazilian branchless banking, there exists a clear research gap in the literature. It is still necessary to identify the different business configurations involving network integration through which the branchless banking channel can be structured, as well as the way they relate to the range of bank services delivered. Given this gap, our objective is to investigate the relationship between network integration models and services delivered through the branchless banking channel. Based on twenty interviews with managers involved with the correspondent banking business and data collected on almost 300 correspondent locations, our research is developed in two steps. First, we created a qualitative taxonomy through which we identified three classes of network integration models. Second, we performed a cluster analysis to explain the groups of financial services that fit each model. By contextualizing correspondents' network integration processes through the lens of transaction costs economics, our results suggest that the more suited to deliver social-oriented, "pro-poor'' services the channel is, the more it is controlled by banks. This research offers contributions to managers and policy makers interested in understanding better how different correspondent banking configurations are related with specific portfolios of services. Researchers interested in the subject of branchless banking can also benefit from the taxonomy presented and the transaction costs analysis of this kind of banking channel, which has been adopted in a number of developing countries all over the world now. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An investigation about Brazilian mango and grape exports

Purpose - The objective of this paper is to characterise the transactions between European buyers and Brazilian mango and grape producers. Design/methodology/approach - The method selected for this paper was multiple case studies. The Brazilian mango and grape supply chains' export activities to Europe were investigated. The field research was undertaken in Brazil, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK. In total, 41 face-to-face interviews were carried out. Findings - The supermarkets' literature tends to generalise the strategies of retailers focusing on differentiation and preferred suppliers. However, in empirical research conducted in the UK, Germany and The Netherlands it is possible to conclude that the procurement strategies of supermarkets can vary sharply. The results reveal the presence of different agents who demand different quality standards. The level of intensity depends on consumer behaviour, the features of product commercialised and the characteristics of the production segment in each country. Research limitations/implications - First, in relation to the empirical method there is a limitation because the case study does not allow statistical generalisation. Consequently, it will be interesting to undertake quantitative research in order to quantify the variables presented and their impact on the structure of value chains. Second, the research focuses only on two stages of the supply chain, producers and buyers. Practical implications - The differences between UK and German supermarkets challenge the supermarket literature, which tends to generalise the strategies of retailers focusing on differentiation and preferred suppliers. Originality/value - The study shows that the issue of influence and activities of retail agents along the value chain can be analysed taking several variables into consideration: the products commercialised; the distribution segment; and the consumer market. This result opens the way for analysing different structures of the value chain and the impact of these differences on the entry of producers for developing countries into the global market.

Eyewear selector

[EN]The widespread availability of portable computing power and inexpensive digital cameras is opening up new possibilities for retailers. One example is in optical shops, where a number of systems exist that facilitate eyeglasses selection. These systems are now more necessary as the market is saturated with an increasingly complex array of lenses, frames, coatings, tints, photochromic and polarizing treatments, etc. Research challenges encompass Computer Vision, Multimedia and Human-Computer Interaction. Cost factors are also of importance for widespread product acceptance. This paper describes a low-cost system that allows the user to visualize di erent spectacle models in live video. The user can also move the spectacles to adjust its position on the face. Experiments show the potential of the system.

Il ruolo della grande distribuzione nello sviluppo locale. Un'indagine sul contesto italiano

Supermarkets and hypermarkets still represent a relatively new retailing format in Italy and in its Southern area in particular, where they were introduced decades later than in other Western countries, such as France and the UK in Europe, and the US in America. Nowadays, these retailers have become large organisations potentially capable of influencing local development from an economic, social and urban perspective. The literature concerned with their effects on the local economy, in particular, has focused on labour markets, price dynamics, inter-type competition, instead the impact on macroeconomic factors such as GDP, value added and investments in specific sectors, as agriculture, industry and services. This study tries to fill this gap by empirically investigating associations between key characteristics of these retailers and specific macroeconomic factors.

Agrofood chain analysis: production, commercialisation and consumption of healthy food for population at risk of poverty in Italy

Italy registers a fast increase of low income population. Academics and policy makers consider income inequalities as a key determinant for low or inadequate healthy food consumption. Thus the objective is to understand how to overcome the agrofood chain barriers towards healthy food production, commercialisation and consumption for population at risk of poverty (ROP) in Italy. The study adopts a market oriented food chain approach, focusing the research ambit on ROP consumers, processing industries and retailers. The empirical investigation adopts a qualitative methodology with an explorative approach. The actors are investigated through 4 focus groups for consumers and carrying out 27 face to face semi-structured interviews for industries and retailers’ representatives. The results achieved provide the perceptions of each actor integrated into an overall chain approach. The analysis shows that all agrofood actors lack of an adequate level of knowledge towards healthy food definition. Food industries and retailers also show poor awareness about ROP consumers’ segment. In addition they perceive that the high costs for producing healthy food conflict with the low economic performances expected from ROP consumers’ segment. These aspects induce a scarce interest in investing on commercialisation strategies for healthy food for ROP consumers. Further ROP consumers show other notable barriers to adopt healthy diets caused, among others, by a personal strong negative attitude and lack of motivation. The personal barriers are also negatively influenced by several external socio-economic factors. The solutions to overcome the barriers shall rely on the improvement of the agrofood chain internal relations to identify successful strategies for increasing interest on low cost healthy food. In particular the focus should be on improved collaboration on innovation adoption and marketing strategies, considering ROP consumers’ preferences and needs. An external political intervention is instead necessary to fill the knowledge and regulations’ gaps on healthy food issues.

Fattori relazionali e di coordinamento nella filiera agro-alimentare: una valutazione della governance relazionale nel settore lattiero caseario sardo

Characteristics of modern food demand force retailers to acquire more information about product process along the food supply chain to ensure that product are in accordance with consumer preference. Therefore, the product process involves more information flows between buyer and supplier which requires collaborative efforts. These changes translate into several studies on the inter-organizational relationship in agri-food systems. Studies on inter-organizational relationships have been conducted in various academic disciplines, including sociology, psychology, law, economics, marketing, management, and combination of these. Inter-organizational relationships is an interaction between organizations which involved firms horizontally, as well as, vertically. In this study we deal with vertical, buyer-seller relationship which are sometimes referred to chain relationships. We define vertical business relationship in the agriculture-food based sector as “agri-food chain relationships”. The focus is on sustainable inter-organizational relationships in a way that they can be scientifically investigated. We study characteristics which ensure that a relationship is long-lasting and rewarding for all involved parties in the sardinian dairy. We test the theoretical model using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that the most important determinant for the relationships is technology and the price isn’t significant for the relationship governance.

Tutela e valorizzazione delle produzioni agroalimentari di qualità attraverso strategie di brand management.Il modello Coop.

Questa tesi di dottorato verte sull'individuazione di politiche industriali atte ad implementare il mercato dei prodotti a denominazione di origine. Inevitabilmente, l’analisi economica dei prodotti agroalimentari tipici di qualità implica anche l’approfondimento e l’individuazione, delle problematiche connesse con la creazione di un valore addizionale per il consumatore, rispetto a quello dei prodotti standardizzati. Questo approccio richiama l’attenzione, da una parte, sulle caratteristiche della domanda e sulla disponibilità del consumatore a riconoscere e apprezzare questo plus-valore, dall’altra sulle strategie che l’offerta può attivare per conseguire un premium price rispetto al prodotto standardizzato. Le certificazioni comunitarie Dop, Igp e Stg oltre che il marchio di prodotto biologico racchiudono, solitamente, tali dinamiche valoriali ma sono tutt’oggi poco conosciute dai consumatori. Diversi studi internazionali dimostrano, infatti, che la maggioranza dei cittadini comunitari ignorano il significato delle certificazioni di qualità. L’ipotesi di fondo di questo studio si basa sulla possibilità di fidelizzare questi marchi con i brand della grande distribuzione già affermati, come quello di Coop. Analizzare gli effetti dell’introduzione di prodotti private label a denominazione di origine nel mercato della grande distribuzione organizzata italiana ci permetterebbe di comprendere se questo segmento di mercato può aiutare il settore delle Dop/Igp. Questo studio ha cercato di verificare se il prodotto private label a denominazione di origine, riesca a sfruttare il doppio binario di fiducia rappresentato dal marchio comunitario unito a quello dell’impresa di distribuzione. Per comprendere la propensione del consumatore a spendere di più per questi prodotti, abbiamo utilizzato l’analisi dell’elasticità della domanda sul prezzo dei dati scanner fornitici da Coop Adriatica. Siamo riusciti a dimostrare tale positivo connubio confermato anche da una indagine demoscopica effettuata ad hoc sui consumatori.