GESTÃO AMBIENTAL E COMPETITIVIDADE EM DESTINOS TURÍSTICOS: percepção dos gestores de pequenos meios de hospedagem de Natal/RN sobre o uso de práticas ambientais como fator de competitividade

The present work aimed at investigating the small hotel managers perceptions from Natal/RN concerning the environmental practice uses as a competitive factor. This study is characterized as a descriptive exploratory research that used an aleatory probabilistic sample followed by the application of collect data instrument (questionnaire). The small hotels located in Natal/RN were the study participants and the specific location where 35 questionnaires were answered. Based on the data and on the mangers point of view, it is possible to comprehend that, among the presented indicators, the development of environmental programs in the hotel enterprise is showed as the least important for the client s choice. As the main conclusion it is relevant to argue that, according to the small hotel managers, the guests do not still search for hotels that implement environmental practices. On the other side, the interviewed managers believe that the use of these practices can generate a great competitive advantage in relation to their competitors. The information obtained by this present research will be able to contribute to establish a contemporary panorama in relation to the importance attributed by the managers concerning the use of environmental practices in small hotel enterprises in Natal/RN. In addition the correct use of this information can generate possibilities of major competitiveness in this segment

Ensino superior em Turismo: uma análise da relação dos cursos acadêmicos de Turismo da cidade do Natal-RN e o mercado de trabalho na percepção dos egressos dos anos de 2009 e 2010

The process of development of any area is closely linked to teaching and research, and in Tourism it is not different. Thus, in this area in which service is one of the factors intrinsically related to its success , it is observed the need for people with deep and critical training in the various aspects of this activity acting in this sector. However, we can see the existence of some differences between what is offered by the academy from what is required by the market. Therefore, the objective of this research is to verify the relationship between higher education in Tourism and labor market through the perception of the bachelor in this area, graduated in Natal-RN, since it is the tourismologist who makes the link between this two fields. To know the perception of these tourismologists, it was necessary to apply a questionnaire to those ones graduated in the years 2009 and 2010. In accordance with the aim of this study, this research was exploratory-descriptive. Related to the technical procedures, it was a documentary, literature and field research. To have it analyzed, some qualitative and quantitative techniques were applied according to our specific objectives and the types of data collected, such as: content analysis, factorial analysis to synthesize the information and identify the basic dimensions that represent the different variables studied, the standard deviation to verify the variation of the responses in some items and the correlation technique that allows the analysis of the relationship between two variables. In response to the objectives proposed here, we could finally conclude that: the syllabuses of these courses are too general and the graduates themselves consider them so. It was diagnosed that the graduates 1) are mostly female, 2) a very small part of them is working in the area that they are graduated in, and 3) not all of them receive satisfactory wages which contributes to having a negative view of their degree course. Moreover, the educational institution where they studied was not a decisive factor to get a job. It was still diagnosed that most part of them do not have positive perceptions when thinking about the future of their careers as bachelors in Tourism. Many of them, including, if it was possible to change something in their careers so far, they could have chosen another college degree. It was found that, although there is a negative perception about their professional future, almost half of them believe that the course met the needs of the market. However, those ones that are not working have a more positive point of view related to the applicability of higher education. On the other hand, the other ones who already worked in this area have a more negative perception about it and do not believe that the course meets the market's needs. In summary, this study allowed the understanding of the existence of some gaps that exist between higher education in Tourism and the market needs, professionally speaking, thus contributing to the spreading of ideas on that subject for teachers, researchers and the current and future students of the area.

Turismo, capital social e produção do espaço: uma leitura a partir do município de Natal/RN no período de 1980 a 2012

Nowadays, there is a tourism phase in the city of Natal/RN called internationalization of tourism , which shows a tourism model with a planning and an administration, based on the needs of the visitors. Such process shows that the production as well as the reproduction of the city spaces with the goal of favor tourism excludes of its composition the effective participation of local subjects. Thus, the research is a result of the perception of tourism as an activity with a meaningful power of transformation of the social and natural space taking into account the low participation of the residents in the decisions of the tourism activities in the city of Natal/RN. Despite that reality, it is possible to note Natal that civil society, starts to mobilize its citizens trying to develop collective actions to low the negative impacts caused by the bad planning as wells not efficient tourism administration, trying to put in action the right of the local population to take part in the decisions of the city activities. Having this panorama as background, this paper aims at investigating in which way the mobilizing action of the social capital in Natal has contributed to change the spatial production which is part of the process of expansion of tourism in Natal/RN? The research presents a temporal picture which starts in the year of 1980, when occurs the first effective state intervention aiming to develop tourism in the capital, taking into account an analysis of 2012. Concerning the spatial picture, the research investigates the beaches of Natal which concentrates criteria and actions such as: visitation, tourism appeal and focus of investments, highlighting the following beaches: Ponta Negra, Areia Preta, Praia dos Artistas, Praia do Meio, Praia do Forte and Redinha. This study is of a descriptive and exploratory nature concerning its goals. With respect to the treatment of its object it is a qualitative research. The data was collected through structural interviews, with open questions. Regarding the methodological choices, it was used the content analysis proposed as well as the collective discursive subject methodology. The results show that there´s not yet in Natal a meaningful social capital related to tourism, capable to change the spatial production related to the activity. It should be stressed that Natal social capital presents difficulties concerning the incentive to trust, spontaneous cooperation and the civic participation, which are the foundation for the development of an effective social capital, which makes it harder for a more expressive articulation in the reality in Natal/RN. It should be stressed, as an answer to the research questions, that tourism in Natal/RN is represented by social and spatial segregation. In other words it emphasizes mainly the action of hegemonic agents (State and market), leaving little room for the participation of society. It can be noticed that the actions related to tourism in Natal keeps the popular participation out of the way. Thus, it can be said that the social capital in Natal/RN does not yet contribute to a more fair spatial production related to the expansion of the tourism as well as the well being of the population of Natal/RN. In conclusion, it should be taken into account that this participation do exists but not in a meaningful way. In other words, it´s not enough yet to cause meaningful changes in the actions which tourism needs nowadays in Natal/RN

Fatores que influenciam o apoio dos residentes á megaeventos: uma análise sobre o projeto FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 em Natal/RN

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Atratividade cultural e potencialidade turística: análise do evento Auto de Natal (Natal RN)

Inserted in the schedule for Christmas celebration in the city of Natal, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, the spectacle so called Auto de Natal mixes the Christmas story of Jesus birth with cultural and natural heritage of the state, making possible the integration of professionals from various fields, such as: literature, theater, dance and music. Important for local identity, Auto de Natal integrates elements of intangible heritage in the state. In this context, the research analyzed the perceptions of those who were involved in the production, presentation and organization of the event, planned to be culturally attractive to tourism. For this, it was used the descriptive and exploratory method, making use of documental, bibliographic and field researches. It was applied qualitative techniques to the interpretation of the interviews, while it was applied quantitative techniques to analyze the questionnaires. The research has discovered that Auto de Natal has the potential to add value to Cultural Tourism, diversifying the tourism product. The research has also observed that most of the respondents recognized Auto de Natal as intangible heritage, and concluded that the Christmas theme, which is alluding to the nomenclature of destiny, needs to be well-done to attract more tourists to experience the Natal in Natal

Ativos intangíveis (modelo RBV) como recurso estratégico e competitivo: um estudo em hotéis de pequeno porte (zona sul, Natal/RN)

The study aims to analyze the perception of managers on intangible assets as strategic and competitive resources in small hotels in Natal/RN, through the theory of the Resource Based View (RBV). This is a qualitative study of exploratory and descriptive, conducted with managers of the means of hosting small the capital of Rio Grande do Norte through semi-structured interviews, which was applied later, the technique content analysis based on the results of the information obtained in the interviews. Thus, research has shown that managers of small hotels visited (A, B, C) are not sufficient and satisfactory knowledge to set as their unique intangible assets of the company and makes use of them, on an occasional basis, without understanding or in essence understand its true value as a resource that can be used strategically for sustainable competitive advantage in the hotel market in Natal/RN. This means that managers do not know how to create new attributes and use them strategically. And they need to expand their partnerships with stakeholders. Given the importance of the subject of the present research, the information achieved by this analysis may contribute to the provision of information to establish a current situation with regard to the attributed to the knowledge and use of resources (intangible assets) importance as a strategic source and competitive for the internal management of the company by managers and thus, enabling a differential and greater economic profit over time in this segment

Medição de desempenho organizacional nas imobiliárias: um estudo na cidade do Natal-RN

The purpose of this paper is to identify how real estate companies from the city of Natal measure their organizational performance. Traditionally these companies measure their performance using financial measures; however, the technological improvement, the internationalization of the economy and the change in consumer behavior all demand better products and services, and other measuring models. Those changes motivate organizations to continually improve the quality of their products and services. In this way, these companies need to associate their financial results to their global performance. Therefore, it is necessary to have organizational performance models that associate financial and non-financial measures to the strategies of the companies. The research also tries to identify which performance indicators are used by these companies, as well as to test a model who questions: a) if there is any relationship between managers´ characteristics and performance measuring systems´ characteristics; b) if there is any relationship between the company s characteristics and the characteristics of the measuring system used to evaluate its organizational performance and c) finally to verify if there is a relationship between the characteristics of the measuring system and the company s performance. The information which served as a basis for the study was obtained through an empirical research, with questionnaires, answered by 66 (sixty six) companies from the city of Natal, capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The results show that none of the companies investigated use any of the performance measurement models proposed in the modern literature. However, they use on an isolated way some of the measures those models, including some measures from adopted in the Balanced Scorecard, as well as the benchmarking process, making comparisons with the performance of their competitors. The research also reveals that either bigger companies, companies with more experienced managers or with better performance show better performance measurement systems

Impactos Geoquímicos e Sócio-Ambientais no Estuário do Rio Potengi Região Metropolitana da Grande Natal/RN

The present work studied the problems faced riverine populations of the estuary Potengi, detaching its perception with regard to the environment, as well as in the evaluation of the institucional arrangement that acts in the place. Questionnaires were used in five riverine communities and conducted interviews with agents of public agencies and colonies of fishermen. There is little understanding of the needing to preserve and weakness in the application of the regulation mechanisms

Vegetação dunar: caracterização estrutural de dunas do município de Natal-RN como subsídio para implantação de técnicas de reflorestamernto, recuperação e conservação do ecossistema

The Brazilian coast has a wide variety of complex environments and ecosystems along the coast, about 80% are represented by sandbanks and dunes. The coastal ecosystems were the first to suffer the impacts man and places, as the very fragile ecosystems, are somehow altered. Are few areas of restinga well as natural features, very few protected in conservation units. Only in the last two decades the Brazilian restinga have been studies that are showing their importance for biodiversity of the country, though its economic importance remains largely unknown. In Rio Grande do Norte in the restinga vegetation and dune environments extend for almost the entire coast. The dunes are distinguished in the coastal landscape of the state due to the exuberance of its forms, heights and coating plants. The dune system is of fundamental importance for the maintenance of coastal urban settlements, especially for the city of Natal, acting on the hydrological dynamics of water table and reducing the effect of wind and movement of grains of sand to the interior and thus avoiding the burial City. However, the ecosystem of restinga and dune environments have been weakened and destroyed according to the intense urbanization and the knowledge of the vegetation of restinga installed on the dunes are still scarce. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the structure and floristic composition of vegetation established on a dune in the Dunes State Park Christmas and gather information to develop a model of recovery of the dune ecosystem. This dissertation is composed of 2 chapters, the first being: Structure of the vegetation of the dunes Dunes State Park in Natal, RN with the objective of describing the structure and composition of species of tree-shrub vegetation of restinga dunes of the Parque das Dunas and second: Recovery of degraded areas in a sand dune, which aimed to review the terms and concepts used in the theme of recovery and the techniques for recovery of degraded areas with emphasis on sandy environments and poor in nutrients, reporting some experiences within and external to Brazil the country, mainly in the Northeast and dunes positive and negative aspects that should be followed in building a model to be adopted for the recovery of local dunes

Mídia impressa e meio ambiente: um estudo da cobertura da mortandade de peixes no estuário do Rio Potengi, Natal-RN

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly habitual to the media, particularly when calamities are involved. A feature of environmental disasters is that they disclose both environmental crises and the media limitation in reporting them. The research tried to contribute to the subject through the study of press media coverage of a large fish kill along an estuary in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in 2007. Thematic content analysis of newspaper reports identified the predominance of a superficial and denunciative coverage, lacking an educational perspective, and with little contribution to formation of a critical sense in readers. It also has identified the precarious treatment of those scientific concepts that could substantiate the actual causes of mortality of tons of aquatic fauna

Horticultura no baixo curso do Rio Doce, zona norte do Natal/RN: avaliação da qualidade da água por meio de ensaios ecotoxicológicos

The research is developed in areas of horticulture in the city of Natal, in the neighborhoods of Lagoa Azul, Pajuçara and Redinha, along the Doce River, border area with Extremoz city, Rio Grande do Norte State. The region of the fluvial plain of Doce River is located in an Environmental Protection Zone (ZPA-9). This is one of the ZPA which is not under the regulatory marks and there are several environmental problems caused by use and land occupation, featuring an evident disregard of environmental laws and whose protection is hindered by the lack of specific legal mechanisms. This study aims to provide an overview of the use of pesticides in the lower course of the Doce River, in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and to assess environmental degradation in the area through chronic toxicity tests using the microcrustaceous Ceriodaphnia dubia Richard 1894 (Cladocera, Crustacea) as test organism. Visits were made to the area in 2009 and 2010. To obtain information a diagnosis of the local situation was accomplished based on personal observation and non-participatory photographic record, with the aim of assessing the environmental characteristics, population diversity and work processes of horticulturists. During the visits four different points of the Doce River were chosen to collect water for ecotoxicological tests and survey of physico-chemical parameters (dissolved oxygen, pH, chloride, turbidity, conductivity and temperature), which were measured in the field using Multiparameter Probe (TROLL 9500). The adverse effects of pesticide use in the lower course of the Doce River is a major problem for both the environmental and human health, since many of the substances and active principles that enter in the composition of the products are synthesized molecules whose effects can only be evaluated through different studies on their actions and behavior at short, medium or long term

Percepção de riscos ambientais de populações vulneráveis a inundações e deslizamentos de dunas em Natal-RN

In urban, flooding and landslides are among the troubles that most bring human and material loss. Therefore, this study objected to perform an analysis on the risk perception on the population living in social environmental vulnerable places in order to understand what is the way this population realize the risks they are exposed to and what are the outbrave strategies the develop. The first analyzed area was Complexo Passo da Pátria for the flooding risk problematic and then the Cidade Nova neighborhood threatened by the dunes slides. The areas locate, respectively, in the West and East zones of Natal-RN. Using an interview screenplay adapted from risk perception researches from different brazilian cities, it was collected primarily data on the variables: perception, evaluation and choice, safety threshold, adjustment, decision and participation. Due to the studied areas characteristics the qualitative approach adjusted itself to the difficulties for accessing the areas. The studied places characterize for its insecure situation like selling/using drugs, robbery and murder among others. Due to this situation the interviewed individuals were the ones that could be found more accessibly and available in the moment and the interviews were made in the community leader presence of each area. Through the discourse of the respondents analysis it was able to conclude that the interviewed population is exposed to a high vulnerability grade and risks. However it was identified substantial differences between the perception and risks of Complexo Passo da Pátria and bairro Cidade Nova, because in the first area the intervied ones can recognize the high risk they are exposed to in a more emphatic way to the interviewed ones for the Cidade Nova neighborhood. Furthermore, there is a heavy dissatisfaction for the population of the two places about the city hall positions relating to the present problems in the studied areas. It was also identified the strategy development of acquaintanceship with the risk in the research places beyond a feeling of belonging and affection between the dwellers and the places, yet it was more evident for Complexo Passo da Pátria. Though this analysis it was possible to understand and perceptions and the behavior of the individuals or social groups facing the risks as acceptance and rejection of determined risks beyond adaptation measures of living together with the persistence presence of risks. Therefore, qualitative nature researches emphasizing the perception approach are in the fundamental importance in the studies about risks making it possible to offer aids to the urban planning and management in the implement of effective preventive measures and compatible with the population aims

Análise da mobilidade urbana de Natal/RN a partir do uso de indicadores de sustentabilidade

In contemporary times, the urban mobility is presented as one of the main challenges of large and medium-sized Brazilian cities , it presents signs of unsustainability , above all due to the increase in motorized transport system , especially the individual . Thus , it is clear that mobility is considered of special interest for sustainable urban development , is facing a crisis that is reflected in negative externalities , particularly with regard to congestion , accidents , air pollution , social exclusion , among others. The complexity of these problems requires an integrated analysis based on the principles of sustainability . In this sense , trying to understand this problem and in the attempt to minimize its impacts, Costa (2008 ) proposed the Index of Sustainable Urban Mobility (I_SUM) with the goal of providing a methodology capable to assess relevant aspects of mobility , including social dimensions , political, economic and environmental . Given the above, was elected as the main objective of this study is to analyze urban mobility in Natal / RN from the perspective of sustainability . Like specific objectives will seek to analyze Natal´s urban mobility, using the I_SUM like a tool for both the city as a whole and for each of its four administrative regions; evaluate Natal s urban accessibility conditions and verify to what extent the access to urban services and equipment is facilitated or hindered because of the location and incomes of the population . For this, it was necessary to use bibliographic , documentary and field research . The index , which varies from 0.00 to 1.00, revealed for Natal an Global value of 0,510, and that refers to its administrative regions, it was found that there are very small percentage differences from the overall index calculated for the city . The performance of I_SUM by administrative region showed that although there are differences , the results were very similar , varying between 0,494 and 0,537. Particularly in relation to urban accessibility, it appears that Natal presents as an unequal city and this inequity , which is not only income is reflected in the issues related to accessibility and hence urban mobility

Processos sócio-ambientais relacionados às situações de degradação na região do Rio Doce, Natal/RN

Natal is a medium-sized coastal city (800.000 inhabitants), capital of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, in the Northeast of Brazil. According to statistics published by the IBGE (2000), the area of Natal that stretches from Redinha to Lagoa Azul holds about 12% of the municipal population. Part of this area is bordered by a watercourse, the Rio Doce, which has been afflicted by a range of socio-environmental problems over the years. This study was carried out with the aims of 1) identifying the socio-environmental processes related to urban expansion, with an emphasis on those causing environmental degradation in this region; b) analysing the perception of the target population in relation to the environment it occupies; and c) determining the socioeconomic profile of the local residents and the sanitary facilities available to them. A survey was carried out by conducting interviews and completing questionnaires with the residents to assess the situation both qualitatively and quantitatively in the communities of Caiana, Pajussara Sítio, Gramoré Povoado and Gramoré Sítio, as well as by conducting bibliographical and documentary research. It was discovered that the sanitary conditions of the riverside dwellers are precarious and only 1% of the houses in the suburbs mentioned are connected to the public sewers. It was established that the Rio Doce is intensively exploited through the extraction of sand for the building trade, irrigation of riverside vegetable plots and use of the water for bathing, washing of clothes and leisure. It was also found that about 40% of the population resident in this area has migrated from the rural zone, which is one of the factors rendering it difficult for them to adapt to the urban setting. Such information can be of use to the authorities in the environmental planning of these districts and their sustainable development

Caracterização sócio-ambiental do bairro de Felipe Camarão- Natal/ RN

The rapid growth of the Brazilian cities in the latest years has brought a series of problems regarding housing policies and, therefore, the provision of dwellings for the low-income class people. Following the pattern of other capital cities, Natal has repeated the pattern of urbanization practiced in the country, which concentrates the low-income class inhabitants in specific zones of the city known as peripheries or even in a dwelling place for less-favored classes such as Felipe Camarão, which is one of ten boroughs belonging to the western administrative zone, a region which has historically received less attention from the public administrators towards infrastructure investments. Based on those aspects, the general objective of this work is to investigate which main social-environmental alterations have resulted from the processes of urbanization and field occupation in that area. The specific objectives are concerned with verifying 1) the process of urbanization and the process of dividing urban soil from the 1960s; 2) the current configuration of the public spaces in the borough; 3) the process of the deprivation of the original landscape characteristics of Environmental Protection Zones; 4) the dynamics of land occupation which are predominant in dune areas; 5) the dynamics of land occupation which are predominant in mangrove areas; 6) and the destruction of green covering on the land with its consequent alteration of the local floristic pattern. The methodology consisted of in-loco visits; the application of questionnaires as community research; a survey of bibliography published by the organisms and institutions in charge of carrying out the city hall s environmental and housing policies; and descriptive statistics of the collected data. Concerning the pattern of occupation which is predominant in the borough, the treatment of space dispensed by the local dwellers has culminated in the emergence and consolidation of environmental alterations which are clearly different from common occurrence in both the building area represented by housing complexes and in the green areas represented by dunes and mangroves. The data show that there was the predominance of the irregular land occupation process over the official housing policy during the population settlement which contributed with a series of frequent and foreseeable problems in the dynamics of urbanization of poverty such as invasions and appropriations of land parcels, the beginning of irregular arrangement of streets, the formation of villages and slums, which are full of self-constructed housing units, and the occupation and degradation of susceptibly fragile environmental areas such as the dune slopes and the mangroves