A importância da adaptação da linguagem do visual merchandising para o varejo de baixa renda

A evolução do varejo no Brasil, também atribuída ao crescimento econômico das últimas décadas, foi marcada pelo surgimento de novos formatos e estratégias comerciais e por um surpreendente processo de transformação social. Observa-se que a referida transformação social foi seguida pelo aumento do poder aquisitivo das diferentes classes sociais que compõem o cenário econômico. O crescimento econômico, proporcionado pela instituição de políticas econômicas e de inclusão social, fez despontar um nicho de mercado, que até o momento apresentava-se com acesso restrito ao consumo, formado pela classe social de baixa renda. O surgimento de um novo cenário mercadológico constituído por indivíduos pertencentes à classe social de baixa renda e a concorrência saturada dos mercados consolidados despertaram o interesse de muitas empresas em incrementar suas atividades investindo no emergente mercado de consumo. Para consolidar suas atuações em um mercado pouco conhecido, algumas empresas perceberam a necessidade de compatibilizar sua estratégias comerciais e de marketing ao novo perfil e comportamento dos respectivos consumidores. Entretanto, ainda é possível observar que muitas das referidas estratégias são desenvolvidas a partir de mitos acerca das motivações e comportamentos de consumo da classe social de baixa renda e, desta forma, não correspondente ao estilo de vida e formação cultural do referido público alvo. O presente estudo pretende contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento do varejo de baixa renda e, desta forma, apresentar a importância de planejar ações comerciais e de convencimento de consumo coordenadas com estratégias de marketing, notadamente do visual merchandising, adaptadas ao referido público alvo. Para alcançar a proposta deste estudo fez-se necessária a compreensão do estilo de vida do respectivo público alvo através do desenvolvimento de métodos de pesquisa investigativos, para uma análise detalhada e assertiva das respectivas motivações de consumo.

Examining health literacy disparities in the United States: a third look at the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)

BACKGROUND: In the United States, disparities in health literacy parallel disparities in health outcomes. Our research contributes to how diverse indicators of social inequalities (i.e., objective social class, relational social class, and social resources) contribute to understanding disparities in health literacy.

METHODS: We analyze data on respondents 18 years of age and older (N = 14,592) from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) restricted access data set. A series of weighted Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models estimate the association between respondent's demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), relational social class, social resources and an Item Response Theory (IRT) based health literacy measure.

RESULTS: Our findings are consistent with previous research on the social and SES determinants of health literacy. However, our findings reveal the importance of relational social status for understanding health literacy disparities in the United States. Objective indicators of social status are persistent and robust indicators of health literacy. Measures of relational social status such as civic engagement (i.e., voting, volunteering, and library use) are associated with higher health literacy levels net of objective resources. Social resources including speaking English and marital status are associated with higher health literacy levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Relational indicators of social class are related to health literacy independent of objective social class indicators. Civic literacy (e.g., voting and volunteering) are predictors of health literacy and offer opportunities for health intervention. Our findings support the notion that health literacy is a social construct and suggest the need to develop a theoretically driven conceptual definition of health literacy that includes a civic literacy component.

Getting better teachers in the bush

This chapter explores concepts of identity, difference and disadvantage through a self-study that focuses on preparing teachers to teach for diversity. I consider influences of my rural, working class background in a homogeneous setting as it shapes my professional identity as a teacher educator. I begin the self-study by reflecting on my early career and work as a language and literacy teacher educator at a regional university where I began to carefully consider the discursive resources that students in regional and rural settings bring to teacher education a decade ago. A decade on, in a different but somewhat similar university, I am still grappling with ways of raising awareness of diversity and discussing issues of race, social class, gender and ability and implications for teaching and learning. In this chapter I use the process of self-study to examine my own practice as a teacher educator using the implications from my doctoral studies as a focus.

Associations between access to recreational physical activity facilities and body mass index in Scottish adults

BACKGROUND: The aim of this country-wide study was to link individual health and behavioural data with area-level spatial data to examine whether the body mass index (BMI) of adults was associated with access to recreational physical activity (PA) facilities by different modes of transport (bus, car, walking, cycling) and the extent to which any associations were mediated by PA participation. METHODS: Data on individual objectively-measured BMI, PA (number of days of (a) ≥20 min of moderate-to-vigorous PA, and (b) ≥15 min of sport or exercise, in previous 4 weeks), and socio-demographic characteristics were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 6365 adults. The number of accessible PA facilities per 1,000 individuals in each small area (data zones) was obtained by mapping a representative list of all fixed PA facilities throughout mainland Scotland. A novel transport network was developed for the whole country, and routes on foot, by bike, by car and by bus from the weighted population centroid of each data zone to each facility were calculated. Separate multilevel models were fitted to examine associations between BMI and each of the 24 measures of accessibility of PA facilities and BMI, adjusting for age, gender, longstanding illness, car availability, social class, dietary quality and urban/rural classification. RESULTS: We found associations (p < 0.05) between BMI and 7 of the 24 accessibility measures, with mean BMI decreasing with increasing accessibility of facilities-for example, an estimated decrease of 0.015 BMI units per additional facility within a 20-min walk (p = 0.02). None of these accessibility measures were found to be associated with PA participation. CONCLUSIONS: Our national study has shown that some measures of the accessibility of PA facilities by different modes of transport (particularly by walking and cycling) were associated with BMI; but PA participation, as measured here, did not appear to play a part in this relationship. Understanding the multi-factorial environmental influences upon obesity is key to developing effective interventions to reduce it.

Skeletal maturity and socio-economic status in portuguese children and youths: the Madeira growth study

Skeletal maturity is used to evaluate biological maturity status. Information about the association between socio-economic status (SES) and skeletal maturity is limited in Portugal. Aims: The aim of this study is to document the skeletal maturity of youths in Madeira and to evaluate variation in maturity associated with SES. Subjects and methods: The study involved 507 subjects (256 boys and 251 girls) from the Madeira Growth Study, a mixed-longitudinal study of five cohorts (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 years of age) followed at yearly intervals over 3 years (1996–1998). A total of 1493 observations were made. Skeletal age was estimated from radiographs of the hand and wrist using the Tanner–Whitehouse 2 method (TW2). Social class rankings were based on Graffar’s (1956) method. Five social rankings were subsequently grouped into three SES categories: high, average and low. Results: Median for the radius, ulna and short finger bones (RUS scores) in the total sample of boys and girls increased curvilinearly across age whereas median for the 7 (without pisiform) carpal bones (Carpal scores) increased almost linearly. The 20-bone maturity scores demonstrated distinctive trends by gender: the medians for boys increased almost linearly while the medians for girls increased curvilinearly. SES differences were minimal. Only among children aged 10–11 years were high SES boys and girls advanced in skeletal maturity. Madeira adolescents were advanced in skeletal maturity compared with Belgian reference values. Conclusion: The data suggests population variation in TW2 estimates of skeletal maturation. Skeletal maturity was not related to SES in youths from Madeira.

Solastalgia y conductas pro-ambientales en un conflicto socioambiental por la construcción de una hidroeléctrica

Introducción: La construcción de megaproyectos hídricos implica una reconfiguración territorial donde se ven afectadas las fuentes de agua dulce, la biodiversidad terrestre y acuática, y los asentamientos humanos que colindan con dichas construcciones. Objetivo: estimar la asociación entre las conductas proambientales con la solastalgia entre las personas que se encuentran ejerciendo un proceso de resistencia social contra la Central Hidrosogamoso en el departamento de Santander, Colombia. Metodología: se utilizó un diseño de estudio transversal en el que se entrevistaron integrantes y no integrantes de grupos ambientalistas de las zonas de influencia del proyecto. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las variables sociodemográficas de los dos grupos de comparación presentando frecuencias absolutas y relativas y diferencias significativas por medio de la prueba ji cuadrado, exacta de Fisher y U de Mann Whitney. Se utilizó un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple en el que la variable dependiente fue el puntaje de solastalgia y las variables independientes fueron las escalas de las conductas proambientales: altruismo, austeridad, equidad, conducta ecológica, deliberación, indignación y aprecio por lo natural, además, se ajustó por algunas variables sociodemográficas de interés. Resultados: los grupos comparados presentaron diferencias importantes en cuanto a la zona de procedencia, condiciones económicas y organización social. El incremento de 5 puntos en la escala del sentimiento de indignación incrementó 0.98 la escala de solastalgia (IC95%: 0.19; 1.78). Las personas sin pareja estable tuvieron 3.02 puntos menos de solastalgia comparadas con personas casadas o en unión libre (IC95%: -4.96; -1.44), mientras que aquellas con alto nivel educativo obtuvieron 2.02 puntos menos que las personas con primaria y bachillerato (IC95%: -3.99; -0.06). Un modelo alterno mostró que no pertenecer a un grupo ambientalista disminuye en 2.29 puntos la solastalgia, comparado con pertenecer a un grupo (IC95%: -4.31; -0.28),. Conclusión: posiblemente las motivaciones por las cuales los actores involucrados se resisten a las transformaciones territoriales ocasionadas por la construcción de las represas son más un reflejo de la condición socioeconómica que de la preocupación de los actores por el daño del medio ambiente y además, esta resistencia es un fenómeno que se limita a aquellos que están afectados directamente en el área de influencia del proyecto

A industrialização como criadora de conjuntos habitacionais para o operariado: o caso do Bairro da Empresa de Cimentos de Leiria: Maceira-Liz

A Revolução Industrial consistiu num amplo conjunto de mudanças que ocorreu nos séculos XVIII e XIX na Europa, em que a grande metamorfose na sociedade sucedeu devido à substituição do trabalho manual pelo uso da máquina. Constituiu-se como fenómeno abrangente que congregou fatores demográficos, sociais, ideológicos, políticos e económicos. A busca de melhores condições de vida e de trabalho, foi fator decisivo para o aumento de população nos grandes núcleos urbanos, circunstância que determinou a procura de uma solução que resolvesse a questão do alojamento da classe trabalhadora. Surgiram assim teorias utópicas e sociais e também modelos urbanísticos dos quais se salientam: o Falanstério de Charles Fourier, Familistério de Jean-Baptiste Godin entre outros. Em Portugal, a industrialização ocorreu mais tarde que na restante Europa, assim como as evoluções e transformações associadas a esta. É neste contexto, que a partir do século XIX, o sector agrícola no país foi sendo gradualmente substituído pela indústria. O aumento da industrialização conduziu a um incremento da concentração de mão-de-obra próxima de grandes cidades industriais, ocorrência que fomentou o aparecimento dos primeiros núcleos habitacionais destinados à classe operária. A cidade sofreu, assim, alterações assinaladas por uma série de acontecimentos resultantes da Revolução Industrial, a par da falta de estratégias ligadas à questão da habitação para as classes desfavorecidas. É neste enquadramento que surge o Bairro do Pessoal da Empresa de Cimento de Leiria, Maceira-Liz. Este procurou responder às necessidades dos trabalhadores oferecendo-lhes boa qualidade de vida. Foi dotado de infraestruturas e equipamentos como a “Casa do Pessoal” ou a Cooperativa Abastecedora, entre outros, necessários ao bom funcionamento e permitindo uma maior sociabilidade entres os seus habitantes Desta forma, para demostrar a sua importância, introduz-se o Bairro do Pessoal da E.C.L no estudo do contexto internacional e nacional. Observam-se e criam-se relações com os modelos das cidades utópicas do século XIX e os conjuntos industriais em Portugal, detentores de alojamento destinado à classe trabalhadora, fazendo uma análise urbanística detalhada do Bairro do Pessoal de Maceira- Liz, uma “Utopia” construída segundo o espirito progressista do seu fundador Henrique Sommer.A partir do estudo dos fundamentos teórico-práticos, da forma de implantação e construção, bem como dos vários planos elaborados para este complexo - que demonstravam uma tentativa de inovar, através da construção de respostas às mudanças da sociedade e arquitetura em Portugal- poderá observar- -se que Maceira-Liz tinha alternativas para resolver a situação sócio- laboral dos operários e tentava resolver questões como a insalubridade da habitação operária da I República. O Bairro do Pessoal de E.C.L. ou Bairro de Maceira-Liz é um dos mais significativos exemplos de urbanismo do tipo fabril em Portugal, que permite fazer uma reflexão crítica e arquitetónica do papel que a arquitetura assume face à questão das diferenças sociais de classes, ao mesmo tempo que se propõe uma solução de revitalização do Bairro a fim de contribuir para a sua preservação e conservação da sua identidade; ABSTRACT: The Industrial Revolution consisted in a wide range of changes that occurred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Europe, where the great metamorphosis in society succeeded due to the replacement of manual work by the use of machinery. It was established as a wide-ranging phenomenon which gathered demographic, social, ideological, political and economic factors. The search of better conditions of life and work was a decisive factor for the increase of population in major urban centers, a circumstance that led to the search for a solution to solve the question of working-class housing. Thus, utopian and social theories emerged, as also as urban models, of which we stand out: the Charles Fourier Phalanstery, Jean- Baptiste Godin Familistère and others. In Portugal, the industrialization occurred later than in the rest of Europe, as well as developments and changes associated with this. It is in this context that, starting in the nineteenth century, the agricultural sector in the country had been gradually replaced by the industry. The increased industrialization has led to an enlarged concentration of labor work close to major industrial cities, occurrence that fomented the appearance of the first housing units for the working class. So, the city suffered changes shown by a series of events resulting from the Industrial Revolution, together with the lack of strategies linked to the issue of housing for disadvantaged classes. It is in this context that comes the Neighborhood “Bairro do Pessoal da Empresa de Cimento de Leirio, Maceira – Liz”. This tried to respond to workers’ needs by offering them good quality of life. It was gifted with infrastructure and equipment as the “Staff Home” or the Cooperative Supplying, among others, needed for a proper functioning and allowing a greater sociability among its inhabitants. So, to demonstrate its importance, the Quarter of the Cement Company is introduced in the study of national and international context. Relationships with models of utopian cities in the nineteenth and the industrial plants in Portugal, owners of housing for the working class, are observed and created, making a detailed and urban analysis of the Quarter of the Cement Company, a “utopia “ built according to the progressive spirit of its founder Henry Sommer . From the study of the theoretical and practical fundamentals, the way of implementation and construction, as well as the various plans drawn up for this complex - which showed a determination to innovate by building responses to changes in society and architecture in Portugal - it can be founded that Maceira -Liz had alternatives to solve the socio- labor situation of the workers and tried to solve issues such as the unhealthiness of the working room of the First Republic. The Quarter of the Cement Company is one of the most significant examples of the industrial type urbanism in Portugal, which allows a critical and architectural reflection of the role that architecture assumes in what concerns the social class differences issues, while it is proposed a revitalization solution for the Neighborhood in order to contribute to the preservation and conservation of its identity

‘Please leave your mobile phone on’ : Social educational networking in a social society : Encouraging in-class engagement at QUT across physical and virtual learning environments

Though stadium style seating in large lecture theatres may suggest otherwise, effective teaching and learning is a not a spectator sport. A challenge in creating effective learning environments in both physical and virtual spaces is to provide optimal opportunity for student engagement in active learning. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed the Open Web Lecture (OWL), a new web-based student response application, which seamlessly integrates a virtual learning environment within the physical learning space. The result is a blended learning experience; a fluid collaboration between academic and students connected to OWL via the University’s Wi-Fi using their own laptop or mobile web device. QUT is currently piloting the OWL application to encourage student engagement. OWL offers opportunities for participants to: • Post comments and questions • Reply to comments
 • "Like" comments
 • Poll students and review data • Review archived sessions. Many of these features instinctively appeal to student users of social networking media, yet avail the academic of control within the University network. Student privacy is respected through a system of preserving peer-peer anonymity, a functionality that seeks to address a traditional reluctance to speak up in large classes. The pilot is establishing OWL as an opportunity for engaging students in active learning opportunities by enabling • virtual learning in physical spaces for large group lectures, seminar groups, workshops and conferences • live collaborative technology connecting students and the academic via the wireless network using their own laptop or mobile device • an non- intimidating environment in which to ask questions • promotion of a sense of community • instant feedback • problem based learning. The student and academic response to OWL has been overwhelmingly positive, crediting OWL as an easy to use application, which creates effective learning opportunities though interactivity and immediate feedback. This poster and accompanying online presentation of the technology will demonstrate how OWL offers new possibilities for active learning in physical spaces by: • providing increased opportunity for student engagement • supporting a range of learners and learning activities • fostering blended learning experiences. The presentation will feature visual displays of the technology, its various interfaces and feedback including clips from interviews with students and academics participating in the early stages of the pilot.

Dynamics of a class of social interaction systems

A mathematical model of social interaction in the form of two coupler! first-order non-linear differential equations, forms the topic of this study. This non-conservative model io representative of such varied social interaction problems as coexisting sub-populations of two different species, arms race between two rival countries and the like. Differential transformation techniques developed elsewhere in the literature are seen to be effective tools of dynamic analysis of this non-linear non-conservative mode! of social interaction process.

An analytical approach to the study of a class of bi-state social interaction processes

Sufficient conditions for obtaining an equivalent linear model to classes of non-linear, bi-state, social interaction processes are derived. These parametric constraints, when satisfied, permit analytical determination of the dynamics of the non-linear process of social interaction.

Overcoming Gender Disadvantages. Social Policy Analysis of urban middle-class women in Colombia

The World Bank Report 2012 starts with this statement: “Gender equality matters in itself andit matters for development because, in today’s globalized worlds, countries that use the skillsand talents of their women would have an advantage over those which do not use it.” With theframe that suggest that gender equality matters, this paper describes some policy alternativesoriented to overcome gender disadvantages in the formal labor market incorporation of theurban middle class women in Colombia. On balance, the final recommendation suggest that itis desirable to adopt policy alternatives as Community Centers, which are programs orientedto a social redistribution of the domestic work as a way to encourage women participationin the formal labor market with the social support of the members of their own community.The problem that the social policy needs to address is the segregation of women in the formallabor market in Colombia. Although the evidence shows that the women overcome theeducational gap by showing better performance in education that their male peers, womenare still segregated of the labor market. The persistence of high rates of unemployment on thefemale population, the prevalence of the informal labor market as a women labor market, andthe presence of the payment difference between men and women with similar professionaltrainings are circumstances that sustain the segregation statement. These circumstances areinefficient for the society because an economic analysis shows that the cost of maintain the statuquo is externalized in the social security system that includes health, pension and maternityleave regimens. Therefore, the women segregation involves a market failure.This paper evaluates five policy alternatives each directed to the progress of a different causaldimension of the problem: (i) Quotas in the private market, (ii) Flexible working hours,(iii) replace the maternity leave with a family leave, (iv) Increase the Community Centers forredistributing the care work, and (v) Equal payment enforcement. The first alternative looksto increase women’s participation in the formal labor market. The second, third, and fourthalternatives constitute a package addressed at redistributing care work by reducing women’sresponsibility for reproductive work in the household with the help of husbands and the localgovernment. The fifth alternative intervenes to resolve the equal payment problem.After a four criteria evaluation that measure effectiveness, robustness and improbability inimplementation, efficiency and political acceptability or social opposition, the strongest alternativeis the fostering of Community Centers that promote a redistribution of care work. Thispolicy performs well in the assessment process because it combines gender focus with importantindirect effects: child support and human capabilities. The policy also shows a bottomup implementation process that overcomes the main adoption difficulties in the gender focusprograms and is supported by strong evidence of success in the Colombian context; this evidenceis produced by both transnational actors as a World Bank and also in local accountabilityreporters executed by local institutions like Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF).

Class Struggle, Elitism and Social Collectivism in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross : A Marxist Approach

Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross represents both an insightful interpretation and a scathing critique of Kenyan politics and society during the period of neo-colonialism. The present thesis aims to explore, with the help of Marxist ideology and criticism, the relevance of the issues of class struggle, elitism and social collectivism in the novel. At the same time, this study will attempt to define Devil on the Cross as a "national allegory" depicting situations that are common to almost all post-colonial societies, and in particular, how the novel's ideological and political commitment is an important feature as it reflects Ngugi’s effort to draw attention to how Kenya and Africa as a whole suffered from imperialism, neo-colonialism, and a corrupt and greedy capitalist society.