À la recherche des facteurs de réussite au lycée : Apprentissage de langues en ligne au lycée - une étude

The aim of this academic essay is to research into Distance teaching in language education at a comprehensive upper high school in a region in Sweden. Qualitative and quantitative studies are combined by using evaluation and interview methods with students who have completed their studies and with those who have decided to terminate them 2012/2013. The goals are to identify success factors and elements in devising and compiling on-line language courses thus eliminating failure by students unable / choosing not to complete courses. Present Distance teaching is mostly applicable for the already motivated students and research shows that measures can be taken to increase the percentage of successful and satisfied students.

Russian Arctic Ports : Problems with the development and management of tourist flows

The potential changes to the territory of the Russian Arctic open up unique possibilities for the development of tourism. More favourable transport opportunities along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) create opportunities for tourism development based on the utilisation of the extensive areas of sea shores and river basins. A major challenge for the Russian Arctic sea and river ports is their strong cargo transport orientation originated by natural resource extraction industries. A careful assessment of the prospects of current and future tourism development is presented here based on the development of regions located along the shores of the Arctic ocean (including Murmansk and Arkhangelsk oblast, Nenets Autonomous okrug (AO), Yamal-Nenets AO, Taymyr AO, Republic of Sakha, Chykotsky AO). An evaluation of the present development of tourism in maritime cities suggests that a considerable qualitative and quantitative increase of tourism activities organised by domestic tourism firms is made virtually impossible. There are several factors contributing to this. The previously established Soviet system of state support for the investments into the port facilities as well as the sea fleet were not effectively replaced by creation of new structures. The necessary investments for reconstruction could be contributed by the federal government but the priorities are not set towards the increased passenger transportation. Having in mind, increased environmental pressures in this highly sensitive area it is especially vital to establish a well-functioning monitoring and rescue system in the situation of ever increasing risks which come not only from the increased transports along the NSR, but also from the exploitation of the offshore oil and gas reserves in the Arctic seas. The capacity and knowledge established in Nordic countries (Norway, Finland) concerning cruise tourism should not be underestimated and the already functioning cooperation in Barents Region should expand towards this particular segment of the tourism industry. The current stage of economic development in Russia makes it clear that tourism development is not able to compete with the well-needed increase in the cargo transportation, which means that Russia’s fleet is going to be utilised by other industries. However, opening up this area to both local and international visitors could contribute to the economic prosperity of these remote areas and if carefully managed could sustain already existing maritime cities along the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Module property verification : A method to plan and perform quality verifications in modular architectures

Modular product architectures have generated numerous benefits for companies in terms of cost, lead-time and quality. The defined interfaces and the module’s properties decrease the effort to develop new product variants, and provide an opportunity to perform parallel tasks in design, manufacturing and assembly. The background of this thesis is that companies perform verifications (tests, inspections and controls) of products late, when most of the parts have been assembled. This extends the lead-time to delivery and ruins benefits from a modular product architecture; specifically when the verifications are extensive and the frequency of detected defects is high. Due to the number of product variants obtained from the modular product architecture, verifications must handle a wide range of equipment, instructions and goal values to ensure that high quality products can be delivered. As a result, the total benefits from a modular product architecture are difficult to achieve. This thesis describes a method for planning and performing verifications within a modular product architecture. The method supports companies by utilizing the defined modules for verifications already at module level, so called MPV (Module Property Verification). With MPV, defects are detected at an earlier point, compared to verification of a complete product, and the number of verifications is decreased. The MPV method is built up of three phases. In Phase A, candidate modules are evaluated on the basis of costs and lead-time of the verifications and the repair of defects. An MPV-index is obtained which quantifies the module and indicates if the module should be verified at product level or by MPV. In Phase B, the interface interaction between the modules is evaluated, as well as the distribution of properties among the modules. The purpose is to evaluate the extent to which supplementary verifications at product level is needed. Phase C supports a selection of the final verification strategy. The cost and lead-time for the supplementary verifications are considered together with the results from Phase A and B. The MPV method is based on a set of qualitative and quantitative measures and tools which provide an overview and support the achievement of cost and time efficient company specific verifications. A practical application in industry shows how the MPV method can be used, and the subsequent benefits

Informations- och kommunikationsteknologi som stöd för patienter med astma och kronisk obstruktiv lungsjukdom avseende egenvård. En litteraturstudie.

Bakgrund: Astma och KOL är två vanlig kroniska sjukdomar som är kopplade till stort sjukdomslidande och lägre livskvalité. Många personer som idag lever med sjukdomarna lever isolerat från andra. Idag har vi en ständig utveckling av sociala nätverk som öppnar en ny möjlighet för egenvård. Egenvård kan göra att patienter får en bättre vardag samt att det lättare kan få ett socialt umgänge. Syfte: Syftet är sammanställa befintlig litteratur och där undersöka hur informations- och kommunikationsteknologi underlättar egenvården för patienter med astma och KOL. Metod: Litteraturstudie där artiklarna söktes i databaser för omvårdnadsvetenskap så som Web Of Science, pubmed och Cinahl. Litteraturstudien baseras på 16 vetenskapliga artiklar som både är kvalitativa och kvantitativa. Artiklarna som valdes är inte äldre än 10 år gamla, skrivna på engelska och publicerade i en vetenskaplig tidning. Resultat: Resultatet som artiklarna påvisade är grundade på IKT i form av datorer, mobiltelefoner, surfplattor och web-baserad program. Artiklarna visar att egenvården kan förbättras genom ökad livskvalité, bättre kommunikation och bättre sjukdomsinsikt när man använder IKT. Slutsats: IKT är en viktig roll i våran hälso- och sjukvård idag. Det finns dock liten forskning på hur egenvården kring astma och KOL påverkas av IKT. Den forskning som finns pekar åt är att den förbättrar för patienter. Det behövs även mer forskning kring IKT som en resurs för egenvård kring ett omvårdnadsperspektiv.

Welfare and fiscal policy with public goods and infrastructure

We construct and simulate a model to study the welfare and macroeconomic impact of government actions when its productive role is taken into account. The trade-off between public investment and public consumption is also investigated, since public consumption is introduced as a public good that directly affects individuals' well-being. Our results replicate econometric evidence showing that part of the observed slowdown of U.S. productivity growth can be explained by the reduction of investment in infrastructure which also implied a sizable welfare 1085 to the popu1ation. Depending on the methodology used we found a welfare cost ranging from 4.2% to 1.16% of GNP. The impact of fiscal policy can be qualitative and quantitative distinct depending on Whether we assume a higher or smaller output elasticity to infrastructure. If it is high enough, increases in tax rates may stimulate accumulation and production, which is the opposite prediction of standard ncocJassica1 models.

Análise dos resultados da aplicação da correção monetária integral pelas companhias abertas no Brasil em 1987: instrução CVM n. 64/87: um estudo exploratório

O principal objetivo, deste estudo é analisar as informações geradas pelos Métodos Legal e Integral de reconhecimento dos efeitos inflacionários nas Demonstrações Contábeis, evidenciando os aspectos qualitativo e quantitativo da informação contábil para fins de avaliação econômico-financeira e patrimonial das companhias abertas do Brasil. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em uma amostra composta de 87 ( oitenta sete) Demonstrações Contábeis, com o tamanho calculado estatisticamente para atender aos aspectos de aleatoriedade e representatividade. Representando, assim, o universo de 664 (seiscentos sessenta quatro) companhias abertas inscritas na CVM - Comissão de Valores Mobiliários em 31.12.87. Esta pesquisa se diferencia das demais pelo tipo de amostra e universo estudados, uma vez que a aplicação da Contabilidade a Nível Geral de Preços pelas companhias abertas do Brasil é recente. Este método torna as informações contábeis mais realistas e potencialmente capazes de representar a real performance das empresas.

Utilização de uma sistemática de tomada de decisão para selecionar e priorizar um portfólio de projetos de investimento

Nos dias de hoje existe uma grande demanda e pressão na seleção e definição de prioridades das alternativas de investimento para alavancar o crescimento de longo prazo das empresas. Em paralelo a este cenário, o ambiente global está cada vez mais incerto, o que implica que as escolhas realizadas por estas empresas devem se adaptar aos novos desejos do mercado e, principalmente, devem manter o direcionamento de crescimento almejado pelas mesmas. Neste contexto conturbado, as ferramentas tradicionais utilizadas para a tomada de decisão, para selecionar e definir as prioridades são as análises econômico-financeira representadas pelo Valor Presente Líquido, a Taxa Interna de Retorno e o Payback. Apesar de estes itens serem métodos robustos e consistentes na avaliação de projetos de investimentos, eles focam apenas em um aspecto (o financeiro), e as empresas, atualmente, estão envolvidas em ambientes que precisam de uma abordagem mais ampla, contemplando outras visões e dimensões não presentes nos estudos financeiros. Ou seja, quando se faz uma análise de carteira de projetos alinhada ao planejamento estratégico, é necessário realizar uma abordagem multicritério envolvendo indicadores quantitativos e qualitativos e disponibilizando aos tomadores de decisão uma informação completa e padronizada de todos os projetos, uma vez que estas iniciativas não possuem características homogêneas, pois cada uma apresenta sua respectiva particularidade e, principalmente, está em diferentes estágios de maturidade. Aliado a estes pontos, é perceptível que o processo de seleção e priorização de projetos necessita de uma sistematização que garanta a esta decisão e a este Portfólio uma maior estabilidade e fidedignidade das informações. Neste trabalho, portanto, foi elaborada uma análise multivariada, mais especificamente, a utilização de sistemas de apoio à tomada de decisão. Foram escolhidos outros critérios além do econômico-financeiro, para suportar a seleção e priorização de projetos no atendimento dos objetivos estratégicos da organização e de seus stakeholders.

Corporate governance and its influence on the investment decision process of equity market's professionals: An inside view of how corporate governance issues influence the decision-making process of sell-side and buy-side professionals when analyzing Brazilian listed companies

Corporate governance has been in the spotlight for the past two decades, being subject of numerous researches all over the world. Governance is pictured as a broad and diverse theme, evolving through different routes to form distinct systems. This scenario together with 2 types of agency problems (investor vs. management and minorities vs. controlling shareholders) produce different definitions for governance. Usually, studies investigate whether corporate governance structures influence firm performance, and company valuation. This approach implies investors can identify those impacts and later take them into consideration when making investment decisions. However, behavioral finance theory shows that not always investors take rational decisions, and therefore the modus operandi of those professionals needs to be understood. So, this research aimed to investigate to what extent Brazilian corporate governance standards and practices influence the investment decision-making process of equity markets' professionals from the sell-side and buy-side. This exploratory study was carried out through qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, 8 practitioners were interviewed and 3 dimensions emerged: understanding, pertinence and practice. Based on the interviews’ findings, a questionnaire was formulated and distributed to buy-siders and sell-siders that cover Brazilian stocks. 117 respondents from all over the world contributed to the study. The data obtained were analyzed through structural equation modeling and descriptive statistics. The 3 dimensions became 5 constructs: definition (institutionalized governance, informal governance), pertinence (relevance), practice (valuation process, structured governance assessment) The results of this thesis suggest there is no definitive answer, as the extent to which governance will influence an investment decision process will depend on a number of circumstances which compose the context. The only certainty is the need to present a “corporate governance behavior”, rather than simply establishing rules and regulations at firm and country level.

Improvement on the sales forecast accuracy for a fast growing company by the best combination of historical data usage and clients segmentation

Industrial companies in developing countries are facing rapid growths, and this requires having in place the best organizational processes to cope with the market demand. Sales forecasting, as a tool aligned with the general strategy of the company, needs to be as much accurate as possible, in order to achieve the sales targets by making available the right information for purchasing, planning and control of production areas, and finally attending in time and form the demand generated. The present dissertation uses a single case study from the subsidiary of an international explosives company based in Brazil, Maxam, experiencing high growth in sales, and therefore facing the challenge to adequate its structure and processes properly for the rapid growth expected. Diverse sales forecast techniques have been analyzed to compare the actual monthly sales forecast, based on the sales force representatives’ market knowledge, with forecasts based on the analysis of historical sales data. The dissertation findings show how the combination of both qualitative and quantitative forecasts, by the creation of a combined forecast that considers both client´s demand knowledge from the sales workforce with time series analysis, leads to the improvement on the accuracy of the company´s sales forecast.

Does absorptive capacity affect project performance? A study based on project management practices, organization learning, and knowledge

The literature has emphasized that absorptive capacity (AC) leads to performance, but in projects its influences still unclear. Additionally, the project success is not well understood by the literature, and AC can be an important mechanism to explain it. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of absorptive capacity on project performance in the construction industry of São Paulo State. We study this influence through potential and realized absorptive capacity proposed by Zahra and George (2002). For achieving this goal, we use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research is based on 15 interviews with project managers in different sectors to understand the main constructs and support the next quantitative phase. The content analysis was the technique used to analyze those interviews. In quantitative phase through a survey questionnaire, we collected 157 responses in the construction sector with project managers. The confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical linear regression were the techniques used to assess the data. Our findings suggest that the realized absorptive capacity has a positive influence on performance, but potential absorptive capacity and the interactions effect have no influence on performance. Moreover, the planning and monitoring have a positive impact on budget and schedule, and customer satisfaction while risk coping capacity has a positive impact on business success. In academics terms, this research enables a better understanding of the importance of absorptive capacity in the construction industry and it confirms that knowledge application in processes and routines enhances performance. For management, the absorptive capacity enables the improvements of internal capabilities reflected in the increased project management efficiency. Indeed, when a company manages project practices efficiently it enhances business and project performance; however, it needs initially to improve its internal abilities to enrich processes and routines through relevant knowledge.

A comparative study of the credit card market dynamics in Mexico and Brazil

This research analyzes and compares the attractiveness of the Brazilian and Mexican credit card markets from a financial firm’s perspective. The market dynamics in Latin America’s two economic powerhouses are fleshed out with qualitative and quantitative data, using a strategic framework to structure the analysis. Since its adoption by both countries in 1956, credit card usage has experienced many years of double digit growth. However, penetration levels remain low compared with most developed countries. Brazil has a more developed credit card infrastructure, with more potential profit, and issuers might face fewer competitive challenges.  Alternatively, Mexico, is witnessing a more favorable economy, a friendlier business and regulatory environment, combined with fewer financial products that compete with the credit card. Therefore, this paper concludes that Brazil and Mexico both offer market opportunities for credit card companies that can navigate the different technological, demographic, macroeconomic, and regulatory shifts in each country.

Maturidade de escritório de gerenciamento de projetos: o caso do Ministério Público do Rio Grande do Norte

The research aimed to evaluate the level of maturity of the project management office of the Public Ministry of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, on the model PMO Maturity Cube. It was based on a theoretical framework that includes project management, project management office and maturity of the project management office. The research was classified as to the purpose as exploratory and descriptive. According to the methods used was a case study, and how to approach is qualitative and quantitative. The research unit was the prosecutor of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, by two guys who represent all of the participants in the project management office of the institution. These subjects were chosen because they act with the office since the foundation of the same, having the knowledge necessary to deepen the research required, and experience with projects and work experience in the area. Data were collected through an adaptation of the evaluation form for the amplitude corporate developed and presented to the scientific environment for Pinto, Cota and Levin (2010). The results revealed that the level of maturity in the current strategic approach is 77%, and 97% desired; tactical approach in current is 66% and 97% desired, and the current operational approach is 78%, and 100% desired. He pointed out that several factors influence the level of maturity of the project management office of the Public Prosecutor and the recurrent related to information technology, regarding the storage and sharing of information. Concluded that the level of maturity of the project management office of the Public Ministry of the State of Rio Grande do Norte is advanced

Processo biotecnológico voltado a produção de estoques poliploides do camarão-branco litopenaeus vannamei (decapoda, penaeidae)

without practical results so far. Protocols used in biotechnological cultured aquatic organisms aimed at increasing growth rates and disease resistance, have been studied and perfected. Among the available techniques, the application of chromosomal manipulation, although still nascent, is presented as a tool aimed at mitigating ecological and economical issues in shrimp farming. The polyploidization artificial method already employed in fish and shellfish, has been widely researched for use in farmed shrimp. Some limitations of this method of expansion in shrimp refer to a better knowledge of cytogenetic aspects, the level of sexual dimorphism and performance in growing conditions. To contribute on some of these issues, the present study aimed to characterize cytogenetic species Litopenaeus vannamei (Decapoda) and Artemia franciscana (Anostraca), analyze the effectiveness of methods for detection of ploidy, through the use of flow cytometry in processes of induction polyploidy cold thermal shock at different stages of development of newly fertilized eggs. Additionally, aimed also the qualitative and quantitative comparison of larval development between diploid and polyploid organisms, besides the identification of sexual dimorphism in L. vannamei, through geometric morphometrics. The results provide information relevant to the improvement and widespread use of biotechnological methods applied toward national productivity in shrimp farming

Desenvolvimento e validação de método analítico para determinação de WE010, WE014 e WE017

The synthetic guanylhydrazones WE010 (3,5-di-tert-butil-4-hidroxibenzaldehyde-guanylhydrazone), WE014 (4-bifenilcarboxialdehydeguanylhydrazone) and WE017 (3,4-diclorobenzaldehydeguanylhydrazone) showed high cytotoxic activity in terms of percentage inhibition of cancer cells growth. However, further progress in the development of these drug candidates requires precise and convenient methods for their qualitative and quantitative analyses. The aim of this study was to develop and validate High Performance Liquid Chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) and Ultra Fast Liquid Chromatography with diode-array detection (UFLC-DAD) methods suitable for as simultaneous as isolated determination of studied guanylhydrazones, based on the optimization of chromatographic parameters and obtaining reduced detection times. The chromatographic analyses of analytes by HPLC were performed on C18 ACE analytical column (150 mm x 4.6 mm), with a particle size of 5.0 μm. Among all the conditions assayed, the best results of separation were obtained with a mixture of methanol:water (60:40, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate 1.5mL/min and pH of 3.5 adjusted at acetic acid. The UFLC method was developed by experimetal desing techniques in order to find optimal chromatographic analytical conditions, which were achieved on XR-ODS analytical column (50 mm x 3.0 mm), with a particle size of 2,2 μm, maintained at 25 ºC. The mobile phase was consisted of methanol:water (65:35, v/v) with 0.1% triethylamine (TEA) and pH of 3.5 adjusted at acetic acid, at a flow rate 0.5 mL/min. The procedure were validated following evaluating parameters such as specificity, linearity, limits of detection (LD) and quantification (LQ), precision, accuracy and robustness, giving results within the acceptable range. Although the UFLC method shows better sensitivity (lower values of LD and LQ), robustness (lower rates of relative standard deviation) and minimize spending time and solvent, both developed methods were adequately applied to the analysis of guanylhydrazones molecules, may be used in routine of quality control laboratories. Keywords: guanylhydrazones, HPLC/DAD, UFLC/DAD, validation of analitical method

Televisão universitária do RN (TVU): contribuição para a democratização da informação e a difusão do conhecimento científico produzido pela universidade

In this thesis we propose to investigate the contribution that the Universitary Television from Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil (TVU RN), offers to democratization of information and diffusion of the scientific knowledge produced by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) from the perception of their own students. We adopt the basic assumption in wich the TVU RN needs to be connected with the scope of the current UFRN policy, since plays an important role regarding democratization and social inclusion policies in UFRN. We support the thesis that TVU UFRN offers important information for those who are part of academic culture (COULON, 1995a; 1995b, CHARLOT, 2000; BOURDIEU, 2007, 2005, 1997, 1996, 1975), as well as for society in wich it is inserted, since it contributes to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and relevant information about the university. We consider TVU RN a Public Sphere (HABERMAS, 2002; 2003a, 2003b; 2003c; 1999; 1989) conducive to discussion of issues involving higher education. Researches on Universitary Television are recent and some studies on it advanced in the way to define it and present it as a means of dissemination of scientific knowledge (ROCHA, 2006; COUTINHO, 2006; CALLIGARO, 2007; AIRES, 1999; PORCELLO, 2002; PRIOLLI, 2003, 2008, 2009; MAGALHÃES, 2002, 2008; RAMALHO, 2008; 2010; CARVALHO, 2006). For our investigation we chose the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, both equally valid and accepted by many authors (FLICK, 2009; BAUER; GASKELL, 2002; RICHARDSON, 1999; LAVILLE; DIONNE, 1999). We developed a questionnaire initially with objective questions ending up with open questions of free text. The questionnaire was developed and hosted from a tool of Google Docs and the link to the webpage containing those questionnaires was sent by e-mail by the Permanent Commission of Vestibular of UFRN, COMPERVE, for all university students who were with their registration (status) active in the COMPERVE registers of the second half of 2010. The analysis of this material was performed using the techniques of content analysis and, within this mode was chosen thematic analysis considered appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative research (BARDIN, 2004; MINAYO, 2002). The investigation found that although most students consider that the TVU RN contributes to the democratization of information and dissemination of scientific knowledge produced in university, and moreover to arouse the interest of the academic community, still has not yet become an object of interest of the entire academy. Therefore, the research highlights the relevance and abrangency of further studies on the TVU RN due to the strategic role it plays in this new reality of public universities in the country. In addition, we suggest to the UFRN managers that they put TVU within the hall of discussions in order to receive the so much needed investment for any university organ