Teaching and learning production and operations management: the journey from identity crisis to a cross, disciplinary approach

Este artigo tem suas raízes em algumas questões relacionadas à "forma" e ao "conteúdo" do que nós, professores, ensinamos na área de Administração da Produção e Operações. Inicialmente, descrevo a evolução histórica desse campo no Brasil. Em seguida, discuto a crise de identidade que o campo está sofrendo. Com o objetivo de apresentar respostas para essa situação, apresento seis propostas para o desenvolvimento e consolidação do campo. Finalmente, descrevo uma iniciativa prática, envolvendo uma disciplina específica da área, ensinada para alunos de pós-graduação. Essa iniciativa enfatiza a "dimensão do conteúdo" (de uma abordagem técnico-operacional para uma abordagem estratégico-gerencial) como também a "dimensão da forma" (do foco no ensino para o foco no aprendizado). O sucesso dessa experiência em curso confirma a coerência da agenda proposta e induz futuros aperfeiçoamentos.

Taking the "cross" out of cross-cultural transfer of management practice

Multi-national enterprises often attempt to replicate successful management practices in "foreign" environments. However, such practices may be ethnocentric because they fit the assumptions, behaviors, expectations, and values of the home cultural environment. Unless the underlying assumptions are shared, transfer to a differing environment may fail. Even if the focus is shifted from cultural differences to implementation, implementation approaches may also be criticized as ethnocentric for the same reasons. In this article, a non-ethnocentric model is expanded and used to test the portability of one management practice, performance appraisal, from the USA to Brazil. This "Test of Portability" may help managers understand which management practices are portable, and, perhaps even more valuable, provide a rationale for adaptation or rejection.

Desempenho de fusões e aquisições cross border: análise empírica do caso brasileiro

Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar se as aquisições realizadas por empresas brasileiras fora do País nos últimos 15 anos têm aumentado o desempenho financeiro dessas empresas. Além disso, é realizada uma análise empírica dos fatores determinantes desse sucesso, com base nas teorias institucional, sociocultural e de aprendizagem organizacional. Os resultados indicam que, de fato, as investidas cross border de companhias do Brasil melhoram o desempenho, que é positivamente impactado quando a distância cultural entre os países da adquirida e da adquirente é baixa ou média e quando o ambiente institucional no qual a empresa-alvo se encontra é desenvolvido. Já a relação entre as experiências anteriores das brasileiras em fusões ou aquisições internacionais e o desempenho de uma nova aquisição fora do País segue o formato de U invertido, enfatizando a relevância de se considerar a experiência com fusões e aquisições da empresa compradora além das características institucionais dos seus países-alvo.

CROSS-COUNTRY STUDY ON THE DETERMINANTS OF BANK FINANCIAL DISTRESS

ABSTRACTBank failures affect owners, employees, and customers, possibly causing large-scale economic distress. Thus, banks must evaluate operational risks and develop early warning systems. This study investigates bank failures in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the North America Free Trade Area (NAFTA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, newly industrialized countries, the G20, and the G8. We use financial ratios to analyze and explore the appropriateness of prediction models. Results show that capital ratios, interest income compared to interest expenses, non-interest income compared to non-interest expenses, return on equity, and provisions for loan losses have significantly negative correlations with bank failure. However, loan ratios, non-performing loans, and fixed assets all have significantly positive correlations with bank failure. In addition, the accuracy of the logistic model for banks from NAFTA countries provides the best prediction accuracy regarding bank failure.

Predictors of Successful Weight Control: Cross-Cultural Moderators of Treatment Outcomes

Given the heterogeneity of effect sizes within the population for any treatment, identifying moderators of outcomes is critical [1]. In weight management programs, there is a high individual variability in terms of weight loss and an overall modest success [2]. Some people will adopt and sustain attitudes and behaviors associated with weight loss, while others won’t [3]. To predict weight loss outcome just from the subject’s baseline information would be very valuable [4,5]. It would allow to: - Better match between treatments and individuals - Identify the participants with less probability of success (or potential dropouts) in a given treatment and direct them to alternative therapies - Target limited resources to those most likely to succeed - Increase cost-effectiveness and improve success rates of the programs Few studies have been dedicated to describe baseline predictors of treatment success. The Healthy Weight for Life (USA) study is one of the few. Its findings are now being cross-validated in Portuguese samples. This paper describes these cross-cultural comparisons.

The convergence of the Central American countries to International Accounting Standards

Abstract: In the last few decades, Central American countries are making a significant effort in order to modernize their governments' legislation both on financial management and systems of financial information. In this sense, these countries aim to enhance the quality of public financial information in order to improve decision-making processes, decrease the level of corruption, and keep citizens informed. In this context, the purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to assess the degree of similarity of the financial information that is being developed by Central American governments with regard to the recommendations set up by Ipsas, and secondly, to analyse the efforts and the strategies that those countries are carrying out in the process of implementing those standards. To determine the differences in the information containing the annual financial statements issued by national public authorities and the recommendations set up by Ipsas we conducted a deductive content analysis. In view of the results we can say that the quality of annual financial statements presented by the countries in Central America, in comparison to the recommendations by the Ipsas concerning Ifac information, is not enough. Hence, in order to operate significant changes, it is still necessary to create new strategies for the implementation of the Ipsas.

An appraisal of the health planning method proposed by the Pan-American Health Organization for Latin America

A brief description of the main features of the health planning technique developed by the "Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo" (CENDES) in Venezuela, and proposed by the Pan-American Health Organization for use in Latin America, is presented. This presentation is followed by an appraisal of the planning method which includes comments both upon its positive aspects and upon its negative points. Comments are also made referring to other recent publications of the WHO/PAHO on health planning. In conclusion, the CENDES technique is considered a health planning method of great potential for use especially in underdeveloped areas, the success of its application depending upon the hability of the health planners to introduce the necessary modifications to adapt to the local circunstamces.

The right to medical care and its economic consequences: an American dilemma

The concepts of "rights" and of "right to health care" including its evolution in modern times are discussed. The consequences of implementing this right are discussed in economic terms, regarding the situation in the United States of America. A discussion is also included on the limitations of the role of Health Insurance as a measure to solve the problem of providing health care for all individuals.

Ecological aspects of American cutaneous leishmaniasis: 4. Observations on the endophilic behavior of the sandfly and the vectorial role of Psychodopygus intermedius in the Ribeira Valley region of the S.Paulo State, Brazil

The invasive tendency of Psychodopygus intermedius in the home environment, observed initially by Forattini et al. (1976), has now been confirmed by the demonstration of its high endophilic ability and by the use of human residences for shelter. Populations such as Lutzomyia migonei and Pintomyia fischeri were also present in that environment, though their low densities registered during this investigation could be an indication of their poor ability to overcome the barriers raised by the artificial environment. An objective epidemiological analysis based on the variables here given showed that human infection takes place in the extraforest environment, and the principal vectorial function falls, without doubt, on P. intermedius.

Cross-cultural differences in children's concepts of health and illness

INTRODUCTION: In spite of general agreement that cross-cultural research is needed in the health area, most existing investigations of children's development of health and illness-related concepts have involved samples from developed countries. The study examined the development of the concepts of health and illness as a function of subject's age, socio-economic status (SES), gender and grade level in a Brazilian sample of 96 elementary and junior high school students. METHODS: Subjects were interviewed individually and their ideas of health and illness were assessed through open-ended questions. Participants' answers were transcribed verbatim and subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Chi-square analyses revealed significant age, school grade and SES-related differences in participants' concepts of health and illness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The themes employed by subjects to define both health and illness were broadly consistent with those found by previous research. The study showed a predictable relationship between subject's age and school grade level and increasingly more highly differentiated and multidimensional concepts of health and illness. This investigation suggests that, for the most part, cross-cultural similarities in children's concepts of health and illness may be more striking than the differences.

New insights into host-parasite ubiquitin proteome dynamics in P. falciparum infected red blood cells using a TUBEs-MS approach

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), ranks as one of the most baleful infectious diseases worldwide. New antimalarial treatments are needed to face existing or emerging drug resistant strains. Protein degradation appears to play a significant role during the asexual intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) of P. falciparum. Inhibition of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), a major intracellular proteolytic pathway, effectively reduces infection and parasite replication. P. falciparum and erythrocyte UPS coexist during IDC but the nature of their relationship is largely unknown. We used an approach based on Tandem Ubiquitin-Binding Entities (TUBEs) and 1D gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry to identify major components of the TUBEs-associated ubiquitin proteome of both host and parasite during ring, trophozoite and schizont stages. Ring-exported protein (REX1), a P. falciparum protein located in Maurer's clefts and important for parasite nutrient import, was found to reach a maximum level of ubiquitylation in trophozoites stage. The Homo sapiens (H. sapiens) TUBEs associated ubiquitin proteome decreased during the infection, whereas the equivalent P. falciparum TUBEs-associated ubiquitin proteome counterpart increased. Major cellular processes such as DNA repair, replication, stress response, vesicular transport and catabolic events appear to be regulated by ubiquitylation along the IDC P. falciparum infection.

The risk-return trade-off in Europe: A temporal and cross-sectional analysis

This paper analyzes the risk-return trade-off in European equities considering both temporal and cross-sectional dimensions. In our analysis, we introduce not only the market portfolio but also 15 industry portfolios comprising the entire market. Several bivariate GARCH models are estimated to obtain the covariance matrix between excess market returns and the industrial portfolios and the existence of a risk-return trade-off is analyzed through a cross-sectional approach using the information in all portfolios. It is obtained evidence for a positive and significant risk-return trade-off in the European market. This conclusion is robust for different GARCH specifications and is even more evident after controlling for the main financial crisis during the sample period.