Relatório de Estágio Curricular: Fábricas Lusitana – Produtos Alimentares, S.A.

O Marketing é um dos grandes pilares em qualquer empresa, pois representa uma base fundamental para a comunicação com os consumidores. A ligação entre a empresa e os consumidores pode ser concretizada de diversas formas, recorrendo a várias ferramentas de comunicação que criam e fomentam uma relação de proximidade. Uma das principais ferramentas utilizadas, na atualidade, prende-se com o digital, nomeadamente com as redes sociais que permitem, não só difundir várias informações, mas também interagir com o consumidor. É desta forma que as ferramentas digitais criam a “humanização” das empresas, pois permitem que haja um estreitamento de laços e aumenta a confiança e satisfação dos consumidores. O presente relatório resulta do estágio curricular, com a duração de três meses, no Departamento de Marketing da Fábricas Lusitana – Produtos Alimentares, S.A., empresa que comercializa marcas alimentares portuguesas. As atividades realizadas incidiram nas mais diversas áreas, sendo a principal, a área da comunicação da empresa, com especial enfoque nas redes sociais. Foram detetadas algumas situações menos favoráveis para a empresa para as quais são apresentadas sugestões de melhoria.Marketing is a major strength in any company as it represents a fundamental basis for communication with consumers. The connection between the company and consumers can be achieved in several ways and using various communication tools to create and foster a close relationship. One of the main tools used nowadays is digital, namely social networks that allow not only to disseminate various information but also to interact with the consumer. It is in this way that digital tools create the "humanization" of companies because they allow a closer relationship and increase consumer confidence and satisfaction. This report results from a curricular internship for a period of three months in the Marketing Department of Fábricas Lusitana - Produtos Alimentares, S.A. a company that sells Portuguese food brands. The activities carried out focused on several areas, being the main one the area of company communication with special focus on social networks. Some less favourable situations for the company were detected, and some suggestions for improvement are made

Optimal direct mailing modelling based on data envelopment analysis

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a mathematical programming technique that is frequently used for measuring and benchmarking efficiency of the homogenous decision-making units (DMUs). This paper proposes a new use of DEA for customers scoring and particularly their direct mailing modelling. Moreover, because DEA models suffer from some weaknesses, that is, unrealistic weighting scheme of the inputs and outputs and incomplete ranking among efficient DMUs, the present paper compares different ways of solving these problems and concludes that common set of weights method, as a result of some advantages, outperforms other procedures

An efficiency indicator tool for managing resource expenditure in public central hospitals

Citizens generally assume that government has unlimited resources, but public health care services are always limited and constrained. Public hospitals are generally in dire need of opportunities to allocate resources efficiently in light of limited financial resources whilst in the private sector, affordability guarantees access (Alaba and McIntyre, 2012). Efficient hospital management should include harmonised health care activities and provision, based on application of knowledge and managerial skills, including problem-solving to achieve outcomes using resources in the most economical, efficient and effective way (Usman et al, 2015). This research investigated cause and effect relationships between the hospital efficiency indicators and some dimensions and sub dimensions of hospital performance, mainly costs and volume of health care activities. Vector-Auto regression (VAR) system of models were applied to efficiency-indicator data for the four public central hospitals in Gauteng provided from District Health Information System (DHIS) over 28 time points which are quarterly intervals over 7 years (from 1st quarter 2008/09 to 4th quarter 2014/15). The rate of increment per quarter for each efficiency indicator was determined to be R44.02 for Expenditure per Patient Day Equivalent (ExPDE); 0.17% for Caesarean Section rates (C-Section); 0.31% for Bed Utilisation Rate (BUR) and 0.07 days for Average Length Of Stay (ALOS). The above estimates are generated in a predictive modelling context with smaller standard errors in comparison to those generated by traditional or conventional approaches and are therefore more precise. Linear Mixed Modelling also showed that correlating expenditure to efficiency would require hospital specific interventions due to significant ‘hospital specific characteristics or random effect’ (intra-class correlation) for each efficiency indicator. It was inferred that, whereas there might be common fixed costs associated with the operation of central hospitals, the cost pressure of providing for services is affected differently at each central hospital. Inferences of managers’ subjective responses on their understanding and utilisation of efficiency-indicator information showed that a manager with a medical background or within patient care is 1.14 times more likely to comprehend efficiency information compared to one with a business or management background. Interaction with efficiency data in current role is 1.10 times more likely for managers in patient care than those in administration / support. After controlling for hospital specific effects, changes are recommended for determination of targets for Caesarean section rates, as well as for the current set of efficiency indicators to be expanded. An Efficiency Indicator Management Tool (EIMT), where predictive modelling capability is a major output of the research study, is presented as a strategic implementational tool to promote evidence-based data decision-making in public hospitals. This research is significant in that it realised how efficiency indicators can be adopted to guide hospital expenditure in a cost-effective way.Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL