Using importance-performance analysis in evaluating institutions of higher education: a case study

A large number of management quality models that are universally applied in the business environment, have been adapted and used in the education sector. The aim of this paper is to assess the quality attributes of higher education from different perspectives, namely from that of School of Technology and Management students, applying the Importance Performance Analysis. The results show that students are satisfied with their institution.School of Technology and Management; Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, IPB. NECE- Research Unit in Business Sciences, UB

Importance-performance analysis as a tool in evaluating higher education service quality: the empirical results of ESTiG (IPB)

Effective management depends on the ability to assess the quality of services provided. The models of quality management are applied in business and has been adapted for use in the education sector, based on the experiences lived by the students. Based on the literature review and empirical study, following the Importance-Performance Analysis, this study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the School of Technology and Management of Bragança, from the perspectives and perceptions of students who attend the school. According to the results obtained it was concluded that students were satisfied with the performance and quality of services provided by the institution

Empirical study on the student satisfaction in higher education: importance-satisfaction analysis

The future of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) depend on their ability to attract and retain students, increase recognition and prestige. In order to respond to the 'customers' increasingly demanding, HEI need to identify the key factors that influence the satisfaction of a 'customers', thereby creating competitive advantages. These determinants of satisfaction are important elements that guide the strategy of an institution and allow the successful achievement of strategic plans, both teaching and administrative, to offer their ‘costumers’ services and products with higher quality. Following this way of thinking, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction with the service quality of the School of Technology and Management of Bragança (ESTiG), of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, identifying, thus, the dimensions related to the quality of services that might influence students' satisfaction. The results showed that, in general, the students are satisfied with the performance of ESTiG

Development of a Farm Management Tool for the Brazilian Conditions

This paper presents results of a managerial information system prototype developed for modern agriculturalists in the Brazilian Cerrado´s Region. It follows a case study approach. One medium scale (422 hectares) of operation was envisioned, archetypical accounting framework was established, aiming to provide better data and information to support farm management decisions. The system has proved to be useful in examining decision making at farm level and in ex ante evaluations of changes in farm-level input use, output and profitability in response to price, policy, and/or technology changes. Data entry was done in ACCESS for user friendliness and global availability; presentational materials were prepared in ACCESS and in EXCEL.Family farm system, Microsoft ACCESS application, managerial information, cost accounting, Farm Management,

Geo-environmental mapping using physiographic analysis: constraints on the evaluation of land instability and groundwater pollution hazards in the Metropolitan District of Campinas, Brazil

Geo-environmental terrain assessments and territorial zoning are useful tools for the formulation and implementation of environmental management instruments (including policy-making, planning, and enforcement of statutory regulations). They usually involve a set of procedures and techniques for delimitation, characterisation and classification of terrain units. However, terrain assessments and zoning exercises are often costly and time-consuming, particularly when encompassing large areas, which in many cases prevent local agencies in developing countries from properly benefiting from such assessments. In the present paper, a low-cost technique based on the analysis of texture of satellite imagery was used for delimitation of terrain units. The delimited units were further analysed in two test areas situated in Southeast Brazil to provide estimates of land instability and the vulnerability of groundwater to pollution hazards. The implementation incorporated procedures for inferring the influences and potential implications of tectonic fractures and other discontinuities on ground behaviour and local groundwater flow. Terrain attributes such as degree of fracturing, bedrock lithology and weathered materials were explored as indicators of ground properties. The paper also discusses constraints on- and limitations of- the approaches taken

Population expansion in the North African Late Pleistocene signalled by mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U6

Background <br/> The archaeology of North Africa remains enigmatic, with questions of population continuity versus discontinuity taking centre-stage. Debates have focused on population transitions between the bearers of the Middle Palaeolithic Aterian industry and the later Upper Palaeolithic populations of the Maghreb, as well as between the late Pleistocene and Holocene. <br/> Results Improved resolution of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup U6 phylogeny, by the screening of 39 new complete sequences, has enabled us to infer a signal of moderate population expansion using Bayesian coalescent methods. To ascertain the time for this expansion, we applied both a mutation rate accounting for purifying selection and one with an internal calibration based on four approximate archaeological dates: the settlement of the Canary Islands, the settlement of Sardinia and its internal population re-expansion, and the split between haplogroups U5 and U6 around the time of the first modern human settlement of the Near East. <br/> Conclusions <br/> A Bayesian skyline plot placed the main expansion in the time frame of the Late Pleistocene, around 20 ka, and spatial smoothing techniques suggested that the most probable geographic region for this demographic event was to the west of North Africa. A comparison with U6's European sister clade, U5, revealed a stronger population expansion at around this time in Europe. Also in contrast with U5, a weak signal of a recent population expansion in the last 5,000 years was observed in North Africa, pointing to a moderate impact of the late Neolithic on the local population size of the southern Mediterranean coast

Avaliação da atividade fenilalanina amônia liásica em folhas de bananeira inoculadas com o fungo Mycosphaerella fijiensis.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os atributos bioquímicos envolvidos na defesa da bananeira ao ataque do fungo M. fijiensis, notadamente avaliar o papel da enzima fenilalanina amônia liase nesta resposta, nas variedades Caprichosa, Garantida, FHIA-18, Prata Ken, Prata Anã, Maçã e Grande Naine, nos tempos: 0, 6h, 24h, 48h, 72h dias após a inoculação. Após a coleta, as folhas foram pesadas e obtidos os extratos totais por meio de maceração das folhas com tampão acetato de sódio 50 mM, pH 5,2, os quais foram utilizados nas determinações de proteínas e atividade enzimática

Design and development of an Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) system support based on digital manufacturing

Visual inspection of components, subassemblies and final products is an essential step to ensure the quality control of ready-to-market electronic components. In many manufacturing plants, including Bosch Car Multimedia S.A., typically automated systems for automatic optical inspection (AOI) are implemented at several workstations to perform visual verification and validation in between critical production tasks. At Bosch Car Multimedia S.A., the AOI system includes a metallic support frame that accommodates a series of components for the function of AOI. The support frame is attached to a robotic arm for controlled movement. As the AOI is a rather fast-moving process, deformation of components may occur during monitoring due to the high acceleration of the robotic arm while operating. In addition to this issue, the existent AOI system includes a high number of components and connections which increase complexity for assembly and disassembly operations. This paper presents the redesign for enhanced performance and functionality of a AOI metallic support frame by resourcing to the generative design (GD) exploration method. Furthermore, additive manufacturing technology, based in selective laser sintering (SLS) of polymeric powders, was used for the production of a new lightweight and reliable version of an AOI support frame. The alternative AOI support frame configuration consists of a single consolidated polymeric component that enabled an overall weight decrease above 30% and a reduction of main components and total number of parts of approximately 89% and ~77%, respectively.FEDER - Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras(undefined)European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project nº 039479