Risk assessment of benefit provision by Mercedes-Benz Thailand

Mercedes-Benz is an automotive company that operates worldwide, and that has among its clients government authorities. Many of the countries where it operates have the tradition of giving gifts to solidify business relationships which can open room for bribery. This study aims at assessing the processes that Mercedes-Benz Thailand has in place regarding benefit provision to Thai government authorities, to make sure there are enough controls to prevent corruption. It is concluded that Mercedes-Benz Thailand has in place good controls, but a few points such as additional training on compliance and the creation of guidelines still need to be improved

Psychological detachment from work during off-job time: an integrative study

Previous studies have perceived psychological detachment from work during off-job time as an important recovery strategy allowing employees to recover from job stressors. Psychological detachment is defined as an individual’s sense of mentally disengaging from work while physically absent from it. Increasing levels of workload contribute to a lack of psychological detachment from work during off-job time. Therefore, this study examines an integrative view of how a moderation of supervisor support, and a mediation of work engagement – which in turn is influenced by indirect sets of effects of moderations of emotion regulation and neuroticism – help predict psychological detachment. In addition, we examine the outcome of burnout from employees’ ability to psychologically detach from work. We tested our hypotheses in a cross-sectional study with a sample of 546 employees from a public service organization. Multiple regression analysis showed that workload, supervisor support, and work engagement were significant predictors of psychological detachment. Additionally, psychological detachment from work is significant to explain employee’s burnout and it decreases in the presence of high levels of work engagement. Moreover, concerning practical implications, it is crucial to provide adequate supervisor support, carefully understand if it is imperative to reduce or increase work engagement, and promote interventions that facilitate employees’ detachment from work.Estudos anteriores defendem o distanciamento psicológico como uma importante estratégia de recuperação, permitindo aos colaboradores recuperar de fatores indutivos de stress no trabalho. O distanciamento psicológico é definido como a capacidade de um indivíduo se desvincular mentalmente do trabalho enquanto fisicamente ausente do mesmo, com a particularidade de que o aumento da carga de trabalho dificulta o distanciamento psicológico. Neste sentido, o presente estudo examina uma visão que integra os efeitos de uma moderação de suporte do supervisor e uma mediação de work engagement. Esta mediação, por sua vez, é influenciada por conjuntos de efeitos indiretos de moderações de regulação emocional e neuroticismo, no distanciamento psicológico de um colaborador. Foi ainda examinado o burnout como resultado do distanciamento psicológico do trabalho. As hipóteses foram testadas num estudo transversal, com uma amostra de 546 colaboradores de uma organização de serviço público. A análise de múltiplas regressões mostrou que a carga de trabalho, o suporte do supervisor e work engagement são preditores significativos do distanciamento psicológico. Adicionalmente, o distanciamento psicológico é significativo na explicação do burnout nos colaboradores e diminui perante níveis elevados de work engagement. Por fim, no que diz respeito às implicações práticas, é crucial fornecer suporte adequado do supervisor, entender se se deve reduzir ou aumentar work engagement, e promover intervenções que facilitem o distanciamento dos colaboradores do trabalho

Collective political agency in the XXIst century: civil society in an age of globalization

It is possible to note, since the 70s, an intensification of the globalization processes of the social relations, intensification that has direct implications in the studies of the contemporary world politics. One important aspect in which such implications express themselves regards the emergence of new actors in the world politics that organize themselves no more in national terms only, but paying attention in the local, national, regional and global dynamics – in other words, seeing the global political economy as a whole. In some sense, it is possible to note that dominant and the dominated social groups are being influenced and are influencing such globalization processes – in other words, it would be possible to note, nowadays, the rising of a transnational fraction of the capitalist class and the rising of a globalized resistance in the ambit of a civil society influenced by the globalization processes. Therefore, the objective of the present proposal is to analyze this process of transformation of the social forces in an age of intensification of the globalization processes of the social relations; in other words, to analyze the transformation of the civil society in an age of globalization that are presenting new dilemmas and possibilities to the collective political agency in the XXI century

Forças Armadas Residence: economic and financial viability analysis

One-third of Portuguese university students choose Lisbon to engage their academic experience. According to Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior, more than 30% of these students are obligated to find accommodations to follow their studies. The present work consists on a business plan for the construction of a public university residence for students, in Cidade Universitária, with the denomination "Forças Armadas Residence". The main objective is to present new accommodations solutions for students in the city, focusing in the location has the main differentiation factor. "Forças Armadas Residence" assumes a distinctive strategy, due to the inexistency of public residences in Cidade Universitária. With a good quality price relation, privileged location and a service turned to client satisfaction. By developing a business plan, with a deep study of the sector, through a micro and macro environmental analysis and the study of the determinants variables to guaranty the success of the chosen strategic, it is possible to conclude for the economic and financial viability of the investment project.Um terço dos estudantes universitários portugueses escolhem Lisboa para a sua experiência universitária. Segundo a Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior, mais de 30% destes estudantes terão de encontrar alojamento para seguir os estudos. O presente trabalho consiste num plano de negócios para a construção de uma residência universitária pública, na Cidade Universitária, com demonização "Residência Forças Armadas", que pretende apresentar novas soluções de alojamento para os estudantes na cidade, focando-se também na localização como principal fator diferenciador. "Residência Forças Armadas" assume uma estratégia distintiva, dada a inexistência de residências publicas na Cidade Universitária. Com uma boa relação qualidade preço, uma localização privilegiada e um serviço virado para a satisfação do cliente. Ao desenvolver o plano de negócios, com um estudo profundo do sector, através da analise da sua envolvente imediata e mediata e do estudo das variáveis determinantes para garantir o sucesso da estratégia a seguir, foi possível concluir sobre a viabilidade económica e financeira do mesmo

Choques não Antecipados de Política Monetária e a Estrutura a Termo das Taxas de Juros no Brasil

This paper has two objectives. One is to identify non anticipated monetary shocks using future contracts of DI. The second objective is to study the relation between these shocks and the term structure of interest rate. Our empirical evidence suggests that, albeit in a partial manner, the market anticipates most interest rate decisions of the Central Bank. We also show that, in general, non anticipated monetary shocks are capable of affecting the term structure of interest rates.

Potências médias emergentes e reforma da arquitetura financeira mundial? Uma análise do BRICS no G20

A partir de 2000, na cúpula de Okinawa, o sistema G7/8 começou um movimento de outreach, ou seja, tanto de "alcançar" aqueles que se encontravam fora quanto de "expandir" o sistema G7/8. Neste sentido, pela primeira vez países não-participantes do G8 foram envolvidos tanto em encontros do G8 quanto em consultas pré-cúpula. Neste processo a cúpula de Gleneagles, em 2005, foi um marco, pois nesta pela primeira vez há um documento conjunto emitido por Brasil, Índia, China, África do Sul e México (BICSAM) - Outreach Five ou Grupo dos Cinco (+5). Tal articulação entre tais países tendo como foco o sistema G7/8 vai ocorrer até a cúpula de LAquila, em 2009. Não obstante, como desde 2008 o G20 vem lidando com tais questões como um fórum de líderes e a partir de 2009 o BRIC passa a se reunir como coalizão, tal articulação paralela ao G8 perde sua relevância. Neste contexto, uma questão que surge diz respeito à relação entre BRICS e G20. Como se dá a ação de tal bloco emergente neste fórum? Qual seu impacto para as decisões tomadas no âmbito de tal fórum? Qual a importância da China neste processo? Questões deste tipo são relevantes uma vez que muitas abordagens sobre o G20 e sobre as potências médias emergentes falam a respeito da legitimidade e da representatividade do G20 sem, contudo, dar a devida atenção às potências médias emergentes, suas coalizões e formas de engajamento e articulação no âmbito do G20, e é neste contexto que se insere o presente artigo, que busca analisar a inserção e articulação do BRICS no âmbito do G20, suas potencialidades e limites

Patterns of total factor productivity growth in Mexico: 1991-2011

We review some patterns of Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth in the Mexican economy during the period 1991-2011 using the KLEMS data set published by INEGI in 2013. The data shows a strong positive correlation between TFP and output growth. As a result, tests were performed in order to determine a possible causality between these two variables, with the results not rejecting the hypothesis of causality running in both directions. Another pattern that also emerges from the data set is that TFP growth in Mexico tends to be fairly concentrated and highly irregular, as just a reduced share of the subsectors in any given time period tends to account for most of the TFP growth, and also because the distribution of their performance is far from being the same across time. These patterns are similar to those found in other data sets of the Mexican economy, as well as in data from the United States and the United Kingdom at different levels of aggregation

Response of Ocypode quadrata to storm waves on an urbanized sandy beach

Extreme climate events cause major disturbances to the fauna of sandy beaches. For abiotic-controlled species, storm waves play a significant role in controlling populations. Considering the projected increase in the frequency of extreme climate events and the consequential influence on benthic macrofauna, there is a need to adjust the time-scale of observations. In this context, we conducted weekly monitoring of the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata on an urbanized sandy beach in southeast Brazil to evaluate the effect of storm waves on population dynamics. The effect of storm wave events was not as strong as expected, but two of the 8 registered storm events provoked an increase in density of O. quadrata. Although not significant, after events 4-5, the population suffered a decrease in density and burrows were concentrated in the upper supralittoral, probably because of contiguous effect of habitat reduction by trampling and the storm waves. It is probable that the combination of storm wave events in conjunction with urbanization could have prevented the population recovery by reducing the overall recruitment or even causing mortality or migration towards safer areas. Multi-factor approaches are needed to better understand the dynamics of O. quadrata in urbanized beaches, however, our study showed that weekly monitoring allowed us to record subtle variations in population dynamics that would go unregistered with other approaches but might reveal long-term changes