Managers\u27 decisional profiles : a survey with Brazilian, French and American executive MBA students

This paper presents the main results from an exploratory study whose goal was to identify the individual perception on the decision-making process. The methodology used was a survey based on the respondents\u27 personal opinion. A comparative study was conducted in Brazil, France and the USA. Data were collected through a set of 3 instruments of qualitative nature, with a non-probabilistic sample of 285 people (approximatelly 100 individuals in each one of the 3 countries). The present work explores decisional perception, emphasizing the method and the qualitative data analysis process. As main results, different decisional profiles, as well as a comparison of the different perceptions (Brazilian, French and American) were outlined

Decision-Making Process, National Culture, and Decisional Background Cross-Cultural Exploratory Quantitative-Qualitative Survey Research Project: Brazil, France, and USA-Some Preliminary Results

This paper presents a brief description of a survey designed to accomplish a cross-cultural exploratory study in three different countries (Brazil, France, and USA), aiming to point out the main perceptions of the managers regarding the decision-making process. 277 MBA students or managers answered. We present the first results obtained, illustrating that we do find differences, and we need to pay attention to cultural factors, especially now that every enterprise, every community is trying to be in touch and do some business anywhere

The Design Process of a Cross-Cultural Exploratory Quantitaive-Qualitative Survey Research Project to Study the Decision-Making Process

This paper describes the design process of a exploratory cross-cultural and cross-sectional survey to be applied in different countries, aiming to point out the main perceptions of the managers regarding the decision-making process. We present some of the main steps in the beginning of the research process in order to conceive and validate quantitative and qualitative instruments to collect data to our investigation

A OSCE e os novos desafios à segurança internacional

Os acontecimentos de 11 de Setembro marcaram um novo ambiente internacional com um novo tipo de ameaças. Os atentados contra o World Trade Centre revelaram uma acção terrorista de carácter transnacional, levada a cabo por um grupo com capacidade logística, instrumentos de agressão e meios financeiros que, até agora, só o Estado tinha capacidade para desenvolver. Os atentados revelaram também como os conceitos de segurança e defesa dos organismos internacionais estão ultrapassados, incluindo o conceito de dissuasão que, naquele contexto, deixou de fazer sentido. À luz destes novos desafios que se colocam à segurança internacional, a OSCE é uma organização estratégica no quadro europeu pela sua abrangência regional, por um lado, e, por outro, pelas suas missões de longa duração no terren

Retaining Students After Graduation with Biblical Servanthood

This thesis addresses the inadequate understanding of the biblical concept of servanthood among high school students (grades 9-12) within the congregation of Macland Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia. As a result of this problem, students gradually distance themselves from their faith, discontinue church attendance, and cease participating in church service activities. The thesis of this paper is that exposing these high school students to various dimensions of biblical servanthood will significantly impact their understanding of this concept. The underlying assumption posits that a profound understanding of biblical servanthood, coupled with knowledge and service opportunities, will cultivate Christlike character in students, encouraging continued engagement with the local church and inspiring them to serve as exemplars of servanthood for future generations. The premise is that fostering a production-oriented mindset over consumption is vital to this process. When deliberate mentorship and resources are provided to participants, it is feasible to cultivate the qualities of ministry leadership among students and the adult congregation. This study offers insights into strategies for deepening students’ understanding of servanthood, bolstering their commitment to the church and their role as stewards of servanthood principles. As a result, the research addresses the challenge of retaining young adults in the church by offering a practical case study illustrating the transformative potential of biblical servanthood understanding within the church’s student ministry

Matrix metalloproteinase inhibition and antibiofilm activity by incorporation of doxycycline into dental adhesive

Orientador: Simonides ConsaniTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Odontologia de PiracicabaResumo: O objetivo neste estudo in vitro foi analisar o efeito da incorporação de diferentes concentrações de doxiciclina nas propriedades físico-químicas do adesivo, resistência da união à dentina, nanodureza e modulo de elasticidade da interface adesiva, atividade antibiofilme e atividade inibitória de metaloproteinases. Doxiciclina foi incorporada à um adesivo comercial de técnica úmida (Single Bond 2) nas concentrações de 0,05-, 0,1-, 0,5- e 1%. O adesivo não modificado foi utilizado como controle. Os efeitos das adições nas propriedades físico-mecânicas foram analisadas pelo pH, grau de conversão, , resistência flexural, modulo de flexão, sorção e solubilidade. Resistência de união, nanoinfiltração, nanodureza e módulo reduzido da interface dentina-adesivo foram avaliados após 24h e 1 ano de armazenagem em água. Biofilme de S. mutans foi crescido por 3 dias em discos de resina composta cobertos com adesivos, sendo a viabilidade bacteriana e o peso seco quantificados. Imagens do biofilme formado foram obtidas por MEV. O efeito inibitório da atividade das MMPs foi analisado por meio de zimografia in situ com microscopia confocal de fluorescência por varredura à laser. Adição de doxiciclina reduziu o pH dos adesivos modificados a partir da concentração de 0,5% alterou negativamente o grau de conversão a partir da concentração de 0,5%. Nenhuma alteração foi observada nos valores de resistência flexural, modulo de flexão, sorção e solubilidade. A incorporação de doxiciclina não afetou os valores de resistência da união imediata. Entretanto, o grupo controle apresentou diminuição significativa na resistência de união após um ano de armazenamento enquanto que os grupos com adição de doxiciclina apresentaram-se estáveis. O mesmo efeito pode ser observado nas imagens de nanoinfiltração, quando o grupo controle apresentou grande acumulo de nitrato de prata no período de um ano. Para os valores de nanodureza imediata apenas a camada híbrida foi estatísticamente superior na concentração de 0,1% comparada com o grupo controle. Após o período de um ano de armazenagem somente os valores de nanodureza da camada adesiva apresentaram diferença estatística, sendo que o controle apresentou valores superiores ao grupo 1%, os quais não foram significamente diferentes das concentrações intermediárias. Módulo de elasticidade do adesivo, camada híbrida e dentina não apresentaram diferença, qualquer que fosse a concentração. As concentrações de 0,5% e 1% reduziram a viabilidade bacteriana e o peso seco. As imagens de MEV mostraram diminuição da densidade do biofilme formado de acordo com o aumento da concentração, assim como menor cobertura de bacterias ocorreu a partir da concentração de 0,1%. As imagens por confocal mostram aumento proporcional da inibição das MMPs de acordo com o aumento da concentração de doxiciclina. Concluindo, que a incorporação de doxiciclina mostrou se eficiente na inibição de MMP com capacidade de reduzir a viabilidade bacteriana e a biomassa de biofilme para as maiores concentraçõesAbstract: The aim of this in vitro study was to analyze the effect of doxycycline incorporation in different concentrations into dental adhesives, on physical-chemical properties, microtensile bond strength, interfacial nanohardness and elastic modulus, antibiofilm activity and MMP inhibition. Doxycycline was incorporated into a wet-bonding commercial adhesive (Single bond 2) in concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1%. An adhesive with no addition was used as a control group. The effect of the additions on physical-chemical properties was analyzed by pH determination, degree of conversion, flexural strength, flexural modulus, water sorption and solubility. Microtensile bond strength, nanoleakage, nanohardeness and elastic modulus were analyzed after 24 h and 1 year of water storage. Biofilms of S. mutans were grown on adhesive-coated resin disks for 3 days to perform the bacterial viability and to determine the amount of biomass. Qualitatively SEM images were obtained from the biofilm. The inhibitory effect on MMP was analyzed by in situ zimography under confocal microscopy. The addition of doxycycline reduced the pH from 0.5% concentration and above, and also reduced the degree of conversion. No effect was observed on flexural strength, flexural modulus, water sorption and solubility between groups. The incorporation of doxycycline did not affect the microtensile bond strength values between the groups tested. However, the control group showed a decreased in bond strength after 1 year of water storage, and the doxycycline-containing groups showed stable bond strength after aged, instead. The same effect was observed in nanoleakage images, as the control group showed a densest silver nitrate accumulation after one year of storage. Immediate nanohardness values presented an increased with the addition of 0.1% of doxycycline compared to the control group for the hybrid layer. After one year of storage, the adhesive layer with 1% doxycycline decreased compared to the control group, and both groups were not different from other concentrations. No difference was observed for elastic modulus for all concentrations and storage times tested. The 0.5 and 1% concentrations of doxycycline decreased the bacterial viability and the biomass. SEM images shows a less dense biofilm following the increase of doxycycline, and the reduction in adhered bacteria seems to appear from 0.1% concentration. Confocal images show a proportional increase of MMP inhibition according to the increase of doxycycline. In conclusion, the doxycycline-modified adhesives showed efficacy to inhibit MMP and reduced the bacterial viability and biomass for the higher concentrationsDoutoradoMateriais DentariosDoutor em Materiais Dentários1777/2014CAPE

What Information Brazilian Construction Managers Really Need to Improve the Design Stage Decision-Making Process: A Multiple Case Study

Information has become a key point for competition in global markets. As a first step, organizations need to identify the purpose of information in developing competitive strategies. The development and flow of information is especially critical if the process is dependent on different types of participants. The involvement of professionals with different interests, knowledge, and abilities in the production process results in communication problems at the interfaces among those participating in a given stage and also among different stages of the process. For example, cultural diversity of participants (architects, engineers, customers, etc.), who need to work together to produce a final product can be a major obstacle in construction industry. The objective of this paper is to relate the theory on the usefulness of data and information with the available information about the production process. We take as a specific example, the design stage of the building construction process and evaluate the presence of information, in companies of the building construction industry in two Brazilian cities, Porto Alegre and São Paulo. We accomplished this objective through a multiple case study (Yin, 1994)

A informação informal e a monitoração do ambiente: fontes e exploração/ disseminação

Dentre todas as atividades que uma organização realiza, a monitoração do ambiente certamente deveria ser uma delas. Essa atividade, que tem como principal entrada [e também saída] a informação, raramente é corretamente desenvolvida. Muitos são os fatores que a influenciam e um deles é o excesso de informação disponível no mercado, o que dificulta a monitoração, levando os indivíduos a recorrerem a informações não-estruturadas, informais, provenientes das mais diversas fontes. O objetivo deste artigo é buscar compreender, por meio da identificação de algumas dimensões da atividade de monitoração do ambiente, o uso da informação informal por executivos da área de TI. Por se tratar de um estudo de natureza exploratória e qualitativa, a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas em profundidade com executivos da área. Os resultados, analisados à luz das dimensões identificadas, permitiu que se obtivesse um panorama do uso da informação informal na monitoração do ambiente

A Project Portfolio Management model adapted to non-profit organizations

As they strive towards greater professionalism in carrying out their activities, non-profit organizations (NPOs) have begun paying attention to project management. The non-profit sector (NPS) has also begun to adopt strategic planning techniques, thus making the acceptance of project portfolio management (PPM) methodology a natural consequence. This article aims to propose a project portfolio management model adapted to the context of NPOs