Balanced Scorecard aplicado en empresas de calzado de la provincia de Tungurahua: caso MELAN

La nueva generación empresarial debe precisar con exactitud y cuidado la misión que regirá a la empresa del siglo XXI, por cuanto se entiende que esta representa las operaciones a ejecutar para lograr diferenciación ante el mercado meta. El presente trabajo fue desarrollado para describir el entorno de empresas de calzado del sector cuero de la provincia de Tungurahua. Además, se pretende concentrar aquellos objetivos posibles de lograr, en el negocio o unidad de negocio, en compendio con las oportunidades y amenazas que presenta el entorno. A diferencia de otros estudios del sector, este realiza un análisis de brechas estratégicas (GAP) que contribuyen a la planeación con conocimientos de causa de las estratégicas mal implantadas. En tal virtud se observa la relación causa efecto de las decisiones tomadas por la alta dirección en contraste con las respuestas del mercado. La esencia de este trabajo es la cuantificación y parametrización de los objetivos estratégicos traducidos a los planes operativos, en este sentido la empresa tomará mejores decisiones en el presente para impulsarse al horizonte estratégico.

Diagnóstico de deterioro de la infraestructura vial Barrio Cuba hasta Villa Verde, Pereira, Risaralda

El valor de las vías secundarias es la base principal del transporte en Colombia para el desarrollo del territorio. Por lo anterior, se hace indispensable llevar a cabo la inversión en infraestructura vial, debido a que es el primer paso para crear condiciones básicas para el avance de las actividades productivas. En consiguiente, es fundamental generar un conjunto de evaluaciones sobre el estado actual en el que se encuentra la infraestructura vial del territorio, dado esto se genera un análisis visual en las calles 70 y 71, en el tramo que comprende el Éxito del Barrio Cuba hasta el CAI de Villa Verde en la Ciudad de Pereira. Esta investigación se realiza mediante la metodología comprendida en los manuales de inspección visual de pavimento, manual para la inspección visual de puentes y manual de señalización de Invías. De acuerdo con el análisis estadístico se determina que los tramos con mayor porcentaje de afectación en pavimento rígido fueron del T1 al T6 y T18 los cuales sufren más del 95% de daño, lo que representa un 13.19% frente al área vial construida y los tramos con mayor porcentaje de afectación en pavimento flexible son T5 y T6, los cuales sufren entre ambos el 1.54% de daños, de este mismo modo se evidencio que la patología que más frecuente en el pavimento rígido fue pulimiento y en el pavimento flexible fue cabezas duras representando cada una el 6.23% y 1.01% de afectación, en sincronía se realiza un inventario de 180 señales de tránsito, 112 verticales y 68 horizontales en donde se determina que las marcas de sentido vial son las señales horizontales que se encuentran más afectada representando un 36,76% de la totalidad de las señales encontradas, por otro lado en la señalización vertical se reconoce que la señal con mayor nivel de afectación es la preventiva representando un 50% de la totalidad de las señales, para finalizar se realiza el análisis de dos puentes peatonales que se encuentran en el tramo de evaluado dándose que el puente peatonal metálico presenta delaminación de la pintura y breves apariciones de corrosión tanto en las barandas como en la superestructura metálica; así mismo, según la inspección del puente peatonal de concreto, presenta como principal patología la contaminación por agentes ambientales, además de hormigueo en la superestructura y perdida de recubrimiento en superficie y escaleras de acceso, por tal motivo la aparición de acero de refuerzo y corrosión del mismo.Universidad Libre Seccional Pereira -- Facultad de Ingeniería -- Ingeniería CivilThe value of secondary roads is the main base of transport in Colombia for the development of the territory. Therefore, it is essential to carry out investment in road infrastructure because it is the first step to create basic conditions for the advancement of productive activities. For this reason, it is essential to generate a set of evaluations on the current state of the territory's road infrastructure, given this, a visual analysis is generated on streets 70 and 71, in the section that includes the Éxito of neighborhood Cuba until the Villa Verde CAI in the City of Pereira. This investigation is carried out through the manuals of visual inspection of pavement, Manual for the visual inspection of bridges and INVIAS signaling manual. According to the statistical analysis, it is determined that the sections with the highest percentage of damage to rigid pavement were from T1 to T6 and T18, which suffer more than 95% damage, which represents 13.19% compared to the built road area and the sections with the highest percentage of affectation in flexible pavement are T5 and T6, which suffer between them 1.54% of damage, in the same way it was evidenced that the most frequent pathology in the rigid pavement was polishing and in the flexible pavement it was hard heads each one representing 6.23% and 1.01% of affectation, in synchrony an inventory of 180 traffic signs is made, 112 vertical and 68 horizontal where it is determined that the road direction marks are the horizontal signs that are most affected representing a 36.76% of all the signs found, on the other hand in the vertical signaling it is recognized that the sign with the highest level of affectation is the preventive one, representing 50% of the totality of the signals, to finish the analysis of two pedestrian bridges that are in the evaluated section is carried out, given that the metallic pedestrian bridge presents delamination of the paint and brief appearances of corrosion both in the railings and in the metallic superstructure; Likewise, according to the inspection of the concrete pedestrian bridge, the main pathology is contamination by environmental agents, in addition to tingling in the superstructure and loss of surface coating and access stairs, for this reason the appearance of reinforcing steel and corrosion of the same

A ecologia das instituições educativas: ambiente, controle social e comportamento em colégios da Colômbia

According to studies of social control, there is a positive relationship between physical, and social disorder. In this study, we employ an onsite observation instrument of the environment to a set of schools in Colombia to estimate the relationship between the physical and social environment elements and the prevalence of non-traditional behaviors and interactions. Our results indicate that the more the signs of physical disorder, the more the number of non-traditional behaviors and interactions. However, we found less prevalence of these behaviors when there are better hygiene and less non-traditional behaviors outside schools.Según estudios de control social, existe una relación positiva entre las señales de desorden físico y social. En este estudio se utiliza un instrumento de observación directa del entorno en un grupo de colegios de Colombia para estimar la relación de los elementos del entorno físico y social y, la prevalencia de conductas e interacciones no convencionalesdentro de estos. Los resultados muestran que a mayores señales de desorden físico, mayor número de conductas e interacciones no convencionales. Sin embargo, se encontró una menor prevalencia de estos comportamientos en situaciones de mejor higiene y menos conductas no convencionales en el exterior del colegio.De acordo com estudos de controle social, existe uma relação positiva entre os sinais de desordem físico e social. Neste estudo, usamos um instrumento de observação direta do ambiente em um grupo de escolas colombianas para estimar a relação entre os elementos do ambiente físico e social e a prevalência de comportamentos e interações não convencionais dentro dos colégios. Nossos resultados mostram que quanto maiores os sinais de desordem físico, maior o número de comportamentos e interações não convencionais. No entanto, encontramos uma prevalência menor desses comportamentos devido a uma melhor higiene e menos comportamentos não convencionais fora da escola

Deposición de capas funcionales sobre esmaltes cerámicos mediante la técnica sol-gel (revisión)

Functionalized enamels for the ceramic tile industry has been a research topic since the past 15 years. Different researchers have focused their efforts on achieving surfaces with functional attributes that increase product value and provide technical solutions for the technological needs of our times. This article presents a review of the scientific literature dedicated to obtaining functional surfaces by means of a sol gel technique, that provides a means for deposition and formation of thin layers on traditional ceramic enamels in order to provide functional characteristics. The document presents: typical used alcoxidic solutions, the different deposition techniques emphasizing the experimental findings obtained by the authors, and presents a synthesis of the functional effects obtained by means of the technique.La funcionalización de esmaltes para la industria de las baldosas cerámicas ha sido un frente de investigación importante en los últimos 15 años. Diferentes investigadores han centrado sus esfuerzos en conseguir superficies con atributos funcionales que incrementen el valor agregado del producto y a su vez aporten respuestas a las necesidades tecnológicas de nuestros tiempos. El presente artículo se concentra en hacer una revisión de la literatura científica dedicada a la obtención de superficies funcionales por medio de la técnica de sol-gel, la cual es apta para la fabricación de soluciones que se depositan formando capas finas sobre los esmaltes de cerámica tradicional con el fin de aportar características funcionales al mismo. El documento presenta las principales soluciones alcóxidicas usualmente empleadas, las diferentes técnicas de deposición haciendo énfasis en los hallazgos experimentales obtenidos por los diferentes autores, y presenta una síntesis de los efectos funcionales hasta la fecha obtenidos por medio de la técnica

Financial Stability Report - Second Semester of 2021

Banco de la República’s main objective is to preserve the purchasing power of the currency in coordination with the general economic policy that is intended to stabilize output and employment at long-term sustainable levels. Properly meeting the goal assigned to the Bank by the 1991 Constitution critically depends on preserving financial stability. This is understood to be a general condition in which the financial system assesses and manages the financial risks in a way that facilitates the economy’s performance and efficient allocation of resources while, at the same time, it is able to, on its own, absorb, dissipate, and mitigate the shocks that may arise as a result of adverse events. This Financial Stability Report meets the goal of giving Banco de la República’s diagnosis of the financial system’s and its debtors’ recent performance as well as of the main risks and vulnerabilities that could affect the stability of the Colombian economy. In this way, participants in financial markets and the public are being informed, and public debate on trends and risks affecting the system is being encouraged. The results presented here also serve the monetary authority as a basis for making decisions that will enhance financial stability in the general context of its objectives. In recent months, several positive aspects of the financial system have preserved a remarkable degree of continuity and stability: the liquidity and capital adequacy of financial institutions have remained well above the regulatory minimums at both the individual and consolidated levels, the coverage of past-due loans by loan-loss provisions remains high, and the financial markets for public and private debt and stocks have continued to function normally. At the same time, a surge in all the types of loan portfolios, a sharp downturn in the non-performing loan portfolio, and a rise in the profitability of credit institutions can be seen for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. In line with the general recovery of the economy, the main vulnerability to the stability of the Colombian financial system identified in the previous edition—uncertainty about changes in the non-performing loans portfolio—has receded and remains on a downward trend. In this edition, the main source of vulnerability identified for financial stability in the short term is the system’s exposure to sudden changes in international financial conditions; the results presented in this Report indicate that the system is sufficiently resilient to such scenarios. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system’s security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth functioning of the payment system. Leonardo Villar Gomez Governor Box 1 -Decomposition of the Net Interest Margin in Colombia and Chile Wilmar Cabrera Daniela Rodríguez-Novoa Box 2 - Spatial Analysis of New Home Prices in Bogota, Medellín, and Cali Using a Geostatistical Approach María Fernanda Meneses Camilo Eduardo Sánchez Box 3 - Interest Rate Model for the SYSMO Stress Test Exercise Wilmar Cabrera Diego Cuesta Santiago Gamba Camilo Gómez Box 4 - The Transition from LIBOR and other International Benchmark Rates Daniela X. Gualtero Briceño Javier E. Pirateque Niñ

Hyposalivation but not Sjögren’s syndrome associated with microbial dysbiosis in women

BackgroundSaliva modulates the environment of the oral biofilm through pH buffer, microbial attachment to host surfaces, and nutritional source. The ecology of stress occurs when a physical factor adversely impacts an ecosystem or its biotic components. Therefore, reduced salivary flow can affect oral-host balance. The leading causes of hyposalivation include disease-associated Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) and menopausal women as aging-associated. However, little is known about the oral microbiome integrated with sex hormones in hyposalivation. This study aimed to characterize the hyposalivation microbiome caused by aging or disease affecting the salivary glands in women.MethodsWe included 50 women older than 40 years of age in any menopausal phase. We collected stimulated saliva from 25 women diagnosed with SS (SS) and 25 without SS (non-SS). The bacterial profile of the patients was obtained by 16S rRNA sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis used machine learning to analyze the cohort’s signs, symptoms, and bacterial profile. Salivary estradiol as a sex hormone variation level was determined.ResultsWe obtained that 79% of the SS group, and 52% of the non-SS group had hyposalivation. We found a negatively correlated Prevotella-age and Rothia-estradiol in the SS group. Highlight, we found that the cause of the hyposalivation in the study did not explain differences in microbial diversity comparing non-SS and SS groups. Therefore, microbial communities found in hyposalivation but not related to systemic conditions suggest that changes in the oral environment might underpin host-microbial balance.ConclusionThe salivary microbiome was similar in women with and without SS. However, hyposalivation showed two distinctive clusters associated with the bacterial population profiles. Our study suggests that local ecological disturbances could drive the change in the microbiome

Reporte Estabilidad Financiera - Primer Semestre de 2020

In the face of the multiple shocks currently experienced by the domestic economy (resulting from the drop in oil prices and the appearance of a global pandemic), the Colombian financial system is in a position of sound solvency and adequate liquidity. At the same time, credit quality has been recovering and the exposure of credit institutions to firms with currency mismatches has declined relative to previous episodes of sudden drops in oil prices. These trends are reflected in the recent fading of red and blue tonalities in the performance and credit risk segments of the risk heatmaps in Graphs A and B.1 Naturally, the sudden, unanticipated change in macroeconomic conditions has caused the appearance of vulnerabilities for short-term financial stability. These vulnerabilities require close and continuous monitoring on the part of economic authorities. The main vulnerability is the response of credit and credit risk to a potential, temporarily extreme macroeconomic situation in the context of: (i) recently increased exposure of some banks to household sector, and (ii) reductions in net interest income that have led to a decline in the profitability of the banking business in the recent past. Furthermore, as a consequence of greater uncertainty and risk aversion, occasional problems may arise in the distribution of liquidity between agents and financial markets. With regards to local markets, spikes have been registered in the volatility of public and private fixed income securities in recent weeks that are consistent with the behavior of the international markets and have had a significant impact on the liquidity of those instruments (red portions in the most recent past of some market risk items on the map in Graph A). In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to those vulnerabilities, this Report presents a stress test that evaluates the resilience of credit institutions in the event of a hypothetical scenario thatseeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The scenario assumes a hypothetical negative growth that is temporarily strong but recovers going into the middle of the coming year and has extreme effects on credit quality. The results suggest that credit institutions have the ability to withstand a significant deterioration in economic conditions in the short term. Even though there could be a strong impact on credit, liquidity, and profitability under the scenario being considered, aggregate capital ratios would probably remain at above their regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. In this context, the recent measures taken by both Banco de la República and the Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia that are intended to help preserve the financial stability of the Colombian economy become highly relevant. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system’s security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth functioning of the payment system. Juan José Echavarría Governo

Financial Stability Report - Second Semester of 2020

The Colombian financial system has not suffered major structural disruptions during these months of deep economic contraction and has continued to carry out its basic functions as usual, thus facilitating the economy's response to extreme conditions. This is the result of the soundness of financial institutions at the beginning of the crisis, which was reflected in high liquidity and capital adequacy indicators as well as in the timely response of various authorities. Banco de la República lowered its policy interest rates 250 points to 1.75%, the lowest level since the creation of the new independent bank in 1991, and provided ample temporary and permanent liquidity in both pesos and foreign currency. The Office of the Financial Superintendent of Colombia, in turn, adopted prudential measures to facilitate changes in the conditions for loans in effect and temporary rules for rating and loan-loss provisions. Finally, the national government expanded the transfers as well as the guaranteed credit programs for the economy. The supply of real credit (i.e. discounting inflation) in the economy is 4% higher today than it was 12 months ago with especially marked growth in the housing (5.6%) and commercial (4.7%) loan portfolios (2.3% in consumer and -0.1% in microloans), but there have been significant changes over time. During the first few months of the quarantine, firms increased their demands for liquidity sharply while consumers reduced theirs. Since then, the growth of credit to firms has tended to slow down, while consumer and housing credit has grown. The financial system has responded satisfactorily to the changes in the respective demands of each group or sector and loans may grow at high rates in 2021 if GDP grows at rates close to 4.6% as the technical staff at the Bank expects; but the forecasts are highly uncertain. After the strict quarantine implemented by authorities in Colombia, the turmoil seen in March and early April, which was evident in the sudden reddening of macroeconomic variables on the risk heatmap in Graph A,[1] and the drop in crude oil and coal prices (note the high volatility registered in market risk for the region on Graph A) the local financial markets stabilized relatively quickly. Banco de la República’s credible and sustained policy response played a decisive role in this stabilization in terms of liquidity provision through a sharp expansion of repo operations (and changes in amounts, terms, counterparties, and eligible instruments), the purchases of public and private debt, and the reduction in bank reserve requirements. In this respect, there is now abundant aggregate liquidity and significant improvements in the liquidity position of investment funds. In this context, the main vulnerability factor for financial stability in the short term is still the high degree of uncertainty surrounding loan quality. First, the future trajectory of the number of people infected and deceased by the virus and the possible need for additional health measures is uncertain. For that reason, there is also uncertainty about the path for economic recovery in the short and medium term. Second, the degree to which the current shock will be reflected in loan quality once the risk materializes in banks’ financial statements is uncertain. For the time being, the credit risk heatmap (Graph B) indicates that non-performing and risky loans have not shown major deterioration, but past experience indicates that periods of sharp economic slowdown eventually tend to coincide with rises in non-performing loans: the calculations included in this report suggest that the impact of the recession on credit quality could be significant in the short term. This is particularly worrying since the profitability of credit establishments has been declining in recent months, and this could affect their ability to provide credit to the real sector of the economy. In order to adopt a forward-looking approach to this vulnerability, this Report presents several stress tests that evaluate the resilience of the liquidity and capital adequacy of credit institutions and investment funds in the event of a hypothetical scenario that seeks to simulate an extreme version of current macroeconomic conditions. The results suggest that even though there could be strong impacts on the credit institutions’ volume of credit and profitability under such scenarios, aggregate indicators of total and core capital adequacy will probably remain at levels that are above the regulatory limits over the horizon of a year. At the same time, the exercises highlight the high capacity of the system's liquidity to face adverse scenarios. In compliance with its constitutional objectives and in coordination with the financial system's security network, Banco de la República will continue to closely monitor the outlook for financial stability at this juncture and will make the decisions that are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the economy, facilitate the flow of sufficient credit and liquidity resources, and further the smooth operation of the payment systems. Juan José Echavarría Governo