Thesis (MSc Food Sc )--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The rapid urbanisation of the African population has led to the establishment of large low-income communities in and around almost every major town and city in South Africa. Several factors prevent these people from producing or obtaining their traditional fermented milk drink, Maas (Amasi), often resulting in the occurrence of malnutrition in low-income urban African communities. A product with the potential to satisfy the demand for a fermented milk product is Kefir. Kefir, a self-carbonated fermented milk, is commonly manufactured by fermenting unpasteurised or pasteurised milk with re-usable Kefir grains. These Kefir grains consist of a combination of mainly lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. Neither Kefir, nor Kefir grains are as yet marketed in South Africa, thus creating an excellent opportunity to launch these products locally. It is often difficult for the low-income communities to obtain high quality unpasteurised or pasteurised milk, resulting in a serious health risk. The inhibitory activity of Kefir towards certain spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms was, therefore, studied. Strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Usteria monocytogenes and Clostridium tyrobutyricum were inoculated (10 ³ - 10 ⁴ cfu.ml⁻¹ ) into pasteurised milk together with Kefir grains (18 gram per litre) and incubated at 25°C. Uninoculated milk samples and milk samples inoculated only with test organisms served as controls. Growth of all the test organisms were inhibited substantially (>-99.9%) in Kefir over the 30 h incubation period and substantial reductions in microbial log cycles were observed for many of the organisms. This coincided with a steep decrease in pH (6.57 - 4.06) and increase in titratabie acidity (0.20 - 0.72%). If Kefir is eventually marketed to low-income urban African consumers, it will have to compete with Maas and, therefore, comparative sensory testing of Kefir and Maas was conducted. The differences in the sensory properties of Kefir, 'laboratory' Maas (representing traditional Maas) and commercial Maas (containing thickener, colourants and flavourants) were determined by a trained panel. These characteristics were identified as "yeasty" and "cowy" tastes (p < 0.05), "effervescence" (p < 0.01), as well as "sourness," "creaminess" and "smoothness" (p < 0.001). The effect of different incubation temperatures (25°, 30° and 35°C) on the Kefir sensory properties was studied to simulate the effect of the large temperature variations that would be found in the dwellings of low-income African urbanites. The "sourness" and "creaminess" of the Kefir was found to increase with increase in incubation temperature but no strong off-flavours were found to develop. Sensory preference testing was conducted by consumer panels consisting of panellists of different ages and population groups to indicate whether the specific panels significantly prefer Kefir, commercial Maas or laboratory Maas. It was found that commercial Maas was significantly (p < 0.001) preferred to Kefir by young African urbanites. Adult Africans, who presumably still have traditional taste preferences, however, equally (p > 0.05) preferred Kefir and laboratory Maas, identifying this segment of the African population as the appropriate starting target market for Kefir. Kefir and laboratory Maas were also tested for preference by a wider panel consisting of people (aged between 18 and 25) representing the different population groups in South Africa. Kefir and laboratory Maas were preferred equally (p > 0.05) by all the groups. Several arguments supporting Kefir marketing to the low-income urban African population of South Africa have been identified. These include: Kefir's ease of preparation; the re-usability of Kefir grains and subsequent affordability; good packaging, distribution and storage possibilities; Kefir's acceptability by lactoseintolerant individuals; high nutritional value; the inhibitory activity of Kefir against potential spoilage and pathogenic organisms and subsequent enhanced safety and keeping ability; and Kefir's acceptable refreshing taste. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die toenemende verstedeliking van Swart Suid-Afrikaners het gelei tot die vestiging van groot lae-inkomste gemeenskappe in en om die meeste groot dorpe en stede. Verskeie faktore verhoed dat hierdie gemeenskappe hul tradisionele gefermenteerde melk, naamlik Maas (Amasi), self kan maak of koop. Dit lei dikwels tot wanvoeding onder lae-inkomste stedelike Swart verbruikers. Kefir het die potensiaal om te voorsien in die vraag na 'n gefermenteerde melk produk in lae inkomste stedelike Swart gemeenskappe. Kefir is 'n selfgekarboneerde, gefermenteerde melk wat vervaarding word deur die fermentasie van ongepasteuriseerde of gepasteuriseerde melk met herbruikbare Kefirkorrels. Hierdie Kefirkorrels bestaan uit 'n kombinasie van hoofsaaklik melksuurbakterieë en giste. Kefir en Kefirkorrels word glad nie in Suid-Afrika bemark nie, en bied 'n fantastiese geleentheid om hierdie produkte plaaslik bekend te stel. Dit is dikwels moeilik om hoë kwaliteit ongepasteuriseerde of gepasteuriseerde melk in lae-inkomste gemeenskappe te verkry. Die risiko om siektes deur die verbruik van hierdie melk op te doen, bestaan dus. Om hierdie rede is die inhiberende effek van Kefir teenoor spesifieke bederf- en patogeniese bakterieë bestudeer. Rasse van Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Usteria monocytogenes en Clostridium tyrobutyricum is geïnokuleer (10 ³ - 10 ⁴ cfu.ml⁻¹) in gepasteuriseerde melk tesame met Kefirkorrels (18 gram per liter) en geïnkubeer by 25°C. Melkmonsters wat slegs geïnokuleer is met die toetsorganismes het as kontroles gedien. Die groei van al die toetsorganismes is substansieël geïnhibeer (>-99.9%) in Kefir gedurende die 30 h inkubasieperiode. Substansiële afnames in logsiklusgetalle is waargeneem vir baie van die organismes. Dit het gepaard gegaan met 'n skerp afname in pH (6.57 - 4.06) en toename in titreerbare suurheid (0.20 - 0.72%) vir die Kefirmonsters gedurende die 30 h inkubasieperiode. lndien Kefir bemark word aan lae-inkomste stedelike Swart verbruikers sal dit moet kompeteer met Maas. Vergelykende sensoriese toetse is dus uitgevoer. Die verskille in die sensoriese eienskappe van Kefir, 'laboratorium' Maas (verteenwoordigend van tradisionele Maas) en kommersiële Maas (wat verdikker, kleur- en geurmiddels bevat) is bepaal deur 'n opgeleide paneel en geïdentifiseer as die" "gis-" en "koeismake" (p < 0.05), die "gasserigheid" (p < 0.01) asook die "suurheid", "romerigheid" en "gladheid" (p < 0.001) van die monsters. Die effek van verskillende inkubasietemperature (25°, 30° en 35°C) op die sensoriese eienskappe van Kefir is bestudeer om die effek van die groot temperatuurvariasies wat in laeinkomste behuising mag voorkom, te simuleer. Daar is bevind dat die "suurheid" en "romerigheid" van Kefir toeneem met verhoging in inkubasietemperatuur terwyl geen afsmake ontwikkel nie. Sensoriese voorkeurtoetse is deur verbruikerspanele van verskillende ouderdomme en bevolkingsgroepe uitgevoer om te bepaal of die spesifieke panele 'n beduidende voorkeur toon vir Kefir, laboratorium Maas of kommersiële Maas. Daar is bevind dat stedelike Swart jongmense kommersiële Maas beduidend (p < 0.001) bo Kefir verkies. Swart volwassenes met verwagte tradisionele smaakvoorkeure het egter Kefir en laboratorium Maas ewe veel verkies (p > 0.05). Hierdie segment van die Swart bevolking is dus die geskikte teikenmark vir die bekendstelling van Kefir. Voorkeur vir Kefir en laboratorium Maas is ook getoets deur 'n paneel (ouderdom 18 - 25 jaar) wat bestaan uit mense van verskillende bevolkingsgroepe. AI die groepe het Kefir en Maas ewe veel verkies (p > 0.05). Verskeie argumente ten gunste van die bemarking van Kefir aan lae-inkomste stedelike Swart gemeenskappe in Suid-Afrika is geïdentifiseer. Dit behels die volgende: die gerief van Kefirvervaardiging; die herbruikbaarheid van Kefirkorrels en gevolglike bekostigbaarheid; goeie verpakkings-, verspreidings- en opbergingsmoontlikhede; Kefir se aanvaarbaarheid vir laktose-intolerante individue; Kefir se hoë voedingswaarde; die inhiberende aktiwiteit wat Kefir teenoor potensiële bederf- en patogeniese organismes het en die gevolglike verhoging in veiligheid en rakleeftyd van melk; en Kefir se aanvaarbare verfrissende smaak.

Despite South African citizen’s constitutional right to adequate housing, Government’s housing delivery has been described as a complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-phase problem, exacerbated by political interference and corruption. Housing delivery in South Africa is ideologically and politically designed and executed. However, the government subsidised housing sector remains plagued by: huge and increasing backlogs; corruption; quality concerns, and recipient and stakeholder dissatisfaction. This includes the government subsidised housing construction sector, which faces issues such as: established contractors leaving the sector; late and failed completion; substandard quality; rework; cost overruns; late progress payments; and insolvencies. Moreover, government subsidised housing officials, which forms part of this sector, must contend with abandoned projects and appointing new contractors; shoddy workmanship from sub-standard contractors; remedial work, including demolition and rebuilding; and systemic problems such as staff shortages and under qualified staff. The process of Government’s ideological and political designed and execution may therefore not have considered certain practicalities relative to construction principles and practice. It therefore appears that there may be some relationship between the compatibility of Government’s housing ideological and political designed (policy) and execution and general construction principles and practice. It is clear from the related literature that government subsidised housing construction has mostly been investigated as an exercise observing from the outside in, and not from a construction sector perspective. The main purpose of this study is thus to explore housing policy and practice compatibility as a major obstacle to housing delivery in general and assess whether the current housing policy is sufficiently responsive to the requirements of the government subsidised housing sector by specifically describing and exploring the effects of Government’s housing procurement policies relative to the ability of the construction sector to supply government subsidised housing. More specifically, the study describes and explores corruption, quality; contractors and worker competency, and government capacity as specific consequences of housing policy and practice incompatibility, as well as factors contributing to recipient dissatisfaction and the housing backlog. Finally, based on the finding, a proposed framework for improving the supply of subsidised housing in South Africa has been developed. The methodology for this study adopted a post-positivist philosophy, embracing a quantitative approach using questionnaires, which incorporated mainly five-point Likert type scale, but also multiple-choice questions, as instruments for data collection. Three surveys were conducted, starting with a pilot study and followed by a primary study, during which a total of 2 884 potential participants within the construction sector across South Africa were randomly sampled and solicited to participate, of which 284 responded. The respondents consisted of four groups: general contractors (76); government housing officials (34); built environment professionals (137), and built environment suppliers (37). An electronic questionnaire was sent by email to all potential participants and allowed four weeks to complete the survey. Furthermore, a housing recipient survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected recipients of government subsidised housing in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area, by means of a structured interview using a paper based questionnaire, over a period of two weeks. The primary outcome measures used for this study were the ranked mean scores for mainly descriptive analysis and the Chi-square test, the 𝑡-test, Cohan’s d test, ANOVA and Scheffé test, using Cronbach's alpha as a measure of internal consistency of scale and validity, for inferential analyses and hypotheses testing. Hypothesis testing was founded upon Government’s worldview that its policies will not influence the operations of the construction sector relative to housing construction, and therefore tested respondents’ perspectives with respect to the impact that government policies have in terms of contractor operations and contractor success, as well as its contribution towards the housing backlog, substandard housing, recipient dissatisfaction and corruption. The following results were obtained by means of the hypothesis testing:Government housing procurement policies are inappropriate for application in the government subsidised housing sector. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government policy and practices do not impact contractor operations and contractor success, and thus the supply of houses; The application of government housing procurement policies leads to inadequate quality. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government preferential procurement policies do not impact quality; Government’s housing procurement policies inappropriately target emerging contractors. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that Government’s targeting of emerging contractors does not impact housing supply; Government has inadequate capacity to address subsidised housing construction sector requirements in terms of housing projects. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that Government has the capacity to address subsidised housing construction sector requirements in the supply of housing, and Government subsidised houses do not meet recipients’ expectations. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government subsidised houses do meet recipients’ expectations. It thus became apparent that housing supply is mostly inhibited by Government’s housing procurement policy, contributing to various factors, such as quality capability, contractor capability, systemic and administrative capacity, and resulting in recipient dissatisfaction. Using Pearson’s product moment correlation, a framework model was developed to illustrate the process flow, which revealed definitive statistical and practical relationships between these factors, and indeed reflects complex relationships between factors inhibiting supply and resulting in recipient dissatisfaction. To find an appropriate framework model for the purpose of improving housing supply, various sources were consulted. Based on the research question, together with the aims and objectives for this study, as well as the realisation that the problems associated with housing supply relate to the project management of the construction phase, which requires interventions for improving supply, it was decided that a results framework would be the most appropriate for this purpose. The proposed framework is therefore a graphical depiction of how the research process may be used to identify problems in the government subsidised housing sector, questioning how these may be resolved, setting strategies to improve the situation, evolving hypotheses and testing these hypotheses to establish the critical factors to be considered in the process of resolving the problem in the housing sector, by means of implementation and feedback.

O presente trabalho objetiva analisar o mercado e as perspectivas para o desenvolvimento do microsseguro de vida no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, buscando identificar benefícios e dificuldades no desenvolvimento desta iniciativa no contexto atual. O referencial teórico adotado envolve a análise do comportamento do consumidor sob condições de incerteza e dos modelos de demanda e oferta de seguro e de microsseguro. Os modelos e as experiências internacionais sobre o tema e a contextualização do arcabouço legal e estrutural do mercado de seguros de vida no país foram analisados para, ao final, apresentar uma simulação de uma operação de microsseguro de vida no Rio Grande do Sul. O seguro é a proteção econômica que o indivíduo busca para prevenir-se contra uma necessidade aleatória e a carência de proteção securitária para a população de baixa renda faz nascer o conceito de microsseguro, despertando o interesse das companhias seguradoras. A regularização dos provedores informais de microsseguro, o desenvolvimento de produtos adequados – tanto em coberturas quanto em valores de prêmios, a distribuição eficiente dos produtos e a minimização dos custos de cobrança dos prêmios são questões chaves para o microsseguro e podem ser fatores determinantes para ampliar a taxa de acesso nesse mercado. O resultado da simulação realizada mostrou que, adotando-se uma taxa de acesso média de 5,19%, que corresponde à taxa de acesso média da população em geral aos seguros de vida, os valores são pouco expressivos frente aos prêmios e indenizações consolidados do mercado de seguros para o seguro de vida em grupo no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Considerando-se um cenário otimista, caso a taxa média de acesso passasse para 50% do grupo segurável, os prêmios e as indenizações corresponderiam a 22,69% e a 33,25%, respectivamente, do montante observado no mercado de seguros para o seguro de vida em grupo no Estado. Verificou-se que, embora exista demanda potencial para o microsseguro de vida no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, questões como a forma de distribuição e de cobrança e as regras de constituição e solvência para os provedores de microsseguros ainda devem ser melhor avaliadas. Entende-se como primordial a educação financeira e a conscientização da importância do seguro como instrumento estabilizador para que sejam possíveis maiores taxas de acesso aos seguros de vida, viabilizando a operação e reduzindo em parte a vulnerabilidade da população de baixa renda. / This study is an analysis of the life microinsurance market and the perspectives for its development in Rio Grande do Sul, seeking to identify the benefits and the difficulties of developing such initiative in the current context. The adopted theoretical reference involves the analysis of consumer behavior under uncertainty and models of demand and supply for insurance and microinsurance. The models and international experiences on the topic, along with legal context and structural framework of the life insurance market in Brazil, were analyzed in order to simulate how microinsurance operations work in Rio Grande do Sul. Insurance is an economic protection that an individual gets in order to provide means for oneself against a random need. The lack of insurance protection for the low income population brings forth the concept of microinsurance, attracting the interest of insurance companies. The regularization of informal microinsurance providers, the development of proper products, both in coverage and premium, the efficient distribution of products and the minimization of premium collection costs are key topics in microinsurance and may be determining factors for such access rate to be expanded in this market. The simulation pointed that, by adopting an average access rate of 5.19%, which corresponds to the average access rate of general population to life insurances, values are not very significant when compared to the consolidated premiums and claims payments of group life insurance in Rio Grande do Sul. Considering an optimistic scenario, in which average access rate is 50% of the insurable group, premiums and claims payments would be, respectively, 22.69% and 33.25% of the amount obtained in group life insurance market in Rio Grande do Sul. Even though there is a potential demand for life microinsurance in Rio Grande do Sul, issues such as distribution, premium collection and rules of constitution and solvency for microinsurance providers still have to be more deeply analized. Financial education and awareness of the importance of insurance are the instruments for stabilization and for delivering higher access rates to life insurance, enabling, thus, the whole operation and partially reducing the vulnerability of the low income population.

A alvenaria estrutural tem sido amplamente empregada na construção civil brasileira, sendo o segmento de empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda uma de suas principais aplicações. Neste segmento de mercado, a qualidade das edificações tem sido estudada por diversos autores. Porém, poucos destes estudos reconheceram o caráter multidimensional da qualidade e tampouco explicitaram a perspectiva da qualidade que estava sendo utilizada. Nos empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda, as dimensões da qualidade de confiabilidade e conformidade são fundamentais. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo principal analisar a relação das não-conformidades do processo construtivo de alvenaria estrutural em empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda com a confiabilidade do produto. Esta análise foi realizada em oito empreendimentos concluídos e em oito empreendimentos em construção no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, relativos a dois programas promovidos pela CAIXA: o Programa de Arrendamento Residencial e do Programa Imóvel na Planta. Para mensurar a confiabilidade do produto foi proposto um método de análise sistemática por observação direta de manifestações patológicas. A aplicação deste método resultou num coeficiente de defeitos por unidades (CDU), o qual apresentou diferenças significativas entre os empreendimentos estudados. A partir da análise das não-conformidades foi possível identificar as principais oportunidades e barreiras à melhoria da alvenaria estrutural nestes empreendimentos. Estes fatores foram analisados tanto no processo de construção destes empreendimentos como no processo de avaliação da qualidade adotado pela CAIXA. / Structural masonry has been widely used in the Brazilian construction industry. One of the main applications in Brazil has been in the low-income housing project segment. Several authors have studied the quality of construction in this segment. However, most studies do not take into account the multidimensional character of quality, and only a few define the dimension of quality that has been considered. The dimensions of reliability and conformance are fundamental in low-income housing projects. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the relationship between nonconformances of structural masonry in low-income housing and product reliability. This analysis involved eight housing projects already delivered to the users as well as eight housing projects under construction, all of them located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Those housing projects are part of two programs promoted by the Brazilian Public Savings Bank: The Residential Leasing Program and the Building Plan Program (Programa Imóvel na Planta). In order to measure the reliability of the product, a method of systematic analysis by direct observation of structural masonry failures was used. The application of this method resulted in a measure of defective elements (CDU), which indicated significant differences on the quality between the housing projects that were studied. It was possible to identify opportunities for improvement in structural masonry based on the analysis of non conformances. These factors were analyzed during the construction process as well as during the quality control process conducted by the Public Savings Bank.

Nas últimas décadas, a provisão de habitação de interesse social tem apresentado uma crescente complexidade, envolvendo uma rede intrincada de relações entre os diversos agentes e o Estado, que operam de maneira fragmentada. Neste contexto, existe a necessidade de gerenciar os requisitos dos clientes de forma a processar e disponibilizar as informações adequadas para apoiar a tomada de decisão no processo de desenvolvimento do produto. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é propor uma sistemática para o processamento de requisitos dos clientes de empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social, a fim de aumentar a satisfação dos usuários dos mesmos. O método de pesquisa foi dividido em três etapas: (a) estruturação dos requisitos; (b) ponderação dos requisitos; e (c) estudo da aplicabilidade do desdobramento da função qualidade (QFD). Primeiramente, buscou-se uma maneira de estruturar os principais fatores que afetaram a satisfação dos usuários de nove empreendimentos habiacionais, a fim de propiciar maior entendimento dos seus principais requisitos. Na segunda etapa, buscou-se analisar e comparar as diferentes percepções desses agentes para entender como esses perceberam os principais requisitos dos usuários, estruturados na etapa anterior. A última etapa buscou utilizar a matriz da qualidade do QFD no processamento de requisitos de cliente no contexto da HIS, com o objetivo de propor adaptações necessárias dessa ferramenta para sua aplicação neste contexto. O desenvolvimento dessa dissertação possibilitou a proposta de uma sistemática para o processamento dos requisitos dos clientes. A análise individual dos principais intervenientes auxiliou no processamento de dados, com o qual formam desenvolvidos dispositivos visuais que auxiliaram na sistematização dessas informações, possibilitando análises diversas. A aplicação da matriz da qualidade do QFD propiciou a oportunidade de um processamento integrado, à medida que os dados dos usuários e dos agentes puderam ser analisados conjuntamente, possibilitando um fechamento das etapas anteriores. / In the last few decades, the provision of social housing has become more complex, involving a network of relationships between several stakeholders and the government, which tend to operate in a fragmented way. In this context, it is necessary to manage client requirements, in order to process and make available suitable information for supporting decision making in the product development process. The main objective of this research work is to devise a protocol for client requirements processing in social housing projects, with the ultimate aim to increase the degree of users´ satisfaction. The research method was divided into three stages: (a) structuring of requirements; (b) weighing requirements; and (c) study of the applicability of quality function deployment (QFD). Initially, a method for structuring the main factors that affect the users´ satisfaction in nine housing projects was devised, in order to improve the understanding about their requirements. In the second stage, the different perceptions of the construction professionals involved in the product development process on the users´ requirements were analysed and compared. In the last stage, the QFD quality matrix was used for processing requirements, with the aim of proposing adaptations of that tool to the context of social housing. The individual analysis of construction professionals supported the processing of data that were used to produce visual devices, making it possible the development of several analises. The application of a QFD matrix created the opportunity for further processing clients’ requirements, since data from the users and from the construction professionals were analysed together, providing an opportunity to integrate data produced in the previous stages.

As empresas construtoras de empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda no Brasil têm sido impulsionadas a implementar Sistemas de Gestão da Qualidade (SGQ) em função de exigências de certificação por parte de órgãos financiadores deste segmento de mercado, envolvidas no Programa Brasileiro de Qualidade e Produtividade no Habitat (PBQP-H). No entanto, observa-se, ainda, a presença de muitas falhas de qualidade nos empreendimentos de baixa renda, apesar da certificação obtida pelas construtoras. Por outro lado, tendo implementado um SGQ, muitas empresas possuem dados sobre as falhas incidentes em seus produtos, através de registros obtidos por exigências dos próprios requisitos normativos. O objetivo deste trabalho consiste em propor melhorias no processo de controle da qualidade de empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda, utilizando para tanto registros de falhas nos produtos. Neste sentido, foram analisados empreendimentos que pertencem aos dois programas de provisão habitacional, o Programa de Arrendamento Residencial (PAR) e o Imóvel na Planta, ambos gerenciados pela Caixa Econômica Federal. A pesquisa foi dividida nas seguintes etapas: (a) revisão bibliográfica; (b) estudo exploratório para identificação da estrutura e funcionamento do sistema de gestão da qualidade de uma empresa construtora; (c) realização de estudos de caso em duas empresas construtoras de empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda, envolvendo a caracterização do processo de controle da qualidade nos seus empreendimentos e a análise de falhas de qualidade; (d) proposta de melhorias no processo de controle de qualidade. As principais contribuições da pesquisa estão relacionadas com o processamento de dados de registros de falhas. Este processamento possibilita a caracterização do comportamento das falhas e o estabelecimento de uma priorização das mesmas, utilizando ferramentas de fácil aplicação. A partir dos registros de falhas arquivados pelas empresas construtoras foi possível identificar oportunidades de melhorias para o processo de controle da qualidade, considerando as lacunas existentes neste processo que permitem a ocorrência das falhas. / The construction companies working on low-income housing projects in Brazil have been encouraged to implement Quality Management Systems (QMS) due to the demand for certification from funding organizations in this market segment, involved in the Brazilian Program for Quality and Productivity in the Habitat. However, there are still a large incidence of quality failures in low-income housing projects, despite the certification obtained by construction companies. By contrast, due to the implementation of QMS, many companies have data about the incidence of failures in their products, obtained from records in accordance with the normative system requirements. The objective of this study is to propose improvements in the quality control process of lowincome housing projects, using records of product failures. It was based on the study of projects from two housing provision programs, the Residential Leasing Program and the Blue Print Housing Program, both managed by the National Savings Bank. This research work was divided into the following stages: (a) literature review; (b) exploratory study on the structure and functioning of the quality management system of a construction companies; (c) two case studies in low-income house building companies, involving the characterization of the quality control process and the analysis of the main quality failures; (d) proposal for improving the quality control process. The main contributions of this study are related to data processing regarding quality failure records. This data processing enables the characterization of failure modes and the establishment of priorities, using fairly simple tools. Based on the failure records of the construction companies, it was possible to identify improvement opportunities in the quality control process, considering gaps in this process, that allow the occurrence of failures.

104 p. / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2012-12-19T20:23:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 22.pdf: 438953 bytes, checksum: 4b01fa2bf2a975704746bd20f3bb2645 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-12-19T20:23:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 22.pdf: 438953 bytes, checksum: 4b01fa2bf2a975704746bd20f3bb2645 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a relação existente entre a promoção de vendas e a propaganda, com os hábitos de compra de produtos de higiene bucal das classes C e D, na cidade de Salvador – Bahia, e quais são os efeitos da comunicação na geração de resultados esperados com a realização de promoções de vendas. Para tanto, foi considerada uma amostra não-probabilística por conveniência, tendo como base 217 indivíduos, composta por estudantes da UFBA - Universidade Federal da Bahia e da UNEB - Universidades do Estado da Bahia, por grupo de pessoas em processo de busca de emprego junto ao SINE - Sistema Nacional de Emprego e ao SIMM - Serviço Municipal de Intermediação de Mão-de-obra, e por outro grupo em processo de espera, para realização de exames médicos admissionais e demissionais em clínica de medicina do trabalho, CLIMEBA - Clínica Médica Bacellar. O referido grupo foi distribuído de forma aleatória, sem identificação prévia de grupo de alocação. Aplicou-se instrumento de pesquisa, composto por 33 questões com base em uma escala de 7(sete) pontos, variando de 1(um) discordo totalmente a 7(sete) concordo totalmente. Para tabulação e análise inicial dos resultados, foi usado o software SPSS. A análise teve como ponto de partida a associação de aspectos da promoção de vendas e da propaganda, presentes na teoria geral de marketing, com a mudança de atitude dos consumidores diante dos comerciais de televisão. Outra análise trata da intervenção da propaganda em TV e como este intervém na associação apresentada. Seu resultado apontou somente existir significância estatística na relação financeira entre a propaganda e a promoção de vendas, e para determinado grupo de pessoas definidas como influenciadores. Para as demais relações encontradas, não foi apresentada relevância estatística que justificasse, neste primeiro momento, uma análise mais aprofundada. / Salvador

O principal objetivo desta pesquisa é incentivar o debate crítico sobre a Política de Assistência Estudantil e a Política de Ação Afirmativa para alunos cotistas de baixa renda, autodeclarados (ou não) pretos, pardos, ou indígenas, egressos de escola pública, dispondo, para tanto, de dados empíricos obtidos na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. O estudo é operado por meio das seguintes questões: Houve mudança na Política de Assistência Estudantil na Universidade, em decorrência da Política de Ação Afirmativa? A Universidade está preparada para garantir a inclusão dos estudantes cotistas de baixa renda, considerando que a inclusão não é garantida apenas através do ingresso na Universidade? Quais são as percepções dos estudantes cotistas cujo ingresso ocorreu pelo sistema de cotas com o critério renda sobre inclusão social, adotado e oferecido pela UFRGS? A Política de Assistência Estudantil está sendo suficientemente direcionada para as demandas deste novo perfil de estudantes cotistas na Universidade? No decurso da pesquisa, construímos nossa argumentação apoiadas numa reflexão crítica de acesso à política educacional, com base no princípio da equidade e democratização do ensino público. Fizemos isso à luz da Teoria da Justiça Social Bidimensional como redistribuição socioeconômica e reconhecimento cultural, de Fraser (2006), à qual relacionamos as noções de Justiça/Injustiça de Bourdieu, e as contribuições de alguns desdobramentos da Justiça Social como equidade de John Rawls (2008), referentes à igualdade de tratamento e reconhecimento das desigualdades econômicas, e da Justiça Social como reconhecimento, de Axel Honneth (2003). O percurso metodológico da pesquisa compreende aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos, e inclui elementos bibliográficos, documentais e analíticos. Foram enviados questionários on-line para todos os alunos, egressos de escola pública, que ingressaram pela modalidade de cotas Renda inferior na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, e que são, ou já foram, beneficiários da Assistência Estudantil. A amostra presente na pesquisa, contudo, foi reduzida ao número de duzentos e treze alunos, dos quais, utilizando o critério de área de conhecimento da UFRGS, selecionamos dez para a realização de entrevistas. Os dados obtidos por meio da aplicação do questionário, e da realização das entrevistas, foram analisados e interpretados com o auxílio de gráficos e da técnica de análise de conteúdo, mediante duas categorias de análise: o Acesso, na perspectiva da inclusão/exclusão, e a Permanência, na perspectiva da Assistência Estudantil. Os resultados da pesquisa apresentam dados qualitativos e quantitativos relativos às políticas de acesso e permanência na Universidade, e apontam que os mesmos sujeitos que anseiam por inserção na educação superior, através de políticas que se apresentam como inclusivas, vivenciam processos de exclusão na luta por sua permanência na Universidade. Ainda que a proposta de ampliação do acesso, com a democratização do ensino superior público, avance na oferta a uma grande parcela de pessoas menos favorecidas (cultural, econômica e socialmente), não há ampliação, na mesma proporção, do incentivo a políticas de permanência que abarquem esta nova demanda. Diante de um modelo preconizado de justiça social bidimensional de reconhecimento e redistribuição para a educação superior, e face às especificidades socioeconômicas da maioria da população de estudantes que lutam por uma vaga na Universidade, a efetividade da assistência estudantil, como política pública de permanência, torna-se uma exigência para a democratização e para a qualidade da educação. / The main objective of this study is to encourage critical debate and research on student assistance policy and affirmative action policy for the low-income quota students from the public school self declared (or not) indigenous or African descendent based on empirical data from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). The study is focused on the following issues: Was there a change in student assistance policy at the University as a result of the affirmative action policy? Is the University prepared to ensure the inclusion of lowincome quota students, considering that inclusion is not guaranteed only through entrance into the University system? What are the perceptions of students who were admitted through the quota system with the income criteria for social inclusion offered by UFRGS? Is the student assistance policy being sufficiently directed for the demands of this new demographic of quota students at the University? For this research, we built our argumentation based on the critical review of access to the educational policy based on the principle of equality and democratization of public education. We work in the light of the theory of the twodimensional model of Social Justice as socioeconomic redistribution and cultural recognition (Fraser, 2006) - from which we take the concepts of Justice/injustice of Bourdieu - the nuances of the Social Justice as equality of John Rawls (2008) - as equal treatment and recognition of economic inequalities - and the Social Justice in recognition of Axel Honneth (2003). The methodology is comprised of quantitative and qualitative research, based on bibliography, documents and data processing. On-line questionnaires were sent to all quota students from public school who were admitted at UFRGS based on the low-income criteria, which are or have been on Student Assistance. The sample size was capped at two hundred and thirteen students from which ten were selected for interviews based on the field of study. The data gathered from the questionnaires and interviews was processed and interpreted using graphs and “the content analysis technique” using two categories of analysis: the access, as inclusion/exclusion and the permanence, in the light of Student Assistance. The research results present quantitative and qualitative data related to access and permanence policy at the university indicating that the same people who desire to access higher education through inclusion policies struggle to stay at University. Despite the democratization of the public higher education access to the cultural, economic and socially handicapped population, there is no comparable augmentation of permanence through policy reaching this same population. Assuming the suggested two-dimensional recognition and redistribution social justice model for the higher education and considering the many socioeconomic facets involving most of the students who fight for a seat at university, the efficiency of the Student Assistance as public permanence policy become a demand for the democratization and quality of education.

A alvenaria estrutural tem sido amplamente empregada na construção civil brasileira, sendo o segmento de empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda uma de suas principais aplicações. Neste segmento de mercado, a qualidade das edificações tem sido estudada por diversos autores. Porém, poucos destes estudos reconheceram o caráter multidimensional da qualidade e tampouco explicitaram a perspectiva da qualidade que estava sendo utilizada. Nos empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda, as dimensões da qualidade de confiabilidade e conformidade são fundamentais. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo principal analisar a relação das não-conformidades do processo construtivo de alvenaria estrutural em empreendimentos habitacionais de baixa renda com a confiabilidade do produto. Esta análise foi realizada em oito empreendimentos concluídos e em oito empreendimentos em construção no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, relativos a dois programas promovidos pela CAIXA: o Programa de Arrendamento Residencial e do Programa Imóvel na Planta. Para mensurar a confiabilidade do produto foi proposto um método de análise sistemática por observação direta de manifestações patológicas. A aplicação deste método resultou num coeficiente de defeitos por unidades (CDU), o qual apresentou diferenças significativas entre os empreendimentos estudados. A partir da análise das não-conformidades foi possível identificar as principais oportunidades e barreiras à melhoria da alvenaria estrutural nestes empreendimentos. Estes fatores foram analisados tanto no processo de construção destes empreendimentos como no processo de avaliação da qualidade adotado pela CAIXA. / Structural masonry has been widely used in the Brazilian construction industry. One of the main applications in Brazil has been in the low-income housing project segment. Several authors have studied the quality of construction in this segment. However, most studies do not take into account the multidimensional character of quality, and only a few define the dimension of quality that has been considered. The dimensions of reliability and conformance are fundamental in low-income housing projects. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the relationship between nonconformances of structural masonry in low-income housing and product reliability. This analysis involved eight housing projects already delivered to the users as well as eight housing projects under construction, all of them located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Those housing projects are part of two programs promoted by the Brazilian Public Savings Bank: The Residential Leasing Program and the Building Plan Program (Programa Imóvel na Planta). In order to measure the reliability of the product, a method of systematic analysis by direct observation of structural masonry failures was used. The application of this method resulted in a measure of defective elements (CDU), which indicated significant differences on the quality between the housing projects that were studied. It was possible to identify opportunities for improvement in structural masonry based on the analysis of non conformances. These factors were analyzed during the construction process as well as during the quality control process conducted by the Public Savings Bank.

Nas últimas décadas, a provisão de habitação de interesse social tem apresentado uma crescente complexidade, envolvendo uma rede intrincada de relações entre os diversos agentes e o Estado, que operam de maneira fragmentada. Neste contexto, existe a necessidade de gerenciar os requisitos dos clientes de forma a processar e disponibilizar as informações adequadas para apoiar a tomada de decisão no processo de desenvolvimento do produto. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é propor uma sistemática para o processamento de requisitos dos clientes de empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social, a fim de aumentar a satisfação dos usuários dos mesmos. O método de pesquisa foi dividido em três etapas: (a) estruturação dos requisitos; (b) ponderação dos requisitos; e (c) estudo da aplicabilidade do desdobramento da função qualidade (QFD). Primeiramente, buscou-se uma maneira de estruturar os principais fatores que afetaram a satisfação dos usuários de nove empreendimentos habiacionais, a fim de propiciar maior entendimento dos seus principais requisitos. Na segunda etapa, buscou-se analisar e comparar as diferentes percepções desses agentes para entender como esses perceberam os principais requisitos dos usuários, estruturados na etapa anterior. A última etapa buscou utilizar a matriz da qualidade do QFD no processamento de requisitos de cliente no contexto da HIS, com o objetivo de propor adaptações necessárias dessa ferramenta para sua aplicação neste contexto. O desenvolvimento dessa dissertação possibilitou a proposta de uma sistemática para o processamento dos requisitos dos clientes. A análise individual dos principais intervenientes auxiliou no processamento de dados, com o qual formam desenvolvidos dispositivos visuais que auxiliaram na sistematização dessas informações, possibilitando análises diversas. A aplicação da matriz da qualidade do QFD propiciou a oportunidade de um processamento integrado, à medida que os dados dos usuários e dos agentes puderam ser analisados conjuntamente, possibilitando um fechamento das etapas anteriores. / In the last few decades, the provision of social housing has become more complex, involving a network of relationships between several stakeholders and the government, which tend to operate in a fragmented way. In this context, it is necessary to manage client requirements, in order to process and make available suitable information for supporting decision making in the product development process. The main objective of this research work is to devise a protocol for client requirements processing in social housing projects, with the ultimate aim to increase the degree of users´ satisfaction. The research method was divided into three stages: (a) structuring of requirements; (b) weighing requirements; and (c) study of the applicability of quality function deployment (QFD). Initially, a method for structuring the main factors that affect the users´ satisfaction in nine housing projects was devised, in order to improve the understanding about their requirements. In the second stage, the different perceptions of the construction professionals involved in the product development process on the users´ requirements were analysed and compared. In the last stage, the QFD quality matrix was used for processing requirements, with the aim of proposing adaptations of that tool to the context of social housing. The individual analysis of construction professionals supported the processing of data that were used to produce visual devices, making it possible the development of several analises. The application of a QFD matrix created the opportunity for further processing clients’ requirements, since data from the users and from the construction professionals were analysed together, providing an opportunity to integrate data produced in the previous stages.