A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o caso da Gestão de OPME (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais) em uma empresa operadora de planos de saúde (UNIMED RS), no contexto das condições sistêmicas e setoriais de competitividade e das escolhas estratégicas da empresa. Utilizando conceitos e esquemas analíticos de economia da estratégia, a dissertação procura mostrar como a gestão de OPME é importante para equacionar o trade-off entre custo e diferenciação, dada as escolhas estratégicas que caracterizam o posicionamento competitivo da UNIMED, no âmbito do setor de operadoras de planos de saúde e com as limitações impostas pelo agente regulador setorial. Os avanços na área de materiais médicos são impressionantes. A velocidade com que são lançados no mercado os novos materiais cirúrgicos (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais, OPME) é um reflexo da facilidade com que se tem acesso à informação nos dias de hoje. Estes materiais, são materiais de elevado custo, existem dúvidas quanto a sua efetividade e segurança para os beneficiários/pacientes e que acarretam um aumento geométrico dos custos das operadoras de planos de saúde que, devido ao controle rigoroso, governamental, não conseguem repassar esses custos aos seus beneficiários. O Sistema Unimed, identificando a necessidade de um processo estruturado que avalie a incorporação de novas tecnologias na área da saúde, e com o objetivo de manter o status da instituição como empresa que oferta aos seus beneficiários a melhor tecnologia médica disponível, criou a sua Câmara Técnica de Medicina Baseada em Evidências. Nesse contexto, este estudo aborda a experiência do Sistema Unimed com essa gestão e absorção de novas tecnologias. / The objective of the dissertation is to analyze the administration of OPME (Ortheses, Prostheses and Special Materials) in a health care company (UNIMED RS), in the context of the systemic and sectorial conditions of competitiveness and of the strategic choices of the company. Using concepts and analytic outlines of the economy of the strategy, the dissertation seeks to show how important the administration of the OPME is for the trade-off between cost and differentiation, given the strategic choices that characterize the competitive positioning of UNIMED in the ambit of the section of Health Plans and with limitations imposed by the sectorial regulator agent. The progress in the area of medical materials is impressive. The speed that the new surgical materials (Ortheses, Protheses and Special Materials) are introduced in the market is a reflex of the easiness to access information nowadays. These materials are materials of high cost, and there is still doubt about the effectiveness and safety of these materials for the patients, besides there is a geometric increase of the costs of the Health Plans and due to the rigorous governmental control these costs cannot be passed to the beneficiaries. The Unimed System, aware of the need for a structured process that evaluates the incorporation of new technologies in the area of health, and with the objective to maintain its status as an institution that offers its beneficiaries the best medical technology available, created its own Technical Chamber of Medicine Based on Evidences. In this context, this study approaches Unimed's experience in this administration and the absorption of new technologies.

A crescente entrada de empresas asiáticas e a diminuição das barreiras de entrada vêm aumentando de maneira significativa a concorrência na indústria calçadista global, o que está colocando o setor calçadista nacional em situação difícil e, portanto, todas as mudanças que ocorrem na indústria passam a ter importância estratégica caso afetem a competitividade das empresas, obrigando estas avaliarem seu posicionamento estratégico no mercado. Até o fim de 2004, o setor de exportação de calçados foi privilegiado por uma soma de fatores favoráveis, principalmente a taxa de câmbio. Em 2005, com a valorização do real frente ao dólar, o mercado se retraiu e as vendas externas sofreram uma queda de 23 milhões de pares em comparação com o ano anterior. Nos primeiros meses de 2006, o cenário desfavorável manteve-se e as empresas exportadoras continuaram registrando perdas. Os produtores chineses que atuam no setor estão elevando sua participação pelo mundo de forma avassaladora. Neste cenário que envolve a indústria calçadista nacional, surgem questões fundamentais para que o setor mantenha um desempenho positivo e com possibilidade de elevar sua participação no comércio mundial de calçados. Estas questões passam fundamentalmente por dois aspectos: o primeiro é a perda de competitividade da indústria nacional frente aos competidores asiáticos, o segundo são as alternativas que o setor possui para se manter competitivo no mercado externo e sustentar um desempenho crescente. Algumas hipóteses para estas questões passam pela alta vulnerabilidade do setor frente à variação cambial, influência da concorrência chinesa, legislação tributária e trabalhista extremamente onerosa e ultrapassada. Assim, identificar as possíveis alternativas estratégicas para sustentar a competitividade das empresas exportadoras de calçados, torna-se o objetivo principal desta dissertação. Outros aspectos substanciais serão desenvolvidos no decorrer do estudo, tais como: a descrição do panorama das exportações brasileiras de calçados a partir de 1990; análise do posicionamento estratégico das empresas; avaliação do impacto da variação cambial ao setor calçadista; identificação de opções estratégicas para as empresas exportadoras. Os custo inerentes de se produzir no Brasil atualmente não permitem mais que as empresas concorram com estratégia de baixo custo. Por isto, para que a indústria calçadista nacional seja mantida, é essencial, contudo, que as empresas brasileiras mirem nichos de mercados inexplorados que fiquem fora da concorrência voltada para o baixo custo, sendo necessário que se faça um forte investimento em tecnologia, design e recursos humanos, além de apelo de marketing para o desenvolvimento da marca própria. / The increasing entrance of Asian companies and the reduction of the entrance barriers comes increasing in significant way the competition in the global foowear industry, what it is placing the national footwear’s sector in difficult situation, therefore, all the changes that occur in the industry start to have strategical importance in case of affect the competitiveness of the companies, forcing evaluate its strategic positioning in the market. Until the 2004 end, the sector of exportation of footwear was privileged for an addition of favorable factors, mainly the exchange rate. In 2005, with the valuation of the real front to the dollar, the external market if retracted and business had suffered a fall from 23 million pairs in comparison with the previous year. In the first months of 2006, the favorable scene was remained and the exporting companies had continued registering losses. The Chinese producers that act in the sector are raising its participation for the world of overwhelming form. In this scene that involves the national footwear industry, basic questions so that the sector keeps a positive performance and with possibility appear to raise its participation in the world-wide commerce of footwear. These questions pass basically for two aspects: the first one is the loss of competitiveness of the national industry front to the Asian competitors, as they are the alternatives that the sector possesss to remain itself competitive in the external market and to support a performance increasing. Some hypotheses for these questions pass for the high vulnerability of the sector front to the exchage variation, influence of the Chinese competition, legislation tax and member of labor party extremely onerous and exceeded. Thus, to identify the possible strategical alternatives to support the competitiveness of the exporting companies of footwear, becomes the main objective of this dissertation. Other substantial aspects will be developed during of the study, such as: the description of the view of the Brazilian exportations of footwear from 1990; analysis of the strategical positioning of the companies; evaluation of the impact of the exchange variation to the footwear’s sector; identification of strategical options for the exporting companies. The cost inherent of if producing in Brazil currently do not allow more than the companies concur with strategy of low cost. For this, so that the national industry is kept, it is essential, however, that the Brazilian companies look niches of unexplored markets that are outside of the competition directed toward the low cost, being necessary that if makes a strong investment in technology, design and human resources, beyond appeal marketing the development of the proper mark.

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o caso da Gestão de OPME (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais) em uma empresa operadora de planos de saúde (UNIMED RS), no contexto das condições sistêmicas e setoriais de competitividade e das escolhas estratégicas da empresa. Utilizando conceitos e esquemas analíticos de economia da estratégia, a dissertação procura mostrar como a gestão de OPME é importante para equacionar o trade-off entre custo e diferenciação, dada as escolhas estratégicas que caracterizam o posicionamento competitivo da UNIMED, no âmbito do setor de operadoras de planos de saúde e com as limitações impostas pelo agente regulador setorial. Os avanços na área de materiais médicos são impressionantes. A velocidade com que são lançados no mercado os novos materiais cirúrgicos (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais, OPME) é um reflexo da facilidade com que se tem acesso à informação nos dias de hoje. Estes materiais, são materiais de elevado custo, existem dúvidas quanto a sua efetividade e segurança para os beneficiários/pacientes e que acarretam um aumento geométrico dos custos das operadoras de planos de saúde que, devido ao controle rigoroso, governamental, não conseguem repassar esses custos aos seus beneficiários. O Sistema Unimed, identificando a necessidade de um processo estruturado que avalie a incorporação de novas tecnologias na área da saúde, e com o objetivo de manter o status da instituição como empresa que oferta aos seus beneficiários a melhor tecnologia médica disponível, criou a sua Câmara Técnica de Medicina Baseada em Evidências. Nesse contexto, este estudo aborda a experiência do Sistema Unimed com essa gestão e absorção de novas tecnologias. / The objective of the dissertation is to analyze the administration of OPME (Ortheses, Prostheses and Special Materials) in a health care company (UNIMED RS), in the context of the systemic and sectorial conditions of competitiveness and of the strategic choices of the company. Using concepts and analytic outlines of the economy of the strategy, the dissertation seeks to show how important the administration of the OPME is for the trade-off between cost and differentiation, given the strategic choices that characterize the competitive positioning of UNIMED in the ambit of the section of Health Plans and with limitations imposed by the sectorial regulator agent. The progress in the area of medical materials is impressive. The speed that the new surgical materials (Ortheses, Protheses and Special Materials) are introduced in the market is a reflex of the easiness to access information nowadays. These materials are materials of high cost, and there is still doubt about the effectiveness and safety of these materials for the patients, besides there is a geometric increase of the costs of the Health Plans and due to the rigorous governmental control these costs cannot be passed to the beneficiaries. The Unimed System, aware of the need for a structured process that evaluates the incorporation of new technologies in the area of health, and with the objective to maintain its status as an institution that offers its beneficiaries the best medical technology available, created its own Technical Chamber of Medicine Based on Evidences. In this context, this study approaches Unimed's experience in this administration and the absorption of new technologies.

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o caso da Gestão de OPME (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais) em uma empresa operadora de planos de saúde (UNIMED RS), no contexto das condições sistêmicas e setoriais de competitividade e das escolhas estratégicas da empresa. Utilizando conceitos e esquemas analíticos de economia da estratégia, a dissertação procura mostrar como a gestão de OPME é importante para equacionar o trade-off entre custo e diferenciação, dada as escolhas estratégicas que caracterizam o posicionamento competitivo da UNIMED, no âmbito do setor de operadoras de planos de saúde e com as limitações impostas pelo agente regulador setorial. Os avanços na área de materiais médicos são impressionantes. A velocidade com que são lançados no mercado os novos materiais cirúrgicos (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais, OPME) é um reflexo da facilidade com que se tem acesso à informação nos dias de hoje. Estes materiais, são materiais de elevado custo, existem dúvidas quanto a sua efetividade e segurança para os beneficiários/pacientes e que acarretam um aumento geométrico dos custos das operadoras de planos de saúde que, devido ao controle rigoroso, governamental, não conseguem repassar esses custos aos seus beneficiários. O Sistema Unimed, identificando a necessidade de um processo estruturado que avalie a incorporação de novas tecnologias na área da saúde, e com o objetivo de manter o status da instituição como empresa que oferta aos seus beneficiários a melhor tecnologia médica disponível, criou a sua Câmara Técnica de Medicina Baseada em Evidências. Nesse contexto, este estudo aborda a experiência do Sistema Unimed com essa gestão e absorção de novas tecnologias. / The objective of the dissertation is to analyze the administration of OPME (Ortheses, Prostheses and Special Materials) in a health care company (UNIMED RS), in the context of the systemic and sectorial conditions of competitiveness and of the strategic choices of the company. Using concepts and analytic outlines of the economy of the strategy, the dissertation seeks to show how important the administration of the OPME is for the trade-off between cost and differentiation, given the strategic choices that characterize the competitive positioning of UNIMED in the ambit of the section of Health Plans and with limitations imposed by the sectorial regulator agent. The progress in the area of medical materials is impressive. The speed that the new surgical materials (Ortheses, Protheses and Special Materials) are introduced in the market is a reflex of the easiness to access information nowadays. These materials are materials of high cost, and there is still doubt about the effectiveness and safety of these materials for the patients, besides there is a geometric increase of the costs of the Health Plans and due to the rigorous governmental control these costs cannot be passed to the beneficiaries. The Unimed System, aware of the need for a structured process that evaluates the incorporation of new technologies in the area of health, and with the objective to maintain its status as an institution that offers its beneficiaries the best medical technology available, created its own Technical Chamber of Medicine Based on Evidences. In this context, this study approaches Unimed's experience in this administration and the absorption of new technologies.

A crescente entrada de empresas asiáticas e a diminuição das barreiras de entrada vêm aumentando de maneira significativa a concorrência na indústria calçadista global, o que está colocando o setor calçadista nacional em situação difícil e, portanto, todas as mudanças que ocorrem na indústria passam a ter importância estratégica caso afetem a competitividade das empresas, obrigando estas avaliarem seu posicionamento estratégico no mercado. Até o fim de 2004, o setor de exportação de calçados foi privilegiado por uma soma de fatores favoráveis, principalmente a taxa de câmbio. Em 2005, com a valorização do real frente ao dólar, o mercado se retraiu e as vendas externas sofreram uma queda de 23 milhões de pares em comparação com o ano anterior. Nos primeiros meses de 2006, o cenário desfavorável manteve-se e as empresas exportadoras continuaram registrando perdas. Os produtores chineses que atuam no setor estão elevando sua participação pelo mundo de forma avassaladora. Neste cenário que envolve a indústria calçadista nacional, surgem questões fundamentais para que o setor mantenha um desempenho positivo e com possibilidade de elevar sua participação no comércio mundial de calçados. Estas questões passam fundamentalmente por dois aspectos: o primeiro é a perda de competitividade da indústria nacional frente aos competidores asiáticos, o segundo são as alternativas que o setor possui para se manter competitivo no mercado externo e sustentar um desempenho crescente. Algumas hipóteses para estas questões passam pela alta vulnerabilidade do setor frente à variação cambial, influência da concorrência chinesa, legislação tributária e trabalhista extremamente onerosa e ultrapassada. Assim, identificar as possíveis alternativas estratégicas para sustentar a competitividade das empresas exportadoras de calçados, torna-se o objetivo principal desta dissertação. Outros aspectos substanciais serão desenvolvidos no decorrer do estudo, tais como: a descrição do panorama das exportações brasileiras de calçados a partir de 1990; análise do posicionamento estratégico das empresas; avaliação do impacto da variação cambial ao setor calçadista; identificação de opções estratégicas para as empresas exportadoras. Os custo inerentes de se produzir no Brasil atualmente não permitem mais que as empresas concorram com estratégia de baixo custo. Por isto, para que a indústria calçadista nacional seja mantida, é essencial, contudo, que as empresas brasileiras mirem nichos de mercados inexplorados que fiquem fora da concorrência voltada para o baixo custo, sendo necessário que se faça um forte investimento em tecnologia, design e recursos humanos, além de apelo de marketing para o desenvolvimento da marca própria. / The increasing entrance of Asian companies and the reduction of the entrance barriers comes increasing in significant way the competition in the global foowear industry, what it is placing the national footwear’s sector in difficult situation, therefore, all the changes that occur in the industry start to have strategical importance in case of affect the competitiveness of the companies, forcing evaluate its strategic positioning in the market. Until the 2004 end, the sector of exportation of footwear was privileged for an addition of favorable factors, mainly the exchange rate. In 2005, with the valuation of the real front to the dollar, the external market if retracted and business had suffered a fall from 23 million pairs in comparison with the previous year. In the first months of 2006, the favorable scene was remained and the exporting companies had continued registering losses. The Chinese producers that act in the sector are raising its participation for the world of overwhelming form. In this scene that involves the national footwear industry, basic questions so that the sector keeps a positive performance and with possibility appear to raise its participation in the world-wide commerce of footwear. These questions pass basically for two aspects: the first one is the loss of competitiveness of the national industry front to the Asian competitors, as they are the alternatives that the sector possesss to remain itself competitive in the external market and to support a performance increasing. Some hypotheses for these questions pass for the high vulnerability of the sector front to the exchage variation, influence of the Chinese competition, legislation tax and member of labor party extremely onerous and exceeded. Thus, to identify the possible strategical alternatives to support the competitiveness of the exporting companies of footwear, becomes the main objective of this dissertation. Other substantial aspects will be developed during of the study, such as: the description of the view of the Brazilian exportations of footwear from 1990; analysis of the strategical positioning of the companies; evaluation of the impact of the exchange variation to the footwear’s sector; identification of strategical options for the exporting companies. The cost inherent of if producing in Brazil currently do not allow more than the companies concur with strategy of low cost. For this, so that the national industry is kept, it is essential, however, that the Brazilian companies look niches of unexplored markets that are outside of the competition directed toward the low cost, being necessary that if makes a strong investment in technology, design and human resources, beyond appeal marketing the development of the proper mark.

The South African health care environment is a two-tier health care delivery system consisting of the public sector and the private sector. The focus of this study is on the private health care sector. Private health care is funded by medical schemes through employer and employee contributions. The private sector is also the most profitable sector for multinational pharmaceutical organisations to market and sell their products within the South African health care environment. The major cost saving initiative by employers and medical schemes in the private health care sector has also been the introduction of managed health care initiatives. The goal of managed health care is to establish a system which delivers value by giving people access to quality and cost-effective healthcare. The new reality of managed health care initiatives are changing the boundaries of the South African pharmaceutical industry. The managed health care wake is overturning the business processes which made the pharmaceutical industry so successful and are rendering obsolete the industry's conventional models of corporate strategy and management systems. In the context of these turbulent changes, pharmaceutical companies are being forced simultaneously to develop new strategic approaches for the future, design new business processes which will link them more firmly to their new customers, and implement the cultural changes neccessary to accomplish the transformation from yesterday's successful pharmaceutical company to tomorrow's customer-led, integrated health care supplier. The way forward lies in three organising concepts. The first is cutomer alignment. The effort of transformation must start with an understanding of how the customer defines the value of the services and/or products offered by the organisation. Everything that follows involves aligning internal processes with external contingencies. The second is sequencing. It is vital to understand not just what needs to happen first in the transformation process, but also what the subsequent steps is and in what order the steps need to be undertaken. The third organising concept is learning. The sequence of interventions that lead to organisational transformation must occur in such a way as to maximize the ability of the organisation to learn: from customers and the marketplace, and from itself. / Business Management / D.B.L.

The South African health care environment is a two-tier health care delivery system consisting of the public sector and the private sector. The focus of this study is on the private health care sector. Private health care is funded by medical schemes through employer and employee contributions. The private sector is also the most profitable sector for multinational pharmaceutical organisations to market and sell their products within the South African health care environment. The major cost saving initiative by employers and medical schemes in the private health care sector has also been the introduction of managed health care initiatives. The goal of managed health care is to establish a system which delivers value by giving people access to quality and cost-effective healthcare. The new reality of managed health care initiatives are changing the boundaries of the South African pharmaceutical industry. The managed health care wake is overturning the business processes which made the pharmaceutical industry so successful and are rendering obsolete the industry's conventional models of corporate strategy and management systems. In the context of these turbulent changes, pharmaceutical companies are being forced simultaneously to develop new strategic approaches for the future, design new business processes which will link them more firmly to their new customers, and implement the cultural changes neccessary to accomplish the transformation from yesterday's successful pharmaceutical company to tomorrow's customer-led, integrated health care supplier. The way forward lies in three organising concepts. The first is cutomer alignment. The effort of transformation must start with an understanding of how the customer defines the value of the services and/or products offered by the organisation. Everything that follows involves aligning internal processes with external contingencies. The second is sequencing. It is vital to understand not just what needs to happen first in the transformation process, but also what the subsequent steps is and in what order the steps need to be undertaken. The third organising concept is learning. The sequence of interventions that lead to organisational transformation must occur in such a way as to maximize the ability of the organisation to learn: from customers and the marketplace, and from itself. / Business Management / D.B.L.

The emerging financial industry of asset-backed short-term finance was investigated by this study. Literature indicated that banks, locally and globally, are forced by regulation and the use of information technology, to rely less on human judgement and more on programmed decision-making, when evaluating loan applications. This leads to time-consuming processes with non-standard loan applications and loss of opportunities for business persons. Asset-backed short-term finance is a market response to this tendency. Due to the emerging nature of this industry, no previous academic description of or investigation into this industry could be found – a gap in academic literature which this study aims to fill. The industry is strategically positioned in relation to banks by focusing on functionality for urgent non-standard loan applications (period between application and decision, and access to decision-makers) as value proposition, where banks are found lacking. Relatively high interest rates form the profit proposition, as firms in this industry have limited access to funds. Collateral is central as risk-mitigating strategy, forming a part of the profit proposition. The people proposition is essential, as the industry is distinguished by individualised decision-making. A survey among customers of this industry identified four clusters of potential customers: The first had no needs unfulfilled by banks, while the other three clusters were attracted by either functionality, or the evaluation of collateral in contrast to repayment ability, or a combination of the two. A survey among providers revealed hesitance to supply information and a low level of agreement on strategic matters – possibly due to the emergent nature of the industry. It is asserted that the basis for further study was laid. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)