No description available.

Free cervical cancer screening services are provided in Malawi’s public healthcare institutionssince 1999. Few women aged 42 and older, utilise these services. Cervical cancer continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality among this group of women. Structured interviews were conducted with 381 women who attended three healthcare centers in Blantyre and semi-structured interviews with 14 nurse/midwives working at the same centers. The results for both phases arepresented within the Health Belief Model’s constructs. Phase 1 revealed that women had low levels of perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer. Although the interviewed women perceived cervical cancer to be a serious condition, they did not regard themselves to be at risk of suffering from cervical cancer. Knowledge that cervical cancer screening could detect this cancer at an early stage, embarrassment, stigma, social support, financial costs, traditional practices and available sources of information, influenced women’s intentions to be screened for cervical cancer. In phase 2, the nurse/midwives indicated that Malawian women lacked information about cervical cancer, available screening tests and the purpose of such screening.These women perceived cervical canceras being incurable and linked to witchcraft. Women’s utilisation of cervical screening services was hampered by barriers relating to healthcare institutions, women themselves and nurse/midwives. Local radio and television broadcasts, friends and nurse/midwives motivated individual women to use these screening services.Women preferred receiving information about cervical cancer screening during community activities. Health education should be intensified, nurse/midwives should be more empathetic, clinic days and hours should be extended. Misconceptions should be addressed and more service providers should be trained. This would enable more Malawian women to use cervical screening services, enhancing early detection and treatment of cervical cancer and reducing the morbidity and mortality statistics related to this condition in Malawi. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Neste final de século o processo de globalização dos mercados e seu efeito sobre os padrões de conduta econômica, política, social e organizacional, vêm assumindo importância crescente, compondo um cenário no qual a competitividade emerge como uma questão imperativa. Como característica das empresas modernas, tem-se o aumento de padrão de automação onde as tecnologias tem disponibilizado o acesso a uma grande quantidade de dados. Tecnologias de data warehouse (DW) têm servido como repositores desses dados e o avanço nas aplicações de extração, transformação e carregamento (ETL) têm aumentado a velocidade da coleta. Atualmente, muito se tem discutido a respeito desse produto secundário resultante dos processos empresariais, os dados, que tem sido vistos como uma potencial fonte de informação capaz de possibilitar às instituições a garantia de sobrevivência em sua indústria. Nesse contexto, os sistemas de Business Intelligence (SBI), que têm como função prover o tratamento dos dados e entregar informação acionável que pode ser usada para uma específica tomada de decisão, têm recebido o reconhecimento de sua importância por parte dos executivos para a continuidade de suas empresas. Fato esse reforçado pelos resultados de pesquisas realizadas mundialmente pelo Gartner onde por anos seguidos os SBI têm sido relatados pelos executivos como o sonho de consumo das empresas. Aplicações de business intelligence têm dominado a lista de prioridade de tecnologia de muitos CIOs. Apesar desse cenário bastante favorável para os SBI, o Gartner Group aponta um elevado índice na subutilização desses sistemas, o que nos leva a questionar porque um sistema importante e desejado pelas empresas não consegue atender as expectativas dos usuários. Assim surgiu a proposta de estudar nesse trabalho a influência das dimensões fatores críticos de sucesso (FCS) e benefícios esperados (BE) sobre a dimensão intenção de uso (USO) da informação disponibilizada pelos SBI, verificando o efeito das variáveis de cada dimensão sobre o USO. Para isso foi estabelecido um modelo conceitual relacionando as dimensões mencionadas utilizando-se como referência outros trabalhos acadêmicos, suas variáveis e resultados de pesquisa. Foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa com a aplicação da técnica estatística Partial Least Square (PLS) com os dados obtidos de usuários de SBI em diferentes áreas da empresa de diferentes setores. Com o uso da técnica PLS, foi possível obter os indicadores para as variáveis das dimensões e estabelecer o modelo estrutural baseado em confiança. / As this century ends, the market globalization process and its effect on patterns of economic, political, social and organizational behaviors become increasingly important, composing a scenario in which competitiveness emerges as an imperative issue. As a trait of modern enterprises, there is an increase in automation standards where technologies provide access to a large amount of data. Technologies of data warehouse (DW) have been serving as repositories of such data and advances in extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) applications have been increasing the speed of data collection. More recently, much has been discussed about this secondary product resulting from business processing: the data that has been seen as a potential source of information able to allow institutions guarantee survival in their industry. In this context, Business Intelligence Systems (BIS), that have as function provide data processing and deliver actionable information, i.e., information that could be used for a specific decision making, have received recognition from executives of its importance to the continuity of their business since for years, has been reported in research conducted worldwide by Gartner as the technology desire of these professionals. Business Intelligence applications have been considered the technology priority investment of many CIOs. Despite of this favorable scenario for Business Intelligence Systems, the Gartner Group indicates a high level of underutilization of these systems which leads us to question why an important and desired business system cannot achieve user\'s expectations. Thus, this work proposes to study the influence of the dimensions critical success factors (CSF) and expected benefits (BE) on the dimension use (USO) to the information provided by BIS, checking the effect of each dimension on the USO emerged. To do this a conceptual model was established by relating these dimensions using as reference other academic papers, their variables and search results. It was realized a quantitative research with an application of statistical technique Partial Least Square (PLS) with data obtained from users of BIS in different areas of the company from different sectors. Using the PLS technique, it was possible to obtain indicators for the variables and dimensions to establish the structural model based on trust.

Free cervical cancer screening services are provided in Malawi’s public healthcare institutionssince 1999. Few women aged 42 and older, utilise these services. Cervical cancer continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality among this group of women. Structured interviews were conducted with 381 women who attended three healthcare centers in Blantyre and semi-structured interviews with 14 nurse/midwives working at the same centers. The results for both phases arepresented within the Health Belief Model’s constructs. Phase 1 revealed that women had low levels of perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer. Although the interviewed women perceived cervical cancer to be a serious condition, they did not regard themselves to be at risk of suffering from cervical cancer. Knowledge that cervical cancer screening could detect this cancer at an early stage, embarrassment, stigma, social support, financial costs, traditional practices and available sources of information, influenced women’s intentions to be screened for cervical cancer. In phase 2, the nurse/midwives indicated that Malawian women lacked information about cervical cancer, available screening tests and the purpose of such screening.These women perceived cervical canceras being incurable and linked to witchcraft. Women’s utilisation of cervical screening services was hampered by barriers relating to healthcare institutions, women themselves and nurse/midwives. Local radio and television broadcasts, friends and nurse/midwives motivated individual women to use these screening services.Women preferred receiving information about cervical cancer screening during community activities. Health education should be intensified, nurse/midwives should be more empathetic, clinic days and hours should be extended. Misconceptions should be addressed and more service providers should be trained. This would enable more Malawian women to use cervical screening services, enhancing early detection and treatment of cervical cancer and reducing the morbidity and mortality statistics related to this condition in Malawi. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Neste final de século o processo de globalização dos mercados e seu efeito sobre os padrões de conduta econômica, política, social e organizacional, vêm assumindo importância crescente, compondo um cenário no qual a competitividade emerge como uma questão imperativa. Como característica das empresas modernas, tem-se o aumento de padrão de automação onde as tecnologias tem disponibilizado o acesso a uma grande quantidade de dados. Tecnologias de data warehouse (DW) têm servido como repositores desses dados e o avanço nas aplicações de extração, transformação e carregamento (ETL) têm aumentado a velocidade da coleta. Atualmente, muito se tem discutido a respeito desse produto secundário resultante dos processos empresariais, os dados, que tem sido vistos como uma potencial fonte de informação capaz de possibilitar às instituições a garantia de sobrevivência em sua indústria. Nesse contexto, os sistemas de Business Intelligence (SBI), que têm como função prover o tratamento dos dados e entregar informação acionável que pode ser usada para uma específica tomada de decisão, têm recebido o reconhecimento de sua importância por parte dos executivos para a continuidade de suas empresas. Fato esse reforçado pelos resultados de pesquisas realizadas mundialmente pelo Gartner onde por anos seguidos os SBI têm sido relatados pelos executivos como o sonho de consumo das empresas. Aplicações de business intelligence têm dominado a lista de prioridade de tecnologia de muitos CIOs. Apesar desse cenário bastante favorável para os SBI, o Gartner Group aponta um elevado índice na subutilização desses sistemas, o que nos leva a questionar porque um sistema importante e desejado pelas empresas não consegue atender as expectativas dos usuários. Assim surgiu a proposta de estudar nesse trabalho a influência das dimensões fatores críticos de sucesso (FCS) e benefícios esperados (BE) sobre a dimensão intenção de uso (USO) da informação disponibilizada pelos SBI, verificando o efeito das variáveis de cada dimensão sobre o USO. Para isso foi estabelecido um modelo conceitual relacionando as dimensões mencionadas utilizando-se como referência outros trabalhos acadêmicos, suas variáveis e resultados de pesquisa. Foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa com a aplicação da técnica estatística Partial Least Square (PLS) com os dados obtidos de usuários de SBI em diferentes áreas da empresa de diferentes setores. Com o uso da técnica PLS, foi possível obter os indicadores para as variáveis das dimensões e estabelecer o modelo estrutural baseado em confiança. / As this century ends, the market globalization process and its effect on patterns of economic, political, social and organizational behaviors become increasingly important, composing a scenario in which competitiveness emerges as an imperative issue. As a trait of modern enterprises, there is an increase in automation standards where technologies provide access to a large amount of data. Technologies of data warehouse (DW) have been serving as repositories of such data and advances in extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) applications have been increasing the speed of data collection. More recently, much has been discussed about this secondary product resulting from business processing: the data that has been seen as a potential source of information able to allow institutions guarantee survival in their industry. In this context, Business Intelligence Systems (BIS), that have as function provide data processing and deliver actionable information, i.e., information that could be used for a specific decision making, have received recognition from executives of its importance to the continuity of their business since for years, has been reported in research conducted worldwide by Gartner as the technology desire of these professionals. Business Intelligence applications have been considered the technology priority investment of many CIOs. Despite of this favorable scenario for Business Intelligence Systems, the Gartner Group indicates a high level of underutilization of these systems which leads us to question why an important and desired business system cannot achieve user\'s expectations. Thus, this work proposes to study the influence of the dimensions critical success factors (CSF) and expected benefits (BE) on the dimension use (USO) to the information provided by BIS, checking the effect of each dimension on the USO emerged. To do this a conceptual model was established by relating these dimensions using as reference other academic papers, their variables and search results. It was realized a quantitative research with an application of statistical technique Partial Least Square (PLS) with data obtained from users of BIS in different areas of the company from different sectors. Using the PLS technique, it was possible to obtain indicators for the variables and dimensions to establish the structural model based on trust.

The aim of the work – to propose the ways and means to increase the value of fresh meat to consumers The ways to increase perceived value of fresh meat and means to implement it is based on evaluation of the importance of perceived value factors of fresh meat to consumers. The importance of meat value creating and influencing factors was evaluate by determining the concept of perceived product value to consumers, by performing analysis of construct and management process of perceived value.