O presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo analisar o comércio internacional e estimar os determinantes da demanda e oferta de exportação de carne bovina do Brasil para o período de 2002 a 2017. O Brasil permanece como o maior exportador mundial desse produto agropecuário. Além disso, busca-se elaborar um modelo teórico que explica o crescimento da exportação da carne bovina brasileira. A análise é pautada no comércio de carne bovina desossada e congelada para a Ásia e propõe-se a investigar as elasticidades das variáveis econômicas que constituem a oferta e demanda de exportação para esse mercado específico. Também se pretende estimar o impacto das medidas sanitárias estabelecidas pelo mercado asiático sobre as vendas do Brasil. Por meio de modelo de equações simultâneas, aplicam-se os métodos de mínimos quadrados em dois estágios (2SLS) e mínimos quadrados em três estágios (3SLS) para estimar as equações. Os resultados mostram que, para a equação de demanda de exportação, o preço da carne bovina brasileira no mercado asiático é uma variável relevante para a performance do setor. Os preços da carne bovina dos países concorrentes do Brasil na Ásia também apresentam coeficientes expressivos. Para a equação de oferta de exportação, constata-se que a variável peso médio das carcaças, que representa a produtividade, exibe a maior elasticidade entre os fatores analisados nessa equação. A renda interna e o preço do produto brasileiro no mercado asiático também são variáveis que interferem com maior grau no desempenho do volume exportado de carne bovina. Em relação aos embargos estabelecidos por Filipinas, a exportação de carne bovina do Brasil para a Ásia reduziu 21,45%. Esse resultado se deve principalmente a suspensão da compra devido à reintrodução do vírus da febre aftosa no Paraná e no Mato Grosso do Sul em outubro de 2005. A China também suspendeu a compra de carne bovina brasileira em dezembro de 2012, após a ocorrência de um caso atípico no Brasil de BSE, retomando as negociações em novembro de 2014. Mas, nesse caso, as vendas do Brasil para a Ásia não foram afetadas. Os chineses podem ter consumido o produto brasileiro via Hong Kong, considerado um mercado \"cinza\", ou seja, não formal e porta de entrada para a China. / The main objective of this work is to analyze international trade and estimate the determinants of the demand and supply of beef exports from Brazil for the period from 2002 to 2017. Brazil remains the world\'s largest exporter of this agricultural product. In addition, it seeks to elaborate a theoretical model that explains the export growth of the Brazilian beef. The analysis is based on the trade of boneless and frozen beef to Asia and it is proposed to investigate the elasticities of the economic variables that constitute the supply and demand of exports for that specific market. It also intends to estimate the impact of the sanitary measures established by the Asian market on Brazilian sales. By means of the simultaneous equations model, two-stage least squares (2SLS) and three-stage least squares (3SLS) methods are used to estimate the equations. The results show that, for the export demand equation, the Brazilian beef price in the Asian market is a relevant variable for the sector performance. Beef prices in Brazil\'s competing countries in Asia also show significant coefficients. For the export supply equation, it can be seen that the variable mean weight of the carcasses, which represents the productivity, shows the highest elasticity among the factors analyzed in this equation. The domestic income and the price of the Brazilian product in the Asian market are also variables that interfere with a greater degree in the performance of the exported volume of beef. Regarding the embargoes established by the Philippines, beef exports from Brazil to Asia decreased by 21.45%. This result is mainly due to the suspension of the purchase due to the reintroduction of the foot-and-mouth disease virus in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul in October 2005. China also suspended the purchase of Brazilian beef in December 2012, following the occurrence of one an atypical case in Brazil of BSE, resuming negotiations in November 2014. But in this case, sales from Brazil to Asia were not affected. The Chinese may have consumed the Brazilian product via Hong Kong, considered a \"gray\" market, that is, non-formal and gateway to China.

As micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs), foco desta pesquisa, apresentam características peculiares em comparação às empresas de maior porte. O número de MPEs brasileiras, industriais e exportadoras vem aumentando nos últimos anos, assim como a continuidade de suas atividades exportadoras, configurando um novo panorama para este tipo de empresas. A participação destas empresas no volume de exportação total do país ainda é muito pequena (aproximadamente 2,4%, em 2003), para padrões internacionais (SEBRAE, 2004). MPEs buscam mercados distintos daqueles procurados pelas empresas de maior porte. Esta pesquisa aborda os fatores (obstáculos e motivações) explicativos da participação das empresas de menor porte nas atividades de exportação brasileiras. Para tal, foram analisados dados secundários e primários no intuito de realizar-se uma triangulação destes dados e chegar-se aos resultados e conclusões. Os dados primários foram obtidos através de uma survey e de entrevistas em profundidade com micro e pequenos empresários de MPEs que exportam. Os resultados mostram que as MPEs são mais motivadas, na exportação, por fatores conjunturais como melhores preços e escoamento de excedentes, apesar de as pequenas empresas começarem a ser incentivadas por fatores de longo prazo (como, por exemplo, aprendizado com clientes e concorrentes externos). Quanto aos obstáculos, a pesquisa demonstrou que para os micro e pequenos empresários as barreiras ambientais como política cambial, excesso de burocracia e dificuldades logísticas são os principais entraves nas exportações das MPEs. Os esforços de entidades públicas e privadas e das próprias MPEs para elevar as exportações também são analisados neste trabalho. / Despite its apparent simplicity, exportation has been deeply studied in the last decades and researchers have not yet come to a consensus. The literature cannot yet explain why some firms succeed while others fail to export and how the perception of motivations and barriers varies amongst different types of firms. This thesis focuses on small companies, which probably face more barriers and perceive less advantages and motivations to export than bigger and more established companies, resulting in a mere 2,4% contribution to Brazilian foreign trade. Firstly, It was studied the barriers and motivations that have influence on exports. A survey was carried out with executives of small firms and the factors (motivations and barriers) were ranked based on the perception of importance of each one. Secondly, it was tested whether the relative score given by respondents varies according to industry, target market, frequency of exports, international experience and entry mode. The results show that small firms are usually motivated by short term incentives like better prices or international sales of production surplus. Nevertheless, some firms start to be motivated by long term incentives like learning with foreign clients and competitors. Disadvantageous currency policy, high level of bureaucracy and poor transportation infrastructure are considered the strongest barriers. These findings suggest that both public and private social action is required. It is described in this document some actions in course.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / A qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe the factors that hinder parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme for at risk children. Parent involvement remains a challenging phenomenon, which affects not only the child, as an individual, but also the family in society. However, although parenting children is perceived to be an important responsibility, parents do not receive any formal training on how to be good parents. An explorative and descriptive research design was utilised. Data collection was done by means of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, with the parents/guardians and children in the High Five Life Skills Programme, as well as the teachers, who refer children to the programme. The method of non-probability sampling, employed in this study was purposive sampling. The sample was selected on the basis of the researcher’s own knowledge, as well as the purpose of the study. Data were analysed using the nine steps proposed by Creswell. The results highlighted six barriers that hindered parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme, namely, Low self-esteem of parents/caregivers and children; Lack of communications between all relevant parties - caregivers, teachers and the facilitators of the High Five Life Skills programme; Lack of role models: Parents’ not being role models as their own negative behaviour hindered their involvement; Lack of an emotional bond between parents and children, coupled with absent fathers; Lack of parents’ parental skills and support networks; and the lack of resources and support with transport to and from meetings, as well as child care for younger siblings. The participants, especially the children, freely expressed themselves, and contributed to the results; thereby assisting the researcher to explore the barriers that hinder parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme. It is anticipated that the results of this current study will form a basis for the High Five Life Skills Programme to develop strategies that respond to the needs of the parents and children involved in the programme.

Reverse logistics has become a part of many governmental agendas in developed countries. It offers enormous opportunities in reducing the negative impact on the environment from industrialization and the enormous quantities of waste produced by industry and households, as well as saving material resources. The recovery of used products and materials is receiving growing attention as a result of limited landfill and incineration capacity. However, the evolution of reverse logistics initiatives in developing countries is relatively slow, indicating that there are still huge obstacles and concerns that need to be explored. The main aim of this study is to investigate the reverse logistics practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The key forces of reverse logistics in more developed countries are compared with those in the KSA context. In particular, the current legislative framework and reverse logistics operations are evaluated against best practices in order to identify opportunities for KSA industries to improve their reverse logistics operations. For this purpose, qualitative research using a case study approach has been designed to collect data from different government agencies and thirteen organizations in KSA. These organizations were drawn from the oil, petrochemical and metal processing industries, all of which provide potential for the closed loop supply chain applications which are widely practiced outside KSA. Secondary data collection, direct observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to facilitate comparison with the literature. A conceptual framework was developed from the literature. A template analysis approach was employed to analyze the gathered data. The framework was then applied to the research context to establish an overall view of the reverse logistics process as well as the key forces that influence the implementation of reverse logistics in KSA. The results revealed that the implementation of reverse logistics in KSA is at an early stage, with the exception of the oil processing industry. Applications of reverse logistics appear to be driven mainly by economic factors and are highly dependent on the capability provided by third-party logistics service providers. Supply chains tend to operate as open loops with recycled/reusable products being supplied to secondary markets and/or locations outside KSA. Furthermore, the adoption of best practice is hindered by the country's logistics infrastructure and by local legislation that does not appear to encourage waste recovery or promote the awareness or control of the reverse logistics process. Both government and industry need to collaborate to implement best practice in reverse logistics in KSA. Economic and environmental benefits can be achieved, especially through improved infrastructure provision, legislation and reverse logistics design. This study makes several contributions to knowledge. First, the framework and strategies will make an important contribution to the literature of reverse logistics by identifying the key forces, represented in a force field analysis diagram; and to general reverse logistics operations in developing countries in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular. Secondly, the findings identify further studies for reverse logistics in KSA and, possibly, for other emerging countries with a similar context. Thirdly, this study is distinguished from existing empirical work on reverse logistics in developed countries as it examines the framework in the context of KSA, and may be applicable to other developing countries. Fourthly, the study motivates changes in practice as it provides recommendations and guidance for practitioners and leaders on how to apply the best practices of reverse logistics in different sectors.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Long waiting times before receiving a health service, give rise to long queues and congested health facilities, both of which are unnecessary and avoidable. Since patients in part judge the quality of the service by the length of time they spent waiting for it, it is imperative to measure waiting times, and determine and mitigate the immediate and underlying causes of lengthy waits. The facility under investigation was known to have excessively long waiting times. Since the immediate causes of long waiting times were known, it was thus required to research and understand the underlying causes of long waiting times and consequently whether there were any barriers to implementing recommendations to reduce waiting times at this primary health care facility. AIM: The aim of the study was to determine the underlying causes of long waiting times and the barriers to implementing recommendations to reduce waiting times. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional analytical study with a small qualitative component was undertaken. The qualitative study took a workshop format by piggy-backing onto feedback sessions held to present the results of the previously conducted waiting time survey to staff. Staff commentary at the workshops on possible underlying causes and barriers to recommendations to reduce them, were then used to develop a questionnaire for the quantitative portion of the study. The population and sample for the qualitative part of the study were all staff working at the facility who attended the feedback sessions. The cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study intended to uncover what underlying causes affected long waiting times, what recommendations could be explored to mitigate long waiting times and improve the patient experience, and if there were any barriers to these recommendations. The quantitative study population and sample were all staff who worked at the facility for more than six months and all patients who had utilised the services at the facility for three or more times. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, which were different for staff and patients. A detailed descriptive analysis was conducted.

As micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs), foco desta pesquisa, apresentam características peculiares em comparação às empresas de maior porte. O número de MPEs brasileiras, industriais e exportadoras vem aumentando nos últimos anos, assim como a continuidade de suas atividades exportadoras, configurando um novo panorama para este tipo de empresas. A participação destas empresas no volume de exportação total do país ainda é muito pequena (aproximadamente 2,4%, em 2003), para padrões internacionais (SEBRAE, 2004). MPEs buscam mercados distintos daqueles procurados pelas empresas de maior porte. Esta pesquisa aborda os fatores (obstáculos e motivações) explicativos da participação das empresas de menor porte nas atividades de exportação brasileiras. Para tal, foram analisados dados secundários e primários no intuito de realizar-se uma triangulação destes dados e chegar-se aos resultados e conclusões. Os dados primários foram obtidos através de uma survey e de entrevistas em profundidade com micro e pequenos empresários de MPEs que exportam. Os resultados mostram que as MPEs são mais motivadas, na exportação, por fatores conjunturais como melhores preços e escoamento de excedentes, apesar de as pequenas empresas começarem a ser incentivadas por fatores de longo prazo (como, por exemplo, aprendizado com clientes e concorrentes externos). Quanto aos obstáculos, a pesquisa demonstrou que para os micro e pequenos empresários as barreiras ambientais como política cambial, excesso de burocracia e dificuldades logísticas são os principais entraves nas exportações das MPEs. Os esforços de entidades públicas e privadas e das próprias MPEs para elevar as exportações também são analisados neste trabalho. / Despite its apparent simplicity, exportation has been deeply studied in the last decades and researchers have not yet come to a consensus. The literature cannot yet explain why some firms succeed while others fail to export and how the perception of motivations and barriers varies amongst different types of firms. This thesis focuses on small companies, which probably face more barriers and perceive less advantages and motivations to export than bigger and more established companies, resulting in a mere 2,4% contribution to Brazilian foreign trade. Firstly, It was studied the barriers and motivations that have influence on exports. A survey was carried out with executives of small firms and the factors (motivations and barriers) were ranked based on the perception of importance of each one. Secondly, it was tested whether the relative score given by respondents varies according to industry, target market, frequency of exports, international experience and entry mode. The results show that small firms are usually motivated by short term incentives like better prices or international sales of production surplus. Nevertheless, some firms start to be motivated by long term incentives like learning with foreign clients and competitors. Disadvantageous currency policy, high level of bureaucracy and poor transportation infrastructure are considered the strongest barriers. These findings suggest that both public and private social action is required. It is described in this document some actions in course.

There is a growing body of literature recognizing the benefits of Open Data. However, many potential data providers are unwilling to publish their data and at the same time, data users are often faced with difficulties when attempting to use Open Data in practice. Despite various barriers in using and publishing Open Data still being present, studies which systematically collect and assess these barriers are rare. Based on this observation we present a review on prior literature on barriers and the results of an empirical study aimed at assessing both the users' and publishers' views on obstacles regarding Open Data adoption. We collected data with an online survey in Austria and internationally. Using a sample of 183 participants, we draw conclusions about the relative importance of the barriers reported in the literature. In comparison to a previous conference paper presented at the conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, this article includes new additional data from participants outside Austria, reports new analyses, and substantially extends the discussion of results and of possible strategies for the mitigation of Open Data barriers.

The capabilities of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to integrate all necessary business functions into a single system with a shared database efficiently and effectively has persuaded organisations to adopt them. Research shows that ERP implementation in both large and small to medium enterprises has been a difficult challenge for organisations throughout the years. Despite the many advantages of ERP systems, there isn't a clear and easy way of implementing them in Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The motivation for the research is to investigate the barriers to ERP software system implementation in an SME using a case study approach, and to identify the steps to overcome these barriers and investigate the claim of ERP vendors that their ERP solutions improve the performance of their customers, the profitability and efficiency of work processes. This research identifies the barriers to ERP implementation in an SME, provides an overview of the traditional and current approaches of ERP implementation and discusses the effects of adopting an ERP system on the company's overall performance. The research uses a mix of methods including case study research and action research. Un-structured interviews and semi structured interviews approaches with negotiation and change management techniques were also used in order to generate knowledge concerning the problems at the case study. The case study has determined reasons for failed implementations, unlike previous research which suggests education level impact upon the implementation of the ERP system, the study demonstrates that an insufficient education level is not a necessary condition for resistance to change. It has also been shown in this research that high level management can have a direct influence on the ERP implementation in SMEs. This research suggests that SMEs need to standardize processes into business routines which will influence the introduction of a different knowledge store that helps the development of the new system; however employee s resistance to change, lack of trust of the new system and lack of knowledge has limited the implementation process by increasing mistakes and duplication of data. The ERP system has been evaluated by the end users at the case study organisation, and the results suggests that the implementation of an ERP system has improved the overall business and has increased the performance, the profitability and the efficiency of work processes. This research adds to the overall knowledge of ERP implementation in SMEs by deriving a better understanding of the problem in the body of knowledge and identifying the barriers to ERP implementation in SMEs. It provides recommendations that have been tested in the case study organisation for overcoming ERP implementation barriers in SMEs, and a financial model of the implementation costs and benefits. Finally, the recommendations presented in this thesis and suggested areas for further research set out the potential way forward to advance knowledge in this area.

abstract: In the United States, seasonal influenza is responsible for enormous medical costs and lost earnings as well as thousands of deaths. Medical masks are effective non-pharmaceutical preventions for minimizing the spread of illness in the event of an influenza outbreak. However, people in the United States rarely wear face masks the way many people in Asian countries do. In a previous study of public response to the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic, 71% of United States respondents supported the recommendation to wear a mask during the flu outbreak, while only 8% of respondents reported they wore a mask in public to protect themselves from getting sick. What are the factors that cause this gap? The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify barriers to the wearing of masks among adults in the United States. The research was conducted through an online survey of 84 American residents via the Survey Monkey Audience service to collect their opinions on influenza, mask-wearing, and the perceived barriers to wearing face masks for flu prevention. The results are presented in the descriptive analysis and the non-parametric analysis. The results showed a barrier against social interaction is a significant factor (p=0.003) regarding the impact between flu experience and the perceived barriers. The participants believed mask-wearing may lead other people difficult to perceiving their feelings. Regarding the relationship between mask-wearing experience and the perceived barriers, there were significant differences in perceived benefits (p=0.028), perceived risks (p= 0.003), and social value (p=0.021). Participants who have had worn masks had perceived higher benefits of mask-wearing, higher risks of catching the flu, and a higher agreement of importance to protect other people from getting the flu from them. The most common perceived barrier among the participants is product satisfaction. 85.71% of the participants agreed that wearing face masks is uncomfortable. 80.95% of the participants agreed with the importance to wear face masks as it protects other people from getting the flu from them, but only 37.5% of the participants with flu history had worn face masks. By examining barriers to the wearing of masks for influenza prevention, this study can assess public willingness to adopt personal prevention behaviors and provide information for related policies in the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2018

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Long waiting times before receiving a health service, give rise to long queues and congested health facilities, both of which are unnecessary and avoidable. Since patients in part judge the quality of the service by the length of time they spent waiting for it, it is imperative to measure waiting times, and determine and mitigate the immediate and underlying causes of lengthy waits. The facility under investigation was known to have excessively long waiting times. Since the immediate causes of long waiting times were known, it was thus required to research and understand the underlying causes of long waiting times and consequently whether there were any barriers to implementing recommendations to reduce waiting times at this primary health care facility. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the underlying causes of long waiting times and the barriers to implementing recommendations to reduce waiting times. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional analytical study with a small qualitative component was undertaken. The qualitative study took a workshop format by piggy-backing onto feedback sessions held to present the results of the previously conducted waiting time survey to staff. Staff commentary at the workshops on possible underlying causes and barriers to recommendations to reduce them, were then used to develop a questionnaire for the quantitative portion of the study. The population and sample for the qualitative part of the study were all staff working at the facility who attended the feedback sessions. The cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study intended to uncover what underlying causes affected long waiting times, what recommendations could be explored to mitigate long waiting times and improve the patient experience, and if there were any barriers to these recommendations. The quantitative study population and sample were all staff who worked at the facility for more than six months and all patients who had utilised the services at the facility for three or more times. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, which were different for staff and patients. A detailed descriptive analysis was conducted. Results: The study found a number of potential underlying causes for each immediate cause of long waiting times at the facility. For early morning batching the underlying causes found were: 45% of patients were given early appointments which caused clients to arrive early; 100% of patients with appointments after 10H00 arrived before 10H00; and 43% of the patients stated that they arrived early because they feared being turned away.