University of Minnesota, Duluth
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Growth and instability of the 1992/93 - 2016/17 soybean crops in the main producing states of Brazil
The increase in productivity and production of agricultural activities has been the response to the expansion of global demand for food and energy. Consequently, soybean production has been among the economic activities that have shown significant growth nationally and globally in recent decades. In this context, it is important for policymakers and other agents involved in the grain production chain to pay attention to the instability with which increases in production and productivity occur over time. Based on these inferences, the objective of this work was to evaluate the instability and growth rate of planted area, production, and productivity of soybeans in the main producing states throughout the 1992/93 to 2016/17 growing seasons. Instability was determined through the application of the Cuddy-Della Valle index, and the growth rate was calculated from log-linear regression, with subsequent decomposition analysis. It was observed that all variables, in all states, showed a growth trend. This was particularly evident in changes in planted area, which is the main defining element of production. Low levels of instability were observed in planted area, production, and productivity in most of the regions analyzed
Educational marketing: proposals and challenges for a basic education institution.
Given the growth in the number of private companies operating in the field of Education, especially in basic education, marketing actions carried out in this segment are important instruments in terms of market positioning and competitiveness. Therefore, the objective of this work was to discuss the promotional, human, and physical evidence aspects of the marketing mix of a private basic education institution and to propose some strategies within educational marketing. To this end, data from satisfaction surveys and internal reports on customer retention and acquisition by the educational unit were used. The information showed that, due to the particular characteristics of the services, the institution can adopt measures that do not profoundly impact its planning and that make it possible to increase the level of customer satisfaction with a consequent increase in loyalt
Newcomb-Benford's Law as an instrument for analyzing and controlling public spending.
To mitigate the growing possibility of fraud and corruption in Public Administration, considering the rapid evolution of information technology currently used, tools that enable effective and continuous control of public accounts must be found. Therefore, the objective of this work was to empirically verify how Newcomb-Benford's Law (NB Law) could contribute to the analysis and control of public expenditure. To this end, a quantitative and exploratory analysis was conducted using an econometric model, based on the relationship between the aforementioned Law and the Chi-square and Z-tests, evaluating 93,825 purchase orders from a public institution in the state of São Paulo, from 2017 to 2019, a period in which legislative changes influenced expenditure behavior. Overall, a discrepancy was observed between the collected data and the law, with considerable statistical variations for the first digit 7 in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, evidencing possible evasion of bidding processes; and smaller differences for the digits extracted from the 2019 expenses, the year with the updated legislation, confirming that the change in limit values for the acquisition of products and services had a profound impact on the distribution of the digits related to public spending by the entity. The law makes important contributions to the evaluation and monitoring of public spending, serving as an auxiliary instrument for control work, especially with regard to planning and defining prominent data to be verified in the identification of relevant distortions
Infrastructure and prioritization of the criticality level of full-time schools in a Brazilian state.
Full-time schools (FTS) are public policies focused on students' life projects. School infrastructure is a determining factor in ensuring their successful implementation, guaranteeing the provision of quality education, and directly influencing parameters such as school dropout rates; therefore, the proper allocation of resources for interventions in school physical facilities is fundamental. The objective of this work was to develop criteria for prioritizing infrastructure interventions in FTS, based on their level of criticality, and to estimate the costs. The methodology applied was based on the use of the "design thinking" approach for analyzing the variables that would be used throughout the analysis and creating weights for prioritization. After this step, a predictive approach was used, employing the steps described in the PMBOK Guide, with scope, schedule, and stakeholder management. For visualization and presentation of results, in addition to common presentation tools and spreadsheets, the "Power BI" software was used, aiming to provide a dynamic and user-friendly solution. It can be concluded that the analysis enabled the creation of tools capable of assisting and clarifying the process of prioritizing schools that will receive interventions, based on qualitative and quantitative data on the level of criticality of each environment and on criteria established from the opinion of various stakeholders, as well as providing a cost estimate for these interventions, ensuring efficient resource allocation
Analysis of latent classes: preferences for UHT milk with different quality labels.
The objective of this research was to study the heterogeneity of consumer preferences in Dracena/SP regarding quality seals for "Ultra High Temperature" (UHT) milk: SENAF Family Farming, SENAF Quilombos do Brasil, Organic Product Brazil, and "Fairtrade"; and regarding marketing shares received by rural producers, through latent class analysis (LCA). Due to the low level of knowledge among the population about these attributes, the research evaluated the impact of information about quality seals and marketing shares on consumer choices. Therefore, interviews were conducted with people in public places in the city, from April to June 2018. Consumers expressed their preferences through a case-3 or multi-profile discrete choice experiment (DME) and the data were analyzed using latent class analysis. In total, 257 consumers participated in the study. The results showed that there were two market segments, both before and after consumers received information about quality seals and marketing shares. The information did not significantly influence the preferences of 140 consumers (54.47%), however 81 consumers (31.51%) began to value the SENAF Quilombos do Brasil and “Fairtrade” seals more, and 35 consumers (13.61%) became more satisfied with the SENAF certification and less sensitive to the retail prices of UHT milk
Tax planning and the abnormal return of companies listed on the Brazilian stock exchange
Currently, the Brazilian tax burden is high and therefore represents a significant cost for organizations. Given this, it is important for companies to have good tax planning, legally minimizing their tax burden whenever possible. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between efficient tax planning—represented by the "proxy" of the Efficient Tax Planning Index (EPI)—and the abnormal return of the share prices of companies listed on the B3 stock exchange, from 2008 to 2018. The sample consisted of 1,638 observations, and a panel data regression with fixed effects estimators was implemented as a statistical tool, with the intention of identifying the variables that explained the abnormal return of shares in the market. The results of the study indicated that the EPI did not have a significant relationship with abnormal returns. However, profitability, financial liquidity, dividends, capital structure, and indebtedness proved significant in the model. It was concluded that the IPTE (Index of Equity and Transparency) did not have a significant correlation with abnormal market returns, although it was related to total assets and indebtedness
Transformations and perspectives in the fluminense dairy industry
The dairy production chain is one of the largest segments of agribusiness, generating significant employment and income for many producers in Brazil. In this sense, the objective of this study was to present a set of information on dairy farming in the state of Rio de Janeiro and its behavior over the years (1974 to 2020). Using data obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), it was possible to evaluate the performance of the activity in the South Fluminense mesoregion compared to other mesoregions of Rio de Janeiro. The data were processed using MS-Excel® spreadsheets and analyzed using descriptive statistics methodology. The variables evaluated were: milk production; number of cows milked; productivity; and number of agricultural establishments. After analyzing the overall panorama of Rio de Janeiro, it was found that the South Fluminense mesoregion stood out in state milk production. Given this, an individual analysis of the performance of the Southern Fluminense region was carried out, verifying that, despite not being the mesoregion with the largest number of producers or dairy cows, it had been gaining more ground and achieving higher productivity. It was concluded, therefore, that dairy farming in the Southern Fluminense mesoregion stood out in the state for its increasing productivity, even though it did not have the largest number of producers or dairy cows
Social Startup: The USP na Escolinha program as a case of entrepreneurship and social impact
Startups emerge in diverse contexts, including uncertain scenarios, and are targeted by entrepreneurs due to their malleable nature. Prospecting consolidated business models is positive and fundamental for identifying elements and structures that enable the consolidation of startup identities and the progression of their business models. The USP na Escolinha program, created in 2013, is an extension project of the Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), which focuses on early childhood education to introduce concepts and spark interest and curiosity in the courses offered by the Pirassununga Campus of the University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga/SP. This study aimed to analyze the USP na Escolinha program as a social startup. To this end, a qualitative investigation was adopted to analyze the registration documents relating to the period from 2013 to 2022, concerning the development of the program. The documents analyzed were multiple-choice questionnaires and personal testimonies produced during the program's execution period, which sought to record the participants' perceptions. The results presented identified elements that classify social initiatives as startups and support the creation of repeatable pattern models. It is concluded that the USP na Escolinha program possesses sufficient characteristics to be identified as a social startup, with a model that can be adapted and generates positive impacts on the community
Conference on Protein-Rich Food Products from Oilseeds (Proceedings)
Presentations included: World Food Needs (F. R. Senti) --- Combating Malnutrition: New Strategies Through Food Science (A. M. Altschul) --- UNICEF Policies and Programmes in Protein-Rich Foods (M. Milner) --- Dry Techniques for the Production of Plant Protein Concentrates (I. Deschamps, A. Gonzalez, and R. Calderon) --- Edible Flour from Cottonseed by Liquid Classification Using Hexane (E. A. Gastrock) --- Cottonseed Protein Concentrates by Air Classification (W. H. Martinez) --- Cottonseed Protein Isolates (W. H. Martinez) --- Evaluation of Existing Processes for Commercial Production of Cottonseed Flour (M. C. Verdery) --- Critical Evaluation of Aflatoxin Detoxification in Oilseeds (L. A. Goldblatt) --- Critical Evaluation of the Use of Acetone in Solvent Extraction Processes (H. L. E. Vix, H. P. Dupuy, and M. G. Lambou) --- The Role of Land-Grant Universities in the World Food Problem (D. W. Thomas) --- Evaluation of Production of Glandless Cotton (R. J. Miravalle) --- Nutritional Value of Glandless Cottonseed Protein (K. J. Smith, C. M. Lyman, and A. B. Watts) --- Use of Oilseed Proteins in Dairy Product Substitutes (A. N. Prater, M. E. Powell, and M. M. Sterner) --- Needs and Potentials for Oilseed Proteins in U.S. Convenience Foods (R. Thiessen, Jr.) --- Soy-Protein Products for Food (E. W. Meyer) --- Development and Marketing of a Soy-Protein Beverage (W. C. Hammann–Presented By D. J. Massey) --- FDA Requirements for New Protein Additives (L. M. Beacham) --- United Nations' Sponsorship of Activities for Increasing World Protein Supply (B. Barg) --- Considerations Affecting Cereal-Based Formulations (R. Bressani) --- Functional Aspects Involved in the Use of Oilseed Protein Products for Foods (D. W. Johnson) --- Some Principles for the Use of Oilseed Flours in Cereal Products to Improve Consumer Acceptance (R. H. Matthews) --- Value of Oilseed Proteins for Child Feeding (G. G. Graham) --- Nutritional Value of Cereal Oilseed Protein Food Mixtures (C. M. Lyman) --- A Market Orientation for Protein-Rich Foods (D. L. Call) --- Marketing Considerations for Textured Protein Products (A. D. Odell) --- Incaparina in Colombia (J. C. Hussey, Jr.) --- Edible Flour from Peanuts (L. L. Branscomb) --- AID Incentives to U.S. Commercial Operations in Developing Countries (R. J. Emerson) --- Summation of Conference (H. L. Wilcke)