Editorial

ID: 36353

Authors: A Comissão Editorial.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 8-9, July-December, 2007. 2 page(s).

Document type: Editorial (Portuguese)

Federal civil servants’ individual performance evaluation: aspects intervening in the process and in the results

ID: 36354

Authors: Catarina Cecilia Odelius, Paulo Ricardo Godoy dos Santos.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 10-30, July-December, 2007. 21 page(s).

Keyword: Performance-based pay , Performance evaluation , Public administration

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This research investigated aspects that influence the process and results of individual performance evaluation systems in two agencies of the Brazilian Federal Public Administration. Literature review and the content analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews allowed the identification, in a preliminary way, of the aspects under study, as well as the elaboration of a questionnaire, which was then answered by 523 civil servants. Exploratory factorial analysis identified four components that influence the evaluation systems of the studied organizations: characteristics of the system; managerial performance; impact of the evaluation on the individual; and culture. Linear multiple regression analysis revealed that cultural aspects and those related to managerial performance were the ones that most influenced the process and results of the performance evaluation systems, and indicated that perceptions of the evaluation process differ according to the civil servants’ functional and demographic characteristics.

Hedonic price models to estimate the relationship between price and satisfaction in the acquisition of new vehicles – a focus on popular cars

ID: 36355

Authors: Alceu Souza, Silvio César Ávila, Wesley Vieira da Silva.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 31-45, July-December, 2007. 15 page(s).

Keyword: Consumer behavior and automotive industry market , Hedonic prices , Multiple linear regression

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This paper aims to construct a hedonic price model to estimate the price-satisfaction relationship in the acquisition of new low-price vehicles. The initial hypothesis is that the prices of vehicles are estimated in function of the presence or not of several attributes. The technique of multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the main attributes that contribute to the final price of the vehicle. The data used in the study concern five automotive industries in Brazil. Results of data collected from five assemblage companies in the country indicate that the most important attributes in the price composition are air bag, air conditioning, hydraulic wheeling and sedan trunk, while the least important ones are rear-glass cleaner, rear glass defogger, heater and metallic painting.

Investment funds performance evaluation in Brazil: a methodological proposal

ID: 36356

Authors: Marcelo Alvaro da Silva Macedo, Helida Delgado Ribeiro Macedo.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 47-69, July-December, 2007. 23 page(s).

Keyword: Data Envelopment Analysis , Fund evaluation , Investment funds

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

In the extensive literature about the a posteriori performance of investment funds evaluation, risk and return models such as those of Sharpe (1966), Treynor (1965) and Jensen (1968 and 1969) are widely used. This article attempts to discuss the application of a new modeling for that purpose, based on mathematical programming, and consisting of comparing outputs (indicators that should be maximized, such as short- and long-term profitability) to inputs (indicators that should be minimized, such as administration tax and risk), so as to estimate a relative efficiency borderline. The study aims to offer a view of Performance Measurement of Investment Funds in Brazil using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA).

O asfalto informatizado: o impacto da tecnologia da informação na administração do tráfego urbano

ID: 36357

Authors: Raoni Guerra Lucas Rajão.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 70-81, July-December, 2007. 12 page(s).

Keyword: GIS: Changes in the nature of work , Information , Intelligent transportation systems , Panopticon , Urban traffic management

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

This paper considers changes in the nature of traffic management brought about by the introduction of different technologies, mostly geographic information systems (GIS). Traffic management has changed significantly since it was born about a century ago. The invention of automatic traffic lights prompted the devaluation of action-centred skills needed to manage traffic. This process was further advanced with the introduction of geographic information systems and the consequent virtualization of the work environment. In order to analyze those transformations, the paper reviews Zuboff’s work (1988) twenty years after its publication. It argues that GIS have great potential not only to automate work activities but also to informate the organisation, providing a fresh view of its own reality. According to her, in order to use the information capability of GIS, the worker needs intellective skills. Besides, the organization has to provide a favourable context to explore this capability. Another consequence of the introduction of GIS is the appearance of a new form of control by surveillance: Panopticon information. Even though Zuboff’s ideas about the two faces of Information Technology and Panopticon provide an insightful framework to analyse changes in the nature of work, her assumptions about the rational use of information in the decisionmaking process may not always occur in reality. The case study at hand and research on the actual use of information in organizations contrast with Zuboff’s suggestion that IT leads to a strictly rational use of information.

Public revenue versus social economic performance in municipalities in the State of São Paulo

ID: 36358

Authors: Maria Aparecida Gouvêa, Milton Carlos Farina, Patrícia Siqueira Varela.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 82-100, July-December, 2007. 19 page(s).

Keyword: Discriminant analysis , Longevity , Public revenue , São Paulo State social responsibility index , School level

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This study investigated whether the groups of municipalities characterized by the São Paulo State Social Responsibility Index as municipalities with high wealth indexes and good social indexes (group 1) and those ones with high wealth indexes and medium social indexes (group 2) can be distinguished by per capita transference values from the Municipalities Participation Fund – MPF, Product and Service Circulation Tax Quota (PSCT), and collected tax income. A discriminant analysis indicated that the MPF distribution contributes to income equity in group 1, giving support to public policies of the municipal governments. However, in group 2, the contribution is not effective, or else there are management problems in resources allocation.

Application of artificial neural networks to the classification of countries and the exploration of macroeconomic data

ID: 36359

Authors: Marcelo Seido Nagano, Maurílio Benite, Vinicius Amorim Sobreiro.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 101-120, July-December, 2007. 20 page(s).

Keyword: Macroeconomic data , Scenario building , Self-Organized Neural Networks , Systemic complexity

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This study investigates the viability of using Self-Organized Neural Nets in macroeconomic data clustering and exploration. A method was elaborated in which self-organized neural architectures were used in a sequential perspective, reducing the impact of complexity in the analysis of results. The obtained results themselves suggest that the use of Self-Organized Neural Nets in acquiring knowledge on databases applicable to Economic Sciences shows a performance similar to that of parametric models traditionally applied to scenario building with such information.

Resenha: - O poder nas organizações

ID: 36360

Authors: Luiz Alberto da Costa Mariz.

Source: Revista Economia & Gestão, v. 7, n. 15, p. 121-123, July-December, 2007. 3 page(s).

Document type: Book Review (Portuguese)