The purpose of this article is to analyze the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manufacturing, aiming to identify the main practices of sustainability, including the values and transparency, internal audience, environment, supplier relationships, customer and/or consumer relationships, and community relationships. In order to develop this research, a questionnaire was applied on the subject in question, through which the companies were classified as to their reality in relation to corporate social responsibility. Based on the analysis, it was observed that five of these companies obtained a score that indicates that the companies have already assimilated the associated concepts and are clear of the necessary commitments for a socially responsible action. However, given the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that there is a need to strengthen the actions to be taken with regard to corporate social responsibility, since no company has positioned itself in excellence. In addition, some suggestions for new research were identified and discussed in the analysis of the results.

The aim of this study was to analyze the trend in infant mortality rates in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 1994 to 2004, in a longitudinal ecological study, by means of panel data analysis and multilevel linear regression (two levels: microregion and time) to estimate factors associated with infant mortality. The infant mortality rate decreased from 19.2‰ (1994) to 13.7‰ (2004) live births, and the principal causes of death in the last five years were perinatal conditions (54.1%). Approximately 47% of the variation in mortality occurred in the microregions, and a 10% increase in coverage by the Family Health Program was associated with a 1‰ reduction in infant mortality. A 10% increase in the poverty rate was associated with a 2.1‰ increase in infant deaths. Infant mortality was positively associated with the proportion of low birthweight newborns and the number of hospital beds per thousand inhabitants and negatively associated with the cesarean rate and number of hospitals per 100 thousand inhabitants. The findings suggest that individual and community variables display significant effects on the reduction of infant mortality rates.

O QUE É SER UM BOM PROFESSOR? ANÁLISE DAS COMPETÊNCIAS DOCENTES PELA ÓTICA DISCENTE

O Programa Farmácia Popular é indispensável para o tratamento da hipertensão arterial e do diabetes, as duas principais doenças crônicas não transmissíveis do país. Por esse motivo, esta pesquisa objetivou avaliar o comportamento da oferta desses medicamentos no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para isso, métodos estatísticos foram utilizados no banco de dados coletado, sendo a metodologia ARIMA (p,d,q) a prioritária. Utilizando os métodos de AIC e BIC, foi possível determinar modelo SARIMA (2,0,0)(1,0,0)12 como o melhor para representar o comportamento da oferta desses medicamentos. Os principais resultados apresentam que os últimos três meses influenciam diretamente na quantidade e oferta de medicamentos, com evidências de sazonalidade anual. Além disso, os resultados foram discutidos com outros estudos realizados nesse contexto.

Proposta de Melhoria de Layout Seguindo a Metodologia Sistema Toyota de Produção / Proposal for Layout Improvement Following Methodology Toyota Production System