Consumers' Segmentation Influences Acceptance and Preferences of Cheeses with Sanitary Inspection and Artisanal Seals.

Food labeling serves as a crucial medium for industries to communicate product qualities to consumers. Sanitary inspection and artisanal seals are significant markers for traditional cheeses, yet current information on this topic is limited. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of sanitary inspection and the ARTE seal on the acceptance of artisanal cheese. To achieve this objective, four hypothetical cheese labels featuring all combinations of sanitary inspection and ARTE seals were presented to 404 consumers. These consumers rated their acceptance of each label, a conjoint analysis was conducted, and the relative importance of each seal was calculated. Subsequently, consumers were segmented using hierarchical cluster analysis. Their socio-demographic profiles were statistically correlated to the clusters through a chi-squared method. The results revealed the existence of three distinct consumer groups: those who strongly prefer cheeses with a sanitary seal (assigning a relative importance of 80.2% to the seal), those who favor cheeses with an artisanal seal (assigning a relative importance of 52.5% to the seal), and those for whom the presence of either seal did not significantly affect acceptance. Consumers residing in metropolitan areas generally placed less value on both seals, whereas frequent purchasers of artisanal foods and residents of rural areas showed a preference for the artisanal seal. Other socio-demographic variables did not statistically correlate with cluster membership. In conclusion, consumer segmentation based on preferences for sanitary inspection and artisanal seals in food labeling is vital for developing effective marketing strategies and food safety education policies.

Avaliação do Perfil dos Professores de Medicina de uma Universidade do Interior de Minas Gerais / Assessment of Medical Faculty Profile at a University in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Resumo: Introdução: O ensino médico vem passando por grande reformulação nas últimas décadas, e um dos pontos considerados fundamentais nessa mudança é a atuação docente. Pesquisas indicam que os professores de Medicina usualmente possuem pouca formação didático-pedagógica, dividem-se entre as profissões de médico e professor, colocada em segundo plano, privilegiam a pesquisa em relação ao ensino e são resistentes a mudanças no seu modo de atuação. Segundo a literatura, essas características repercutiriam diretamente no ensino oferecido. Método: A presente pesquisa buscou analisar como características dos professores de Medicina de uma universidade no interior de Minas Gerais repercutem na forma como os alunos avaliam o ensino recebido. Para tanto, levantou-se o perfil dos professores a partir de documentação e entrevista semiestruturada. Posteriormente, os alunos avaliaram os professores participantes por meio de um questionário autoaplicado. Confrontaram-se avaliação e perfil, e utilizaram-se testes estatísticos para a análise da associação entre características e avaliação feita. Participaram 57 professores (83,8% dos elegíveis) e 203 alunos (84,5% dos elegíveis). Resultados: Foi identificado perfil de professores semelhante ao da literatura, com a maioria em dedicação parcial à universidade, renda proporcionada principalmente por outra profissão e preparação didática constituindo parte reduzida da formação. A comparação entre os grupos de características dos professores, com base nas avaliações dos alunos, por sua vez, mostrou resultados que rompem com a bibliografia. Os dados mostraram, com relevância estatística, que no curso professores mais jovens, com menos tempo de graduação, de atuação docente e de experiência em outra profissão, sem mestrado e que possuem como motivação para lecionar prazer e aptidão são mais bem avaliados. Maior tempo de preparação didática, cursos preparatórios, maior dedicação semanal ao ensino e maior identificação com a docência, entre outros aspectos, não se associam à melhor avaliação de forma estatisticamente significativa. Conclusões: A pior avaliação do docente mais experiente, associada a questões como conflitos geracionais e dificuldades de adaptação a novos currículos, mostra a importância de uma preparação docente contínua e reforçada com o tempo. Além disso, o melhor desempenho de professores mais satisfeitos demonstra a importância da valorização da carreira docente. Por fim, constata-se que quantidade de formação não é suficiente sem qualidade nessa formação.

Abstract: Introduction: Medical education has undergone a major overhaul over the last decades and one significant change is related to teaching performance. Research indicates that the medical faculty typically has little training in didactics, split their time between clinical practice and teaching, award less priority to the latter, privileging research to the detriment of teaching, and resist changing their ways. According to the literature, such traits and attitudes would directly affect educational quality. Method: This study assessed how traits and attitudes of the medical faculty at a university in Minas Gerais impact student assessment of the education they receive. For that purpose, teachers were profiled through semi-structured interviews and analysis of relevant documentation. Subsequently, students assessed their teachers' performance through a self-applied questionnaire. Performance and profiles were then compared, and statistical tests were used to analyze the associations between teachers' traits and performance assessment results. Overall, 57 faculty members (83.8% of those eligible) and 203 students (84.5% of those eligible) participated in this study. Results: A faculty profile similar to that found in the literature was identified, with a majority of teachers dedicating only part of their time to the university, and most of their income coming from another occupation and teacher training amounting to a small portion of their overall professional training. The analyses of relationships between groups of traits and teaching performance, however, contradicted the literature. The data showed, with statistical relevance, that younger teachers and those who graduated a shorter time ago, who are less experienced in teaching or have other occupations, who lack a master's degree and whose motivation to teach comes from satisfaction and vocation are better evaluated. Longer didactical training, undergoing training courses, longer weekly dedication and greater identification with the teaching profession are not significantly associated with better evaluation. Conclusion: The worse evaluation of the most experienced faculty, associated with issues such as generational conflicts and difficulties adapting to new curricula, shows the importance of continuous faculty training and updating. Additionally, the better performance of more satisfied teachers, demonstrates the importance of valuing the teaching career and raising its status. Finally, it seems that more teacher training is not enough in itself and more attention must be paid to the training quality.