Academic literature on the topic 'Van Mander'

AbstractFive drawings by Karel van Mander are discussed. The two early ones were done while he was in Italy. Van Mander's frescos in Terni, including St. Bartholomew's Night, are then compared with Vasari's paintings in the Sala Regia in the Vatican as derivations. This is preceded by a review of the relevant bibliography, notably Noë, Miedema, Melion and Sapori. The article ends by advocating a multilateral, balanced, methodical approach.

AbstractA large panel of the Last Supper (fig. 1) can now be attributed to Karel van Mander the Younger (Haarlem c. 1583 – Delft 1623), after cleaning by the present owner, Douwes Fine Art in Amsterdam. The monogram at lower right (fig. 3), on the base of the pillar, has been identified as being that of the young artist and not of his father, the famous painter and writer of the Schilder-boeck, Karel van Mander the Elder. This painting is the first one by Karel van Mander the Younger to have been discovered.Although it is known that the young Karel van Mander had been trained as a painter in his father's workshop and registered at the latest in 1613 as a painter in the Delft guild of St Luke, the artist has until now only been known as a designer for tapestries. This he did from about 1604 at the workshop of François Spiering, which he left in 1615 to start his own tapestry workshop. The numerous sources on this period speak mostly of the difficult, troublemaking character of Van Mander, who's family fled to Denmark after his untimely death in 1623.The Last Supper is intriguing for its many borrowings from prints by and after artists from Karel van Mander the Elder's circle. The pose of several figures as well as some details of the tableware appear to have been derived from a large print by Jan Harmensz. Muller after a painting by Gillis Coignet (fig. 5). Three oddly large hands of figures at left, centre and right, are repetitions of hands from the Apostles series by Hendrick Goltzius of 1589, as is the upwards turned head of the apostle at upper left (figs. 6-8).Some of the figures have been identified by Elisabeth Valentiner, in her study on Karel van Mander the Elder of 1930, as portraits. Whereas one of them, at left of Christ, might indeed have been modelled after the print by Goltzius of Dirck Volckertsz. Coornhert (fig. 9), the identification of the person at lower right, left of the pillar, as Goltzius, is not convincing. The only actual portrait seems to be the more contemporary looking figure at upper right, whose reaching hand has been derived from yet another print by Jan Muller after Goltzius. Although not convincingly applicable for this painting, the use of portraits in a Last Supper was not uncommon. In the Schilder-boeck Van Mander described a, now lost, series of Christ and the Apostles with portraits of artists on which his friend Cornelis Ketel was working.Another interesting aspect of the painting is its date of 1602. This was the year that Van Mander's friend Bartholomeus Spranger, the court painter of Rudolf II, visited Amsterdam and Haarlem, where he was received by artists and rhetoricians. It is tempting to see the painting, possibly a joint project of both father and son Van Mander, as having been made in honour of this visit, as a tribute to Spranger with borrowings from prints by the two artists who engraved his designs, Hendrick Goltzius and Jan Muller. As such a large panel must have been made on commission, the Amsterdam notary and art patron Jacques Razet, a close friend of Karel van Mander the Elder, to whom the above mentioned print by Jan Harmensz. Muller was dedicated, comes to mind, also for the fact that he was known to support young artists.

Looks at the presence of America in early Dutch visual paintings and prints, and the significant role in interpreting Americana played by Karel van Mander. Van Mander was a 16th-c. art historian, painter, poet, and translator. Van Mander's notes reveal a number of developments in Dutch perceptions of the New World and how pervasive incidental Americana had become by the late 16th c.

AbstractDuring his sojourn in England, from 1573 to 1581, Cornelis Ketel received numerous portrait commissions, but did not paint many allegories. Van Mander gives a brief description of only one of them: Kracht door Wijsheid en 1 óorzichtzgheid overwonnen (Strength Conquered by Wisdom and Prudence, o.c. note 1, fol. 275 14-20). In 1986 an Allegory dating from the period in question (1580) appeared on the market. In a decor of captured weapons, it shows three nude men subjugated by a woman and tied up with snakes [figs. 1, 2). A number of circumstances preclude the conclusive identification of this painting as the one described by Van Mander: a) the woman with the snake might be Prudence, but Wisdom is missing; the reason for this might be that the canvas has been cropped, as is indicated by the absence of cusping; b) the attitude of Strength, the muscular man wearing a loincloth, is more consistent with the characteristics of Fury as described by Virgil, Cartari and Ripa (notes 7-9). A biblical source for this theme is Ecclesiastes 9:15-18, where Wisdom is rated higher than Strength and weapons of war. All sources associate Fortitude/ Fury with acts of war, so that a political connotation cannot be ruled out. In the Duke of Buckingham's collection was another allegory by Ketel representing victorious Virtues. This painting was not as tall as the work of 1580 published here (notes 13-19). The Duke of Buckingham's painting cannot be identified with the one for the Amsterdam jeweller Jan van Wely (Van Mander, fol. 275 r43 -275v30), as that painting was still in the collection of his family in 1670 (notes 17, 18). Iconographically, there is a remarkable correspondence with a work by Frans Floris, the subject of which has not been satisfactorily accounted for either (fig. 3, note 20). Pending a definitive identification, it seems to represent Fortitude/Mars/Fury rendered powerless by the loss of his weapons, and conquered by the female personifications of Wisdom and/or Prudence. Ketel was stylistically influenced not only by Floris (fig. 5, notes 23-25) but also by prints after Maarten van Heemskerck and Michelangelo (figs.6, 7). There is something of the Venetian style in the manner of painting. Ketel was acquainted with this style from an altar-piece by Dirck Barents, in the St. Janskerk in Gouda (note 29). It should be stressed that Ketel was unable to find a market for his allegories in England (cf. note 30), as may also be deduced from Van Mander. At the Tate Gallery's exhibition Dynasties 1530- 1630 (1995/96, note 32), Ketel's Allegory of 1580 contrasted starkly with the other exhibits: at the time when he was in England, the delicate subtlety of painters like Hilliard and Oliver was more to the British taste. Their manner was a far cry from Ketel's boldly painted allegory with its large figures. Not until some fifty years later, when the Venetian School, Rubens and Van Dyck were gaining ground, was Ketel duly appreciated in England.

AbstractIn this article a drawing by Palma il Giovane, now owned by the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich, is identified as a study for a painting by the same artist. The present whereabouts of this painting, which early on in the 17th century was in the collection of the Amsterdam merchant and art-lover Hendrick van Os, are unknown. Identification of the drawing was facilitated by the lengthy description of this work in Karel van Mander's biography of Palma Giovane in the Italian Lives of his Schilderboeck (Haarlem 1604). Van Mander describes the painting as showing Venus, Juno and Minerva seated at a table, while the angry Discord has just thrown the apple of discord in their midst. His description of the Van Os painting conforms perfectly, almost down to the smallest detail, with the Munich drawing. Van Mander, during his entire stay in Italy, never visited Venice. For his notion of Venetian painting he relied largely on the information he received from visitors to Venice and its surroundings or on Venetian works he had seen elsewhere, either in other Italian cities or in the Netherlands. For his description of Palma Giovanc's artistic skills Van Mander could rely on his firsthand knowledge of the painting owned by Hendrick van Os.

AbstractJan van Scorel was the only one of the painters of note of the I6th ard I7th centuries to whom an imposing monument was erected. He owed this not to his fame as a painter, but to his capacity as Canon of the Chapter of St. Mary's, Utrecht, an office conferred on him by Pope Adriaen vl in I628. The monument was already lost during the first stage of the demolition of the church in I712 and was known only from descriptions by Arnold Buchelius, notably that in his Monumenta of I592 (Note I), while the inscriptions on it are also mentioned by Van Mander (Note 2). The description in Buchelius' Monumenta is accompanied by a rough sketch (Fig. I), in the centre of which appears an empty tondo, where there is said once to have been a portrait of Scorel by Antonie Mor, the surround of which was in Bentheim stone. One of the texts is said to have been carved on the wall, the others on the floor. Carel van Mander also speaks of a portrait of Scorel painted by Mor in I560, two years before his death, and records the inscription on it. It is generally agreed that the portrait is that by Mor now in the Society of Antiquaries in London (Fig.2, Note 5). This still bears part of the text cited by Van Mander, while examination by infrared reflectography in 1977 revealed a further part ofit, the remainder presumably appearing on the frame (Note 6) . This examination also reavealed the date 1559. In I984 three fragments of Namur stone were unearthed from the garden of the Old Catholic Almoner's House on Mariahoek (Fig.3) . The fragmentary inscriptions on these proved them to be part of Scorel's tombstone, namely two pieces from the left side and one from the top right corner (Fig. 4). This find also proved that the interpretations of Buchelius' description as a wall monument in the Italian style with a sarcophagus under the portrait (Notes 7, 8), were incorrect and that it actually comprised a combination of a wall monument in Bentheim stone and a tombstone in Namur stone. Carved on the latter in low relief is a sarcophagus with vases at the corners and pilaster legs, which has an inscription between garlands at the top and gadrooning below. The sarcophagus rests on a base with a long inscription between two pilasters decorated with grotesques and on either side a putto with an inverted torch. The find proves that Buchelius' drawing is only a rough sketch and certainly not correct in every detail and the same must be true oj the surround of the tondo.

AbstractKarel van Mander's Schilder-Boeck was published in 1604. During this period the Haarlem city council was pursuing an active cultural policy in which painting played a central role. In 1603, the porter at the Prinscnhof was instructed not to refuse admission to people who wanted to view the paintings and other objects of art housed there. That same year Hendrik Goltzius, Cornelis van Haarlem and Hendrik Vroom were commissioned to paint pictures of their own choice to commemmorate their art. The paintings were to hang in the Prinsenhof. In 1605 the council cndcavoured to ensure the city's claim to a number of paintings from the Jansklooster. This monastery, unlike others in Haarlem, had not been seized when the city became Protestant. The monks were allowed to keep their property until the last one died, but not to adopt any more monks. In 1605 the council demanded an inventory of the immovables and of the paintings too. The majority of the paintings in the inventory, which was supplied a year later, proved to be the work of highly esteemed artists. Although by no means all the art in the monasterey was listed, the city council did not protest. The intention had simply been to secure the important paintings with a view to placing in the Prinsenhof when the time came. Karel van Mander and his friends Cornelis van Haarlem and Hendrik Goltzius undoubtedly contributed to the creation of a climate in which such an art policy was feasible. Van Mander had spent years preparing his Schilder-Boeck, and had paid a great deal of attention to Haarlem painting. In his efforts to gather information the had established numerous contacts. He had carefully described he paintings in the Prinsenhof, and had also seen works by Haarlem painters belonging to private individuals. One such man was Gerrit Willemsz. van Schoterbosch, a burgomaster who had been on the council when that body commissioned Cornelis van Haarlem to make four paintings for the Prinsenhof during the last decade of the 16th century, and also during the period discussed here, 1603-1605. What were the aims of the city council in pursuing this cultural policy? There are two possibilities, both of which are encountered in the Schilder-Boeck. Van Mander wanted to elevate painting to a higher status than a craft. In his praise of painting he therefore dwelt at length on art lovers who collected paintings for art's sake. May not the city council have desired to assemble such a collection? If so, something very special was happening in Haarlem. Perhaps there is more to be said for the other possibility, to which Van Mander also refers: the council could have enlisted the Haarlem painters to sing the praises of the city.

This study has been undertaken to assess what the team-management approach in the primary school entails and whether or not principals of primary schools make use of above mentioned approach. Attention is firstly given to the ever increasing management task with which schools are expected to cope, and more specifically, the management task as carried out by the principal. As far as the rationale of team-management is concerned attention is given to the Western and Japanese approaches to educational management. Attention is given to how the Z theory was conceived out of the Western and Japanese management approaches and how the theory can be utilized in educational management. An explanation of the "team-management", is given. Certain reservations with regard to the implementation of the approach are also brought into perspective. The study also looks at the characteristics of team-management, bearing in mind that certain demands are made on the team-management concept. Advantages and disadvantages are also pail under the microscope. The study looks at how the management team are going to function inside the bounds of the management process. The total involvement by the management team in all the planning is discussed and we look at aspects such as, what planning actually consists of, demands set on us by the planning aspects, policy formulation, the setting of aim, the taking and making of decisions and the solving of problems surrounding the planning. We also take a look at the involvement by the management team in the tasks of organization namely co-ordination and delegation. The involvement by the management team in the motivation, communication and how they give aid and guidance is also discussed. The last aspect which enjoys attention is how the management team exercises their controls over the proceedings. The empirical study follows and is proceeded by discussion of the research-topic which includes the instrument of measurement, population and statistical techniques. Frequency measurement is also discussed in so far as the team-management approach is used in the primary school. Guidelines are given on how the team-management approach can be implemented and fully utilized to great advantage.<br>Skripsie (MEd)--PU vir CHO, 1990

AFRIKAANS: Die Suid-Afrikaanse owerheid het 'n verantwoordelikheid in die lewering van dienste ter bevrediging van bepaalde behoeftes van die samelewing. Openbare bestuurders in die Suid-Afrikaanse staatsdiens behoort oor besondere vermoëns en kwaliteite te beskik om die staatsdiens doeltreffend in 'n vinnig veranderde omgewing te bestuur ten einde gemeenskapsbehoeftes te bevredig. Dit is die verantwoordelikheid van elke open bare bestuurder om die toegekende organisasie-eenhede doeltreffend te bestuur. Die openbare bestuurder kan nie na willekeur die administratiewe en openbare bestuursaktiwiteite uitoefen nie. Die normatiewe rigsnoere van eerbiediging van die oppergesag, openbare aanspreeklikheid en verantwoordelikheid, openbare doeltreffendheid, die toepassing van die administratiefreg, eerbiediging van samelewingswaardes, hoe etiese norme en standaarde, asook sosiale gelykstelling en geregtigheid moet deurentyd deur die openbare bestuurder gehandhaaf word. Die doel met hierdie verhandeling is om die rol van die openbare bestuurder in die ontwikkeling van 'n organisasiekultuur te bepaal. Die woorde "organisasie", "organisasie-ontwikkeling" en "organisasiekultuur" het 'n direkte invloed op die verhandeling en daarom is genoemde woorde duidelik omskryf en betekenisse daaraan gekoppel. Die openbare sektor is dinamies en die departemente word aan voortdurende veranderinge blootgestel wat tot herorganisering lei wat weer 'n invloed op die organisasiekultuur uitoefen. Organisasies kan nie op dieselfde wyse hervorm word nie en daarom verskil kulture van organisasie tot organisasie. In die organisasie vorm daar soms subgroepe wat oor sterk subkulture beskik en openbare bestuurders behoort hierdie subgroepe tot voordeel van die organisasie aan te wend deur byvoorbeeld gesonde kompetisie tussen die onderskeie subgroepe aan te moedig. Daar bestaan geen “beste” tegniek vir die bestuur van kultuurverandering nie. Elke openbare bestuurder behoort dus die tegniek te kies of tegnieke te kombineer wat die beste by sy of haar spesifieke omstandighede sal inpas. Openbare bestuurders behoort 'n positiewe ingesteldheid rakende die organisasiekultuur aan die res van die organisasielede oor te dra. Die openbare bestuurder in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks funksioneer in 'n milieu wat verskeie eise stel. Omgewingsfaktore in die staatsdiens bly nooit konstant nie en veranderinge, in byvoorbeeld, die politieke, sosiale, ekonomiese en tegnologiese omgewing het teweeg gebring dat die kultuur van die organisasie beïnvloed word en moet op so 'n wyse bestuur word dat dit tot voordeel van die organisasie en die samelewing is. Die veranderde omgewing waarbinne die openbare bestuurder optree, vereis die bestuur van die organisasiekultuur. Openbare bestuurders behoort 'n bewuswording in die organisasie rakende die organisasiekultuur te skep en tot die besef kom dat die organisatoriese, kulturele en strategiese veranderingsprosesse bestuur moet word ten einde gestelde doelwitte te bereik. ENGLISH: The South African government has a responsibility in the rendering of essential services to satisfy certain needs of the community. Public managers employed by the South African civil service ought to possess specific abilities and qualities to manage the civil service effectively in a rapidly changing environment. It is the responsibility of each public manager to manage the allocated organizational unit under his authority. Public managers may not conduct the administrative and public management activities in a random way. The normative guidelines of honouring the political supremacy, public accountability and responsibility, application of the administrative law, honouring community values, upholding high ethical norms, as well as social equality and justice should continuously be maintained by the public manager. The objective of this paper is to determine the role of the public manager in developing an organizational culture. The meaning of the word “organization”, “organizational development” and “organizational culture” has a direct influence on the objective of this paper and therefore these words have been clearly defined and explained. The civil service is dynamic and the departments are subjedt to change. This leads to re-organization, which in turn will influence the organizational culture. Organizations can not be reformed in a similar manner, and therefore, cultures vary among different organizations. Groups with strong subcultures may develop within the existing organizational culture and the public manager should utilize these subcultures to the advantage of the organization by establishing, for example, healthy competition among these groups. A “best” technique to manage an organizational culture does not exist, and each public manager should select a technique or combination of techniques appropriate to the specific situation. Public managers should convey a positive attitude towards the organizational culture and towards his/her subordinates. The public manager in the South African civil service functions in a milieu that holds many challenges. Environmental factors in the civil service constantly change, and changes in the political, social, economic and technological environments influence the organizational culture and has to be managed in such a way that it is advantageous to the organization and society. The changing environment, in which the South African Public Service operates, demands the management of an organizational culture. Public managers should develop a cultural awareness and realize that organizational, cultural and strategic change processes should be managed in order to reach the set objectives.<br>Dissertation (MA (Public Administration))--University of Pretoria, 2006.<br>School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA)<br>Unrestricted

<p>Att chefstalanger skulle vara speciellt kännetecknande för något av könen finns det inga bevis för. Eftersom det i dagens samhälle arbetar i stort sett lika många kvinnor som män, står kvinnan för hälften av begåvningsreserven. Det vore därför förödande för företag att inte ta till vara på denna tillgång. Statistiken gällande fördelningen av kvinnliga och manliga chefer inom näringslivet ser dyster ut, år 2006 var det endast 23 % kvinnor i chefsbefattning i den privata sektorn. På grund av denna snedfördelning kom vi fram till vårt syfte som är att förklara hur företag  går till väga för att få en mera balanserad fördelning mellan kvinnor och män på ledande befattningar. I uppsatsen har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod. Teorin skapades genom att söka information i form av litteratur, artiklar och utredningar. Därefter insamlades material till empiridelen genom två besöksintervjuer. Empirin ställdes sedan mot den teoretiska referensramen i en analys. Det resultat vi har kommit fram till i vår studie är att det finns fler olika tillvägagångssätt som företag använder sig av. Chefsutveckling, mentorskap och nätverk är ofta förekommande åtgärder för att få mer könsbalans på chefpositioner.</p>

<p>Författare:</p><p>Lars Jennfors</p><p>Titel:</p><p>Sport Managers, Vad gör de? - En studie kring de arbetsuppgifter som innehas och de kvalifikationer som krävs för att arbeta som sport manager</p><p>Innehåll:</p><p>Sport Management är ett förhållandevis outforskat område i Sverige. Därmed är det inte alldeles självklart vilka personer som har ett arbete som kan kallas sport manager. Definitionerna som därmed blir av central roll i studien är idrottssektorn, idrottsorganisationer och sport manager. Att ta del av dessa definitioner är viktigt för att kunna ta till sig av det resultat som framkommit.</p><p>Syftet med undersökningen är att ta reda på vilka kvalifikationer som krävs på idrottens arbetsmarknad inom yrket sport manager, samt vad en sport manager har för arbetsuppgifter. Detta utforskas genom två skilda men samtidigt kompletterande delstudier.</p><p>Detta leder till följande två frågeställningar:</p><p>• Vilka kvalifikationer efterfrågas hos den jobbsökande och vilka arbetsuppgifter anger idrottsorganisationerna att den jobbsökande kommer att få i sin managertjänst?</p><p>• Vilka arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer krävs i det vardagliga arbetet för de personer som har managertjänster inom idrottssektorn?</p><p>I delstudie ett har 25 jobbannonser undersökts för att ta reda på vad idrottsorganisationer betonar gällande arbetsuppgifter och kvalifikationer. I delstudie två har intervjuer gjorts med tio sport managers för att få deras bild av vilka arbetsuppgifter man har och vilka kvalifikationer som behövs.</p><p>Resultatet från delstudie ett visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande femton områden: planering och organisering, leda, erfarenhet, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, ansvar, personalhantering, ekonomi, utbildning, utveckla, projekt, intresse/engagemang, samarbetsförmåga, kontakter externt, initiativrik och kunna kommunicera.</p><p>Resultatet från delstudie två visar att man som sport manager framförallt jobbar med/behöver kvalifikationer inom följande tio områden: ekonomi, personalhantering, externa kontakter, projekt, utveckling, överblick över alla delar, leda, kunskap kring idrottssektorn, utbildning och erfarenhet.</p><p>Ingenting från de två studierna motsäger varandra. Båda studierna visar att som sport managers anses det viktigare att ha kunskap kring idrottssektorn än att ha en formell akademisk utbildning. Samtidigt framhävs just generalistkunskapen för sport managers, dock i olika stor omfattning beroende på vilken chefsposition som besitts. Vissa sport managers kan dessutom behöva specifik kunskap inom något område.</p>

Uppsatsens syfte är identifiera och analysera de förväntningar som medarbetare och chef har på varandra inom den avreglerade apoteksmarknaden och se hur väl dessa förväntningar överensstämmer med varandra. Detta görs med kvalitativa intervjuer.  Studien bygger på tre intervjuer, med två medarbetare och en chef, på ett mindre apotek i stockholmsområdet. Resultatet visar att förväntningarna, på rollerna medarbetare och chef, överlag överrensstämmer väl och även viljan att nå en ömsesidig förståelse mellan parterna är god. Potentiella problem kan uppstå i de områden där båda parterna visserligen har förståelse för varandras förväntningar, men inte äger möjligeheten att uppfylla dem. Studien har identifierat ett antal områden där det finns potential för att brott mot det psykologiska kontraktet kan uppstå. Exempel på detta är den balansgång där chefen dels skall vara en i gruppen och samtidigt skall kunna fatta svåra beslut. Teorin har utgått från Morrison och Robinsons modell om hur brott mot det psykologiska kontraktet utvecklas. Studien berör de delarna i denna modell som hanterar de faktorer som påverkar uppkomsten av kontraktsbrott.<br>The purpuse of this studie is to identify and analyze the expectations between employee and manager in the deregulated farmaci market and to see how well these expectaions correlate with eachother. This by using  three qualitative interwives with two employees and one manager at a small farmaci store in the Stockholm region. The result shows that the expectation over all correlates well and so does the will to reach a mutual understanding for the other parts needs. The identified difficulties found in this studie lies in the areas where both part are awere of the other parts expectations, but find it difficulties fullfill them. We have identified  a number of areas in witch the potential for developmet of psychological contract breach can occur. An example is the anticipal role of the manager who shall be a part of, as well as being able to make hard decsions over the group. The theory is based on a modell, founded by Morrison and Robinson, about how psychological violations develops. The studie mainly focus on the first parts of the model which concerns the development of the contract breach.

Det har nu gått 5 år sedan den nya plan- och bygglagen trädde i kraft, där bland annat det obligatoriska arbetsplatsbesöket infördes. Införandet grundade sig i att myndigheterna tidigare inte hade så bra insyn i byggnationerna runt om i landet. För att öka myndigheternas insyn infördes obligatoriska arbetsplatsbesök. Vid ett arbetsplatsbesök som utförs av en handläggare som representerar byggnadsnämnden är den kontrollansvarige och oftast en byggherre närvarande. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka kontrollansvarigas och byggherrars tankar om kvalitéten på arbetsplatsbesöken motsvarar plan- och bygglagskommitténs intention till att införa obligatoriska arbetsplatsbesök. Detta har gjorts genom intervjuer med kontrollansvariga och byggherrar i två olika kommuner. Intervjuerna visar att införandet av det obligatoriska arbetsplatsbesöket upplevs positivt men det finns fortfarande förbättringspotential. En av utvecklingspotentialerna handlar främst om brist på erfarenhet hos de yngre handläggarna. Det har även framkommit att det råder brist på resurser för att kunna utföra arbetsplatsbesöken i den omfattning som önskas. Det framkommer också att den nya plan- och bygglagen lämnar ett stort utrymme för egen tolkning av lagen, vilket har lett till att det är svårt att avgöra om ett arbetsplatsbesök har utförts på ett korrekt sätt.<br>It has now been five years since the new Planning and Building Act (Plan- och bygglagen) came into force, in which the mandatory workplace visit was introduced. The introduction was based in that the authorities had not previously had such a good insight into the construction work around the country. To increase transparency, the authorities introduced mandatory workplace visits. At a workplace visit conducted by an officer who represents the building committee is the control manager, and usually a developer present. The purpose of this essay is to examine the control manager´s and developer´s thoughts on the quality of workplace visits corresponds to the Planning and Building Committee's intention to introduce mandatory workplace visits. This has been done through interviews with control managers and developers in two different municipalities. The interviews show that the introduction of the mandatory workplace visit is perceived positively but there is still potential for improvement. One of the development potential is mainly about the lack of experience of the younger officers. It has also emerged that there is a lack of resources to carry out workplace visits, to the extent desired. It also emerged that the new Planning and Building Act (Plan- och bygglagen) leaves a lot of room for your own interpretation of the law, which has led to difficulties to determine whether a workplace visit has been carried out correctly.

Background and problem discussion Organizations are today facing an uncertainty regarding how to properly integrate and work with CRM, in particular in regards to attraction and retention of customers. This can be managed through the use of marketing campaigns. There is a lack of practical research regarding the management and how to optimize the budget of marketing campaigns. Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of how small e-commerce retailers within the beauty industry can optimize the marketing budget for social media campaigns. The purpose will be realized through application of hypotheses. Method This study has applied an experimental method design, where cause-effect in regards to how the marketing communication has influenced the customer behavior was investigated. This has been made through applying a modified A/B-test through the use of a marketing campaign, containing of three ads. The ads have been adapted in regards to the pre-study, using a company’s historical transaction data. Conclusion The results of the A/B-test show higher effectiveness and efficiency in the form of CTR, CPC,CPM, link klicks, more purchases, and lower cost per result. This is the result of the adaptation of the ads in regards to the target group. All of the ads in the campaign display a higher value than the Swedish average. This validates the notion that ads adjustments have a positive effect on customer conversion, and as a result on optimizing social media campaigns marketing budget.<br>Bakgrund och problemdiskussion Det råder osäkerhet hos företag hur de ska integrera och arbeta med CRM, i synnerlighet om attraherandet samt bibehållandet av kunder. Detta är något som företag kan hantera genomkampanjer, dock finns det en brist på praktisk forskning runt hantering och effektivisering av kampanjer och dess marknadsföringsbudget. Syfte Syftet med studien är att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur små e-handelsåterförsäljare inom skönhetsbranschen kan optimera en marknadsföringsbudget vid kampanjer på sociala medier. Syftet kommer att uppfyllas med en rad hypoteser. Metod Studien har designats som ett experiment då orsak-verkan undersöktes i hur kunders beteende påverkas av anpassad marknadskommunikation. Detta har gjorts genom att utforma ett modifierat A/B-test i form av en kampanj innehållandes tre annonser, vilket anpassats utifrån en förstudiebaserat på ett företags tidigare transaktionsdata. Slutsats Resultat av A/B-testet påvisar en höjd effektivitet i form av CTR, CPC, CPM, länkklick, flergenomförda köp samt ett lägre kostnad per resultat, detta till följd av annonsens anpassning till en specifik målgrupp. Samtliga annonserna i kampanjen visar på högre värden än det svenskagenomsnittet. Detta resultat visar på att anpassade annonser har en positiv påverkan på kundkonvertering, och därigenom på optimeringen av marknadsföringsbudgeten för sociala medier.

Los veintidós capítulos aquí reunidos muestran los resultados de los proyectos socializados por sus autores en tres modalidades, con la motivación de publicar sus ideas en este texto. De esta manera, se va recorriendo el camino y van dejando aportes a la producción científica, mediante un proceso editorial que cuenta con el apoyo de la Universidad de La Salle.

In this article, the design problem of an adaptive controller for a robotic micromanipulator, including the effects of the applied Van der Waals (VdW) forces is considered. The micro-manipulator’s dynamic model is appropriately modified in order to include the interaction of the attractive VdW-forces. Inhere, every link is decomposed into a series of elementary particles (e.g. spheres), each one interacting with the robot’s neighboring objects during its motion. This interaction induces nonlinear additive terms in the model, attributed to the overall effect of the VdW-forces. The actuation is achieved by a tendon-driven system. At each joint, a pair of tendons is attached and act in an almost passive antagonistic manner. The kinematic and dynamic analysis of the tendon-driven actuation mechanism is offered. Consequently, the microrobot’s model is shown to be linearly parameterizable. Subject to this observation, a globally stabilizable adaptive control scheme is derived, estimating the unknown parameters (masses, generalized VdW-forces) and compensating any variations of those. Simulation studies on a 2-DOF micro-manipulator are offered to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Turbine vane surface temperatures were measured in a linear cascade using an infrared non-contact thermal detector. A thermal barrier coating (TBC) was applied to the vane surface to give a rough surface. The temperature drop across the relatively thick TBC was used to determine heat transfer coefficients. Tests were conducted over a range of Reynolds and Mach numbers, resulting in large variations in hydraulic roughness. The measured heat transfer rates were significantly higher than were expected for a smooth vane. The detector was mounted in a probe holder, and traversed in a manner similar to that used for pneumatic or hot wire probes. The results showed that this approach gave useful information, and should be considered when non-contact surface temperatures are desired.

Thermal fatigue and craze cracks in a set of industrial vane segments were successfully repaired using an advanced LPM™ powder metallurgy process. Unlike conventional braze repair processes that rely solely on chemical cleaning to reduce the oxides, the LPM™ approach will physically remove the cracked or damaged areas in a manner similar to weld repairs. Consequently, large areas in the fillet radius, airfoils, and shrouds were mechanically prepared using conventional hand tools and then replaced with matching or alternate alloys in a powder metallurgy form. In this application, it was decided to use a stronger nickel-based IN738 alloy to repair the cobalt-based X-45 vanes. The patented LPM™ process uses conventional vacuum furnace heat treatments to produce dense, wide gap repairs that are well bonded to the parent metal. The results of the metallurgical and mechanical tests are presented, along with the observations during final inspection of the parts.

Gas turbine engines are challenged to operate at higher efficiencies, leading to turbine inlet temperatures that exceed turbine material limits. Increased internal cooling efficiency enables higher temperature operation, reduces cooling air injection into the core flow, and mitigates performance penalties from thermal mixing and total pressure loss. Micro Cooling Concepts has developed a turbine vane cooling concept that provides enhanced internal impingement cooling effectiveness via the use of micro-textured impingement surfaces (i.e., grooves and fins). The current effort employs computational models, in conjunction with optimization techniques, to explore the optimal design of these micro-textured surfaces. A computational fluid dynamics model of the vane leading edge was utilized to compute the flow in the vane interior and the temperature distribution in the vane material. A gradient-based optimization routine, implemented in Matlab, varied geometric parameters in an independent manner to minimize the maximum metal temperature in the vane material volume. Four separate design spaces were explored: grooves and fins (both shrouded and unshrouded). It was determined that the shrouded fins and fin design outperformed all others. The maximum external convective free stream temperature obtained was 2600 K while the maximum internal vane temperature remained below 1219 K.

Los proyectos que se interpelan al uso del espacio público y que abordan las relaciones existentes entre dos ámbitos cuyos límites resultan cada día más difíciles de precisar: lo público y lo privado, son los motivos que usamos para evidenciar el transvase de una a otra esfera.El Mail Art, por usar el medio del correo, cuyo reparto requiere una tecnología humana, es el que más interesa a este proyecto, que basa la experiencia en el proceso de creación de las postales, cintas, dibujos y su posterior escritura y envío. El Umbral es el icono de las viviendas que representa el límite entre la figura de espectador, y emisor de las piezas que se van a presentar.Todo esto se va a conjugar en un discurso de manera que la película del director M. Haneke, Caché, hile las condiciones con las que el protagonista del film, un personaje acomodado en el centro de París y que goza de un alto estatus, observa, como el medio de comunicación masiva, medio en el que trabaja, se puede convertir en una exposición sobre sí mismo que puede tornarse peligrosa para él y su familia.A través del análisis de los medios que se van a trabajar en este proceso, se dejarán los límites en un estado desdibujado, de difuso reconocimiento. El espacio construido con la ciudad como principal modelo de la vida comunitaria, es un espacio para ser ocupado, para llenar y vaciar con la presencia real o simbólica y, para interactuar con otras personas. Las reglas y convenciones son entonces, impuestos que se pretenden tambalear con la lectura que propone Mail Art. La comunicación postal y su devenir en medios masivos.

A transient method to analyze blade forced response under stator-rotor wake influence is proposed in dealing with asymmetric aerodynamic load. The vibration response of the blades is calculated in the fluid-structure coupled manner for the asymmetric vane spacing. Four different types of modification are adopted in the investigation. The reduction effect on the vibration stress due to the asymmetric vane spacing is examined by comparing the response characteristics of frequency and amplitude. Though the asymmetric vane spacing does not much affect the performance of the turbine, the results show that the proper asymmetric vane spacing can decrease the levels of the excitation force at specific frequencies to control the downstream blade forced response. The stress amplitude at the vane passing frequency is decreased by 51% in the most desirable modification in the study. After investigating the vibration characteristics of the blades under the wake excitation from upstream, the mechanism of the vibration reduction due to the asymmetric vane spacing is analyzed.

This paper presents a constrained Repetitive Model Predictive Controller (RMPC) implemented as closed-loop flow controller for an experimental compressor stator cascade. The objective of the controller is to decrease the impact of periodic disturbances on the passage flow. The disturbances are generated by movable flaps that are located downstream of the trailing edges of the stator vanes. The flaps emulate the throttling effect of periodically closed combustion tubes in a pulsed detonation engine on the flow over the stator vanes. The RMPC adjusts the actuation amplitude of fluidic sidewall actuators according to the present state of the passage flow. The current flow situation is monitored by pressure sensors that are mounted flush to the surface of one of the stator vanes. This data is fed back in real-time to the RMPC which thereupon modifies the actuation amplitude. By learning from period to period, a control command trajectory is computed that reduces detrimental effects of the periodic disturbance in an optimal manner while respecting the input constraints of the physical system. Five-hole-probe measurements in the wake of the passage are utilized to compare the optimized, transient actuation trajectories to the case of constant amplitude actuation.

Stress sensors have shown potential to provide “health monitoring” of a wide range of issues related to packaging of integrated circuits, and silicon carbide offers the advantage of much higher temperature sensor operation with application in packaged high-voltage, high-power SiC devices as well as both automotive and aerospace systems, geothermal plants, and deep well drilling, to name a few. This paper discusses the theory and uniaxial calibration of resistive stress sensors on 4H silicon carbide (4H-SiC) and provides new theoretical descriptions for four-element resistor rosettes and van der Pauw (VDP) stress sensors. The results delineate the similarities and differences relative to those on (100) silicon: resistors on the silicon face of 4H-SiC respond to only four of the six components of the stress state; a four-element rosette design exists for measuring the in-plane stress components; two stress quantities can be measured in a temperature compensated manner. In contrast to silicon, only one combined coefficient is required for temperature compensated stress measurements. Calibration results from a single VDP device can be used to calculate the basic lateral and transverse piezoresistance coefficients for 4H-SiC material. Experimental results are presented for lateral and transverse piezoresistive coefficients for van der Pauw structures and p- and n-type resistors. The VDP devices exhibit the expected 3.16 times higher stress sensitivity than standard resistor rosettes.

The act of writing is a complex cognitive process, relying on perceptual sensorimotor combinations (Mangen et. all, 2015). Writing is the process of externalizing the content of our thinking, what we know, what we think, what we feel … Writing always involves the skilful handling of mechanical/technical devices, and necessarily results in a visuographic representation: some kind of readable text in a form of letters or symbols (Mangen, Velay, 2010). The neuroscientific research points out writing is a process that requires the integration of visual, proprioceptive (haptics/kinaesthetic) and tactile information in order to be accomplished (Fogassi, Gallese, 2004). The acquisition of writing skills of previous generations involved a perceptual component, learning the shape of the letter, and a graphomotor component, learning the trajectory producing the letters shape (van Gallen, 1991) – the process, that is probably going to change with the Generation Z.

A time-resolved carbon nanotube (CNT) forest synthesis model is used to examine the mechanical interactions of actively growing CNT forests. Discrete CNTs in the forest are modeled using linear elastic Euler-Bernoulli beam elements with three degrees of freedom at each node which corresponds to axial displacement, transverse displacement and rotation. The van der Waals force between adjacent CNTs is modeled as linear elastic spring elements and act to locally bond adjacent CNTs in contact. Special consideration is given to the axial forces that arise at the substrate of growing CNTs during the forest growth. While reaction forces are distributed in a spatiotemporal manner, we observe that reaction forces for the slowest growing CNTs are greatest, and in tension, while the fastest growing CNTs experience compressive reaction forces at the substrate.

La pandemia ocasionada por el COVID-19 ha afectado considerablemente a las escuelas privadas de América Latina y el Caribe, poniendo en riesgo la continuidad del servicio educativos de millones de estudiantes, ya que muchas escuelas han cerrado o podrían cerrar. Si esto pasa el sistema educativo debe garantizar la absorción de los estudiantes que podrían quedarse sin escuela. En este contexto, proponemos y discutimos alternativas a los gobiernos que van desde fortalecer el sistema público educativo hasta subsidiar la oferta o demanda de colegios privados. La estrategia más adecuada para cada país dependerá de su contexto, y de la ponderación de sus costos y beneficios, pero, sí enfatizamos que es importante que los países actúen de una manera u otra, con el fin de garantizar que los millones de estudiantes de escuelas privadas puedan continuar sus estudios en instituciones de calidad.

Las acciones realizadas para propiciar la permanencia de los estudiantes en los programas de educación superior son muy variadas y van desde políticas definidas por el ministerio de educación nacional (men), hasta estrategias diseñadas por las instituciones de educación superior (ies). Lo que ocurre es que estas acciones en su mayoría se han orientado a facilitarle a los estudiantes, la mejor manera de superar la incidencia que tienen los factores económicos en la permanencia de sus estudios, y muy pocas se enfocan en aspectos considerados menores, pero que pueden llegar a contribuir en permanencia de los estudiantes, al valorar los talentos o hobbies con que cuentan los estudiantes. Por lo tanto, este documento de trabajo muestra la importancia que algunos factores sociales de la vida universitaria pueden llegar a tener en la permanencia de los estudiantes en sus programas académicos matriculados, lo cual no se aleja de lo que deben hacer las instituciones. Este trabajo es fruto de una investigación no experimental, descriptiva y transversal que permitió describir los factores que más incidencia tienen en la decisión de abandonar o permanecer en un programa matriculado de la escuela ecacen, además de recolectar información primaria de estudiantes catalogados como antiguos, y una revisión detallada otras investigaciones acerca del fenómeno de la deserción, sin embargo es necesario señalar que para el caso de este documento de trabajo se seleccionan solo las preguntas relacionadas con los talentos que poseen los estudiantes y las que indagan acerca de la motivación para permanecer en los programas. De esta manera, se encuentra que los talentos o hobbies que poseen los estudiantes pueden ser utilizados para propiciar un mejor ambiente universitario y contribuir a la permanencia en sus programas, además de verificar que el desarrollo de estos talentos, que también ayudan a la realización del ser humano, puede ser impulsado por las instituciones de educación superior.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.