E-Procurement and Innovation in the Portuguese Municipalities: When Change Is Mandatory

Changing the traditional pattern of public procurement for an electronic paradigm is a radical innovation involving major organizational changes, the breaking up of traditional processes and practices, obsolescence of knowledge and skills. Going beyond the European Commission's recommendations, in 2009 Portugal pioneered in making e-procurement mandatory in the pre-award phase, in a European context of multiple technical standards and lack of interoperability of electronic platforms across the EU countries. Six years later, when the creation of a European e-procurement single market is a EU mission and a major legislative amendment is underway in Portugal, this study looks at the relationship between e-procurement and innovation in the Portuguese municipalities aiming to understand the extent into which the adoption of e-procurement embraced a real organizational change or, on the other hand, if it just represented a mere adaptation of the usual procurement practices. The study draws on data from an electronic survey to all municipalities in mainland Portugal and the analysis is mainly descriptive and exploratory. The paradigm shift in public procurement involves major organizational changes but, overall, the results suggest that most municipalities do not have a clear understanding of the innovative scope (depth and diversity) implied by e-procurement. E-procurement shows advantages over the paper-based model but an unbalanced perception of the innovation dimensions has influenced the implementation of e-procurement and the degree of organizational change.

The flora and vegetation of rocky outcrops in three municipalities in the northern region of Ceará, Brazil: phytosociological characterization

This study aims to identify the flora and vegetation of rocky outcrops of low altitude and confined in the municipalities of Sobral, Groaíras and Santa Quitéria (Ceará state, Brazil), to propose a phytosociological classification for the xerophilous communities. We selected five stations in areas with high proportion of bare rock (> 80%), and the field work were conducted in March 2014 and 2015 respectively (3º 56’ S and 40º 23’ W, 4º 01’ S and 40º 05’ W, 4º 07’’ S and 40º 08’ W, 4º 09’ S and 40º 09’ W and 4º 03’ S and 40º 00’ W). Floristic relevés were made following the Braun-Blanquet classic sigmatist method. The minimum areas of the floristic relevés vary between 8 e 16 m². All the plant species growing in cracks, crevices and vegetation "spots" that can be found in these habitats were identified. The classification of the relevés was made through the Twinspan. The floristic list is composed of 89 species, distributed in 61 genera and 29 families. Fabaceae was the most representative in species richness, 20 species, followed by Poaceae (10 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (7 spp.) and Convolvulaceae (6 spp.). 22 Brazilian endemisms have been identified. Based in the phytosociological analysis and in the classification results we identified five groups and two communities can be clearly distinguished: community of Pilosocereus gounellei FA.C.Weber) Byles & Rowley and Encholirium spectabile Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f. and the community of Crateva tapia L. and Combretum leprosum Mart..

Turismo : meios de comunicação e promoção : o caso da Madeira

O turismo é uma importante ferramenta para desenvolver a economia da Ilha da Madeira. Neste ãmbito é necessário influenciar os turistas potenciais. Os municípios e as instâncias regionais devem ter um papel determinante na promoção da sua localidade como um destino turístico. Os meios de comunicação são essenciais para a promoção de um destino turístico. Entre os diferentes instrumentos de promoção, a Internet é um novo meio para disseminar as vantagens de certos lugares e regiões. Neste estudo, procura-se verificar e analisar o papel dos municípios da Madeira e da DRT na promoção da sua localidade como um destino turístico, via Internet. /*** Abstract - Tourism is an important tool to develop the economy of Madeira island. On that respect it is necessary to influence potential tourists. Municipalities and regional bodies must have an important role to promote the various tourism destinations. Media tools are essential for the promotion of the communities as tourism destinations. Among the different instruments of promotion Internet is a new way to promote, compete and disseminate the advantages of certain places and regions. In this study the approach is oriented to identify and analyse the role of Madeira municipalities in the promotion of their tourism locals, via Internet.

A aprendizagem no quotidiano dos indivíduos seniores: o contributo do meio e das instituições

Esta investigação assumiu, como objetivo, a identificação e caraterização das aprendizagens presentes no quotidiano dos indivíduos idosos, residentes em meio rural e urbano e em condições de institucionalização ou não. Tratou-se de um estudo exploratório, de natureza qualitativa, onde foi aplicado um inquérito por entrevista a uma amostra de 16 indivíduos. A entrevista tinha questões relativas à caracterização dos indivíduos, às atividades que os mesmos desenvolviam e às aprendizagens concretizadas nessas atividades. Os dados foram tratados através da análise de conteúdo. O presente estudo foi realizado na região Alentejo, sendo os concelhos de Évora e Mourão os selecionados, para realização da mesma. Este estudo mostrou que existiam algumas diferenças decorrentes dos contextos de vida dos indivíduos, nomeadamente, no que respeita às instituições de meio urbano vs meio rural, uma vez que os indivíduos institucionalizados no meio urbano encontram mais oportunidades de aprendizagens nas atividades que lhe são propostas; "The Learning daily lives of senior individuals : the contribution of the institutions and the environment " Abstract: This reseach assumed as a main goal identify and characterize the learnings on the seniors nowadays who live on the rural and urban middle and in institutionalized conditions or not. Was based on an exploratory study of a qualitative nature, applied on a survey per interview with a 16 individual as a sample. On the interview were questions related with the seniors characterization, with their developed activities na with guarantees of learnings on those activities. The data were treated according the contente analysis. This study was conducted in the region of Alentejo, and the municipalities of Évora and Mourão. The research shows several differences between the contexts used. Those differences stand on the rural and urban institutions, because urban institutionalized seniors find more learning opportunities on proposed activities than rural institutionalized seniors.