Travel preferences of the residents of Guimarães: a revised model of push and pull motives

The historic center of the Portuguese city of Guimarães is a world heritage site (UNESCO) since 2001, having hosted the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) in 2012. In this sense, Guimarães has made a major effort in promoting tourism, positioning itself as an urban and cultural tourism destination. The present paper has two objectives. The first, to examine if an existing push and pull motivation model finds statistical support with regard to the population of the municipality of Guimarães, a cultural tourism destination. The second, to study the role that important socio-demographic variables, such as gender, age, and education, play in determining travel motivations of residents from this municipality. Insight on tourism motivation may be an important policy tool for tourism planners and managers in the development of products and marketing strategies. The empirical analysis is undertaken based on questionnaires administered in 2012 to residents of Guimarães. The present study shows that gender, age and education make a difference with regard to travel motivations.

Implementing and certifying ISO 14001 in Portugal: motives, difficulties and benefits after ISO 9001 certification

The purpose of this study is to characterise the environmental management systems (EMS) certification process (International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001) in Portuguese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) following quality management system (QMS) certification (ISO 9001). The study is based on a sample from Portuguese SMEs which characterise the local reality in terms of companies certified in accordance with ISO 14001 after ISO 9001 certification. Some Portuguese SMEs have the EMS implemented but not certified, mainly given the lack of investment support and because it is considered merely a form of marketing. As such, they do not feel motivated to certificate an EMS in the company since they consider that it is a form of advertising and not a way to protect the environment. Nonetheless, it is already evident form other Portuguese SMEs that gained EMS certification that gains supersede marketing benefits and allow for evermore enduring benefits such as prevention of environmental risks, environment protection, improved company image, compliance with legislation and efficient use of natural resources. This paper also presented the main difficulties in achieving an EMS certification, including high certification costs, human resources, motivation issues and difficulties in changing the company’s culture.

Motivation and Benefits of Implementation and Certification according ISO 9001 – the Portuguese Experience

The aim of the research is to analyze the different aspects associated with the motivation and benefits of certified ISO 9001 companies in Portugal. A total of 426 certified Portuguese companies were surveyed. The response rate was equal to 61.03 percent. Our results suggest that the main motivation for certification were “improvement of quality”, “improvement of company image”, “marketing advantage”, “give empowerment to workers / capturing workers knowledge” and “cost reduction”. The main benefits that Portuguese companies have gained from the referred certification have been, among others, the improvement of “procedures”, beneficial effect on the “company’s image”, the improvement of quality products/services, increase of the “customer satisfaction”, improvement of “on-time delivery”; improvement the “morale” of workers’ increase in productivity and decrease of “production costs”, among others. The surveyed firms belong only to the Minho region of the north of Portugal. This paper aims to provide a contribution to the research related to the motivation and benefits associated to the quality management systems. The selection of the motives and benefits were validated through statistical analysis and the relationship between expected and perceived benefits was discussed.

Ó sistema capitalista, quanto do teu Portugal são lavagens de capital?

Ouvimos também muitos a falar em branqueamento de capitais, crimes financeiros, abuso de informação, manipulação do mercado, etc.. Salvo o devido respeito, contudo, poucos sabem o quão difícil é a prova destes crimes! Sabiam que p.e. até meados de 2008, crimes como o abuso de informação ou a manipulação do mercado eram insusceptíveis de interferência nas comunicações?! Sabiam que até hoje, o Código dos Valores Mobiliários não prevê a criminalização das pessoas colectivas e, portanto, dos próprios bancos?! Abstract: We hear too many to talk about money laundering, financial crimes, insider trading, market manipulation, etc .. Unless all due respect, however, few know how hard it is to prove that the crimes! Standing knew that by mid-2008, crimes such as dealing or market manipulation were incapable of interference in communications ?! They knew that to date, the Securities Code does not provide for the criminalization of legal persons and therefore the banks themselves ?!

Recensão do livro Abuso de Informação, Manipulação do Mercado § Responsabilidade Penal das Pessoas Colectivas, 4ª Edição Revista e Ampliada, 2015

Os crimes de abuso de informação privilegiada e manipulação do mercado estão em relação com a responsabilidade penal das pessoas colectivas como os bancos e com a chamada globalização. § The crimes of insider trading and market manipulation abuse are in relation to the criminal liability of legal persons such as banks and so-called globalization.