The role of Lifelong Learning in the creation of a knowledge-based society for Europe: european policies

Link do editor: http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/role-lifelong-learning-creation-european/13314

The Role of lifelong learning in creation of a european knowledge-based society

The dominant discourse in education and training policies, at the turn of the millennium, was on lifelong learning (LLL) in the context of a knowledge-based society. As Green points (2002, pp. 611-612) several factors contribute to this global trend: The demographic change: In most advanced countries, the average age of the population is increasing, as people live longer; The effects of globalisation: Including both economic restructuring and cultural change which have impacts on the world of education; Global economic restructuring: Which causes, for example, a more intense demand for a higher order of skills; the intensified economic competition, forcing a wave of restructuring and creating enormous pressure to train and retrain the workforce In parallel, the ���significance of the international division of labour cannot be underestimated for higher education���, as pointed out by Jarvis (1999, p. 250). This author goes on to argue that globalisation has exacerbated differentiation in the labour market, with the First World converting faster to a knowledge economy and a service society, while a great deal of the actual manufacturing is done elsewhere.

Do economic and financial firm's situation affect the quality if financial reports?

We investigate whether firms��� economic and financial situation influence the Quality of their Financial Reports (FRQ). FRQ is fundamental for investors and it affects the international capital movements [Bradshaw et al. (2004)] and Gelos and Wei (2005)]. Following Schipper and Vicent (2003) we use two issues to access earnings quality: abnormal accruals and earnings persistence. For seventeen European countries, we find evidence that the economic performance affects FRQ. Big firms and those with high current earnings exhibit better financial information. These results are robust since they don���t depend on FRQ proxy and we have the same evidence when we estimate regression with economical and financial factors separately or together. About financial situation, it seems not to affect FRQ. However, in high leveraged firms, the capital structure becomes determinant.

Alian��as estrat��gicas: an��lise do sector exportador de produtos portugu��s

Disserta����o de Mestrado em Finan��as Empresariais

A new wind farm in Santiago Island, cape verde - simulation and economic studies

Ensuring sustainable development conditions is presently world widely recognized as a critically important goal. This makes the use of electricity generation technologies based on renewable energy sources very relevant. Developing countries depend on an adequate availability of electrical energy to assure economic progress and are usually characterized by a high increase in electricity consumption. This makes sustainable development a huge challenge but it can also be taken as an opportunity, especially for countries which do not have fossil resources. This paper presents a study concerning the expansion of an already existent wind farm, located in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde Republic. The paper includes results from simulation studies that have been undertaken using PSCAD software and some economic considerations.

Technical and economic resources management in smart grids using heuristic optimization methods

Intensive use of Distributed Generation (DG) represents a change in the paradigm of power systems operation making small-scale energy generation and storage decision making relevant for the whole system. This paradigm led to the concept of smart grid for which an efficient management, both in technical and economic terms, should be assured. This paper presents a new approach to solve the economic dispatch in smart grids. The proposed methodology for resource management involves two stages. The first one considers fuzzy set theory to define the natural resources range forecast as well as the load forecast. The second stage uses heuristic optimization to determine the economic dispatch considering the generation forecast, storage management and demand response

Acrescentar valor �� organiza����o com a auditoria interna

Disserta����o de Mestrado Apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administra����o do Porto para a obten����o do grau de Mestre em Auditoria, sob orienta����o de Doutora Alcina Portugal Dias

Planning, Cooperation and Competition: A case study in industry and construction in a Portuguese Region

In the present paper we analyzed the behavior of firms in the construction and manufacturing sectors, located in the region of Vale do Sousa, in the north of Portugal. From the literature, even existing some disagreements, it is possible to conclude that planning is crucial for firms survival and growth. Cooperation is another aspect that the literature presents as an important factor for firms sustainability. It also plays a major role in competition, since firms are adopting coopetition strategies. By studying a sample of 251 firms, it was possible to realize, that the majority started their business without a formal planning, and they keep going without using it. In cooperation aspects, there is a lack of cooperation. It was possible to verify, that existing cooperation has some evidence but at a vertical level. These vertical relations were also identified in stakeholder���s involvement.

A cria����o de valor no mercado da sa��de enquanto factor diferenciador para a negocia����o de pre��os e competitividade em contexto de crise mundial

A cria����o de valor no mercado da sa��de enquanto factor diferenciador para a negocia����o de pre��os e competitividade em contexto de crise mundial Numa altura em que o sector da sa��de �� apontado como uma ��rea cr��tica de custos, torna-se cada vez mais dif��cil orientar a contrata����o em sa��de baseada em valor para os pacientes, ou seja, pelos resultados obtidos e n��o pelo volume de cuidados prestados. Pretendeu-se estudar a cria����o de valor no mercado da sa��de enquanto factor diferenciador para a negocia����o de pre��os e competitividade em contexto de crise econ��mica. Procedeu-se �� compara����o dos resultados operacionais de uma empresa enquanto prestadora de servi��os de Oxigenoterapia ao domic��lio, tendo por base duas estrat��gias diferentes: redu����o directa de pre��os ou manuten����o de pre��os com cria����o de valor para o cliente. As propostas foram posteriormente apresentadas para avalia����o e vota����o on-line por um grupo 8 gestores hospitalares. A proposta baseada em valor (N��2) apresenta melhores resultados operacionais (41%) embora apresente maiores custos. No que se refere �� vota����o das propostas e tendo em conta o cen��rio apresentado, metade dos gestores optaram pela proposta N��1 (N=4) e outra metade pela proposta N��2 (N=4). Contudo, a maioria dos gestores (N=7) consideraram a proposta N��1 a mais competitiva em contexto de competi����o com mais fornecedores. Conclui-se que numa negocia����o de contratos de cuidados de sa��de, uma proposta baseada em valor, pode garantir a manuten����o dos pre��os. Todavia, mantendo-se uma situa����o econ��mica de recess��o e num cen��rio competitivo de v��rios fornecedores este tipo de propostas pode n��o eleita, pelo facto de aparentemente n��o representar ganhos imediatos para a institui����o contratante.

Os pre��os de transfer��ncia e o ��mbito de interven����o do auditor: abordagem e enquadramento

Disserta����o de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administra����o do obten����o do grau de Mestre em Auditoria Auditoria, sob orienta����o de Adalmiro ��lvaro Malheiro de Castro Andrade

Melhoria do processo produtivo na ind��stria do mobili��rio

Com o aumento da concorr��ncia, a crise econ��mica que atravessamos e com a conquista de novos mercados no horizonte, surge a necessidade de responder a essas situa����es com uma melhor presta����o do sistema produtivo no sentido de reduzir tempos de produ����o e de baixar os custos dos mesmos, podendo assim dar uma resposta mais r��pida e competitiva ��s expectativas dos clientes. Esta disserta����o tem como objectivo analisar todo o sistema produtivo da empresa, desenvolvendo um estudo adequado ao sistema actual de fabrico de mobili��rio, propondo melhorias que proporcionem uma melhor organiza����o e uma redu����o dos custos de fabrico. Fez-se tamb��m um levantamento do sistema de planeamento existente, detectando pontos de melhoria que, para al��m de um maior controlo e organiza����o, permitem, em alguns aspectos, a melhoria do sistema produtivo. Foi apresentada uma proposta de um processo de reengenharia aplicado ao sistema produtivo, tendo em vista implementar as medidas de melhoria, indo ao encontro das situa����es identificadas, tornando assim o sistema produtivo mais eficiente.

Economic, environmental and mixed objective functions in non-linear process optimization using simulated annealing and tabu search

Screening of topologies developed by hierarchical heuristic procedures can be carried out by comparing their optimal performance. In this work we will be exploiting mono-objective process optimization using two algorithms, simulated annealing and tabu search, and four different objective functions: two of the net present value type, one of them including environmental costs and two of the global potential impact type. The hydrodealkylation of toluene to produce benzene was used as case study, considering five topologies with different complexities mainly obtained by including or not liquid recycling and heat integration. The performance of the algorithms together with the objective functions was observed, analyzed and discussed from various perspectives: average deviation of results for each algorithm, capacity for producing high purity product, screening of topologies, objective functions robustness in screening of topologies, trade-offs between economic and environmental type objective functions and variability of optimum solutions.

A Internacionaliza����o do setor vin��cola: o caso da Quinta da Aveleda

Disserta����o apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administra����o do Porto para a obten����o do grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionaliza����o. Orientada pela Professora Doutora Maria Clara Dias Pinto Ribeiro

Food consumption, physical activity and socio-economic status related to BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in adolescents

Objective: To examine the association between obesity and food group intakes, physical activity and socio-economic status in adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2008. Cole���s cut-off points were used to categorize BMI. Abdominal obesity was defined by a waist circumference at or above the 90th percentile, as well as a waist-to-height ratio at or above 0?500. Diet was evaluated using an FFQ, and the food group consumption was categorized using sex-specific tertiles of each food group amount. Physical activity was assessed via a self-report questionnaire. Socio-economic status was assessed referring to parental education and employment status. Data were analysed separately for girls and boys and the associations among food consumption, physical activity, socio-economic status and BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were evaluated using logistic regression analysis, adjusting the results for potential confounders. Setting: Public schools in the Azorean Archipelago, Portugal. Subjects: Adolescents (n 1209) aged 15���18 years. Results: After adjustment, in boys, higher intake of ready-to-eat cereals was a negative predictor while vegetables were a positive predictor of overweight/ obesity and abdominal obesity. Active boys had lower odds of abdominal obesity compared with inactive boys. Boys whose mother showed a low education level had higher odds of abdominal obesity compared with boys whose mother presented a high education level. Concerning girls, higher intake of sweets and pastries was a negative predictor of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. Girls in tertile 2 of milk intake had lower odds of abdominal obesity than those in tertile 1. Girls whose father had no relationship with employment displayed higher odds of abdominal obesity compared with girls whose father had high employment status. Conclusions: We have found that different measures of obesity have distinct associations with food group intakes, physical activity and socio-economic status.

Legal and political regulation of higher education in Portugal: an evolutionary perspective on the current policy issues and the problem of order

The higher education system in Europe is currently under stress and the debates over its reform and future are gaining momentum. Now that, for most countries, we are in a time for change, in the overall society and the whole education system, the legal and political dimensions have gained prominence, which has not been followed by a more integrative approach of the problem of order, its reform and the issue of regulation, beyond the typical static and classical cost-benefit analyses. The two classical approaches for studying (and for designing the policy measures of) the problem of the reform of the higher education system - the cost-benefit analysis and the legal scholarship description - have to be integrated. This is the argument of our paper that the very integration of economic and legal approaches, what Warren Samuels called the legal-economic nexus, is meaningful and necessary, especially if we want to address the problem of order (as formulated by Joseph Spengler) and the overall regulation of the system. On the one hand, and without neglecting the interest and insights gained from the cost-benefit analysis, or other approaches of value for money assessment, we will focus our study on the legal, social and political aspects of the regulation of the higher education system and its reform in Portugal. On the other hand, the economic and financial problems have to be taken into account, but in a more inclusive way with regard to the indirect and other socio-economic costs not contemplated in traditional or standard assessments of policies for the tertiary education sector. In the first section of the paper, we will discuss the theoretical and conceptual underpinning of our analysis, focusing on the evolutionary approach, the role of critical institutions, the legal-economic nexus and the problem of order. All these elements are related to the institutional tradition, from Veblen and Commons to Spengler and Samuels. The second section states the problem of regulation in the higher education system and the issue of policy formulation for tackling the problem. The current situation is clearly one of crisis with the expansion of the cohorts of young students coming to an end and the recurrent scandals in private institutions. In the last decade, after a protracted period of extension or expansion of the system, i. e., the continuous growth of students, universities and other institutions are competing harder to gain students and have seen their financial situation at risk. It seems that we are entering a period of radical uncertainty, higher competition and a new configuration that is slowly building up is the growth in intensity, which means upgrading the quality of the higher learning and getting more involvement in vocational training and life-long learning. With this change, and along with other deep ones in the Portuguese society and economy, the current regulation has shown signs of maladjustment. The third section consists of our conclusions on the current issue of regulation and policy challenge. First, we underline the importance of an evolutionary approach to a process of change that is essentially dynamic. A special attention will be given to the issues related to an evolutionary construe of policy analysis and formulation. Second, the integration of law and economics, through the notion of legal economic nexus, allows us to better define the issues of regulation and the concrete problems that the universities are facing. One aspect is the instability of the political measures regarding the public administration and on which the higher education system depends financially, legally and institutionally, to say the least. A corollary is the lack of clear strategy in the policy reforms. Third, our research criticizes several studies, such as the one made by the OECD in late 2006 for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, for being too static and neglecting fundamental aspects of regulation such as the logic of actors, groups and organizations who are major players in the system. Finally, simply changing the legal rules will not necessary per se change the behaviors that the authorities want to change. By this, we mean that it is not only remiss of the policy maker to ignore some of the critical issues of regulation, namely the continuous non-respect by academic management and administrative bodies of universities of the legal rules that were once promulgated. Changing the rules does not change the problem, especially without the necessary debates form the different relevant quarters that make up the higher education system. The issues of social interaction remain as intact. Our treatment of the matter will be organized in the following way. In the first section, the theoretical principles are developed in order to be able to study more adequately the higher education transformation with a modest evolutionary theory and a legal and economic nexus of the interactions of the system and the policy challenges. After describing, in the second section, the recent evolution and current working of the higher education in Portugal, we will analyze the legal framework and the current regulatory practices and problems in light of the theoretical framework adopted. We will end with some conclusions on the current problems of regulation and the policy measures that are discusses in recent years.