Size matters when we talk about corporate social responsibility: the case of portuguese companies

Social responsibility arises as a measure of the corporate policy that goes beyond the production activity, thus covering also the social and environmental activities. This issue has been gaining importance over time. The number of companies that are implementing socially responsible actions has been growing steadily even though it is still centered on large and medium sized companies. Social responsibility is an accessible theme to any company of any size, once the social and environmental issues are resolved through concrete actions, but in the small and micro-sized companies there are factors that inhibit such actions. Some of these factors are: reduced investment capacity; minimal expectations of medium to long term returns; or even the short-term management focus that is aimed at survival. Such facts can be verified in the case of Portuguese companies, where out of the 41 companies certified by SA 8000 only 5 are micro-sized or small and even these are linked to large organizations.

Knowledge management in higher education institutions: a framework to improve collaboration

The purpose of this paper is to present a framework that increases knowledge sharing and collaboration in Higher Education Institutions. The paper discusses the concept of knowledge management in higher education institutions, presenting a systematization of knowledge practices and tools to linking people (students, teachers, researchers, secretariat staff, external entities)and promoting the knowledge sharing across several key processes and services in a higher education institution, such as: the research processes, learning processes, student and alumni services, administrative services and processes, and strategic planning and management. The framework purposed in this paper aims to improve knowledge practices and processes which facilitate an environment and a culture of knowledge collaboration,sharing and discovery that should characterize an institution of higher education.

Topics regarding access to european information institutions: European Union so close and yet so far

From the 1990s, the Parliament, the Council and the European Commission adopted a new approach to disclosure of their working papers. Legal instruments to regulate and allow a fairly broad access to internal working documents of these institutions were created. European institutions also exploited the potential of Information and Communication Technologies, developing new instruments to register the documents produced and make them accessible to the public. The commitment to transparency sought to shows a more credible European government, and reduces the democratic deficit. However, the data analysis regarding access to EU institutions documents shows that general public is still far from direct contact with European bodies.

European institutions at your fingertips: EUROPA gateway tools for dissemination and access to information

This paper intends to present the legal background that support dissemination and access to documents from European institutions, namely the Parliament, the Council and the European Commission. Currently, this legal framework is accomplished with a set of Internet tools that are analyzed regarding official documents types and options searches available. Some statistical data on access to European information published in annual reports from the institutions are also evaluated. The relationship between shadow and light in transparency to access administrative documents and marketing issues of a political communication are underlined. Neo-institutional approach, reputational concept in public organizations and systemic perspective are used as theoretical background.

Cultural adaptation of websites: a comparative study of portuguese and dutch corporate websites

Master Thesis Presented at Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto for obtaining the Master’s degree in Digital Marketing under the supervision of Professor José de Freitas Santos