Incorporating sustainability into a chemical company’s modus operandi

The intent of this dissertation is to review relevant existing management systems and chemical industry initiatives to identify synergies, overlaps and gaps with Sustainability best practices, to map the barriers to the incorporation of Sustainability and formulate recommendations to facilitate execution of Sustainability practices within existing management systems. A chemical industry Sustainability survey was conducted through APEQ, the Portuguese association of chemical companies, which constitutes the first baseline on the topic for this national industry association. The commonly used international standards and the Responsible Care® (RC) initiative were cross-referenced against the United Nations Global Compact Assessment Tool. Guidance on how to incorporate Sustainability into a company‘s modus operandi was collapsed into Sustainability Playbooks. The survey revealed that 73% of the APEQ member companies that participated in the survey have a Sustainability Plan. Both large and small/medium APEQ member companies see the market not willing to pay extra for ‗greener‘ products as one of the main barriers. APEQ large enterprise see complexity of implementation and low return on investment as the other most significant barriers while small/medium enterprise respond that the difficulty to predict customer sustainability needs is the other most significant barrier. Amongst many other insights from this survey reported to APEQ, Life Cycle Assessment practices were found to have a low level of implementation and were also considered of low importance, thus identifying a very important opportunity in Sustainability practices to be addressed by APEQ. Two hundred and seventy three assessment points from United Nations Global Compact Assessment Tool plus five additional items were cross-referenced with international standard requirements. With the authorization of the intellectual property owners, the United Nations Global Compact Assessment Tool was modified to introduce actionable recommendations for each gap identified by management standard. This tool was automated to output specific recommendations for 63 possible combinations after simply selecting from a list of commonly used management standards and the RC initiative. Finally this modified tool was introduced into Playbooks for Incorporation of Sustainability at two levels: a ―Get Started Playbook‖ for beginners or small/medium size enterprise and an ―Advanced Playbook‖ as a second advancement stage or for large enterprise.

Integration of repositories in Moodle

Current Learning Management Systems focus on the management of students, keeping track of their progress across all types of training activities. This type of systems lacks integration with other e-Learning systems. For instance, learning objects stored in a centralized repository are unavailable throughout an organization for potential reuse. In this paper we present the interoperability features of crimsonHex - a service oriented repository of learning objects - highlighting the use of XML languages. Its nteroperability features are compliant with the existing standards and we propose extensions to the IMS interoperability recommendation, adding new functions, formalizing an XML message interchange and providing also a REST interface. To validate the proposed extensions and its implementation in crimsonHex we designed two repository plugins for Moodle 2.0, the first of which is already implemented and is expected to be included in the next release of this popular learning management system.

Modelling text file evaluation processes

Text file evaluation is an emergent topic in e-learning that responds to the shortcomings of the assessment based on questions with predefined answers. Questions with predefined answers are formalized in languages such as IMS Question & Test Interoperability Specification (QTI) and supported by many e-learning systems. Complex evaluation domains justify the development of specialized evaluators that participate in several business processes. The goal of this paper is to formalize the concept of a text file evaluation in the scope of the E-Framework – a service oriented framework for development of e-learning systems maintained by a community of practice. The contribution includes an abstract service type and a service usage model. The former describes the generic capabilities of a text file evaluation service. The later is a business process involving a set of services such as repositories of learning objects and learning management systems.

Specifying a programming exercises evaluation service on the e-Framework

The e-Framework is arguably the most prominent e-learning framework currently in use. For this reason it was selected as basis for modelling a programming exercises evaluation service. The purpose of this type of evaluator is to mark and grade exercises in computer programming courses and in programming contests. By exposing its functions as services a programming exercise evaluator is able to participate in business processes integrating different system types, such as Programming Contest Management Systems, Learning Management Systems, Integrated Development Environments and Learning Object Repositories. This paper formalizes the approaches to be used in the implementation of a programming exercise evaluator as a service on the e-Framework.

Seqins: a sequencing tool for educational resources

The teaching-learning process is increasingly focused on the combination of the paradigms “learning by viewing” and “learning by doing.” In this context, educational resources, either expository or evaluative, play a pivotal role. Both types of resources are interdependent and their sequencing would create a richer educational experience to the end user. However, there is a lack of tools that support sequencing essentially due to the fact that existing specifications are complex. The Seqins is a sequencing tool of digital resources that has a fairly simple sequencing model. The tool communicates through the IMS LTI specification with a plethora of e-learning systems such as learning management systems, repositories, authoring and evaluation systems. In order to validate Seqins we integrate it in an e-learning Ensemble framework instance for the computer programming learning.

Impact of Social Responsibility Programmes in Stakeholder Satisfaction: An Empirical Study of Portuguese Managers’ Perceptions

Investigação no âmbito do Projeto de Doutoramento(PhD), especialidade de Gestão Global, Estratégia e Desenvolvimento Empresarial (ISCTE-IUL - 2012, classificação de “Aprovado com Muito Bom”).

Sequencing educational resources with Seqins

Existing adaptive educational hypermedia systems have been using learning resources sequencing approaches in order to enrich the learning experience. In this context, educational resources, either expository or evaluative, play a central role. However, there is a lack of tools that support sequencing essentially due to the fact that existing specifications are complex. This paper presents Seqins as a sequencing tool of digital educational resources. Seqins includes a simple and flexible sequencing model that will foster heterogeneous students to learn at different rhythms. The tool communicates through the IMS Learning Tools Interoperability specification with a plethora of e-learning systems such as learning management systems, repositories, authoring and automatic evaluation systems. In order to validate Seqins we integrate it in an e-learning Ensemble framework instance for the computer programming learning domain.

Six sigma methodologies: implementation and impacts on Portuguese small and medium companies (SMES)

Artigo elaborador no âmbito dos trabalhos decorrentes à dissertação de Mestrado do Aluno David Leite, no Mestrado em Gestão Integrada Qualidade, Ambiente e Segurança, ESTGF-IPP, Oreintados pelos Professores Luís Fonseca (ISEP-IPP) e Vanda Lima (ESTGF-IPP).

Localização de ontologias - elementos para a construção de uma abordagem

O desenvolvimento de recursos multilingues robustos para fazer face às exigências crescentes na complexidade dos processos intra e inter-organizacionais é um processo complexo que obriga a um aumento da qualidade nos modos de interacção e partilha dos recursos das organizações, através, por exemplo, de um maior envolvimento dos diferentes interlocutores em formas eficazes e inovadoras de colaboração. É um processo em que se identificam vários problemas e dificuldades, como sendo, no caso da criação de bases de dados lexicais multilingues, o desenvolvimento de uma arquitectura capaz de dar resposta a um conjunto vasto de questões linguísticas, como a polissemia, os padrões lexicais ou os equivalentes de tradução. Estas questões colocam-se na construção quer dos recursos terminológicos, quer de ontologias multilingues. No caso da construção de uma ontologia em diferentes línguas, processo no qual focalizaremos a nossa atenção, as questões e a complexidade aumentam, dado o tipo e propósitos do artefacto semântico, os elementos a localizar (conceitos e relações conceptuais) e o contexto em que o processo de localização ocorre. Pretendemos, assim, com este artigo, analisar o conceito e o processo de localização no contexto dos sistemas de gestão do conhecimento baseados em ontologias, tendo em atenção o papel central da terminologia no processo de localização, as diferentes abordagens e modelos propostos, bem como as ferramentas de base linguística que apoiam a implementação do processo. Procuraremos, finalmente, estabelecer alguns paralelismos entre o processo tradicional de localização e o processo de localização de ontologias, para melhor o situar e definir.

An Approach To Publish a Data Warehouse Content as Linked Data

Mestrado em Engenharia Informática - Área de Especialização em Tecnologias do Conhecimento e Decisão

Finding a school technological partner: a multicriteria method for school information system producer selection

The choice of an information systems is a critical factor of success in an organization's performance, since, by involving multiple decision-makers, with often conflicting objectives, several alternatives with aggressive marketing, makes it particularly complex by the scope of a consensus. The main objective of this work is to make the analysis and selection of a information system to support the school management, pedagogical and administrative components, using a multicriteria decision aid system – MMASSITI – Multicriteria Method- ology to Support the Selection of Information Systems/Information Technologies – integrates a multicriteria model that seeks to provide a systematic approach in the process of choice of Information Systems, able to produce sustained recommendations concerning the decision scope. Its application to a case study has identi- fied the relevant factors in the selection process of school educational and management information system and get a solution that allows the decision maker’ to compare the quality of the various alternatives.

ISO 14001:2015: An Improved Tool for Sustainability

ISO 14001 is an International Standard of worldwide acceptance based on the concept that better environmental performance can be achieved when environmental aspects are systematically identified and managed giving a major contribution to Sustainability, through pollution prevention, improved environmental performance and complying with applicable laws. This paper aims to discuss the Sustainability approach through the use of Environmental Management Standards (EMS), the results achieved by organizations that implement and certify those EMS and a special focus on the current process of ISO 14001:2015 revision and the logic behind it.

Integração de aplicações Web 2.0 e sistemas de gestão de conteúdos em ambientes pessoais de aprendizagem

A utilização de aplicações Web 2.0 no processo ensino/aprendizagem tem vindo a intensificar-se nos últimos tempos, mais por iniciativas individuais de docentes e estudantes do que por estratégia das Instituições de Ensino. Este artigo apresenta um projecto já em curso que consiste na implementação de uma plataforma de criação de ambientes de aprendizagem controlados pelos estudantes, integrando aplicações Web 2.0 e sistemas de gestão de conteúdos. A plataforma permitirá a utilização segura de conteúdos criados em aplicações Web 2.0, no processo de avaliação, possibilitando a sua publicação na infra-estrutura controlada pela Instituição de Ensino Superior, contribuindo assim para a adequação do binómio ensino/aprendizagem ao novo paradigma implicado no processo de Bolonha.

Plataformas de conteúdos e aplicações Web 2.0: impacto da sua utilização no processo ensino/aprendizagem em instituições de ensino superior

Tirando partido da crescente popularidade das aplicações Web 2.0, o presente trabalho pretende avaliar o impacto da utilização conjunta destas aplicações com plataformas de conteúdos no processo de ensino/aprendizagem em instituições de ensino superior.

3C@CTDI: colaboração, contribuição e comunidade em CTDI

Los profesores de la licenciatura en Ciencias e Tecnologías da Documentaçáo e Informaçáo (CTDI) se preparan para sacar partido de las herramientas Web 2.0 como un complemento de su actividad lectiva. En este contexto, se presenta el Grupo de Investigación PlGeCo que pretende, por un lado, implementar la utilización de herramientas Web 2.0 de tal forma que se pueda conseguir ciertas premisas que actualmente orientan la nueva generación web (colaboración, contribución, comunidad), aplicando-las á la actividad lectiva e, por otro lado, el estímulo de la producción científica de los profesores y académica de los alumnos, así como su posterior análisis. Se ha hecho una valoración de los proyectos en curso y se discuten las expectativas esperadas presentado un análisis de las perspectivas y ambiciones futuras del grupo