24 resultados para Corporations -- Headquarters
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Ano VI; n 2 - 2008 - p.103-106
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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This thesis explores how multinational corporations of different sizes create barriers to imitation and therefore sustain competitive advantage in rural and informal Base of the Pyramid economies. These markets require close cooperation with local partners in a dynamic environment that lacks imposable property rights and follows a different rationale than developed markets. In order to explore how competitive advantage is sustained by different sized multinational corporations at the Base of the Pyramid, the natural-resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities perspective are integrated. Based on this integration the natural-resource-based view is extended by identifying critical dynamic capabilities that are assumed to be sources of competitive advantage at the Base of the Pyramid. Further, a contrasting case study explores how the identified dynamic capabilities are protected and their competitive advantage is sustained by isolating mechanisms that create barriers to imitation for a small to medium sized and a large multinational corporation. The case study results give grounds to assume that most resource-based isolating mechanisms create barriers to imitation that are fairly high for large and established multinational corporations that operate at the rural Base of the Pyramid and have a high product and business model complexity. On the contrary, barriers to imitation were found to be lower for young and small to medium sized multinational corporations with low product and business model complexity that according to some authors represent the majority of rural Base of the Pyramid companies. Particularly for small to medium sized multinational corporations the case study finds a relationship- and transaction-based unwillingness of local partners to act opportunistically rather than a resource-based inability to imitate. By offering an explanation of sustained competitive advantage for small to medium sized multinational corporations at the rural Base of the Pyramid this thesis closes an important research gap and recommends to include institutional and transaction-based research perspectives.
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Resumo Poltica(s) de sade no trabalho: um inqurito sociolgico s empresas portuguesas A literatura portuguesa sobre polticas, programas e actividades de Segurana, Higiene e Sade no Trabalho (abreviadamente, SH&ST) ainda escassa. Com este projecto de investigao pretende-se (i) colmatar essa lacuna, (ii) melhorar o conhecimento dos sistemas de gesto da sade e segurana no trabalho e (iii) contribuir para a proteco e a promoo da sade dos trabalhadores. Foi construda uma tipologia com cinco grupos principais de polticas, programas e actividades: A (Higiene & Segurana no Trabalho / Melhoria do ambiente fsico de trabalho); B (Avaliao de sade / Vigilncia mdica / Prestao de cuidados de sade); C (Preveno de comportamentos de risco/ Promoo de estilos de vida saudveis); D (Intervenes a nvel organizacional / Melhoria do ambiente psicossocial de trabalho); E (Actividades e programas sociais e de bem-estar). Havia uma lista de mais de 60 actividades possveis, correspondendo a um ndice de realizao de 100%. Foi concebido e desenhado, para ser auto-administrado, um questionrio sobre Poltica de Sade no Local de Trabalho. Foram efectuados dois mailings, e um follow-up telefnico. O trabalho de campo decorreu entre a primavera de 1997 e o vero de 1998. A amostra (n=259) considerada representativa das duas mil maiores empresas do pas. Uma em cada quatro uma multinacional. A taxa de sindicalizao rondava os 30% da populao trabalhadora, mas apenas 16% dos respondentes assinalou a existncia de representantes dos trabalhadores eleitos para a SH&ST. A hiptese de investigao principal era a de que as empresas com um sistema integrado de gesto da SH&ST seriam tambm as empresas com um (i) maior nmero de polticas, programas e actividades de sade; (ii) maior ndice de sade; (iii) maior ndice de realizao; e (iv) maior percentagem dos encargos com a SH&ST no total da massa salarial. As actividades de tipo A e B, tradicionalmente associadas SH&ST, representavam, s por si, mais de 57% do total. Os resultados, correspondentes s respostas da Seco C do questionrio, apontam, para (i) a hipervalorizao dos exames de medicina do trabalho; e por outro para (ii) o subaproveitamento de um vasto conjunto de actividades (nomeadamente as de tipo D e E), que so correntemente levadas a cabo pelas empresas e que nunca ou raramente so pensadas em termos de proteco e promoo da sade dos trabalhadores. As actividades e os programas de tipo C (Preveno de comportamentos de risco/Promoo de estilos de vida saudveis), ainda eram as menos frequentes entre ns, a seguir aos Programas sociais e de bem-estar (E). a existncia de sistemas de gesto integrados de SH&ST, e no o tamanho da empresa ou outra caracterstica sociodemogrfica ou tcnico-organizacional, que permite predizer a frequncia de polticas de sade mais activas e mais inovadores. Os trs principais motivos ou razes que levam as empresas portuguesas a investir na proteco e promoo da sade dos seus trabalhadores eram, por ordem de frequncia, (i) o absentismo em geral; (ii) a produtividade, qualidade e/ou competitividade, e (iii) a filosofia de gesto ou cultura organizacional. Quanto aos trs principais benefcios que so reportados, surge em primeiro lugar (i) a melhoria da sade dos trabalhadores, seguida da (ii) melhoria do ambiente do ambiente de trabalho e, por fim, (iii) a melhoria da produtividade, qualidade e/ou competitividade.Quanto aos trs principais obstculos que se pem, em geral, ao desenvolvimento das iniciativas de sade, eles seriam os seguintes, na percepo dos respondentes: (i) a falta de empenho dos trabalhadores; (ii) a falta de tempo; e (iii) os problemas de articulao/ comunicao a nvel interno. Por fim, (i) o empenho das estruturas hierrquicas; (ii) a cultura organizacional propcia; e (iii) o sentido de responsabilidade social surgem, destacadamente, como os trs principais factores facilitadores do desenvolvimento da poltica de sade no trabalho. Tantos estes factores como os obstculos so de natureza endgena, susceptveis portanto de controlo por parte dos gestores. Na sua generalidade, os resultados deste trabalho pem em evidncia a fraqueza tericometodolgica de grande parte das iniciativas de sade, realizadas na dcada de 1990. Muitas delas seriam medidas avulsas, que se inserem na gesto corrente das nossas empresas, e que dificilmente podero ser tomadas como expresso de uma poltica de sade no local de trabalho, (i) definida e assumida pela gesto de topo, (ii) socialmente concertada, (iii) coerente, (iv) baseada na avaliao de necessidades e expectativas de sade dos trabalhadores, (v) divulgada, conhecida e partilhada por todos, (vi) contingencial, flexvel e integrada, e, por fim, (vii) orientada por custos e resultados. Segundo a Declarao do Luxemburgo (1997), a promoo da sade engloba o esforo conjunto dos empregadores, dos trabalhadores, do Estado e da sociedade civil para melhorar a segurana, a sade e o bem-estar no trabalho, objectivo isso que pode ser conseguido atravs da (i) melhoria da organizao e das demais condies de trabalho, da (ii) participao efectiva e concreta dos trabalhadores bem como do seu (iii) desenvolvimento pessoal. Abstract Health at work policies: a sociological inquiry into Portuguese corporations Portuguese literature on workplace health policies, programs and activities is still scarce. With this research project the author intends (i) to improve knowledge on the Occupational Health and Safety (shortly thereafter, OSH) management systems and (ii) contribute to the development of health promotion initiatives at a corporate level. Five categories of workplace health initiatives have been identified: (i) Occupational Hygiene and Safety / Improvement of Physical Working Environment (type A programs); (ii) Health Screening, Medical Surveillance and Other Occupational Health Care Provision (type B programs); (iii) Preventing Risk Behaviours / Promoting Healthy Life Styles (type C programs); (iv) Organisational Change / Improvement of Psycho-Social Working Environment (type D programs); and (v) Industrial and Social Welfare (type E programs). A mail questionnaire was sent to the Chief Executive Officer of the 1500 largest Portuguese companies, operating in the primary and secondary sectors ( 100 employees) or tertiary sector ( 75 employees). Response rate has reached about 20% (259 respondents, representing about 300 companies). Carried out between Spring 1997 and Summer 1998, the fieldwork has encompassed two direct mailings and one phone follow-up. Sample is considered to be representative of the two thousand largest companies. One in four is a multinational. Union membership rate is about 30%, but only 16% has reported the existence of a workers health and safety representative. The most frequent workplace health initiatives were those under the traditional scope of the OSH field (type A and B programs) (57% of total) (e.g., Periodical Medical Examinations; Individual Protective Equipment; Assessment of Working Ability). In SMEs (< 250) it was less likely to find out some time-consuming and expensive activities (e.g., Training on OSH knowledge and skills, Improvement of environmental parameters as ventilation, lighting, heating).There were significant differences in SMEs, when compared with the larger ones ( 250) concerning type B programs such as Periodical medical examinations, GP consultation, Nursing care, Other medical and non-medical specialities (e.g., psychiatrist, psychologist, ergonomist, physiotherapist, occupational social worker). With regard to type C programs, there were a greater percentage of programs centred on Substance abuse (tobacco, alcohol, and drug) than on Other health risk behaviours. SMEs representatives reported very few prevention- oriented programs in the field of Drug abuse, Nutrition, Physical activity, Off- job accidents, Blood pressure or Weight control. Frequency of type D programs included Training on Human Resources Management, Training on Organisational Behaviour, Total Quality Management, Job Design/Ergonomics, and Workplace rehabilitation. In general, implementation of this type of programs (Organisational Change / Improvement of Psychosocial Working Environment) is not largely driven by health considerations. Concerning Industrial and Social Welfare (Type E programs), the larger employers are in a better position than SMEs to offer to their employees a large spectrum of health resources and facilities (e.g., Restaurant, Canteen, Resting room, Transport, Infra-structures for physical activity, Surgery, Complementary social protection, Support to recreational and cultural activities, Magazine or newsletter, Intranet). Other workplace health promotion programs like Training on Stress Management, Employee Assistance Programs, or Self-help groups are uncommon in the Portuguese worksites. The existence of integrated OSH management systems, not the company size, is the main variable explaining the implementation of more active and innovative workplace health policies in Portugal. The three main prompting factors reported by employers for health protection and promotion initiatives are: (i) Employee absenteeism; (ii) Productivity, quality and/or competitiveness; and (iii) Corporate culture/management philosophy. On the other hand, (i) Improved staffs health, (ii) Improved working environment and (iii) Improved productivity, quality and/or competitiveness were the three main benefits reported by companies representatives, as a result of successful implementation of workplace health initiatives. (i) Lack of staff commitment; (ii) Lack of time; and (iii) Problems of co-operation and communication within company or establishment (iii) are perceived to be the main barriers companies must cope with. Asked about the main facilitating factors, these companies have pointed out the following ones: (i) Top management commitment; (ii) Corporate culture; and (iii) Sense of social responsibility. This sociological research report shows the methodological weaknesses of workplace health initiatives, carried out by Portuguese companies during the last 90s. In many cases, these programs and actions were not part of a corporate health strategy and policy, (i) based on the assessment of workers health needs and expectancies, (ii) advocated by the employer or the chief executive officer, (ii) planned and implemented with the staff consultation and participation or (iv) evaluated according to a cost-benefit analysis. In short, corporate health policy and action were still rather based on more traditional OSH approaches and should be reoriented towards Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) approach. According to the Luxembourg Declaration of Workplace Health Promotion in the European Union (1997), WHP is a combination of: (i) improving the work organisation and environment; (ii) promoting active participation; (iii) encouraging personal development.Rsume Politique(s) de sant au travail: une enqute sociologique aux entreprises portugaises Au Portugal on ne sait presque rien des politiques de sant au travail, adopts par les entreprises. Avec ce projet de recherche, on veut (i) amliorer la connaissance sur les systmes de gestion de la sant et de la scurit au travail et, au mme temps, (ii) contribuer au dveloppement de la promotion de la sant des travailleurs. Une typologie a t use pour identifier les politiques, programmes et actions de sant au travail: A. Amlioration des conditions de travail / Scurit au travail; B. Mdecine du travail /Sant au travail; C. Prvention des comportements de risque / Promotion de styles de vie sains; D. Interventions organisationnelles / Amlioration des facteurs psychosociaux au travail; E. Gestion de personnel et bien-tre social. Un questionnaire postal a t envoy au reprsentant maximum des grandes entreprises portugaises, industrielles ( 100 employs) ou des services ( 75 employs). Le taux de rponse a t environ 20% (259 rpondants, concernant trois centaines dentreprises et dtablissements). La recherche de champ, conduite du printemps 1997 lt 1998, a compris deux enqutes postales et un follow-up tlphonique. Lchantillon est reprsentatif de la population des deux miles plus grandes entreprises. Un quart sont des multinationales. Le taux de syndicalisation est denviron 30%. Toutefois, il y a seulement 16% de lieux de travail avec des reprsentants du personnel pour la sant et scurit au travail. Les initiatives de sant au travail les plus communes sont celles concernant le domaine plus traditionnel (types A et B) (57% du total): par exemple, les examens de mdecine du travail, lquipement de protection individuelle, les tests daptitude au travail. En ce qui concerne les programmes de type C, les plus frquents sont le contrle et la prvention des addictions (tabac, alcool, drogue). Les interventions dans le domaine de du systme technique et organisationnelle du travail peuvent comprendre les courses de formation en gestion de ressources humaines ou en psychosociologie des organisations, lergonomie, le travail post ou la gestion de la qualit totale. En gnral, la protection et la promotion de la sant des travailleurs ne sont pas prises en considration dans limplmentation des initiatives de type D. Il y a des diffrences quand on compare les grandes entreprises et les moyennes en matire de politique de gestion du personnel e du bien-tre (programmes de type E, y compris lallocation de ressources humaines ou logistiques comme, par exemple, restaurant, journal dentreprise, transports, installations et quipements sportifs). Dautres activits de promotion de la sant au travail comme la formation en gestion du stress, les programmes d assistance aux employs, ou les groupes de soutien et dauto-aide sont encore trs peu frquents dans les entreprises portugaises. Cest le systme intgr de gestion de la sant et de la scurit au travail, et non pas la taille de lentreprise, qui aide prdire lexistence de politiques actives et innovatrices dans ce domaine. Les trois facteurs principaux qui encouragent les actions de sant (prompting factors, en anglais) sont (i) labsentisme (y compris la maladie), (ii) les problmes lis la productivit, qualit et/ou la comptitivit, et aussi (iii) la culture de lentreprise/philosophie de gestion. Du cot des bnfices, on a obtenu surtout lamlioration (i) de la sant du personnel, (ii) des conditions de travail, et (iii) de la productivit, qualit et/ou comptitivit.Les facteurs qui facilitent les actions de sant au travail sont (i) lengagement de la direction, (ii) la culture de lentreprise, et (iii) le sens de responsabilit sociale. Par contre, les obstacles surmonter, selon les organisations qui ont rpondu au questionnaire, seraient surtout (i) le manque dengagement des travailleurs et de leur reprsentants, (ii) le temps insuffisant, et (iii) les problmes de articulation/communication au niveau interne de lentreprise/tablissement. Ce travail de recherche sociologique montre la faiblesse mthodologique des services et activits de sant et scurit au travail, mis en place par les entreprises portugaises dans les annes de 1990, la suite des accords de concertation sociale de 1991. Dans beaucoup de cas, (i) ces politiques de sant ne font pas partie encore dun systme intgr de gestion, (ii) il na pas dvaluation des besoins et des expectatives des travailleurs, (iii) cest trs bas ou inexistant le niveau de participation du personnel, (iv) on ne fait pas danalyse cot-bnfice. On peut conclure que les politiques de sant au travail sont plus proches de la mdecine du travail et de la scurit au travail que de la promotion de la sant des travailleurs. Selon la Dclaration du Luxembourg sur la Promotion de la Sant au Lieu de Travail dans la Communaut Europenne (1997), celle-ci comprend toutes les mesures des employeurs, des employs et de la socit pour amliorer l'tat de sant et le bien tre des travailleurs e ceci peut tre obtenu par la concentration des efforts dans les domaines suivants: (i) amlioration de l'organisation du travail et des conditions de travail ; (ii) promotion d'une participation active des collaborateurs ; (iii) renforcement des comptences personnelles .
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In developed countries, civil infrastructures are one of the most significant investments of governments, corporations, and individuals. Among these, transportation infrastructures, including highways, bridges, airports, and ports, are of huge importance, both economical and social. Most developed countries have built a fairly complete network of highways to fit their needs. As a result, the required investment in building new highways has diminished during the last decade, and should be further reduced in the following years. On the other hand, significant structural deteriorations have been detected in transportation networks, and a huge investment is necessary to keep these infrastructures safe and serviceable. Due to the significant importance of bridges in the serviceability of highway networks, maintenance of these structures plays a major role. In this paper, recent progress in probabilistic maintenance and optimization strategies for deteriorating civil infrastructures with emphasis on bridges is summarized. A novel model including interaction between structural safety analysis,through the safety index, and visual inspections and non destructive tests, through the condition index, is presented. Single objective optimization techniques leading to maintenance strategies associated with minimum expected cumulative cost and acceptable levels of condition and safety are presented. Furthermore, multi-objective optimization is used to simultaneously consider several performance indicators such as safety, condition, and cumulative cost. Realistic examples of the application of some of these techniques and strategies are also presented.
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA School of Business and Economics
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A Masters Thesis, presented as part of the requirements for the award of a Research Masters Degree in Economics from NOVA School of Business and Economics
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The concept of organizational resilience has become popular in Organizational Studies during the last decades - yet researchers have not been able to find one commonly accepted definition for what exactly it is. What are the drivers of resilience in organizations? Are there certain cultural factors and national differences regarding the perception of the concept? This paper aims to answer these questions from a perspective of within institutions. A group of managers from different corporations in Portugal and Germany has been interviewed in order to understand how managers experience and characterize organizational resilience. Based on qualitative inductive research the results show that organizational resilience is built on four main drivers: a sense of proximity, a sense of openness, a sense of challenge and a sense for structure.
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A anlise das estruturas de aprisionamento necessita de atender ao quadro institucional no qual se encontra enquadrado. A compreenso das finalidades s quais reporta apenas pode ser captada na aluso a um quadro terico e conceptual que no se cinja apreenso restrita das suas mais evidentes manifestaes. O enredo da Angola colonial, no qual nos focamos, imprime a necessidade de nos afastarmos dos recorrentes estudos que tendem a evidenciar a brutalidade da prtica repressiva no interior das prises, menosprezando, por iminncia, uma anlise que capte as caractersticas longitudinais que ditam as estruturas administrativas das suas bases materiais. Assente na defesa de um alargamento conceptual das prticas de confinamento, pretende esta investigao contribuir para os estudos que atendem necessidade destes estabelecimentos serem analisados luz de outras instncias, nomeadamente o trabalho forado e o incipiente poder infraestrutural do estado colonial. De forma a alcanar tal propsito esta dissertao concebe uma anlise que contrape s finalidades impressas nos cdigos legais dos estatutos criminais coloniais os relatrios arquivsticos. Estes do conta da prtica que regia o modus operandi destes estabelecimentos e atestam a debilidade morfolgica do poder estatal colonial. face a tal que se apresenta, numa ltima anlise, as instncias que nos permitem pensar o enredo edificado pelas empresas concessionrias no territrio colonial numa relao de analogia com a priso colonial. Tal comparao aqui edificada pelo recurso ao estudo de caso da Companhia de Diamantes de Angola, problematizando-se o modo como esta empresa substitua o poder do estado colonial ao implementar polticas pblicas de gesto e controlo das massas trabalhadoras que se encontravam sob a sua alada.
