Biogeographic and palaeoclimatic relationships of the Middle Pliocene ichthyofauna of the Samoggia Torrent (Bologna, Italy)

New Middle Pliocene ichthyofauna (2.4-2.2 Ma) from central-eastern Italy (Samoggia Torrent, Bologna) are described. These ichthyolites were found in a rather thin laminated layer that was deposited after the 2.4 Ma climatic crisis. The origin of this deposit, in which 31 taxa have been classified, is to be related to anoxic events on a regional and, probably, supraregional scale. This ichthyofaunistic association, which consists of living genera, is characterized by a clearcut predominance of mesopelagic species. The palaeoclimatic characters of these ichthyofauna indicate subtropical-type waters, while from a palaeobiogeographic point of view there is a close relationship with the present-day Atlantic-Mediterranean bioprovince. The Samoggia deposit has yielded six taxa that are absent or only occasionally present in the Mediterranean: one of these, Spratelloides gracilis, is exclusive of the Indo-Pacific bioprovince.

Biogeographic and palaeoclimatic relationships of the Middle Pliocene ichthyofauna of the Samoggia Torrent (Bologna, Italy)*

New Middle Pliocene ichthyofauna (2.4-2.2 Ma) from central-eastern Italy (Samoggia Torrent, Bologna) are described. These ichthyolites were found in a rather thin laminated layer that was deposited after the 2.4 Ma climatic crisis. The origin of this deposit, in which 31 taxa have been classified, is to be related to anoxic events on a regional and, probably, supraregional scale. This ichthyofaunistic association, which consists of living genera, is characterized by a clearcut predominance of mesopelagic species. The palaeoclimatic characters of these ichthyofauna indicate subtropical-type waters, while from a palaeobiogeographic point of view there is a close relationship with the present-day Atlantic-Mediterranean bioprovince. The Samoggia deposit has yielded six taxa that are absent or only occasionally present in the Mediterranean: one of these, Spratelloides gracilis, is exclusive of the Indo-Pacific bioprovince.

Interpreting change in human-nature and long term social relationships

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ciências do Ambiente, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia.

Structure-function relationships in a glycosyltransferase, a phosphatase and an oxidoreductase

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Biochemistry

Outcomes of communication competence: A study on a Portuguese restaurant chain

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

Bank-firm relationships and financial crisis

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

Projecto e implementação de supervisor inteligente em controladores lógicos programáveis

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Developing and validating a measure of the strength of the HRM system: Operationalizing the construct and relationships among its dimensions

The four studies in this article introduce a questionnaire to measure Strength of the HRM System (HRMSQ), a multidimensional construct, theoretically developed by Bowen and Ostroff (2004). Strength of the HRM System is a set of process characteristics that lead to effectiveness in conveying signals to employees that allow them to create a shared meaning of desired and appropriate work behaviours. Nine characteristics are suggested, grouped in three features: Distinctiveness, Consistency and Consensus. Study 1 developed and tested a questionnaire in a sample of workers from five different sectors. Study 2 cross-validated the measure in a sample of civil servants in a municipality. These two studies used performance appraisal as the reference HRM practice and led to a short version of the HRMSQ. Study 3 and Study 4 extend the HRMSQ to several common HRM practices. The HRMSQ is tested in two samples, of call center and several private and public organizations‟ workers (study 3). In study 4 the questionnaire is refined and tested with a sample from a hotel chain and finally cross-validated with two other samples, in the insurance and batteries sectors, leading to a longer version of the HRMSQ. Content analysis of several interviews with human resource managers and the Rasch model (1960, 1961, 1980), were used to define and select the indicators of the questionnaire. Convergent, discriminant and predictive validity of the measure are tested. The results of the four studies highlight the complexity of the relationships between the proposed characteristics and support the validity of a parsimonious measure of Strength of the HRM System.

Impact of the HRM content (i.e. practices) and process (i.e. strength) on individual and organizational outcomes, in the hotel industry

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

How training evaluation can be used to potentiate employee development in an organization

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

The employee policy manual

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

Corporate social responsibility: How internal and external CSR perceptions influence employee outcomes

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

What hides behind the fixed-term contracts wage gap?

In Portugal, about 20% of full-time workers are employed under a fixed-term contract. Using a rich longitudinal matched employer-employee dataset for Portugal, with more than 20 million observations and covering the 2002-2012 period, we confirm the common idea that fixed-term contracts are not desirable when compared to permanent ones, by estimating a conditional wage gap of -1.7 log points. Then, we evaluate the sources of that wage penalty by combining a three way high-dimensional fixed effects model with the decomposition of Gelbach (2014), in which the three dimensions considered are the worker’s unobserved ability, the firm’s compensation wage policy and the job title effect. It is shown that the average worker with a fixed-term contract is less productive than his/her permanent counterparts, explaining -3.92 log points of the FTC wage penalty. Additionally, the sorting of workers into lower-paid job titles is also responsible for -0.59 log points of the wage gap. Surprisingly, we found that the allocation of workers among firms mitigates the existing wage penalty (in 4.23 log points), as fixed-term workers are concentrated into firms with a more generous compensation policy. Finally, following Figueiredo et al. (2014), we further control for the worker-firm match characteristics and reach the conclusion that fixed-term employment relationships have an overrepresentation of low quality worker-firm matches, explaining 0.65 log points of the FTC wage penalty.

Relatório de estágio na Caixa Geral de Depósitos

This report will describe the activities undertaken during my internship at the Personnel Department (DPE-UPE4.1) in Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD), Lisbon, between September 22, 2014, and February 28, 2015. I consider that it is important to note from the outset i) that the subject of my training was suggested by my supervisor in the DPE and accepted by me; and ii) that the internship consisted essentially of carrying out research and information gathering into the different social systems that coexist within the bank and the application of each legal system in solving concrete situations of the CGD employees. The research and analysis of information was important not only for my study but for the CGD itself, as it enables the department to have such an important matter, full of specific characteristics, condensed into a single document, i.e. this report. This is a complex reality. The various welfare systems differ according to the contractual agreement linking the employee to the employer at the date when the labour contract is signed, and also the unique/singular characteristics of the CGD. In the early stage I started by trying to understand the financial institution and its organization and role and the department where I worked. So I analyzed the CGD Statutes and the legal measures that crystallized the scheme for its employees and I also researched its domestic and international operations. The first month was devoted to the research and analysis of such legislation to understand the creation of the CGD and its path to date. In the second and third months I studied the legal social systems that are applied to different groups of CGD workers. This period was quite important to identify and understand the differences between those regimes of CGD employees as well as the procedure inherent in each case. I highlighted the non-implementation of “the social protection regime of convergence” to the workers of this institution; the differences regarding the allocation of sickness subsidies paid to workers who belong to Social Security and CGA contributors, as well as the enforcement of internal rules to all the workers when a work-related accident happens. Then I focused on to assessing and examining external legislation and several internal regulations in order to obtain solutions to questions raised and situations involving by the workers, in order to understand how the DPE solves these situations. Over the last three months of internship, after this more theoretical work, I began the analysis of concrete situations involving employees carrying out their duties in Portugal and abroad. Some of these situations had been received by the department before the beginning of my internship and others over this period. When I was “working” in the DPE I analyzed “cases” that had been solved and some others without a final solution because they were still in courts. As for the last ones (new cases) I was able to follow their assessment and sometimes their outcome. Some of them became study cases for me. Over these five months of my internship, several cases were analyzed and discussed by legal experts of DPE in which I could participate. I always worked hard. I know that this action contributed to elucidate me about the treatment of the issues, and allowed me to have a direct contact with some workers and be part of a dynamic work team. For these reasons, my internship report is not merely descriptive of activities. It consists of an analysis of rules (legislation) and a regulatory framework of activities and it is also a description of several specific situations solved or in a solution process. Through this work I intend to make known the particular reality of a modern Portuguese financial institution not only because of its importance in our country but also such a large number of employees work here (in Portugal and abroad). I should add that throughout my internship I was allowed to attend conferences, within the scope of the bank in order to get a broader view of some issues related to the daily life of the DPE and the CGD. So, I participated in I Jornadas Bancárias and the Conferência Internacional do Contrato a Termo, given that the CGD is a bank and the DPE deals with legal and labour relations.

The impact of talent management practices on employee retention: The moderator effect of leader-member exchange and role modeling

Organizations are undergoing serious difficulties to retain talent. Authors argue that Talent Management (TM) practices create beneficial outcomes for individuals and organizations. However, there is no research on the leaders’ role in the functioning of these practices. This study examines how LMX and role modeling influence the impact that TM practices have on employees’ trust in their organizations and retention. The analysis of two questionnaires (Nt1=175; Nt2=107) indicated that TM only reduced turnover intentions, via an increase in trust in the organization, when role modeling was high and not when it was low. Therefore, we can say that leaders are crucial in the TM context, and in sustaining a competitive advantage for organizations.