A private library in the Mateus Palace (Vila Real). The D. Luís António de Sousa Botelho Mourão (1722-1798) Books Collection

Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia no âmbito de Bolsa de Doutoramento (SFRH/BD/86280/2012)

Optimal choice between even- and uneven-aged forestry: the case of non-industrial private forest owners

An infinite-horizon discrete time model with multiple size-class structures using a transition matrix is built to assess optimal harvesting schedules in the context of Non-Industrial Private Forest (NIPF) owners. Three model specifications accounting for forest income, financial return on an asset and amenity valuations are considered. Numerical simulations suggest uneven-aged forest management where a rational forest owner adapts her or his forest policy by influencing the regeneration of trees or adjusting consumption dynamics depending on subjective time preference and market return rate dynamics on the financial asset. Moreover she or he does not value significantly non-market benefits captured by amenity valuations relatively to forest income.

Shiva's dance: Crisis, local institutions and private firms

The uneven spatial distribution of start-ups and their respective survival may reflect comparative advantages resulting from the local institutional background. For the first time, we explore this idea using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess the relative efficiency of Portuguese municipalities in this specific context. We depart from the related literature where expenditure is perceived as a desirable input by choosing a measure of fiscal responsibility and infrastructural variables in the first stage. Comparing results for 2006 and 2010, we find that mean performance decreased substantially 1) with the effects of the Global Financial Crisis, 2) as municipal population increases and 3) as financial independence decreases. A second stage is then performed employing a double-bootstrap procedure to evaluate how the regional context outside the control of local authorities (e.g. demographic characteristics and political preferences) impacts on efficiency.

COMTEMP: Financing expansion through private equity?

COMTEMP – Companhia de Temperos, Lda. is a Portuguese company that produces vinegars (e.g. CRISTAL vinegars), sauces and condiments. This case study aims to analyze its attractiveness to receive a venture capital investment. The main covered topics are arranged into the following sections: foundation, company, industry, competition, industrial kitchen opportunity, financial strategy and decision.

“Private label products: A category analysis”

The presented dissertation was developed within a partnership between Nova School of Business and Economics and the Portuguese retailer Sonae MC. The main objective of the study was to develop an analysis for the confectionary category to identify potential development opportunities for new Private Label products. In order to do so, the starting point was to understand how the confectionery market was behaving, followed by and understanding of Continente’s performance in that market. Aiming to point out development opportunities, the analysis was split between the subcategories – Chocolate, Chewing Gums and Sweets. The Subcategory performance was assessed in terms of sales, number of SKU’s, Private Label weight and it market position in terms of share. For the potential development opportunities a comparison between the top selling Branded Product and the competitors’ position was developed, in order to establish a reasonable size and retail price for such products. Key Word: Private Label, Branded Products, Continente, Sonae MC, Retail, SKU’s, Sales, Price, Market Share,

Measuring the effects of price movements on private consumption

This paper studies how shocks in the prices of Food, Energy and Financial Assets affect private consumption using a VAR Model. Then, the total effects are broken into direct and indirect effects, using the coefficients taken from the previous model. We use quarterly data for the Portuguese economy from the last 20 years. We found that energy prices and financial assets have a strong connection with consumption, suggesting that the economy may be too exposed to shocks in these markets.

`When I'm sixty-four': old age, family values, and private financial transfers

Private financial transfers are becoming more and more important as ageing levels increase in Europe, with elders acting as both givers and receivers. Our study is divided in two main parts. In the first part we analyse the determinants of private financial transfers, using the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In the second part we analyse the importance of family values for these transfers, combining SHARE with European Values Study. We show that family functions as the main agent of private transfers. We conclude that family values drive financial transfers, mainly gifts provided by elderly individuals. We find that receipts by old-aged people are more related with need cases, such as illness and poorness; moreover, for these particular cases, family network plays a very important role, working as a safety net.

Arbitragem de consumo no direito brasileiro

This dissertation analyzes how the current Constitution and the Brazilian law establish consumer protection, arbitration and access to justice. Following we try to demonstrate why arbitration is a method rarely used in the resolution of consumer disputes in Brazil. It also examines the doctrinal and jurisprudential aspects of the conflict between the Brazilian Arbitration Law (Law nº. 9.307/96), which allows the arbitration clause in contracts of adhesion, and the Consumer Protection Code (Law nº 8.078/90) that in article 51, VII, considers as abusive the arbitration clause. Furthermore, analyzes new proposed bills under scrutiny by the National Congress on the issue and identifies the causes, in the Brazilian legal system, hampering the use of arbitration in consumer relations. Concludes that there are no principle obstacles preventing consumer litigations to be settled by arbitration. High costs, mistrust, oppression, misinformation of consumers and non-participation of the State, being a totally private institute, are factors that generate distrust, suspicion, and have prevented the development of arbitration in consumer relations in Brazil.

How to invest as a private equity

This work project presents a road map for making deals under the umbrella support of a private equity investor. Fundraising, investment analysis, asset monitoring, and divestment are stages in the process that are covered in-depth and clarified in terms of action plan and procedures. Moreover, private equity brings tangible and intangible efficiency to the economy and companies, not only by providing finance to grow and expand but also by forcing superior organizational organics that foster sustainable business positions. In a world domain, Europe as been a second liner as compared to US in terms of size within the private equity sector, but it is quickly maturing and converging to US numbers. In this sense, Portugal has been improving in both numbers and regulations in order to leverage on its strategic location and position itself as a key player to address future business challenges coming from emerging markets such as Africa and Latin America.

Innovative medicines in the portuguese private health sector

The present dissertation aims at contributing to a strategic view over the use of innovative medicines in the portuguese private health sector, as a way of being complementary to public system that nowadays finances most of the innovative medicines. With the rationalization of expenses in the public health sector, pharmaceutical companies tend to look for opportunities of expansion to the private sector. The creation of innovative financial models for the private sector to cover innovative treatments is the proposed way of surpassing the restriction on the NHS sales of innovative medicines. This can be both for differentiating private health providers from the NHS or for the creation of premium services that can be differentiated from other private providers of the portuguese market.

Does companionate love express itself unequally in different organizational forms (private companies, hybrid and non-governmental organizations)?

Although, the word “Love” in organizations is seen as a rare concept, but it has gained importance in management theoretical foundation. This study seeks to explore the companionate love in distinct of organizational forms (Private companies; Social organizations; NGO and IPSS) through interviews. The results propose that it is a tensional concept with a complex dynamic: tension of personal behavior, tension of professional behavior; tension of individual impact and tension of community impact. The love dynamic has common points to all organizations, but its expression depends on the specific form of the organization.

Screening primary-care patients forgoing health care for economic reasons.

BACKGROUND: Growing social inequities have made it important for general practitioners to verify if patients can afford treatment and procedures. Incorporating social conditions into clinical decision-making allows general practitioners to address mismatches between patients' health-care needs and financial resources. OBJECTIVES: Identify a screening question to, indirectly, rule out patients' social risk of forgoing health care for economic reasons, and estimate prevalence of forgoing health care and the influence of physicians' attitudes toward deprivation. DESIGN: Multicenter cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-seven general practitioners working in the French-speaking part of Switzerland enrolled a random sample of patients attending their private practices. MAIN MEASURES: Patients who had forgone health care were defined as those reporting a household member (including themselves) having forgone treatment for economic reasons during the previous 12 months, through a self-administered questionnaire. Patients were also asked about education and income levels, self-perceived social position, and deprivation levels. KEY RESULTS: Overall, 2,026 patients were included in the analysis; 10.7% (CI95% 9.4-12.1) reported a member of their household to have forgone health care during the 12 previous months. The question "Did you have difficulties paying your household bills during the last 12 months" performed better in identifying patients at risk of forgoing health care than a combination of four objective measures of socio-economic status (gender, age, education level, and income) (R(2) = 0.184 vs. 0.083). This question effectively ruled out that patients had forgone health care, with a negative predictive value of 96%. Furthermore, for physicians who felt powerless in the face of deprivation, we observed an increase in the odds of patients forgoing health care of 1.5 times. CONCLUSION: General practitioners should systematically evaluate the socio-economic status of their patients. Asking patients whether they experience any difficulties in paying their bills is an effective means of identifying patients who might forgo health care.

Physiotherapy practice in the private sector: organizational characteristics and models.

BACKGROUND: Even if a large proportion of physiotherapists work in the private sector worldwide, very little is known of the organizations within which they practice. Such knowledge is important to help understand contexts of practice and how they influence the quality of services and patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to: 1) describe characteristics of organizations where physiotherapists practice in the private sector, and 2) explore the existence of a taxonomy of organizational models. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 236 randomly-selected physiotherapists. Participants completed a purpose-designed questionnaire online or by telephone, covering organizational vision, resources, structures and practices. Organizational characteristics were analyzed descriptively, while organizational models were identified by multiple correspondence analyses. RESULTS: Most organizations were for-profit (93.2%), located in urban areas (91.5%), and within buildings containing multiple businesses/organizations (76.7%). The majority included multiple providers (89.8%) from diverse professions, mainly physiotherapy assistants (68.7%), massage therapists (67.3%) and osteopaths (50.2%). Four organizational models were identified: 1) solo practice, 2) middle-scale multiprovider, 3) large-scale multiprovider and 4) mixed. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide a detailed description of the organizations where physiotherapists practice, and highlight the importance of human resources in differentiating organizational models. Further research examining the influences of these organizational characteristics and models on outcomes such as physiotherapists' professional practices and patient outcomes are needed.