Linking strategy and the knowledge of the firm

Discovering the ways through which firms develop and maintain competitive advantage is a central research stream in management theory. The objective of this paper is to present a contribution to the discussion of the knowledge of the firm as a source of competitive advantage. The paper states that a firm's success is a consequence of its ability in the continuous development of core competencies that will sustain its competitiveness over time. Core competencies are understood as the sets of knowledge that differentiate a company strategically. The firm must discover, develop, share and update the knowledge that sustains the present and future core competencies. Knowledge management, through processes of knowledge creation and integration, is one way of doing this.

Orientação para o mercado: antecedentes e conseqüências

Esta pesquisa aborda três perguntas: (1) Por que algumas organizações são mais voltadas para o mercado do que outras? (2) Que efeito essa orientação para o mercado tem sobre os funcionários e o desempenho da empresa? (3) O elo entre a orientação para o mercado e o desempenho da empresa depende do contexto ambiental? As conclusões de duas amostras de âmbito nacional sugerem que a orientação para o mercado está relacionada com a ênfase que a alta administração dá à orientação, com a aversão dos principais gestores ao risco, com conflitos e ligações interdepartamentais, com a centralização e com a orientação do sistema de recompensas. Ademais, as conclusões sugerem que a orientação para o mercado está relacionada com o desempenho empresarial (mas não com o market share) geral (subjetivo), com o compromisso dos funcionários com a organização, e com o espírito de classe. Finalmente, a ligação entre a orientação para o mercado e o desempenho parece ser muito forte em quaisquer contextos ambientais caracterizados por diversos graus de turbulência no mercado, intensidade competitiva e turbulência tecnológica.

Is category management in small supermarkets worth the effort?

Category management (CM) is an important tool to strengthen the relationship between manufacturers and retailers. This process has been associated with large corporate retailers; however, some recent researches show that CM is open to companies of any type or size. This possibility is important in emerging markets, where neighborhood supermarkets are still representative and are often considered an alternative for manufacturers to achieve higher margins compared to big chains. In this context, the aim of this research was to analyze the results of a CM initiative in small neighborhood supermarkets from a manufacturer perspective. Data for the study comes from a food manufacturer in Brazil that implemented a CM process with 180 small retailers. A quantitative analysis was conducted in order to analyze the effect of the program on the food manufacturer' s sales and market share. Our analysis suggests an overall positive effect of the program on both, sales and market share.

O aluno com deficiência motora e a acessibilidade arquitectónica no Ensino Básico : um estudo de caso : o concelho de Guimarães

RESUMO:Para que o sucesso educativo se verifique, a escola tem de ajustar a sua prática educativa a todos os alunos, incluindo os que apresentam necessidades educativas especiais (NEE). Portugal dispõe de legislação que assegura o direito à educação e à igualdade de oportunidades, consignados na Constituição da República Portuguesa (artigos 71º, 73º e 74º), em consonância com a Declaração Universal dos Direitos do Homem e na Lei de Bases do Sistema Educativo (artigos 2º, 7º, 17º e 18º). O nosso país subscreveu também a Declaração de Salamanca, a qual reuniu, em 1994, o consenso de noventa e dois governos e de vinte e cinco organizações internacionais, reafirmando o direito à educação para todos. A construção da escola inclusiva passa pela responsabilização da escola por todos os alunos, na perspectiva de educação para todos, exigindo a sua concretização novas estratégias e resposta a novos desafios. Há que alterar práticas para atender à diversidade. Assim, as escolas precisam de estar arquitectonicamente adaptadas às necessidades dos alunos que utilizam a cadeira de rodas como forma de mobilidade, respeitando o direito à diferença e possibilitando, em igualdade de oportunidades, o sucesso escolar e educativo. Levar à prática as medidas previstas na lei portuguesa e implementar, em cada escola, a inclusão do aluno com mobilidade condicionada, implica equipar as escolas com adaptações, meios e recursos educativos facilitadores do seu processo ensino/aprendizagem. A constatação do que efectivamente acontece no terreno educativo no que concerne aos alunos com deficiência motora que usam a cadeira de rodas para se movimentarem assume toda a centralidade da nossa investigação, que tem o cariz de um estudo de caso. Incide sobre a compreensão mais aprofundada de como se processa o acesso arquitectónico nas escolas do Ensino Básico da Zona Norte e mais concretamente do Concelho de Guimarães. Recolhemos dados através de questionários dirigidos aos professores de apoio educativo e coordenadores de escola; ouvimos os alunos com deficiência motora pronunciar-se sobre as dificuldades que sentiam; observámos o seu quotidiano escolar e, finalmente, escutámos as entidades locais, através de uma entrevista realizada à Vereadora da Cultura do Concelho de Guimarães. Os resultados obtidos serão, como foi acordado, divulgados aos intervenientes com responsabilidades directas no campo da educação que se prontificaram a partilhar connosco a sua informação e saber, no sentido de os sensibilizar para a necessidade de rever o aspecto das acessibilidades arquitectónicas nas instituições educativas que servem o seu concelho, pois, como verificámos, muito há ainda a fazer para que o Ensino Básico, universal e obrigatório, se traduza numa igualdade de oportunidades de acesso e sucesso educativo para os alunos que utilizam a cadeira de rodas para se movimentarem no espaço escolar. ABSTRACT: For the educational success of a school it has to adjust its educational practice so that it includes those with special needs. According to the Portuguese law, disabled people have the right to education and equal opportunities, well expressed in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic (articles 71st, 73rd, and 74th), in consonance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in the main law the educational system (articles 2nd, 7th, 17th and 18th). Our country has also subscribed the Declaration of Salamanca, which was written in 1994 with the agreement of Representatives from ninety-two governments and twenty-five International Organizations, where was reaffirmed the right of education for all. It is necessary that school increases its responsibility in what concerns the education of all its students. Educating all and every student demands new strategies to face new challenges and so some practices have to be changed to respond to diversity. Schools must be architecturally adapted to give the disabled students, who use a wheel chair, equal opportunities to achieve educational success. Taking the measures foreseen in Portuguese law into practice, and implementing in each school the inclusion of students with conditioned mobility, involves equipping schools with adaptations, equipment and educational resources that facilitate the teaching / learning process. The observation of what actually happens on educative ground, regarding to pupils with motor disabilities who use a wheelchair to move, assumes the centrality of our research, which is a case study. It focuses on the deeper understanding of the way the architectonic access in primary schools of the North, and more specifically the Municipality of Guimarães, is processed. We collected data through questionnaires addressed to educational support teachers and school coordinators; heard students with motor disabilities to comment on the difficulties they felt; observed their daily school life, and finally heard the local authorities, through an interview the Councillor of Culture of the Municipality of Guimarães. As agreed, the results will be communicated to intervenients with direct responsibilities in the field of education who were willing to share with us their information and knowledge in order to raise awareness of the need of looking over the aspect of architectural accessibility in educational institutions that serve their county, because, as noted, much remains to be done so that the basic education, universal and compulsory, will result in equality of educational opportunities in access and success for students who use a wheelchair to move in school space.

Scenario Planning and Evaluation of Pricing Strategies in the Portuguese Bulk LPG Market

Portugal has the largest LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) share of primary energy demand in the EU (about 5%). Due to the increasing international cost of LPG in the last years and the high price sensitivity of the consumers the preference for substitute energy sources in new and existing consumers has been increasing. To select the kind of energy, some consumer estimate and compare the total costs while others follow agents (equipment sellers) recommendations. It takes time to build agents perception about the most advantageous source of energy, which is seen as an important resource that drives client resource accumulation and retention. Marketing strategies have to take into consideration some market dynamic effects derived from the accumulation and depletion of these resources. A simple system dynamics model was built, combined with Economic Value Added framework, to evaluate some pricing strategies under different scenarios of LPG international cost.

Scenario Planning and Evaluation of Pricing Strategies in the Portuguese Bulk LPG Market

Portugal has the largest LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) share of primary energy demand in the EU (about 5%). Due to the increasing international cost of LPG in the last years and the high price sensitivity of the consumers the preference for substitute energy sources in new and existing consumers has been increasing. To select the kind of energy, some consumer estimate and compare the total costs while others follow agents (equipment sellers) recommendations. It takes time to build agents perception about the most advantageous source of energy, which is seen as an important resource that drives client resource accumulation and retention. Marketing strategies have to take into consideration some market dynamic effects derived from the accumulation and depletion of these resources. A simple system dynamics model was built, combined with Economic Value Added framework, to evaluate some pricing strategies under different scenarios of LPG international cost.

Indicadores avançados para o investimento directo estrangeiro: aplicação ao caso português

RESUMO:O investimento directo estrangeiro tem sido um dos factores com maior importância, no crescimento económico dos países em desenvolvimento, por contribuir para financiar o défice da balança corrente com o exterior, em particular a balança comercial. Num âmbito mais microeconómico é um forte gerador de emprego, proporciona avanços tecnológicos importantes, permitindo a partilha de conhecimentos das tecnologias, o conhecimento de novas formas de gestão e novas formas de marketing. Este trabalho tem como objectivo principal, identificar potenciais variáveis como indicadores avançados para o investimento directo estrangeiro, de modo a antecipar possíveis tendências para a sua evolução. Para alcançar este propósito recorreu-se aos Modelos Autoregressivos Vectoriais (VAR) e à causalidade de Granger com base em dados mensais para o período de Janeiro de 1996 a Setembro de 2010. Foram consideradas variáveis essenvialmente macroeconómicas, tanto do lado da economia receptora como dos países investidores, de modo a reflectirem a actividade económica ao longo do período de estudo. ABSTRACT: The foreign direct investment, has been one of the main factors in the economical development for the countries that are in a process of developing, because it allows the generation of new investments and generate money from the return of the investment, as well as it creates new opportunities for the employment. It allows important technologic advances with the share of the technology Knowledge as well new ways to learn marketing management and enterprise management. This work/research, aims to identify potential variables as advanced indicators for the foreign direct investment, in order to anticipate possible trends of their evolution. To achieve this goal, Vector Autoregressive Models (VAR) and Granger causality based on based on monthly data for the period January between 1996 and September of 2010, were used. Essentially macroeconomic variables were considered, on both the host economy and the countries investors in order to reflect the economic activity throughout the study period.

Concepções e práticas de um centro de actividades ocupacionais

O presente trabalho tem como principal objectivo tentar conhecer e compreender as concepções educativas de um Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais face ao seu público-alvo em particular, as suas dimensões mais relevantes, os factores que as condicionam e os contextos que as limitam ou facilitam. Procurou-se conhecer as concepções e práticas dos actores educativos que intervêm na formação/educação junto de pessoas portadoras de deficiência mental adultas, clientes de um Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais, geograficamente situado em Lisboa. Para tal, elaborou-se um Estudo de Caso utilizando entrevistas semi estruturadas a sete profissionais do centro como técnica de recolha de dados, sendo estes posteriormente tratados através da análise de conteúdo. Assim, definiram-se como objectivos específicos do estudo: caracterizar as finalidades educativas do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais; caracterizar as práticas de desenvolvimento para os adultos deficientes mentais; caracterizar o modo de participação dos clientes nas actividades: aspectos facilitadores e constrangimentos; identificar as dificuldades dos funcionários do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais no atendimento aos clientes; caracterizar as iniciativas da instituição face à actualização profissional dos seus funcionários no sentido de fornecer respostas mais adequadas às necessidades dos clientes e, ainda, caracterizar de acordo com o ponto de vista dos actores educativos, a participação das famílias no processo de desenvolvimento dos clientes. Os resultados do estudo evidenciam que as actividades desenvolvidas no Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais se dividem entre as consideradas como socialmente úteis, como a montagem de material eléctrico, por exemplo, e as estritamente ocupacionais. Embora um dos objectivos do Centro de Actividades Ocupacionais seja a inserção do cliente na comunidade, da análise de dados ressalta que não existem muitas actividades que divulguem para o exterior o trabalho desenvolvido pelos adultos portadores de deficiência mental, promovendo pouca interacção dos indivíduos com a comunidade. As profissionais que participaram no estudo revelam motivação para trabalhar junto dos clientes e preocupação em melhorar o seu desempenho profissional, daí sentirem necessidade em adquirir formação contínua e partilhar experiências com outros profissionais. As famílias dos clientes são consideradas pelas participantes do estudo como sendo participativas no quotidiano do seu familiar, contudo existem factores que condicionam essa participação, como o envelhecimento dos progenitores. Abstract The present work aims to know and understand the educational conceptions of an Occupational Activities Center taking into consideration its target audience, particularly, its most relevant dimensions, the conditioning factors and its respective restrictive or facilitating contexts. The objective was to understand the concepts and daily practices of the educational actors that participate in the training/education of the mentally disabled adults who attend an Occupational Activities Center located in Lisbon. In that light, a Case Study was conducted using as the data collection technique semistructured interviews made to seven employees from the Center. This data was later on processed through content analysis. Thus, the following was defined as the study’s specific goals. To: characterize the educational purposes of the Occupational Activities Center; characterize development practices for the mentally disabled adults; characterize the clients’ participation process in the activities and the respective enabling and restrictive aspects; identify the Occupational Activities Center employees’ problems regarding client assistance; characterize the institution’s initiatives regarding the professional update of its employees in order to provide more adequate answers to its clients’ needs and, finally to identify from the educational actors’ perspective the participative role families’ take on when it comes to the clients’ development processes. The study results determine that the activities developed in the Occupational Activities Center are distinguished between the ones considered socially useful, such as the assembly of electric material, and the strictly occupational activities. Although one of the Occupational Activities Center goals is the insertion of the client within the community itself, the data analysis shows that there aren’t many activities that promote to the outside world the work performed by these mentally disabled adults, not advertising enough the individuals’ interaction with the community. The professional women who participated in the study show determination and motivation in working with the clients and also a concern in improving their professional performances, from this derives their need to attend continuous training and to share experiences with other professionals. The study's participants find the clients’ families involved in the daily routines of their relatives. Nonetheless, there are some factors that condition that involvement, such as the parents’ aging.

Web 2.0 and its impact on knowledge and business organizations

Today, information overload and the lack of systems that enable locating employees with the right knowledge or skills are common challenges that large organisations face. This makes knowledge workers to re-invent the wheel and have problems to retrieve information from both internal and external resources. In addition, information is dynamically changing and ownership of data is moving from corporations to the individuals. However, there is a set of web based tools that may cause a major progress in the way people collaborate and share their knowledge. This article aims to analyse the impact of ‘Web 2.0’ on organisational knowledge strategies. A comprehensive literature review was done to present the academic background followed by a review of current ‘Web 2.0’ technologies and assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. As the framework of this study is oriented to business applications, the characteristics of the involved segments and tools were reviewed from an organisational point of view. Moreover, the ‘Enterprise 2.0’ paradigm does not only imply tools but also changes the way people collaborate, the way the work is done (processes) and finally impacts on other technologies. Finally, gaps in the literature in this area are outlined.

A DC Voltage-Multiplier Circuit Working as a High-Voltage Pulse Generator

The intensive use of semiconductor devices enabled the development of a repetitive high-voltage pulse-generator topology from the dc voltage-multiplier (VM) concept. The proposed circuit is based on an odd VM-type circuit, where a number of dc capacitors share a common connection with different voltage ratings in each one, and the output voltage comes from a single capacitor. Standard VM rectifier and coupling diodes are used for charging the energy-storing capacitors, from an ac power supply, and two additional on/off semiconductors in each stage, to switch from the typical charging VM mode to a pulse mode with the dc energy-storing capacitors connected in series with the load. Results from a 2-kV experimental prototype with three stages, delivering a 10-mu s pulse with a 5-kHz repetition rate into a resistive load, are discussed. Additionally, the proposed circuit is compared against the solid-state Marx generator topology for the same peak input and output voltages.

Repetitive Solid State Pulse Modulator Based on a DC Voltage Multiplier

A newly developed solid-state repetitive high-voltage (HV) pulse modulator topology created from the mature concept of the d.c. voltage multiplier (VM) is described. The proposed circuit is based in a voltage multiplier type circuit, where a number of d.c. capacitors share a common connection with different voltage rating in each one. Hence, besides the standard VM rectifier and coupling diodes, two solid-state on/off switches are used, in each stage, to switch from the typical charging VM mode to a pulse mode with the d.c. capacitors connected in series with the load. Due to the on/off semiconductor configuration, in half-bridge structures, the maximum voltage blocked by each one is the d.c. capacitor voltage in each stage. A 2 kV prototype is described and the results are compared with PSPICE simulations.

Shear-induced lamellar ionic liquid-crystal foam

n a recent paper we reported an experimental study of two N-alkylimidazolium salts. These ionic compounds exhibit liquid crystalline behaviour with melting points above 50 degrees C in bulk. However, if they are sheared, a (possibly non-equilibrium) lamellar phase forms at room temperature. Upon shearing a thin film of the material between microscope slides, textures were observed that are strikingly similar to liquid (wet) foams. The images obtained from polarising optical microscopy (POM) were found to share many of the known quantitative properties of a two-dimensional foam coarsening process. Here we report an experimental study of this foam using a shearing system coupled with POM. The structure and evolution of the foam are investigated through the image analysis of time sequences of micrographs obtained for well-controlled sets of physical parameters (sample thickness, shear rate and temperature). In particular, we find that there is a threshold shear rate below which no foam can form. Above this threshold, a steady-state foam pattern is obtained where the mean cell area generally decreases with increasing shear rate. Furthermore, the steady-state internal cell angles and distribution of the cell number of sides deviate from their equilibrium (i.e. zero-shear) values.

Non-selective optical wavelength-division multiplexing devices based on a-SiC:H multilayer heterostuctures

In this paper we present results on the optimization of multilayered a-SiC:H heterostructures for wavelength-division (de) multiplexing applications. The non selective WDM device is a double heterostructure in a glass/ITO/a-SiC:H (p-i-n) /a-SiC:H(-p) /a-Si:H(-i')/a-SiC:H (-n')/ITO configuration. The single or the multiple modulated wavelength channels are passed through the device, and absorbed accordingly to its wavelength, giving rise to a time dependent wavelength electrical field modulation across it. The effect of single or multiple input signals is converted to an electrical signal to regain the information (wavelength, intensity and frequency) of the incoming photogenerated carriers. Here, the (de) multiplexing of the channels is accomplished electronically, not optically. This approach offers advantages in terms of cost since several channels share the same optical components; and the electrical components are typically less expensive than the optical ones. An electrical model gives insight into the device operation.

Mathematical modeling of pressurized system behaviour with entrapped air

The presence of entrapped air in pressurized hydraulic systems is considered a critical condition for the infrastructure security, due to the transient pressure enhancement related with its dynamic behaviour, similar to non-linear spring action. A mathematical model for the assessment of hydraulic transients resulting from rapid pressurizations, under referred condition is presented. Water movement was modeled through the elastic column theory considering a moving liquid boundary and the entrapped air pocket as lumped gas mass, where the acoustic effects are negligible. The method of characteristics was used to obtain the numerical solution of the liquid flow. The resulting model is applied to an experimental set-up having entrapped air in the top of a vertical pipe section and the numerical results are analyzed.

Reward-risk efficiency in proportional reinsurance with different risk measures

We have studied, in particular under normality of the implied random variables, the connections between different measures of risk such as the standard deviation, the W-ruin probability and the p-V@R. We discuss conditions granting the equivalence of these measures with respect to risk preference relations and the equivalence of dominance and efficiency of risk-reward criteria involving these measures. Then more specifically we applied these concepts to rigorously face the problem of finding the efficient set of de Finetti’s variable quota share proportional reinsurance.