Performance assessment in the portuguese public administration

Apresentação realizada na Conferência "Changing Public Sevice in a Changing World" realizada em Budapeste a 24 de Abril de 2009

Training needs assessment in public organizations

Comunicação apresentada na Conferência Anual do IASIA, realizada em Kampala, Uganda, de 14 a 18 de Julho de 2008

Maintenance of fire sprinkler systems based on the dynamic assessment of its condition

Safety is one of the major concerns of process safety engineers in most industrial facilities all over the world. To this scope, some events play an important role once the effect of their consequences can be assumed as totally undesirable. One of these events refers to the occurrence of a fire. Such event can result in catastrophic consequences for life, equipment, and continuity of activities or even leading to environmental damage. A fire protection equipment with low reliability means that this equipment are often unavailable and thus the risk of a fire increases. Maintenance of fire protection equipment is very important because this kind of systems is mostly in a dormant mode, which gives uncertainty about their operability when demanded in a real situation of fire. This article outlines the importance of tests, inspection, and maintenance operations in the context of a fire sprinkler system and proposes a methodology based on international standards and supported by test/inspection reports to correct the frequency of these actions according to the level of degradation of the components and regarding safety purposes. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Utilização de técnicas de análise fotogramétricas em quebra-mares de taludes

Dissertação de Natureza Científica elaborada no Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) para obtenção do grau de mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização de Hidráulica no âmbito do protocolo de cooperação entre o ISEL e o LNEC

Risk assessment in open innovation networks

Innovation is considered crucial for enterprises survival and current economic environment demands the best ways of achieving it. However, the development of complex products and services require the utilization of diverse know-how and technology, which enterprises may not hold. An effective strategy for achieving them is to rely in open innovation. Still, open innovation projects may fail for many causes, e.g. due to the dynamics of collaboration between partners. To effectively benefit from open innovation, it is recommended the utilization of adequate risk models. For achieving such models, a preliminary conceptualization of open innovation and risk is necessary, which includes modeling experiments with existing risk models, such as the FMEA.

Development and Assessment of an E-Learning Course on Breast Imaging for Radiographers: A Stratified Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mammography is considered the best imaging technique for breast cancer screening, and the radiographer plays an important role in its performance. Therefore, continuing education is critical to improving the performance of these professionals and thus providing better health care services. Objective: Our goal was to develop an e-learning course on breast imaging for radiographers, assessing its efficacy , effectiveness, and user satisfaction. Methods: A stratified randomized controlled trial was performed with radiographers and radiology students who already had mammography training, using pre- and post-knowledge tests, and satisfaction questionnaires. The primary outcome was the improvement in test results (percentage of correct answers), using intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis. Results: A total of 54 participants were assigned to the intervention (20 students plus 34 radiographers) with 53 controls (19+34). The intervention was completed by 40 participants (11+29), with 4 (2+2) discontinued interventions, and 10 (7+3) lost to follow-up. Differences in the primary outcome were found between intervention and control: 21 versus 4 percentage points (pp), P<.001. Stratified analysis showed effect in radiographers (23 pp vs 4 pp; P=.004) but was unclear in students (18 pp vs 5 pp; P=.098). Nonetheless, differences in students’ posttest results were found (88% vs 63%; P=.003), which were absent in pretest (63% vs 63%; P=.106). The per-protocol analysis showed a higher effect (26 pp vs 2 pp; P<.001), both in students (25 pp vs 3 pp; P=.004) and radiographers (27 pp vs 2 pp; P<.001). Overall, 85% were satisfied with the course, and 88% considered it successful. Conclusions: This e-learning course is effective, especially for radiographers, which highlights the need for continuing education.

O Relato financeiro nas IPSS: Estudo de caso de uma IPSS do concelho de Vila Nova de Gaia

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Contabilidade e Finanças, sob orientação de Professora Doutora Ana Maria Alves Bandeira e Professora Doutora Deolinda Meira

A Percepção dos Cuidadores Informais Relativamente ao Centro de Dia Para Pessoas com Doença de Alzheimer

A sobrecarga familiar provocada pela doença de Alzheimer é reconhecida como um problema de saúde pública: há cada vez menos cuidadores jovens para cada vez mais doentes idosos e as insuficientes respostas de suporte social são uma realidade. O acto de cuidar no domícilio afecta de forma significativa os padrões ocupacionais dos prestadores de cuidados, levando-os a situações de desiquilíbrio ocupacional e a grande desgaste fisico e emocional. Assim, este trabalho pretende compreender a percepção dos cuidadores informais relativamente à integração destas pessoas em centros de dia, como estratégia de melhoria da estabilidade emocional e equilíbrio ocupacional dos seus familiares. Em termos da recolha da informação empírica, recorremos a uma metodologia mista, constituída por procedimentos mais de natureza quantitativa e outros de carácter mais qualitativo. Nesse enquadramento foram administrados a cerca de 10 cuidadores informais, antes e depois do seu familiar ter sido integrado no centro de dia, os instrumentos “Entrevista de Zarit para a sobrecarga do cuidador” e o “Teste abreviado da qualidade de vida” (WHOQOL-Bref), no sentido de se avaliar o impacto desta medida no equilíbrio emocional e percepção subjectiva da qualidade de vida. Concomitantemente, foram realizadas entrevistas também antes e depois da integração no sentido de compreender de que forma a frequência no centro de dia potencia um equilíbrio ocupacional mais adaptado. Os resultados obtidos mostram que ocorreu uma diminuição da sobrecarga emocional e uma melhoria da percepção subjectiva de qualidade de vida por parte dos cuidadores, bem como, um padrão de equilíbrio ocupacional mais ajustado e equilibrado e potenciador de bem-estar, após a frequência de seis meses do familiar com doença de Alzheimer no centro de dia “Memória de Mim”. Ainda que tratando-se de um estudo exploratório, estas conclusões parecem apontar para a importância destas respostas sociais no suporte às pessoas com demências e aos seus familiares.

The influence of pre-departure training on expatriate adjustment: an empirical investigation with portuguese international assignees

This chapter examines the cross-cultural influence of training on the adjustment of international assignees. We focus on the pre-departure training (PDT) before an international assignment. It is an important topic because in the globalized world of today more and more expatriations are needed. The absence of PDT may generate the failure of the expatriation experience. Companies may neglect PDT due to cost reduction practices and ignorance of the need for it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews to 42 Portuguese international assignees and 18 organizational representatives from nine Portuguese companies. The results suggest that companies should develop PDT programs, particularly when the cultural distance to the host country is bigger and when there is no previous experience of expatriation to that country in the company. The study is original because it details in depth the methods of PDT, its problems, and consequences. Some limitations linked to the research design and detailed in the conclusion should be overcome in future studies.

Strategic environmental assessment in Tróia (Portugal)

Proceedings of the First International Conference on Coastal Conservation and Management in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, p. 91-98

Anthropocentric-based robotic and autonomous systems: assessment for new organisational options

Text based on the paper presented at the Conference "Autonomous systems: inter-relations of technical and societal issues" held at Monte de Caparica (Portugal), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, November, 5th and 6th 2009 and organized by IET-Research Centre on Enterprise and Work Innovation

Environmental impact assessment in higher education and training in Portugal

Journal of Cleaner Production, nº 16, p. 639-645

Quantitative assessment of modularity of caesarJ components

Dissertação apresentada no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

Designing a technology assessment post-graduation programme: experiences, limits and needs

The post-graduation in the field of Technology Assessment (TA) is recent and that are several and different ways to be organised. Most experiences are related with the Masters diplom level (2nd cycle of graduation in high education). Just one in PhD level is explicit in the field of TA, and some other PhD courses include also TA topics in their programme structure. In this chapter we will analyse the problems related with the design of a post-graduation (MA, MSc or PhD) programme in the field of TA using as reference some international experiences. Hereby, the main conclusion seems to address labour market needs in the specialised knowledge of TA, of technology management or technology innovation. In this sense TA should be included as “minor” into post-graduation courses which may range from engineering disciplines to social sciences. As a graduation programme it can fill an expertise gap between technicians, engineers, scientists and the strategic decision makers or policy makers.

The impact of global forces on the individual: empirical evidence from the German clothing industry

Starting from theoretical perspectives on globalisation, the following article analyses how current working conditions are affected by globalisation processes. For this purpose, recent developments in the German clothing sector are traced back to the power of economic globalisation processes. Characterising the German clothing sector as pioneer in economic globalisation, we use empirical findings to illustrate how current processes of globalisation influence the work place: At organisational level, corporate strategies aim at rationalisation, standardisation and flexibilisation of work in order to response to the economic pressure of global markets. At individual level these strategies, in turn, speed up working processes and intensify working processes for the employees. Although these developments form strong trends, we conclude that the local embeddedness of companies is still of high importance with regard to organisational and individual consequences of globalisation.