How can the start-ups compete with the incumbents in the automotive market?

This master thesis addresses how start-ups can become competitive in the actual EV-changing automotive market as well as what incumbents should do to adapt themselves. In fact, there are plenty of researches and published articles made towards the changing to EV’s from the automotive industry. A lot of authors have approached the incentives for this change, the consumer’s expectation, the penetration growth rates of EV’s in the market, among other phenomena. Although, no one has ever approached the fact that this industry change can possibly allow start-ups to step in and take a position on the market, as well as what strategies should these companies take in such a competitive environment. In order to study this matter, the author analyzed several strategies from market incumbents taken towards EV adoption, collected business paths of certain companies that were recent start-ups in the market and did an unprecedented empirical analysis of the automotive market through a linear regression that explains the financial success of an automotive company through nine explanatory variables related with EV adoption. The research and the empirical analysis revealed that incumbent companies distinguish themselves between the ones that have adopted a first mover approach and the ones who took a laggard strategy towards the EV’s. The first ones tend to spend more resources in R&D as well as with Capex expenses, but they benefit by being able to produce their own batteries and powertrain equipment which allow them to become independent from other companies, supply them with their assets and knowledge and produce native EV’s who present financial advantages in relation to non-native ones. The second ones have such a market position that allows them to take a laggard approach, not investing resources on R&D and Capex expenses as the first movers did. These companies tend to take advantage of the path left behind by the first movers and only invest in this market after making sure that there is enough demand to fulfill their supplies. Either ones or the others benefit from the formation of partnerships between each other and with with other companies from different complementary industries, as well as from incentives by the governments related to EV’s consumption. For start-ups it was made clear that they needed to find external help either by incentives of the government or other private investors through events like crowdfunding campaigns in order to support the first years of investment. It was also discovered that start-ups, like the incumbent companies, also benefit from partnerships and are almost obligated to do them if initially they don’t have the necessary engineering knowledge or resources to develop own equipment. Dealing with start-ups is a very delicate process and the empirical cases from companies who were recent start-ups and become succeeded as well as the coefficients presented by the linear regression helped a lot drawing the author’s perspective of the “ideal” market strategy approach to them.Esta dissertação aborda a temática de como as start-ups podem tornar-se competitivas no atual mercado automóvel que se apresenta em mutação para os automóveis elétricos, assim como o que é que as empresas incumbentes devem fazer para se adaptarem a essa mudança. De facto, existem muitas pesquisas e artigos publicados sobre a mudança da indústria automóvel para os automóveis elétricos. Muitos autores abordaram os incentivos que levaram a essa mudança, a expectativa do lado dos consumidores, a taxa de crescimento da penetração dos automóveis elétricos no mercado, entre outros fenómenos. Contudo, ninguém ainda tinha abordado o facto de que esta mudança na indústria possivelmente poderia abrir portas para novas empresas (start-ups) entrarem e tomarem uma posição no mercado, assim como que estratégias é que estas empresas devem adotar num mercado tão competitivo. De forma a estudar este assunto, o autor analisou diversas estratégias relacionadas com a adoção de automóveis elétricos que os incumbentes do mercado adotaram, colecionou dados de casos concretos de empresas que foram recentemente start-ups e fez uma inédita análise empírica do mercado automóvel através de uma regressão linear que explica o sucesso financeiro de uma empresa automóvel através de nove variáveis explicativas relacionadas com a adoção de automóveis elétricos. A pesquisa e a análise empírica revelaram que as empresas incumbentes distinguem-se entre as que adotaram uma postura pioneira no mercado dos carros elétricos e as que decidiram atrasar essa entrada no mercado. As primeiras acabam por despender mais recursos em investigação e desenvolvimento assim como com despesas relacionadas com Capex, mas beneficiam por conseguirem produzir as suas próprias baterias e equipamentos de forma a tornarem-se independentes das restantes, puderem fornecer o seu equipamento e conhecimento, e produzirem carros elétricos nativos (que promovem mais vantagens financeiras que os não-nativos). As segundas empresas possuem uma posição de mercado tal, que lhes permite darem-se ao luxo de entrar tarde no mercado, não despendendo tantos recursos no investimento necessário. Estas empresas acabam por se aproveitar do caminho deixado pelas pioneiras e apenas investem nos carros elétricos quando têm a certeza que o mercado possui a procura necessária para absorver a oferta. Tanto umas como as outras beneficiam da formação de parcerias entre elas e entre outras empresas de indústrias complementares assim como de incentivos pelo governo ao consumo de carros elétricos. Para as start-ups (empresas novas) ficou claro que precisariam de encontrar ajuda externa, sejam incentivos governamentais ou outros investimentos privados através de eventos como campanhas de crowdfunding de forma a puder suportar os primeiros anos de investimento. Também foi descoberto que as start-ups, como as empresas incumbentes, também beneficiam de parcerias e são praticamente obrigadas a fazê-las se, inicialmente, não apresentarem o conhecimento de engenharia ou os recursos necessários para desenvolver o seu próprio equipamento. Lidar com start-ups é um processo muito delicado e os casos empíricos de empresas que foram recentemente start-ups, e se tornaram bem-sucedidas, assim como os coeficientes apresentados pela regressão linear ajudaram bastante a desenhar a perspetiva do autor da abordagem estratégica de mercado ideal para elas.; ; ;

Integració cultural i aprenentatge col·laboratiu converses en diverses lengües

En el marco de la Incubadora de Valores, se lleva a cabo la Iniciativa “Conversaciones en la UA”, en la que participa alumnado de la UPUA, que desarrolla un voluntariado cultural en el ámbito lingüístico, como complemento y actividad extracurricular a la oferta académica regular. El considerable potencial de conocimiento de idiomas entre el alumnado de la UPUA y la sentida necesidad de practicar y mejorar lo adquirido en su tiempo, constituye una base ideal para llevar a cabo una experiencia de aprendizaje colaborativo en el ámbito de los idiomas

Política social, cualificaciones profesionales y sustentabilidad forestal

El componente social es, junto con el ecológico y el económico, uno de los ejes vertebradores de la sustentabilidad forestal. Dentro de dicha vertiente el capital humano es el referente y recurso estratégico de mayor relevancia. Es preciso establecer criterios, principios y elementos de sustentabilidad forestal en las competencias profesionales y, en definitiva, en el conjunto de elementos de las diferentes y variadas ocupaciones forestales. En este sentido y, entre otros aspectos, estudiamos la incorporación de criterios de sustentabilidad forestal (condiciones de trabajo, salud laboral, formación y aprendizaje, etc.) para algunas de las ocupaciones y cualificaciones profesionales demandadas en la actualidad por las empresas del sector forestal

Public interactive displays in schools : involving teachers in the design and assessment of innovative technologies.

The introduction of an innovative technology in schools has the potential to change the education system, bringing major changes in the way teachers work, students learn challenging the way schools are managed. Informed by literature that sustains integration of technological innovations in educational contexts is influenced by instrumental factors such as school leadership and organizational structure (Dix, 2007) and using a development research approach, three hands-on workshops were conducted with a criterion sample of teachers of a secondary school from the north of Portugal in order to elicit expectations towards the use of digital displays to viewing videos, explore possible features for the system design as well as the management of the technological device in the school system. Development research methodology showed to produce usable findings that were born out of the collaborative partnership between researchers and stakeholders focused around inquiry that is of interest to educational leaders and teachers with the intention to inform and transform pedagogical practices. In sum, the development research approach allowed, for one hand, the conception of a new tool pedagogically adjusted to students learning needs as well as to the school organizational rules and structures. On the other hand, our methodological approach aimed to foster the acceptance of the tool as a useful pedagogical instrument for other teachers and for the whole school ecology.Comissão Europeia (FP7)CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, UM (UI 317 da FCT

Do circadian genes and ambient temperature affect substrate-borne signalling during Drosophila courtship?

Courtship vibratory signals can be air-borne or substrate-borne. They convey distinct and species-specific information from one individual to its prospective partner. Here, we study the substrate-borne vibratory signals generated by the abdominal quivers of the Drosophila male during courtship; these vibrations travel through the ground towards courted females and coincide with female immobility. It is not known which physical parameters of the vibrations encode the information that is received by the females and induces them to pause. We examined the intervals between each vibratory pulse, a feature that was reported to carry information for animal communication. We were unable to find evidence of periodic variations in the lengths of these intervals, as has been reported for fly acoustical signals. Because it was suggested that the genes involved in the circadian clock may also regulate shorter rhythms, we search for effects of period on the interval lengths. Males that are mutant for the period gene produced vibrations with significantly altered interpulse intervals; also, treating wild type males with constant light results in similar alterations to the interpulse intervals. Our results suggest that both the clock and light/dark cycles have input into the interpulse intervals of these vibrations. We wondered if we could alter the interpulse intervals by other means, and found that ambient temperature also had a strong effect. However, behavioural analysis suggests that only extreme ambient temperatures can affect the strong correlation between female immobility and substrate-borne vibrations.This work was kindly supported by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award (WT096645MA) to P. A. Lawrence.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Company of Biologists via http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/bio.01433

La utilidad del excedente para el análisis de la información financiera en las sociedades cooperativas

Este trabajo analiza una muestra de sociedades cooperativas gallegas para verificar si es posible inferir diferencias en las conductas financieras de los socios a partir de la cuantía del excedente contable. Con esta finalidad se añade al valor del excedente, el resultado de las variaciones registradas en determinadas partidas contables que incluyen otras rentas residuales. El reparto de dichas rentas revela que los socios no optan generalizadamente por la anticipación completa de las rentas residuales. Se deduce, por tanto, la existencia de empresas que escogen una estrategia de excedente positivo, diferente de la estrategia de excedente nulo planteada por la teoría financiera clásica. En la muestra seleccionada, las diferencias entre ambas estrategias son estadísticamente significativas, lo que abre la puerta, en futuros trabajos, a investigar qué factores pueden explicar la renuncia voluntaria de los socios a la percepción anticipada de todas estas rentas residuales. Tal conducta sólo se evidencia cuando se declara un resultado positivo, de ahí la utilidad del excedente contable en el análisis de la información financiera de la sociedad cooperativa

Cooperación española al desarrollo forestal sostenible con los países en vías de desarrollo

Análisis de la situación de la ccoperación española en materia forestal con los países en vías de desarrollo, señalando las limitaciones existentes y la incidencia de la actual situación económica global. Se enmarca la cooperación al desarrollo forestal sostenible dentro del cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio y del Plan Director de la Cooperación Española 2009-2012