Modelos de crescimento e governação das transacções no sector das embalagens: três casos portugueses

No sector português das embalagens identificámos três casos de modelos estratégicos distintos de crescimento e governação das transacções. Apesar do longo debate sobre onde desenhar as fronteiras da empresa, persiste a ausência de consenso, e diferentes teorias propõem diversas soluções. Este estudo contribui para o debate com o estudo de três casos portugueses. Os modelos estratégicos adoptados pelas três empresas são profundamente diferentes, mas viabilizam elevado desempenho e expansão comercial. Uma empresa assume um modelo clássico de centralização da produção e de serviço dos clientes através de relações de mercado quase puras. Outra empresa, um modelo de elevada integração vertical que corresponde à externalização integral das actividades produtivas dos clientes. A terceira, um modelo especializado de integração com a estrutura produtiva dos clientes, a um nível de quase integração vertical, com a instalação wall to wall de pequenas a médias fábricas. Os três casos parecem evidenciar que o estabelecimento de parcerias e o nível de confiança estabelecido, foram decisivos para a sobrevivência e expansão das empresas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Why discouraged borrowers exist? An empirical (re)examination from less developed countries

Using the fourth-round database of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (2008/09 BEEPS), this study examines the determinants of discouragement in less developed countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The results show that whereas firms' opaqueness, demographic factors, and distance between lenders and borrowers better explain the discouragement due to tough loan prices and/or loan application procedures, firm risk and banking concentration explain the incidence of discouraged borrowers due to the fear of rationing. Innovator status, the legal protection of creditors and lenders in the event of default, and the coverage of information sharing instruments help explain discouragement in a transversal way.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Quo vadis microcredit in Portugal? A case study of the day-to-day of an entrepreneur

A literature survey shows conflicts among the expected advantages of microcredit public-policies that might lead to discomfort on decision-making, and self-protection reactions due to increasing social demand for accountability. So, decisionmakers lacking skills and sensitiveness to the entrepreneurial phenomenon, set assessment criteria, based on banking practice, inadequate to unemployed, young, low income entrepreneurs. Together with unorganized processes, this situation produces disrespectful loan proposals ignoring experts’ opinions and business plans/contexts. The exploratory case of a Mutual Guarantee Society guaranteed by public funding: exemplifies ridiculous loan proposals for microcredit funding, conflicting with social grounds; shows entrepreneurs difficulties in accessing microcredit public-policies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Determinantes da remuneração nas empresas portuguesas

A análise e explicação das determinantes das diversas formas de remuneração em Portugal são o principal objectivo deste trabalho. Apesar da existência de diversos estudos sobre remunerações, até agora não foram desenvolvidos estudos sobre quais as determinantes explicativas da realidade empresarial. Este estudo identifica o conjunto de características das empresas e dos colaboradores que explicam o montante e a probabilidade de auferir remuneração variável e quais as determinantes da remuneração base, comparando-se os dois modelos através do «colaborador padrão». Os resultados mostram que a remuneração variável é mais utilizada nos níveis hierárquicos superiores, na área comercial, em empresas de menor dimensão, em filiais de empresas estrangeiras e para colaboradores com educação superior. Quanto à rendibilidade, os resultados revelam uma relação positiva com a probabilidade de existência de remuneração variável. No entanto, os montantes de remuneração variável são mais elevados nas empresas com menor rendibilidade

Encrypted accelerated least squares regression.

Information that is stored in an encrypted format is, by definition, usually not amenable to statistical analysis or machine learning methods. In this paper we present detailed analysis of coordinate and accelerated gradient descent algorithms which are capable of fitting least squares and penalised ridge regression models, using data encrypted under a fully homomorphic encryption scheme. Gradient descent is shown to dominate in terms of encrypted computational speed, and theoretical results are proven to give parameter bounds which ensure correctness of decryption. The characteristics of encrypted computation are empirically shown to favour a non-standard acceleration technique. This demonstrates the possibility of approximating conventional statistical regression methods using encrypted data without compromising privacy

Transverse Myelitis

Os autores apresentam três casos de mielite transversa de instalação aguda em doentes jovens, salientando a possível gravidade do quadro neurológico, a necessidade de excluir uma causa potencialmente tratável e a controvérsia da terapêutica com corticosteroides

Ultrasonic speed of sound and derived thermodynamic properties of liquid 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3-heptafluoropropane (HFC227ea) from 248 K to 333 K and pressures up to 65 MPa

This work reports experimental data of the speed of sound in liquid 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFC227ea) from 248 K to 333 K and pressures up to 65 MPa, measured with a pulse-echo method. The results are fitted with a rational approximant. Derived thermodynamic properties are calculated, combining our experimental data with density and isobaric heat capacity values published by other authors. The results were compared with the data available in the literature.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modelos de remuneração e rendibilidade nas empresas familiares portuguesas

A remuneração variável é habitualmente justificada pelo seu efeito de alinhamento dos interesses dos gestores e dos accionistas. Nas empresas de capitais dispersos, em particular, a resolução de problemas de agência passaria pela introdução de um modelo de remuneração variável, incluindo stock options. Este aspecto é ainda ignorado, no âmbito das empresas em que os proprietários também exercem a gestão. Não só é exíguo o estudo empírico deste fenómeno, como a própria fundamentação teórica tem vindo a sofrer desenvolvimentos profundos, com a inclusão dos problemas de agência específicos das empresas familiares. Este estudo baseia-se na análise comparativa de 102 das maiores empresas portuguesas e confirma a maior propensão para a remuneração variável por parte das empresas de capitais dispersos, e que só as empresas familiares mais antigas beneficiam com a adopção de modelos de remuneração variável

Antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic properties of Lactobacillus species

Molds play an important role in spoilage of food products. It is estimated that 5 to 10% of the world foods production is lost due to fungal contamination. Further, certain fungal species produce highly toxic metabolites designated as mycotoxins. According to FAO, up to 25% of the worlds food crops have been estimated to be significantly contaminated with mycotoxins. Among all known mycotoxins, aflatoxins are the most relevant ones because they are carcinogenic. Biopreservation, defined as the control of one organism by another, has received much attention by researchers in recent years. In this field, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are of great interest to be used as natural biopreservatives of food and feed since they have extensive probiotic properties and have been traditionally used in fermentation processes. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the potential of Lactobacillus species to control the occurrence of aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxins in agricultural commodities. For that several aflatoxigenic species such as Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. nomius, A. tamari, A. arachidicola, and A. minisclerotigenes were inoculated in triplicate in MEA supplemented with 10% of sterile supernatants of different Lactobacillus species obtained from liquid MRS cultures. Supernatants of most active strains inactivated with heat, proteases and NaOH (for pH neutralization) were also tested and compared with untreated ones. The fungal radial growth and the aflatoxin concentration produced in each plate were recorded and compared. L. casei and L. plantarum supernatants were found to be most active. Growth of Aspergillus flavus in MEA after 7 days was reduced approx. by 31% and 25%, respectively for each bacteria. Aflatoxins B1 and B2 production were inhibited approx. by 97 and 87%, respectively. The antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activity of those strains was reverted when supernatants were treated with proteolytic enzymes or their pH adjusted to 7

A novel non-intrusive microcell for sound-speed measurements in liquids. Speed of sound and thermodynamic properties of 2-propanone at pressures up to 160 MPa

A novel high-pressure, ultrasonic cell of extremely reduced internal dimensions ( 0.8 10 6 m3) and good precision for the determination of the speed of propagation of sound in liquids was conceived and built. It makes use of a non-intrusive methodology where the ultrasonic transducers are not in direct contact with the liquid sample under investigation. The new cell was used to carry out speed of sound measurements in 2-propanone (acetone) in broad ranges of temperature (265 < T =K < 340) and pressure (0:1 < p=MPa < 160). (p; q; T ) data for acetone were also determined but in a narrower T ; p range (298 to 333 K; 0.1 to 60 MPa). In this interval, several thermodynamic properties were thus calculated, such as: isentropic (js) and isothermal (jTÞ compressibility, isobaric thermal expansivity (ap), isobaric (cp) and isochoric (cv) specific heat capacity, and the thermal pressure coefficient (cv). Comparisons with values found in the literature generally show good agreement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio