Case study : the acquisition of Whole Foods Market, Inc. by Amazon.com, Inc.

Atualmente, é necessário que uma empresa se adapte rapidamente às mudanças do meio em que ela se insere. Neste sentido, fusões e aquisições podem funcionar como um instrumento chave para permitir que uma empresa atinja os seus objetivos estratégicos. Aplicando a metodologia de estudo de caso, iremos analisar a aquisição da Whole Foods Market pela Amazon (completada a 28 de Agosto de 2017). Com um valor total de aproximadamente $13,57 mil milhões ($42,00 por ação da Whole Foods Market), este negócio destaca‐se como um dos maiores eventos de reestruturação empresarial desse ano, assim como a maior aquisição de um retalhista até à data. No presente estudo, pretendemos esclarecer os seguintes tópicos: (1) analise detalhada dos aspetos essenciais da aquisição; (2) quais os sinais que a aquisição nos transmite (tendo em consideração as mudanças nas preferências dos consumidores), e o que sinaliza em relação a futuros investimentos da Amazon. Resumidamente, concluímos que a aquisição da Whole Foods Market se adequa perfeitamente na estratégia da Amazon, permitindo‐lhe não apenas expandir as suas capacidades, mas também alargar o seu ecossistema. Por último, também defendemos que esta aquisição pode ser apenas o primeiro passo de um processo longo e d spendioso para a Amazon que, em caso de sucesso, pode suscitar ganhos significativos para a empresa.Today’s environment requires that a company moves faster and responds quickly to its changes. In this sense, mergers and acquisitions can function as a powerful tool that allows a company to achieve its strategic goals. Here, applying a case study methodology, we will analyze Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market (completed on August 28th, 2017). With an estimated total consideration of approximately $13.57 billion ($42.00 per Whole Foods Market’s share), this deal positions itself as one of the biggest corporate restructuring events of that year, and as the largest acquisition of a brick‐to‐mortar retailer until the date. In this study, we hope to shed light on the following topics: (1) analyze the acquisition’s key aspects; (2) what signals does the acquisition sends to the market (taking into consideration the changes in the consumers’ preferences), and about Amazon’s future moves. In short, we concluded that the acquisition of Whole Foods Market perfectly fits in Amazon’s strategy, allowing it not only to empower its capabilities, but also to expand its ecosystem. On top of that, we also defend that this deal could be just the first step of a long and costly process to Amazon which, in case of success, can trigger substantial wealth‐increases to the company

EOLES Course – Five Years of Remote Learning and Experimenting

The EOLES (Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems) course consists of a 3rd year Bachelor degree that relies exclusively on e-learning and remote laboratories, developed as the result of an EU funded ERASMUS+ project, involving 15 institutions from four European and three North African countries and concluded in 2015. This paper presents an overview and overall results for this initial period and a more detailed analysis of the Digital Systems Teaching Unit contents, pedagogical approach, grading methodology and results. The focus is on the unit specific characteristics and features, student and teacher experiences and the methodologies that were applied to enhance learning success. The Teaching Unit expositive material is provided as the student progresses, with progressive unlocking of content depending timeline and automatic quizzes results. Grading is divided between weekly assignments, an online exam at the end of each TU and a final exam at the end of the academic year. In short, students are allowed and encouraged to adjust their learning rhythm within the limits allowed by time restraints and evaluation criteria. The developed course was accredited as a specialization year in most partner institutions and has been running non-stop since then, mainly with students from North African institutions. Although no longer supported by an EU project, the course is a good example of sustainability as it already had 4 effective editions with successful approval rates and always with many more candidates than available vacancies.ERASMUS+info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

EOLES Course, 4 years and going…results and experiences

The EOLES (Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems) course consists of a 3rd year Bachelor degree that relies exclusively on e-learning and remote laboratories, developed as the result of an EU funded ERASMUS+ project, involving 15 institutions from four European and three North African countries and concluded in 2015. The developed course was accredited as a specialization year in most partner institutions and has been running non-stop since then, mainly with students from North African institutions. Although no longer supported by an EU project, the course is a good example of sustainability as it already had 4 effective editions with successful approval rates and always with many more candidates than available vacancies. This paper presents an overview and overall results for this initial period and a more detailed analysis of the Digital Systems Teaching Unit. The focus is on the course specific characteristics and features, student and teacher experiences and the methodologies that were applied to enhance learning results. Although being a fully online course, several synchronous activities and communication tools are included in the methodology to enhance student and teacher iteration and also to provide an impartial grading process, as required for accreditation. The course expositive material is provided as the student progresses, with progressive unlocking of content depending on each teaching unit timeline, and automatic quizzes results. In short, students are allowed and encouraged to adjust their learning rhythm within the limits allowed by time restraints and evaluation criteria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Blisstrail: An Agile Project Business Case Study

AbstractToday's software development environment dictates speed, flexibility and a people-centered focus. Virtual teams represent a new organizational form that does not provide for same proximity collaboration. In this paper we propose a solution approach of a virtual team, as well as show some examples of using the Microsoft Visual Team Foundation Server 2013 tools to address these challenges

EOLES Course, 4 years and going…results and experiences

The EOLES (Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems) course consists of a 3rd year Bachelor degree that relies exclusively on e-learning and remote laboratories, developed as the result of an EU funded ERASMUS+ project, involving 15 institutions from four European and three North African countries and concluded in 2015. The developed course was accredited as a specialization year in most partner institutions and has been running non-stop since then, mainly with students from North African institutions. Although no longer supported by an EU project, the course is a good example of sustainability as it already had 4 effective editions with successful approval rates and always with many more candidates than available vacancies. This paper presents an overview and overall results for this initial period and a more detailed analysis of the Digital Systems Teaching Unit. The focus is on the course specific characteristics and features, student and teacher experiences and the methodologies that were applied to enhance learning results. Although being a fully online course, several synchronous activities and communication tools are included in the methodology to enhance student and teacher iteration and also to provide an impartial grading process, as required for accreditation. The course expositive material is provided as the student progresses, with progressive unlocking of content depending on each teaching unit timeline, and automatic quizzes results. In short, students are allowed and encouraged to adjust their learning rhythm within the limits allowed by time restraints and evaluation criteria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Adoption and Uses of ICTs by the Portuguese Unions. Are the Technologies Helping to Revitalize the Trade Unions?

Most of the trade union movements in the advanced capitalist societies are living “hard times” (Chaison, 1996) since the 70s. Facing the problem, they are implementing a set of actions towards their revitalization (Frege and Kelly, 2003). The adoption of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) emerges in this context as an important tool for supporting those actions. The unions adopted the ICTs later than their counterparts (Ad-Hoc Committee on Labour and the Web, 1999; Pinnock, 2005), but the competitive advantages they offer and their flexibility encouraged the unions to adopt them more and more. Everywhere, the unions are making an investment in this domain, using ICTs in several areas with concrete objectives. Some studies reveal that this investment has a relevant impact in the organizational issues, but a more mitigate one in the overall unions’ efficiency (Fiorito et al., 2002). However, some authors go forward and state that ICTs have a relevant contribution for a qualitative transformation of the unions’ structures. According to them, new union forms are emerging called “cyberunion” (Shostak, 1999,2002), “e-union” (Darlington, 2000), “open-source unionism” (Freeman and Rogers, 2002) or “trade unionism 2.0” (Gutiérrez-Rubi, 2009). In this paper we will discuss if the adoption of ICTs by the Portuguese unions are giving a contribution for their revitalization. Methodologically, we have allied an extensive analysis (survey of national unions; analysis of the Internet use) with an in-depth analysis (a case study on CGTP-IN)

E-Engineering: from concept to reality

Even before the digital era, the implementation of distance learning in higher education was a reality in many areas. Notwithstanding, the offer of distance higher education courses was not equal in all knowledge areas due to different teaching and learning requirements. The experimental work developed during the learning process in engineering areas is widely recognized as essential for engineering students. However, the remote availableness of this experimental, hands-on, works, typically done in University laboratories designed according to the different teaching subject requirements, was nonexistent. With the advent of remote laboratories, real-time remotely controlled laboratory facilities made possible by the advancements on the Internet network, this limitation disappeared. The concept of e-engineering, a merge between the e-learning concept and the remote laboratories, emerged as a solution to offer distance learning engineering courses without abdicating of the indispensable practical component of any engineering course. Two European projects – the Tempus EOLES project and the ERASMUS+ e-LIVES project – try to bridge the gap between concept and reality by first implementing an accredited higher education engineering course in Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems and then by producing a set of guidelines to help others to be autonomous in the creation of their own eengineering courses.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Patrimonialismo pentecostal: novo patamar das relações entre religião e política no Brasil recente

As relações entre evangélicos e política no Brasil estão marcadas, desde seu auge nos anos 80 do século XX, por explícito interesse desse setor religioso em impor à sociedade uma moral religiosa. O presente artigo analisa essa questão aproveitando o conceito de “patrimonialismo”. Argumenta-se que o amplo setor evangélico que apoiou a candidatura de Jair Bolsonaro entende ter chegado a hora dos evangélicos controlarem os destinos do país. Apoia-se em registros oficiais e documentação pública sobre a prática política dos evangélicos e foca sua atenção nas eleições de 2018. Analisa a aliança política entre evangélicos conservadores e o projeto eleitoral direitista que saiu vitorioso nas eleições. Constata aspectos inéditos das relações entre religião e política no Brasil, com protagonismo especial das maiores igrejas pentecostais.