Very short introduction to positional analysis

Recurso pedagógico (uc 23002 e 43018)From a sustainability science perspective (Dedeurwaerdere 2014) and circular economy education (Kopnina 2018), an alternative to cost-benefit analysis is worth exploring. The opposition between cost-benefit analysis and positional analysis is parallel to that of environmental economics and ecological economics or sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Small is beautiful: a brief review

Recurso educativo (uc 23002)A mixture of philosophy, environmentalism and economics.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

The economic doctrines in the wine trade and wine production sectors: the case of Bastiat and the Port wine sector: 1850-1908

The history of economic ideas (or doctrines) has a long tradition of popularization activists, usually, but not exclusively, defending some ideological precepts over others. This tradition is particularly clear in the 19th century and early 20th century with economists, such as Frédéric Bastiat, reaching a wide readership and get involved in polemical economic issues and policies. This is the case of the wine production and wine trade. Bastiat is involved in the defense of free trade in the wine sector in France. His views are widely diffused in Europe. In the case of Portugal, the ideas of Bastiat are used by several authors (and, inter alia, Joaquim Kopke) to argue for free trade and the suppression of the restrictive system of the Port wine. This defense is also based on the converging interests of wine merchants and landowners (especially proprietors of large vineyards in the Upper Douro). After treating the diffusion of economic ideas and the doctrine of Frédéric Bastiat in the first and second sections, I will characterize in the third one, the setting of the wine sector. Finally, I study the case of port wine with documents from archives, newspapers and pamphlets from about 1850 to 1908.Port wine, free trade, Bastiat, history of economic thought

The evolution of Port merchants: An evolutionary analysis of the transformation of an economic sector (1700-1833)

This historical episode is one of a profound transformation of this trade sector that between the end of the 17th century and the middle of the following one, namely the emergence and strengthening of the position of the British merchants in detriment to the competitive position of the merchants of other nationalities, including the Portuguese. During this period, England, the first import market for wine, a market undergoing substantial changes, dissociating itself from the traditional European wine of the previous century: the German and Italian wine, and associating itself with the Iberian Peninsular wines such as the Sherry (Jerez) and Port (vinho do Porto). Of course, the French wines retain a central place in the present story but this will not be our focus here. If the gravity center of consumption is dislocated to England, the production regions are also reorganized. The Iberian Peninsula is the rising side of the trade, directly competing with the French wines. Behind this change, there lies the emergence of a new population of wine merchants, especially in the case of the Port wine that I study in the present research. If the overall transformation of the sector, on an aggregated level has already been done, there is still a need of a research based on more detailed information. In this respect, I will insist above all on the transformation and evolution of the population of Port shipper from 1700 to 1833, basing my argument on historical documents from the Portuguese and English customs and other regulatory entities in Portugal. I will present the evolution of the population of wine merchants based on quantitative data (quantities exported) and qualitative data on Port shippers. I will focus the constitution and evolution of the core British merchants that will obtain and maintain the dominance on the sector. The second point of my research is the mechanism of transformation and renewal of the population of Port merchants of either group: British and non-British (as it is often referred to in the historical records). The perspective I will adopt is straightforwardly evolutionary. In the first section I present the issue I will tackle: the evolution of trade and the population of Port shippers from roughly 1700 to 1833. In the second section, I will develop some basic theoretical concepts from evolutionary theory in order to adapt them to the present study. In the third part, I analyze the evolution of the population of wine merchants on quantitative data of exports, other economic and institutional indicators (market trends, regulation policy, market structure, etc.). I will finish with the presentation of a summary table that will compare the situation at the beginning of the period and the outcome of the evolutionary transformation of the sector at the end of the 1830s.Port wine, wine trade, regulation policy, institutions

Managing sustainability: the role of multinational corporations in the global south

Multinational corporations and international business practices as well as international investment are considered important elements for the diffusion of new modes of production, namely through a flow of cleaner production and new management practices such as corporate social responsibility (CSR). This view is lacking consistency and is not buttressed on strong empirical evidence. The positive driver of environmental sustainability is probably not international business and trade but strong and good institutions. The focus here is on four limitations: the context of the private firms and corporations, the workings of complex organizations, the technology and the right institutions that buttress the global, national and local contexts, taking as concrete examples some specific cases from the Global South, as Mozambique. The article concludes that these aspects have to be considered and contrasted to the technological and management solutions for sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of the regulator to promote the sustainability of water supply in Portugal

PosterWater is considered one of the most important natural resources and according to its scarcity and cost, it necessary to implement a sustainable management of its use. One of the reasons for the unsustainable management of the sector in Portugal is the failure of the national Strategic Plan 2006-2013. It is no surprise that, either in relation to coverage ratios, or with respect to the quality of the water supplied, Portugal is meeting the goals set out by the government. The of sustainability of the sector is another one, it’s related to the way the sector is organized and managed. Regarding the reorganization of the sector with a concentration of operators (ending micro operators without technical and financial dimension), the vertical systems (from catchment to home delivery), the desired concentration ranges (in water supply and wastewater treatment), the use of partnerships between the State and the municipalities and a uniform tariff, nothing has been done and none of these aspects of the government objectives have been implemented. It is therefore necessary to create or strengthen the institutions that promote the protection of water resources. Among these institutions the Regulatory Authority and Waste Water Services (ERSAR) plays a central role, with a wide range of functions from defending the quality of the water services, its fair distribution, the sustainability of water resources, the respect of legal mechanisms, the training and information of and on the sector, to the financial and taxes instruments. As Gerlach and Franceys (2010:1229) refer: "the new regulators face the tremendous challenge of stimulating and supporting water service providers to improve their poor performance record, which affects the disproportionately lower income population" and "[...] regulators are required to balance politically potentially sensitive and conflicting efficiency and welfare objectives." The objective of this study is to deepen the knowledge of the framework and role of ERSAR powers, allowing make sustainable management of water supply systems in Portugal, after the high investments made in the sector in the last 20 years. These results will be obtained based on bibliographic research, application of a survey to different entities with competences in water services in European Union (Benchmarking) and application of a Interview to key actors (municipalities) in Setúbal District, in Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Heidegger, technology and sustainability: between intentionality, accountability and empowerment

Transition is the adequate term for characterising contemporary societies. Norms and values are in transit, led by a technological revolution, which is, in itself, the tip of the iceberg of millenary social and cultural changes. Heidegger, one of the leading philosophers of the twentieth century, captured this tension between social change and innovative technology and showed that the Western civilisation was captive of ontological instances whose role was already pin-pointed by Greek Antiquity philosophy but which went underground with Modernity. The product of Heidegger’s work was a revolution in Western thought, which found echoes across all areas of society. Taking Husserl’s call for “back to the things themselves”, Heidegger’s impact has empowered the calls for more sustainable and resilient societies. Sustainability models, with its three pillars of environmental, economic and social sustainability, are directly dependent upon the role of technology and of information science in shaping current patterns of production and consumption in contemporary societies. Industrial, academic and political discourses already voice such taken for granted assumptions. Nevertheless, it is crucial to clarify and to highlight the links between economic evolution and progress, social change and the catalysing role of technology, taken as an enabler of human action.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PIB - Produto Interno Bruto: breve introdução

O produto interno bruto, ou PIB, é o indicador que mede o valor monetário de todos os bens e serviços produzidos, na base de uma contrapartida monetária, e avaliada a partir dos preços de mercado. Declina-se em várias óticas, nomeadamente a da produção e a dos rendimentos. O PIB é hoje complementado por outros indicadores como o índice de desenvolvimento humano (IDH). Jacquinet, Marc (2019) PIB - Produto Interno Bruto: Breve Introdução; Lisboa: Universidade Abertainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O que é a gestão?: uma muito breve introdução

Recurso de aprendizagem (ucs 61041, 61049 e 61050)A gestão pode ser concebida, para o estudo do empreendedorismo, como a arte de dirigir uma organização, planear seu desenvolvimento, controlar o seu desempenho, aplicando-se a todos os domínios da empresa. Também, pode-se abordar a questão da gestão do ponto de vista, da sua normatividade, prática e estudo científico.info:eu-repo/semantics/draf

A gestão do conhecimento e a renovação das economias capitalistas num Mundo globalizado: uma análise crítica dos discursos e das realidades europeias

Tanto na literatura especializada nas ciências de gestão e administração como em obras e revistas de divulgação, o conceito de gestão do conhecimento tem vindo a adquirir um lugar de destaque impar e consistente. Embora haja sinais de superficialidade, não se trata apenas de uma moda, mas sim de uma premência do discurso e do espelho de uma realidade em profunda transformação. Há um claro paralelo entre o processo de globalização e o desenvolvimento da economia do conhecimento, e é neste quadro que temos que estudar o discurso e as práticas (sociais) da gestão quando se referem ao conhecimento. Depois de descrever na primeira secção as grandes transformações económicas e sociais relativas à globalização, numa perspectiva socioeconómica, passaremos, numa segunda parte, à definição dos conceitos de conhecimento, economia do conhecimento, globalização, governance e gestão do conhecimento, dando relevo às ligações entre os conceitos. Numa terceira parte, na base da sociologia económica e das organizações estabelecemos o quadro de análise dos discursos e das realidades organizacionais. Na quarta parte, procedemos a uma análise mais elaborada da emergência do factor “conhecimento” na economia e, sobretudo, nas organizações. Na parte final, enunciamos várias conclusões, uma das mais importantes é a de uma transformação concomitante dos discursos e das realidades, mas de um modo caracterizado pela diversidade e pelas desigualdades de velocidades de transformação ou adaptaçãoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio