INTERNATIONAL DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGIES AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL AND EXOGENOUS ANTECEDENTS

International operations, with its multiplicity of objectives, can be seen as a diversification strategy, sometimes even as a strategic option taken as an effective alternative to product diversification. Focusing on a sample of SMEs of Portuguese manufacturing industries, this study analyzes the international diversification strategies and their organizational and exogenous antecedents. Specifically, entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities of the firm are two factors of organizational nature, while the environmental uncertainty arising from the diversity of the different markets is studied as an exogenous antecedent. Data collected in 390 companies through an online questionnaire, its processing and analysis through the use of a structural equations model suggest the existence of different types of influence of the antecedents, according to companies’ options in various dimensions of the international diversification strategies. These results provide guidelines for managers and generate directions for future research

VITIVINICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY: SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS

The rational use of resources is currently a widely discussed topic in any organization, although it takes on greater importance in those of productive scope. Measures of different levels − strategic, tactical or operational − are increasingly being implemented, so it is pertinent to analyze their effect on the distinct dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. Any strategic process must go through those that are considered the four crucial stages: analysis, formulation, implementation and control. The perfect knowledge of the environment and its emerging needs and concerns along with an in-depth survey of the internal situation of the organizations will allow us to achieve truly differentiating levels of excellence. This research, carried out in a wine-producing organization – Adega Cooperativa de Mangualde – identifies its crucial activities, the main strategic, tactical and operational actions that have been implemented in the last eight years, fits them into the above-mentioned dimensions of sustainability and determines its relative weights. Particular emphasis is placed on grapes suppliers − the capital holders −, as regards their mode of production and its impact on biodiversity and the environment. Raising public awareness of this issue is of great importance and people should be encouraged to alter their behaviour by changing some attitudes in everyday life. This awareness to achieve sustainable development becomes even more important insofar as it is a cooperative institution with a management model of well-defined specific characteristics

Water footprint as a sustainable water use indicator in spring area of pantanal biome, Brazil

Water footprint (WF) is an indicator of fresh water consumption that considers in its calculation the used water volume during the production process. The research objective was to evaluatecotton, corn and soybean crops WF at the São Lourenço-MT sub-basin area. The water consumption was quantified in Green Water Footprint (WFGreen) and Gray Water Footprint (WFGray). The WFGreen of each crop was calculated by the evapotranspiration value throughout the crop growing period. The WFGray was counted separately for a group of nine agrochemicals. In the current scenario there is sustainability in the sub-basin of the São Lourenço river, but with the agricultural current area expansion rate, in 2025 there will be no such sustainability

Processos de mudança no campo da sustentabilidade empresarial e as contribuições dos detentores de capital : um estudo de caso em uma empresa do setor têxtil

Factors with a negative impact on the environment, such as the excessive use of natural resources or global warming, are the basis for adopting more sustainable and environmentally friendly measures. A process of change that does not allow anyone to be left out, neither people nor companies, and that has gained relevance as the latter have come to realize that adopting the path of sustainability could translate into added value. The textile sector,from which reports of efforts in this direction come to us, is an example of this, so, within the scope of an analysis and reflection around the main concepts of sustainability, we will seek to understand the role and contributions of the holders of capital for sustainability. This study explores the role of capital holders in promoting sustainability in business through an exploratory case study conducted at Sourcetextile, a company operating in the textile sector. The results found indicate that Sourcetextile presents a sustainable behavior, based on the three pillars of sustainability, and that this is due to the social and environmental concerns of entrepreneurs, which creates a kind of permanent tension between economic and environmental objectives. and social, without which the company would only be concerned with economic objectives.Resumo: Fatores com impacto negativo no meio ambiente, como o uso excessivo de recursos naturais ou o aquecimento global, estão na base da adoção de medidas mais sustentáveis e amigas ambiente. Um processo de mudança que não permite deixar ninguém de fora, nem pessoas nem empresas, e que foi ganhando relevância à medida que estas últimas foram percebendo que adotar o caminho da sustentabilidade se poderia traduzir em valor acrescentado. O setor têxtil, de onde nos chegam relatos de esforços nesse sentido, é disso exemplo, pelo que, no âmbito de uma análise e reflexão em torno dos principais conceitos da sustentabilidade, vamos procurar perceber o papel e contributos dos detentores do capital para a sustentabilidade empresarial com recurso a um estudo de caso exploratório na Sour cetextile, empresa que opera no setor têxtil. Os resultados encontrados indicam que a Sourcetextile apresenta uma conduta sustentável, com base nos três pilares da sustentabilidade, e que isto se deve às preocupações sociais e ambientais dos empresários, que vai criando como que uma espécie de tensão permanente entre os objetivos económicos e os ambientais e sociais, sem a qual a empresa apenas se preocuparia com os objetivos económicos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

mitigação dos problemas sociais na cidade de Lisboa

As cidades constituem e operam como sistemas, definidas e construídas pelas ligações dos elementos que as compõem. O social, o económico, o político, o cultural e o ambiental, constituem subsistemas que interagem entre si, moldando e construindo a forma e as características da cidade e do seu contexto territorial. Neste sentido, tal como noutros sistemas ou redes de sistemas, subsistem desequilíbrios inerentes à dinâmica destes que podem ser mitigados através da gestão e do planeamento territorial. O presente exercício pretende explorar com maior detalhe tal problemática, centrando‐se em exclusivo nas características do subsistema social. Visa mais precisamente, por um lado justificar que a existência de tais desequilíbrios se deve à dinâmica própria do sistema e, por outro evidenciar quais as características específicas dos desequilíbrios, isto é, os problemas sociais das cidades contemporâneas. Para tal este artigo irá socorrer‐se da avaliação da Cidade de Lisboa enquanto Caso de Estudo, nomeadamente através da discussão do conjunto de estratégias territoriais que têm almejado a correcção dos problemas sociais na Alta de Lisboa. Cities constitute and operate as systems, defined and constructed by the connections of the elements that compose them. The social, the economic, the political, the cultural and the environmental constitute subsystems that interact with each other, shaping and building the characteristics of the city and of its territorial framework. In this sense, and as in other systems or networks of systems, there are imbalances inherent to the dynamics of these, which can be mitigated through management and spatial planning. This paper intends to explore this issue in detail, focusing on the unique characteristics of the social subsystem. It aims, more precisely, on one hand to justify that the existence of such imbalances is due to the dynamics of the system and the other hand, to highlight the specific features of these imbalances, ie, the social problems of contemporary cities. To achieve these goals, this paper will resort to the assessment of Lisbon as a case study, namely discussing the set of territorial strategies that have sought to correct the social problems in the Alta de Lisboa territory.publishersversionpublishe

Central nitrergic system regulation of neuroendocrine secretion, fluid intake and blood pressure induced by angiotensin-II

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nitric oxide (NO) synthesis has been described in several circumventricular and hypothalamic structures in the central nervous system that are implicated in mediating central angiotensin-II (ANG-II) actions during water deprivation and hypovolemia. Neuroendocrine and cardiovascular responses, drinking behavior, and urinary excretions were examined following central angiotensinergic stimulation in awake freely-moving rats pretreated with intracerebroventricular injections of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 40 μg), an inhibitor of NO synthase, and L-arginine (20 ug), a precursor of NO.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Injections of L-NAME or ANG-II produced an increase in plasma vasopressin (VP), oxytocin (OT) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels, an increase in water and sodium intake, mean arterial blood pressure and sodium excretion, and a reduction of urinary volume. L-NAME pretreatment enhanced the ANG-II response, while L-arginine attenuated VP and OT release, thirst, appetite for sodium, antidiuresis, and natriuresis, as well as pressor responses induced by ANG-II.</p> <p>Discussion and conclusion</p> <p>Thus, the central nitrergic system participates in the angiotensinergic responses evoked by water deprivation and hypovolemia to refrain neurohypophysial secretion, hydromineral balance, and blood pressure homeostasis.</p

Non-Reproductive Effects of Estradiol: Hydromineral Homeostasis Control

The hydromineral homeostasis is fundamental to survival due to maintenance constant the osmotic properties of the plasma and proper tissue perfusion pressure, being maintained primarily through the regulation of the ingestion and urinary excretion of water and electrolytes, mainly sodium. The Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) plays an essential role in the maintenance of hydromineral homeostasis by eliciting sodium and water intake and by inducing sodium urinary retention through aldosterone release and hemodynamic effect via angiotensin II a key component of the RAS. The hypothalamus-pituitary system also plays a fundamental role in the maintenance of body fluid homeostasis by secreting vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) in response to osmotic and non-osmotic, and volemic stimuli. Furthermore, some studies report that besides reproductive function and sexual behavior, ovarian gonadal hormones, mainly 17β-estradiol (E2), modulate other non-reproductive functions such as cardiovascular system, body fluid balance, mood, mental state, memory, and cognition. Estradiol is known to mediate hydromineral homeostasis and blood pressure mainly by attenuating RAS actions. On the other hand, estradiol modulates neurohypophysial hormones secretion in many different ways. In this chapter, we will discuss the main non-reproductive effects of E2 on the control of hydromineral homeostasis, focusing on ingestive behavior and neurohypophyseal hormonal release

Screening for Drought Tolerance in Thirty Three Taro Cultivars

Taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott] is a root crop which is an important staple food in many regions of the world, producing 10.5 million tonnes on 1.4 million hectares a year. The crop is cultivated in wet (rain fed) or irrigated conditions, requiring on average 2,500 mm water per year, and in many countries it is cultivated in flooded plots. It is estimated that taro production could decrease by 40% as a result of the increase in drought and other severe events. In this work, thirty three accessions, including local cultivars, selected and hybrid lines were submitted to long duration drought stress and screened for tolerance. Twelve physiological, morphological and agronomic traits were measured at harvest, and subject to multivariate analysis. Stress indices, Water Use Efficiency and Factorial Analysis were useful for discriminating accessions regarding drought tolerance and yield stability, and drought tolerant and susceptible cultivars were identified. Our results confirm that different taro cultivars have different drought avoidance and tolerance strategies to cope with water scarcity. Better yield performers minimised biomass and canopy loss, while tolerance was observed in cultivars that presented low potential yield, but efficiently transferred resources to enhance corm formation. Among the 33 accessions, two local cultivars showed high yield stability and could be considered as suitable parents for breeding programs, while two others are well adapted to drought, but with overall low yield potential