The business case for social innovation : how can a firm foster innovation in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility to gain a competitive advantage?

Sustainability has long been an increased necessary variable to integrate in a firm’s value proposition. Either by meeting customer needs or to address stakeholder’s desires (Searcy, 2012), the topic of sustainability has been revealing to be, not only a way which firms can use to improve their image, but also as a healthier option to contest rivalry. Aligning the business with ethical values and sustainable actions has been demonstrating undeniable evidence that it can improve a firm’s competitiveness by itself. (Porter and Kramer, 2002) The problem is if either the firm can implement it in an effective way or not; and if so, are the resources well allocated and being used in an efficient way? This paper addresses the way firms can innovate on those sustainable actions and develop unique ethical resources to gain their competitive advantage. Delta Cafés, a Portuguese coffee producer and distributor, will be the root to analyze a successful case study on how a firm should compete with those resources; examples of this will be provided further ahead. Delta has long been a reference in Portugal in terms of CSR implementation, since it has always been a decisive factor in their business decisions. They continuously innovate in their social responsible actions alongside their products. This is done in order to help sustaining a competitive advantage and it becomes quite visible, since Delta has been the market leader for many years in a row.Ao longo dos anos o termo sustentabilidade tem vindo a ser uma variável crucial a integrar na value proposition de uma empresa. Quer seja através da satisfação das necessidades dos consumidores, quer dos interesses dos stakeholders, o tópico de sustentabilidade tem revelado ser, não apenas uma forma pela qual a empresa pode melhorar a sua imagem, mas também como uma opção mais saudável para fazer face aos concorrentes. Ao alinhar o negócio com os valores éticos e ações de sustentabilidade, é possível demonstrar provas irrefutáveis de que a competitividade de uma empresa pode melhorar por si só. O problema reside na capacidade da empresa conseguir implementar este alinhamento de uma forma eficaz; caso a resposta seja positiva, serão os recursos usados e alocados de forma eficaz? Esta dissertação revela de que forma as empresas podem ganhar vantagem competitiva através da inovação em ações de sustentabilidade e recursos éticos distintos. Delta Cafés, uma empresa portuguesa produtora e distribuidora de café, servirá de base para analisar um caso de estudo de sucesso em como empresas devem competir utilizando estes mesmos recursos; exemplos disto serão detalhados mais à frente. Delta tem sido uma referência em Portugal em termos de implementação de responsabilidade social, uma vez que tem sido sempre um fator decisivo nas suas tomadas de decisão. Esta empresa também aposta na inovação contínua das suas ações de responsabilidade social através dos seus produtos. Isto é feito para ajudar a sustentar a sua vantagem competitiva, o que se tornou bastante visível, uma vez que a Delta tem sido líder de mercado por muitos anos seguidos

New intervention models for older adults: reducing time spent in sedentary activities

Trabalho apresentado no Seminário de Doutoramento em Ciências da Vida da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, 17 de Abril 2015, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, PortugalN/

Contour Enhancement Algorithm for Improving Visual Perception of Deutan and Protan Dichromats

A variety of recoloring methods has been proposed in the literature to remedy the problem of confusing red-green colors faced by dichromat people (as well by other color-blinded people). The common strategy to mitigate this problem is to remap colors to other colors. But, it is clear this does not guarantee neither the necessary contrast to distinguish the elements of an image, nor the naturalness of colors learnt from past experience of each individual. In other words, the individual’s perceptual learning may not hold under color remapping. With this in mind, we introduce the first algorithm primarily focused on the enhancement of object contours in still images, instead of recoloring the pixels of the regions bounded by such contours. This is particularly adequate to increase contrast in images where we find adjacent regions that are color-indistinguishable from the dichromacy’s point of view.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Internacionalização do ES português: uma experiência em Setúbal.

Trabalho apresentado na Conferência de Valorização – Agência Nacional Erasmus, 9 dezembro 2015, Lisboa, PortugalN/

Adhesion to physical activity programmes of people 75 and above: Implications for health and functional status.

Trabalho apresentado em Friday Evening Research Seminars, 17 janeiro 2014, Setúbal, PortugalN/

Contour Enhancement Algorithm for Improving Visual Perception of Deutan and Protan Dichromats

A variety of recoloring methods has been proposed in the literature to remedy the problem of confusing red-green colors faced by dichromat people (as well by other color-blinded people). The common strategy to mitigate this problem is to remap colors to other colors. But, it is clear this does not guarantee neither the necessary contrast to distinguish the elements of an image, nor the naturalness of colors learnt from past experience of each individual. In other words, the individual’s perceptual learning may not hold under color remapping. With this in mind, we introduce the first algorithm primarily focused on the enhancement of object contours in still images, instead of recoloring the pixels of the regions bounded by such contours. This is particularly adequate to increase contrast in images where we find adjacent regions that are color-indistinguishable from the dichromacy’s point of view

Increasing awareness for physical activity of older adults with diabetes

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exercise programme for women after breast cancer surgery: a randomised controlled trial

Trabalho apresentado no 16th International WCPT Congress, 20-23 june 2011, Amsterdam, HollandN/

Reducing time in sedentary activity of people 75 and above: a case study in Portugal

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio