Rigorous object-oriented analysis

Object-oriented methods for analysis, design and programming are commonly used by software engineers. Formal description techniques, however, are mainly used in a research environment. We have investigated how rigour can be introduced into the analysis phase of the software development process by combining object-oriented analysis (OOA) methods with formal description techniques. The main topics of this investigation are a formal interpretation of the OOA constructs using LOTOS, a mathematical definition of the basic OOA concepts using a simple denotational semantics and a new method for object- oriented analysis that we call the Rigorous Object-Oriented Analysis method (ROOA). The LOTOS interpretation of the OOA concepts is an intrinsic part of the ROOA method. It was designed in such a way that software engineers with no experience in LOTOS, can still use ROOA. The denotational semantics of the concepts of object-oriented analysis illuminates the formal syntactic transformations within ROOA and guarantees that the basic object- oriented concepts can be understood independently of the specification language we use. The ROOA method starts from a set of informal requirements and an object model and produces a formal object-oriented analysis model that acts as a requirements specification. The resulting formal model integrates the static, dynamic and functional properties of a system in contrast to existing OOA methods which are informal and produce three separate models that are difficult to integrate and keep consistent. ROOA provides a systematic development process, by proposing a set of rules to be followed during the analysis phase. During the application of these rules, auxiliary structures are created to help in tracing the requirements through to the final formal model. As LOTOS produces executable specifications, prototyping can be used to check the conformance of the specification against the original requirements and to detect inconsistencies, omissions and ambiguities early in the development process

Etnobotânica do Nordeste Português: saberes, plantas e usos

Publicação complementar em papel do Relatório final das actividades do projecto entregue à FCT on-lineEsta publicação descreve todas as actividades realizadas no âmbito do projecto Etnobotânica do Nordeste Português e em particular os resultados obtidos através da realização de estudos de caso e da aplicação de diversas metodologias etnográficas.FC

When the young think that every plant is parsley. Social variability of ethnobotanical knowledge and plant categorization in two rural areas from Portugal

Resumo de comunicação oral apresentada no V ICEBThe ethnobotanical research in two Portuguese natural protected areas allows us to discuss the process of perceiving plants and building plant knowledge and the cultural transformations in the conceptions of plant, nature and environment in rural contexts that face social and economical changes.FCT e Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciênci

Why is wild-life more important than people? Conservation strategies, perceptions and contradictions in two protected areas from Trás-os-Montes

Portuguese authorities for nature conservation have been engaged in comprehensive resource networks and effective legislation and regulations for protected areas putting together different efforts to sustain biodiversity and to enlist the full range of partners. It appears that the involvement and participation of local communities was the essential basis on which protected areas would build a system of management which has integrity, security and success, particularly those including human settlements. Nevertheless, conservation measures were mostly designed by outsiders who were culturally detached and parks boundaries were mainly based on environmental criteria. Two important natural protected areas, located in the most north-eastern part of Portugal (Trás-os- Montes), have a great diversity of natural and semi-natural habitats and humanized landscapes which are repositories of nature and cultural heritage. The territories of the Natural Park of Montesinho and the Natural Park of Douro International are the result of many geographical and historical factors and represent harmonious integration of human activity with nature, allowing ecological diversity to be maintained and valued. Based on key-informants' opinions we explore their personal experience with the parks authorities and their ideas about the management of these protected areas. Key-informants main argument is that national conservation networks and strategies did not take into account regional identity, people background and local believes and habits. Moreover, it is perceived that most of the initiatives have never recognized the vital role of human activity in such areas maintenance and the contribution of local knowledge (LK) to the current environment. Many occurrences decreased the intrinsic value of regional landscapes which were considered part of the cultural heritage and had embedded intangible values such as dwelling, spiritual and aesthetical values, local tradition, neighborly and inter-generational relations. Local ideas of nature have determined distinguishable values of plants and animals and outlined different orientations towards predatory actions.Cultibos yerbas i saberes Fundo EDP Biodiversidad

When the young think that every plant is parsley! Social variability of ethno-botanical knowledge and plant categorization in two rural areas in Portugal

Ethnobotanical research in two Portuguese natural protected areas (Montesinho Natural Park and Douro International Natural Park) is the basis to discuss the process of perceiving plants and nature in rural contexts facing social and economic changes. The main argument is that people select and invoke different ethnobotanical knowledge and classificatory principles which are required considering different social attempts and activities in plant categorization. Pile sort tests carried out with 79 informants show that people develop concepts and integrate a diversified knowledge during plant categorization processes. The social variability of plant categorization seems to be related to age and gender differences. Younger people who are nowadays driven away from agricultural activities have quite different perceptions of plants. Criteria of categorization are different when applied by men or women. Cognitive mechanisms addressed during categorisation tasks are influenced by each person’s social background and daily practices. Data also reflect the cultural dynamics in rural contexts: non-transmitted practices, transitional knowledge and changes in nature conceptions

Importance of local knowledge in plant resources management and conservation in two protected areas from Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

Many European protected areas were legally created to preserve and maintain biological diversity, unique natural features and associated cultural heritage. Built over centuries as a result of geographical and historical factors interacting with human activity, these territories are reservoirs of resources, practices and knowledge that have been the essential basis of their creation. Under social and economical transformations several components of such areas tend to be affected and their protection status endangered

Gendered plants and plant categorization by gender: Classificatory and “storied” knowledge in trás-os-montes, portugal

Background: An anthropomorphizing process arises out of classification systems, whereby analogy is drawn between the social differences of gender and the morphological and biological characteristics used to designate or classify plants. On the other side, it is observed that men and women categorize plants differently on the basis of their practices and knowledge. This paper addresses two assumptions: the consistent cognitive mechanisms of attributing gender to plants in classifications and the local differentiation of knowledge and social variability of categorization of plants based on gender. Methods: The data presented results from research carried out in Portugal in two rural villages, using participant observation, structured ethnobotanical interviews and free pile sorting task (79 interlocutors; among them 11 local experts). A literature review provided some examples from studies conducted in other contexts, which have been used to analyze and discuss our findings. Results: Gender differentiations are present in plants naming and identification. Plants morphologically similar can take different designations or have the same name with gender variations depending on people’s perceptions of female or male features. The survey conducted in these Portuguese case studies shows also a gender variability of knowledge, although knowledge about plants is usually quite shared. Conclusions: The mechanism of plant differentiation using gender attributes seems to be transcultural. However, the plant classification by gender must be explained from a local standpoint and knowledge about plants should be understood as a “storied knowledge”.The data presented were collected in the project “Ethnobotany of the Northeastern Region of Portugal: local knowledge, plants and uses”, founded by FCT - Fundação Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (References: - POCTI/ANT/48629/2002; POCI/ANT/59395/2004). The Frazão-Moreira personal data from Wadane (Mauritania) were gathered in the micro-project “Arabic gum. From caravans to the local appropriation in Mauritanian oasis modernity”, included in “Portuguese castles abroad. Heritage and cultural cooperation between Portugal and Arab-Islamic countries”, founded by FCT (Reference: POCTI/ANT/48629/2002; Silva 2013).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Revisiting the relationship between CRM, business strategy and firm performance by complementing the sources-position-performance framework with value curve analysis : an empirical study of the competitiveness in the industrial and small business segments of the liberalized electricity market in Portugal

In Portugal, the Electricity Market is characterized by assuming strategies strongly anchored in its external competitive environment (Raimundo and Domingues 2021) and by having a low degree of innovation of the product. Although there is still a significant presence of the ex-monopolist company in the sector, companies increasingly seek to adopt an attractive position in the market, capturing the attention of the stakeholders in a different, unique and innovative way, that is, defining a positioning strategy. According to several studies, an effective positioning allows companies to respond to the needs of their customers, differentiating themselves from competitors and, thus, improving the company's financial performance, as well as customer loyalty and satisfaction (McAlexander et al. 1993; Porter 1996; Pham and Muthukrishnan 2002; Fuchs and Diamantopoulos 2010, 2012). In addition, different studies have been identified that analyse the differential impact of CRM on company performance, through the application of the sources-position-performance framework (Day and Wensley 1988; Reimann et al. 2010). However, no article was found that analysed the link between CRM, positioning strategies and performance in the liberalized electricity market in Portugal. This study also presents as a complementary element the analysis of the value curves, for the definition and study of the perception of value of the customers of the electricity sector in the respective segments. This tool will later allow to analyse and compare the perception of customers with the positioning strategies defined by the different energy companies. That said, the main objective of this study is to analyse the relationships between CRM, business strategies and performance of the four largest companies in the electricity sector in Portugal, in particular, in the small business segment and in the industrial segment, through the sources-position-performance framework and further, analyse through the value curve tool, developed within the scope of the Blue Ocean Strategy, the perception of value of customers in the different segments under study. This study is divided into six parts: in the first part there will be a literature review of the key concepts for the development of all the work; in the second part, a brief contextualization of the Portuguese electricity sector will be presented; the third part consists of defining the different hypotheses; the fourth part consists of the methodology adopted in the study, as well as the presentation of the variables present; in the fifth part the results and the discussion are presented; and finally, in the sixth part, the final conclusions of the study are reported, as well as the limitations and suggestions for future research.O Mercado de Liberalizado de Eletricidade em Portugal é caracterizado por assumir estratégias “fortemente ancoradas no seu ambiente competitivo externo” (Raimundo e Domingues 2021) e por possuir um reduzido grau de inovação do produto em questão. Apesar de existir ainda uma presença significativa da empresa ex-monopolista no setor, as empresas procuram cada vez mais adotar uma posição atraente no mercado, captando a atenção dos intervenientes de uma forma diferente, única e inovadora, isto é, definindo uma estratégia de posicionamento. Segundo diversos estudos, um posicionamento eficaz permite às empresas responder às necessidades dos seus clientes, diferenciando-se dos concorrentes e, desta forma, melhorar o desempenho financeiro da empresa, assim como, a lealdade e satisfação dos clientes (McAlexander et al. 1993; Porter 1996; Pham e Muthukrishnan 2002; Fuchs e Diamantopoulos 2010, 2012). Para além disto, foram identificados diferentes estudos que analisam o impacto diferencial do CRM no desempenho das empresas, através da aplicação da framework sources-position-performance (Day e Wensley 1988; Reimann et al. 2010). Contudo, não foi encontrado nenhum artigo que analisasse o vínculo entre o CRM, as estratégias de posicionamento e o desempenho no mercado liberalizado de eletricidade em Portugal. Este estudo apresenta ainda como fator complementar a análise das curvas de valor, para definição e estudo da perceção de valor dos clientes do setor de eletricidade dos respetivos segmentos. Esta ferramenta irá permitir, posteriormente, analisar e comparar a perceção dos clientes com as estratégias de posicionamento definidas pelas diferentes empresas de energia. Posto isto, o objetivo principal deste estudo é analisar as relações entre o CRM, estratégias de negócio e desempenho das quatro maiores empresas do setor de eletricidade em Portugal, em particular, no segmento dos pequenos negócios e no segmento industrial, através da framework sources-position-performance e ainda, analisar através da ferramenta curva de valor, desenvolvida no âmbito da Estratégia de Oceano Azul, a perceção de valor dos clientes dos diferentes segmentos em estudo. Este estudo é comporto por seis partes: na primeira parte será realizada uma revisão de literatura dos conceitos-chave ao desenvolvimento de todo o trabalho; na segunda parte será apresentada uma breve contextualização do setor português de eletricidade; a terceira parte é constituída pela definição das diferentes hipóteses; a quarta parte é constituída pela metodologia adotada no estudo, assim como, pela apresentação das variáveis presentes; na quinta parte são apresentados os resultados e a discussão; e por último, na sexta parte são relatadas as conclusões finais do estudo e ainda, as limitações e sugestões de pesquisas futuras