CONVERSION to ORGANIC FARMING in MAINLAND PORTUGAL

The objectives of the research were: i) to assess the in-conversion period as a barrier impeding farms conversion to organic; ii) to assess the potential of conversion-grade markets in removing this barrier; iii) to identify other barriers (drives) along the food chain impeding (easing) farms conversion in mainland Portugal. Results show that the in-conversion period is not the major barrier to conversion nor is a good idea the set-up of conversion grade markets to help Portuguese farms’ conversion. Conversion feasibility depends of the organic market premium prices, in intensive farms, and of the CAP organic agri-environmental area payments, in extensive farms.organic farming, conversion, conversion grade markets, market premium prices, CAP payments.

Comparison of markets for organic food in six EU states

Recent research confirms that the decision to convert is now highly influenced by financial incentives arising from EU regulations but the exact mix of incentives depends on prevailing government policies and access to premium markets so that the organic sector in most countries is now referred to as either government-led or market-driven. The objective of the paper is to compare development of the sector along these two polarities but set within the context of 'common elements of interest’ within new agrifood methodologies––time, space, power, and meaning (Cooke, Uranga and Etxebarria 1998; Morgan and Murdoch 2000). The paper presents preliminary findings relating to six EU States––UK, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Portugal and Italy––and through the application of ‘worlds of production’ to market outlets and suggested discourses that define these outlets, the analysis aims to inform the further study of farmer marketing decisions and practices

Likelihood of Succession and Farmers’ Attitudes: Evidence from a Survey in Germany, the United Kingdom and Portugal

The likelihood of succession in the family farm is referred to in the literature as an influential variable for several family farm management decisions. In this paper, we investigate this relationship for a selection of farm management variables, such as the timing of farmer’s retirement, the willingness of farmers to change the current mix of activities, their readiness to adopt new farm activities, and aim their readiness to intensify production. The categorical data analyzed, mostly Likert scales, comes from a mail survey carried out in 2002 to a sample of German, British and Portuguese farmers, amounting to approximately 4500 valid responses. Statistical association between the variables was studied computing the Chi2 statistic and testing the null hypothesis of no association between pairs of variables. The main conclusions were that the likelihood of succession was positively related to the length of active farmers’ live, to the farmer’s adoption of new activities (only for the Portuguese respondents), and to farmer’s willingness to intensify production. It was also found that the likelihood of succession was negatively related to the intention of leaving farmland idle. On the other hand, no empirical evidence was found of a statistical significant relationship between likelihood of succession and readiness to change the mix of farm activities.Family Farming; Succession; Agricultural Policy

Portuguese Retailers’ Motivations to Adopt Front of Pack Nutrition Labels: A Qualitative Analysis

Nutrition is an important food marketing differentiation criterion. There is growing evidence of the relation between diets and health conditions. Thus there is a potential conflict between industry and public health authorities over the use of nutrition labels. Understanding industry motivations for simplified nutrition labels use is paramount to scrutinize market dynamics, improve label policy design and its evaluation. The aim of this research is to ascertain how retailers perceive consumer’s attitudes to nutrition labels and what motivates their use. We conducted in-depth semi-structure interviews with senior managers in leading Portuguese retail chains. Our results suggest that retailers’ adopt FOP to aid their customers’ food choices, as a response to competitors’ moves and preempt labeling regulations. However, respondents were concerned on whether nutrition labels added value to their business, has a negative impact on sales in certain food categories and may hinder relations with suppliers.Nutrition labels, retailers, semi-structured interviews, content analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Q18, M31, M38, M14,

The efficiency of the dairy sector in mainland Portugal

A two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is employed to analyse the efficiency of dairy farms in mainland Portugal. The data are a 2010 sample from the European Commission Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) of 271 Portuguese mainland dairy farms. In the first stage, a directional input distance function and DEA are used to generate overall inefficiency measures and decompose them for each farm. In the second stage, the inefficiency measures are regressed on environmentaland/or organizational factors to explain efficiency differentials. Despite environmental and/or organizational differences, results indicate that most dairy farms in mainland Portugal can reduce costs by improving allocative efficiency and pure technical efficiency

Forest Land Ownership Changes in Portugal

Publisher PD

Valuing nested names in the Portuguese olive oil market: An exploratory study

The Portuguese olive oil market had a remarkable development in recent years. Production is rising steadily is response to a EU program supporting a renewal of olive groves. Moreover there is a proliferation of national brands and private labels. These are often associated to regional collective labels or to organic production. The aim of our research is to determine how consumers value these nested names or co-brands. We conducted a pilot survey on a convenience sample of 103 consumers in the Oporto and Lisbon metropolitan areas as well in a rural area. Our results reveal some contradictions, for instance while origin is an important purchasing criteria, few PDO olive oils are recognized. Moreover, only 25% of respondents identify organic olive oils sold in the market and this attribute is one of the last purchasing criteria, but organic olive oils have the highest willingness to pay. Finally we find that associating a PDO to private labels increases willingness to pay by 33.3%, but doesn’t affect valuation of national brands. While we can’t take definite conclusions our findings give us interesting cues for future research. Therefore we aim to investigate whether regional identity, alternative usage and health or environmental conscience determine of affect valuation and choices of different olive oils brands and labels.olive oil, nested names, valuation., Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Labor and Human Capital,

Gorila : a case study of brand development strategy

The Portuguese gum market has, over the years, been affected by an ageing population, higher demand for functionality and increasing health concerns. The market has, consequently, witnessed a shift from the bubble gum to the chewing gum segment, with a particular impact on the sugar free category. Lusiteca, the biggest confectionary producer in Portugal, operates in an industry dominated by international giants such as Mondelēz International and Mars Inc., to which the company has lost market share over the years. In order to recapture some of this lost market share, Lusiteca decided to rebrand their core brand Gorila, a bubble gum brand that is a childhood symbol for many Portuguese consumers. However, Gorila’s chances of success were very limited in the bubble gum sector and expanding to the chewing gum sector has, therefore, been crucial for Lusiteca to grow. In order to enter this new segment Lusiteca has two options, either to leverage Gorila’s brand name or to create a new brand. This case study provides the pros and cons for each strategy, as well as explaining the competitive market environment and gum consumer profiles, so that students may analyse this case and, consequently, recommend the best strategy for the company to follow.No decorrer dos anos, o mercado das pastilhas em Portugal tem vindo a ser influenciado por fatores como o envelhecimento da população, a maior procura de funcionalidade e a crescente preocupação com a saúde. Consequentemente, houve uma passagem do volume de vendas do segmento das crianças para o segmento dos adultos, com especial relevância na categoria sem açúcar. A Lusiteca é a maior empresa de confeitaria portuguesa, operando numa indústria dominada por gigantes internacionais como a Mondelēz International e a Mars Inc., para as quais tem vindo a perder quota de mercado. Para recuperar alguma dessa quota perdida, a Lusiteca decidiu fazer o rebrand da sua marca pilar Gorila, uma pastilha para crianças que é símbolo da infância de muitos portugueses. No entanto, as perspetivas de crescimento da Gorila no segmento das crianças são muito limitadas e, por isso, expandir para o segmento dos adultos é crucial para o crescimento da Lusiteca. Para entrar neste novo segmento a empresa tem duas opções: alavancar o nome da Gorila ou criar uma nova marca. Este case study tanto apresenta as vantagens e desvantagens para cada estratégia, como explica o mercado concorrencial e o perfil dos consumidores de pastilhas, para que então os alunos possam analisar o caso e consequentemente recomendar a melhor estratégia a seguir

Building up Undergraduate Skills – empirical evidence from a Portuguese University

This study presents preliminary results of the PSP Project, addressing students' soft skills development within the context of HEI. Theoretical framework is grounded in Person-Environment Fit theories (Rounds & Hesketh, 1994), and also in Evans (2001) starfish model. Study 1 aimed to identify Economics and Business graduates' Market-Valued Skills Profile, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with HR managers and former students focus groups. Study 2 assessed students' confidence level regarding skills using a self-report questionnaire (Miles & Grummon, 2006). Career development representations were also assessed (Savickas, 2002; Gonçalves, 2006). Additional data was collected through open-ended questions focusing on work and other extracurricular experiences. Results from Study 1 highlight soft skills as multidimensional construct where different interrelated skills contribute to graduates' employability. Study 2 reveals students' positive self-perception regarding those skills, although limited vocational experiences were reported.Soft Skills, Career development, higher education students; employability

Luís Adão da Fonseca: an academic master

Num misto de homenagem e de exercício de memória, o Autor procura traçar o percurso académico de Luís Adão da Fonseca desde que regressou a Portugal, em 1981, depois de uma prolongada estadia em Espanha, desde 1973. Seu colaborador próximo, quer como seu Assistente mas também associado a vários projectos que levou a cabo, sobretudo em torno da aproximação entre os medievalistas portugueses e espanhóis, que durante décadas se tinham quase sempre ignorado, fui testemunha privilegiada no processo de criação da Sociedade Portuguesa de Estudos Medievais, no impulso dado à realização das Jornadas Luso-Espanholas de História Medieval ou na criação de Cátedras sobre História Medieval de Portugal e de Espanha em várias universidades dos dois países. Ao abrir-me a porta das universidades e da historiografia espanholas, das quais sou muito próximo, por outro lado, o pelo seu apoio permanente no início da minha carreira como professor, e a sua postura ética como docente e como investigador, Luís Fonseca foi essencial na minha formação como académico nas suas diversas vertentes, razões que fazem dele, junto com José Mattoso, um dos meus Mestres.As an homage and as a memory exercise, the author seeks to trace the academic path of Luís Adão da Fonseca since he returned to Portugal in 1981, after a prolonged stay in Spain since 1973. As his close collaborator, both as an assistant and also associated with various projects that he carried out, especially around the alignment between Portuguese and Spanish medievalists (who for decades almost always ignored each other), it is worth mentioning the process of creating of the Portuguese Society of Medieval Studies, of which the author was a close witness. In this same sense, it is important to mention the impulse given to the organization of the Luso- Spanish Journeys of Medieval History or to the creation of Chairs on Medieval History of Portugal and Spain in several universities in both countries. Luís Adão da Fonseca supported my contact with Spanish universities and historiography, to which I remain very close, while at the same time encouraged the beginning of career as a professor and offered me the example of an ethical posture as a teacher and as a researcher. He was essential in my formation as an academic in its various aspects, reasons that make him, along with José Mattoso, one of my Mentors