Of the significance of business relationships

The Industrial Network Theory aims to describe and explain the business relationships and networks in which the focal firm is deeply embedded. One of its major propositions is that business relationships somehow influence, to different extents and over time, the focal firm’s survival. This pertains to the diverse and time-varying significance of business relationships for the focal firm. It has often been implicitly sustained that such significance is strongly related to the role played by business relationships and consequently the relationship outcomes accruing to the focal firm. The logic underlying the relationship significance proposition is outwardly oriented, somewhat overlooking the focal firm’s inside and in particular the conspicuous influence of business relationships on what the focal firm does competently both within and across its vertical boundaries. Arguably, the (predominantly ‘functional’) network-based arguments currently advanced represent a necessary but not sufficient condition for relationship significance. This conceptual paper tentatively suggests that there may be missing a supplementary (essentially internal) explanation supported by Competence-based Theories of the Firm.Industrial Network Theory; relationship significance proposition

Relationship significance: is it sufficiently explained?

The Industrial Networks Theory (cf. Axelsson and Easton, 1992, Hakansson and Snehota, 1995) sets out to describe and explain the business relationships and markets in which the focal firm is deeply embedded. One of its major propositions pertains to the (time-varying) significance of business relationships for the focal firm (Gadde et al., 2003), i.e., business relationships influence to some extent the focal firm’s survival. Such significance seems strongly related to the role played by business relationships and consequently the relationship outcomes accruing to the focal firm. The theoretical justification underlying this proposition is outwardly oriented, somewhat overlooking the inside of the focal firm - in particular the influence of business relationships on what the focal firm does competently within and across its boundaries. Arguably, the creation and appropriation of relationship value by the focal firm is a necessary but not sufficient condition for relationship significance. A supplementary (internal) explanation supported by Knowledge-based Theories of the Firm (e.g., see Kogut and Zander, 1992), we suggest, may be missing. Our aim here has been to intuitively pinpoint a theoretical flaw, further suggesting a feasible path for its solution.Industrial Networks Theory; relationship significance proposition; relationship functions, dysfunctions, benefits, sacrifices, and value

How is the relationship significance brought about? A critical realist approach

The markets-as-networks theorists contend, at least tacitly, the significance of business relationships for the focal firm – that is, business relationships contribute somewhat to the focal firm’s survival and growth. We do not deny the existence of significant business relationships but sustain, in contrast to the consensus within the Markets-as-Networks Theory, that relationship significance should not be a self-evident assumption. Significance cannot be a taken-for-granted property of each and every one of the focal firm’s business relationships. We adopt explicitly a critical realist position in this conceptual paper and claim that the relationship significance is an event of the business world, whose causes remain yet largely unidentified. Where the powers and liabilities of business relationships (i.e., their functions and dysfunctions) are put to work, inevitably under certain contingencies (namely the surrounding networks and markets), effects result for the focal firm (often benefits in excess of sacrifices, i.e., relationship value) and as a result the relationship significance is likely to be brought about. In addition, the relationship significance can result from the dual influence that business relationships have on a great part of the structure and powers and liabilities of the focal firm, i.e., its nature and scope respectively.Markets-as-Networks Theory, relationship significance, business relationships, focal firm, resources, competences, activities

Utilização de informação auxiliar (qualitativa e quantitativa) na simulação de variáveis regionalizadas. Aplicação à parametrização da reserva do jazigo aurífero de Castromil

A estimação geoestatística baseia-se na quantificação da contiguidade espacial de variáveis regionalizadas, para produzir uma imagem das respectivas características médias. No entanto, sabendo que as variáveis que definem um qualquer sistema natural não são totalmente caracterizadas pela amostragem, recorreu-se também à prática ancestral de procurar substituir o desconhecido pelos seus cenários mais prováveis. Deste modo, procedeu-se à sua 'imitação' através do ajustamento de processos estocásticos de simulação geoestatística, capazes de incorporar o processo de estimação seleccionado como o mais adaptado à variabilidade específica do jazigo, e a forma do sistema natural em estudo. Este procedimento permitiu complementar a imagem condicionada mais provável das características médias da variável em estudo, obtidas pela estimação, com os possíveis valores extremos e funções de distribuição, em cada suporte de descritização, que respeitam a variabilidade empírica observada. Nesta perspectiva, apresenta-se o desenvolvimento e aplicação de processos estocásticos de simulação geoestatística à variável principal do jazigo aurífero de Castromil que, em face de oferecer algumas expectativas de exploração, está significativamente amostrado, quer na variável principal (teores de Au) quer nas variáveis complementares (teores de Ag e classificações litológicas e colorimétricas), presentes nos materiais atravessados pelas sondagens de reconhecimento. Estas acções foram efectuadas através de análises e modificações do programa 'Sequential Gaussian Simulation' da biblioteca de programas GSLIB - Geostatistical Software Library

Utilização de informação auxiliar (qualitativa e quantitativa) na estimação de variáveis regionalizadas. Aplicação ao jazigo aurífero de Castromil

A metodologia apresentada neste trabalho recorre a uma abordagem holística para estimar a distribuição espacial dos valores de uma variável quantitativa principal, através da combinação da informação sobre essa variável com informação auxiliar quantitativa e qualitativa. Nesse sentido, numa primeira fase são calculadas variáveis de síntese da informação auxiliar, que viabilizam a estimação dos valores da variável principal em dois tempos: primeiro, utilizando as variáveis de síntese para estimar classes da variável principal, a que se segue a utilização dessas classes para condicionar a estimação dos valores da própria variável principal. Os valores obtidos pela metodologia são "julgados" pela sua competência, através da aplicação de testes de precisão. Apresenta-se uma aplicação da metodologia no jazigo aurífero de Castromil, em que a variável principal é o teor em Au e a informação complementar é, por um lado. Os teores em Ag e, por outro, as litologias e as cores do material atravessado pelas sondagens de reconhecimento. A comparação entre os resultados da estimação do teor em Au em blocos de desmonte 5x5x4 m3, obtidos pela metodologia proposta e pela krigagem tradicional, mostra algumas diferenças significativas como consequência da utilização ou não da informação auxiliar, quer na quantidade de Au a recuperar através de suportes de desmonte quer na sua provável distribuição espacial

Anatomy of relationship significance: a critical realist exploration

Markets-as-networks (MAN) theorists contend, at least tacitly, the significance of business relationships to the firm – that is, business relationships contribute somewhat to corporate survival or growth. One does not deny the existence of significant business relationships but sustain, in contrast to the consensus within the MAN theory, that relationship significance should not be a self-evident assumption. For significance cannot be a taken-for-granted property of each and every one of the firm’s business relationships. The authors adopt explicitly a critical realist metatheoretical position in this conceptual paper and claim that relationship significance is an event of the business world, whose causes remain yet largely unidentified. Where the powers and liabilities of business relationships (i.e., relationship functions and dysfunctions) are put to work, inevitably under certain contingencies (namely the surrounding networks and markets), relationship effects ensue for the firm (often benefits in excess of sacrifices, i.e., relationship value) and as a consequence relationship significance is likely to be brought about. In addition, relationship significance can result from the dual impact that business relationships may have on the structure and powers and liabilities of the firm, that is, on corporate nature and scope, respectively

California´s carbon market and energy prices: a wavelet analysis

Carbon price is a key variable in management and risk decisions in activities related to the burning of fossil fuels. Different major players in this market, such as polluters, regulators, and fi nancial actors have different time horizons. Using innovative multi-variate wavelet analysis tools, including partial wavelet coherency and partial wavelet gain, we study the link between carbon prices and final energy prices in the time and frequency dimensions in California´ s carbon market, officially known as the California cap-and-trade program. We find that gasoline prices lead an anti-phase relation with carbon prices. This result is very stable at lower frequencies (close to one-year period cycles), and it is also present before mid-2015 in the 20 ~ 34 weeks frequency-band. Regarding electricity, we find that at about 1 year frequencies, a rise in carbon prices is refl ected in higher electricity prices. We conclude that the fi rst five years of compliance of the California cap-and-trade program supports the idea that emissions´ trading is a signi cant measure for climate change mitigation, with visible rising carbon prices. The quantitative financial analytics we present here supports the continuation of the program after 2020.COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020, FEDER, FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/draf

Carbon and energy prices : surfing the wavelets of California

Carbon price is a key variable in management and risk decisions in activities related to the burning of fossil fuels. Using innovative multivariate wavelet analysis, we study the link between carbon prices and primary and final energy prices in the time and frequency dimensions, particularly in longer cycles (4 ∼ 8 and 8 ∼ 20 months). We show a tight relation between carbon and electricity prices, co-moving together in one-year cycles, with electricity slightly leading, in opposition with previous results obtained for Europe. Thus, an over-allocation of allowances to the power generating sector is suggested. We also find indication of an out-of-phase relation between carbon and oil prices, with oil leading, and expect this relation to intensify when including fuel distributors in the CA market. Finally, and contrary to EU ETS previous results, we do not find a significant relation between carbon and economic activity. In conclusion, although our results are not as significant as the ones previously obtained by other authors, for Europe, they show that the variables are related in the longer term, which supports the development of emissions trading in the post-2020.COMPETE; QREN; FEDER; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Biomechanics of a pedestrian accident reconstruction

Pedestrians represent about 20% of the overall fatalities in Europe's road traffic accidents, as well as in Portugal. An in-depth investigation, accident reconstruction, is mandatory in order to analyze with care fundamental aspects of an accident. Detailed information about the injuries and injury causation mechanisms are with great use for it. Accident reconstruction computational techniques using pedestrian biomechanical models are used to evaluate the accident conditions that lead to major pedestrian injuries, such as the vehicle's speed and the impact location. For biomechanical injury criterions, the AIS (Abbreviated Injury Scale), the HIC (Head Injury Criterion) and some other injury criterions are used. Pedestrian's height, weight, gender, age, vehicle geometry (or category) and travelling speed, significantly influence the pedestrian injuries in the event of a road collision. The use of injury scales and biomechanical criterions in the in-depth accident investigation of road accidents, such as AIS, can improve significantly the quality of the reconstruction process. The computer simulation of vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions is fundamental for the study of the dynamics of these road accidents. Where did the pedestrian is when the vehicle hits him? Normally, there is no simple and clear answer. The pedestrian, if survives, states that he uses the crossway, the driver of the vehicle states otherwise, that the location of the pedestrian was much later than the pedestrian crossing. This work presents an accident where only the use of accident reconstruction specialized software, PC-Crash, conjugated with all available information allowed the determination of the vehicle's speed and the Location of the pedestrian.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efficiency and Sufficiency in electric energy: a study with higher education students

Trabalho apresentado em 14th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES), 1- 6 outubro 2019, Dubrovnik, CroatiaConsuming less energy whenever possible and obtaining the same satisfaction with equipment or services we use does not depend exclusively on the efficiency of the appliance. The behaviour of the energy consumer itself plays a fundamental role in this process. The consumer behaviour is also what can help us to go from efficiency to sufficiency in energy use. The fulfilment of our energy needs reducing environmental externalities led us through the path of energy efficiency improvement options and rational use of energy - Energy sufficiency. In this paper we discuss some of the results obtained from surveys conducted with the aim of studying the electricity consumption behaviours of higher education students’ households. Its main objective was to characterize their willingness to change behaviours of what we expect to be well-informed individuals. These surveys are part of the Learn2Behave project that intend to characterize consumer’s behaviours and suggest new alternatives that will increase efficiency and sufficiency behaviours in electricity use. The results of the surveys indicate that there is some knowledge about increasing efficiency in electric energy use. The results of these surveys will inform the app “Minha Energia”, as a way to improve respondents’ literacy on energy efficiency and energy sufficiency related subjects.N/