A importância do contexto cultural para a comunicação empresarial: um breve enquadramento

O modo como as empresas olham cada vez mais para o mundo como o seu mercado potencial faz com que o sucesso dos negócios internacionais dependa em grande medida da eficácia da comunicação em contexto intercultural. Estudar e relacionar a comunicação intercultural e a comunicação empresarial faz por isso muito sentido. O que distingue a comunicação intercultural de outros tipos de comunicação é a interacção entre pessoas percebidas como diferentes de nós. No entanto, é fácil perdermo-nos neste conceito e nas suas implicações. Este texto procura, por isso, contextualizar a noção de cultura, os seus níveis e as suas dimensões, assim como identificar barreiras à comunicação intercultural. Uma análise e investigação mais profunda das teorias pode levar-nos a concordar ou a discordar sobre os seus resultados e sobre o que elas advogam. Porém, do nosso ponto de vista, esse não será o aspecto mais importante. Fundamental na sua leitura e revisão será a ajuda que nos dará a entender melhor a nossa cultura, a encontrar e a perceber as diferenças em relação às outras, a antecipar os riscos e as formas de minimizar o seu impacto, a tornar-nos comunicadores interculturais mais eficazes e, como consequência, a obter melhores resultados.The way in which companies increasingly look to the whole world as their potential market means that international business success largely depends on the effectiveness of intercultural communication. Thus, it makes sense to study and to link intercultural communication to international business and to business communication. What distinguishes intercultural communication from other types of communication is the interaction between people perceived as different from us. However, we can easily fail to understand these concepts and their implications. We will then try to address some issues such as culture, levels of cultures and dimensions of cultures, as well as some barriers to intercultural communication. Further analysis and investigation into these theories can lead us to agree or to disagree with them and with their results. But from our point of view, this is not the key aspect. What is important in reading and reviewing them is to get a better understanding of our own culture, to identify and understand the differences in relation to others, to anticipate the risks and the means to minimize their impact, to become more effective intercultural communicators and, consequently, to achieve better results

Exponential Distributions in a Mechanical Model for Earthquakes

We study statistical distributions in a mechanical model for an earthquake fault introduced by Burridge and Knopoff [R. Burridge and L. Knopoff, {\sl Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.} {\bf 57}, 341 (1967)]. Our investigations on the size (moment), time duration and number of blocks involved in an event show that exponential distributions are found in a given range of the paramenter space. This occurs when the two kinds of springs present in the model have the same, or approximately the same, value for the elastic constants. Exponential distributions have also been seen recently in an experimental system to model earthquake-like dynamics [M. A. Rubio and J. Galeano, {\sl Phys. Rev. E} {\bf 50}, 1000 (1994)].Comment: 11 pages, uuencoded (submitted to Phys. Rev. E

Chaos and Synchronized Chaos in an Earthquake Model

We show that chaos is present in the symmetric two-block Burridge-Knopoff model for earthquakes. This is in contrast with previous numerical studies, but in agreement with experimental results. In this system, we have found a rich dynamical behavior with an unusual route to chaos. In the three-block system, we see the appearance of synchronized chaos, showing that this concept can have potential applications in the field of seismology.Comment: To appear in Physical Review Letters (13 pages, 6 figures

Comunicação estratégica em contexto intercultural: desafios da utilização de um estudo de caso

Ao definirem uma estratégia integrada de comunicação para abordagem de novos mercados, as empresas enfrentam novos desafios causados pela distância, não só física, mas também cultural. Mas o que é a distância cultural? Como se encurta e como se torna a comunicação, a este nível, mais eficaz? De que forma a estratégia de comunicação integrada de marketing das empresas tem em conta as características específicas das culturas locais? Este foi o mote para um projecto de investigação que, no seu desenho, considerou a utilização de um estudo de caso: um processo empírico que investiga um fenómeno contemporâneo em profundidade e dentro do seu contexto de vida real, sobretudo quando as fronteiras entre o fenómeno e o contexto não são claramente evidentes. Contexto é precisamente um dos conceitos relevantes neste texto, a par de singularidade. Pelo contexto, externo e interno, cada empresa irá encontrar fórmulas muito singulares de tornar mais eficaz a comunicação intercultural. Ora o estudo de caso é precisamente o estudo do singular, do particular, do único e o investigador, por ser uma parte incontornável do processo de investigação, terá que analisar como o contexto pode afectar o seu trabalho. Em ambos os casos (do empresário e do investigador), a visão do mundo, as preferências e os valores irão influenciar a forma de actuar

Rosacea with extensive extrafacial lesions

Rosacea is a very common skin disorder in the clinical practice that primarily affects the convex areas of the face. Extrafacial rosacea lesions have occasionally been described, but extensive involvement is exceptional. In the absence of its typical clinical or histological features, the diagnosis of extrafacial rosacea may be problematic. We describe an unusual case of rosacea with very exuberant extrafacial lesions, when compared with the limited involvement of the face

Hybrid Dorsal Preservation Rhinoplasty: How We Do It

Background: A difficult to correct dorsal K-area is a frequent cause of residual and/or recurrent dorsal hump in preservation rhinoplasty. Fragile osseocartilaginous elastic connections essential in static stability of nasal pyramid structure should be at least respected. A bulging of Upper Lateral Cartilage (ULC) caudally to this area are principal cause of cartilaginous hump, difficult to correct without damaging the stability. Aim: A hybrid method of a combination of structural surgery with preservation attitude was suggested. Methods and Material: Osseocartilaginous interconnection of DKA area (Dorsal K-Area) can be totally preserved with structural correction of the same area. An incision below of DKA interconnections, with high auto-spreader grafts instead of trimming the deformity was suggested. Conclusion: Septal T-segment could be freely excised as needed, sutured with high and low autospreader graft, as well with septum in desired position, without jeopardizing static stability of nasal pyramid. In our patients, no residual and/or recurrent hump was registered in immediate and as well in long term resultsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A modular web-based software solution for mobile networks planning, operation and optimization

Mobile networks management is increasingly critical due to heavy communications usage by customers and complex due to the multiple technologies and systems deployed. Thus, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are constantly looking for better software solutions and tools to help them increase network performance and manage their networks more efficiently. In this paper, we present a modular web-based software solution to tackle problems related to mobile network planning, operation and optimization. The solution is focused on a set of functional requirements carefully chosen to support the network life cycle management, from planning to Operation and Maintenance (OAM) and optimisation stages. Based on a 3-tier modular architecture and implemented using only open-source software, the solution handles multiple data sources (e.g., Drive Test (DT) and Performance Management (PM)) and multiple Radio Access Network (RAN) technologies. MNOs can explore all available data through a flexible and user-friendly web interface, that also includes map-based visualization of the network. Moreover, the solution incorporates a set of recently developed and validated RAN algorithms, supporting tasks of network diagnosis, optimization, and planning. Also, with the purpose of optimizing the network, MNOs can investigate network simulations, using the RAN algorithms, of how the network will behave under certain conditions, and visualize the outcome of those simulations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio