The burden of the minimum wage : evidence from Portugal

This thesis examines the elasticity of employment and wages to changes in the minimum wage and the incidence of the costs of these changes between consumers and firm owners, using firm-level financial information linked to longitudinal employer-employee data from Portugal between 2008 and 2017. It exploits differences in firm exposure to changes in the minimum wage to uncover the sensitivity of employment and wages to this policy and the main margins of adjustment of firms. It finds that more exposed firms experience higher growth in average wage and a larger decline in employment. The employment elasticities with respect to average wages range from -0.48 to -0.56 over 2008–17. Subperiod analysis shows that the employment elasticity varies considerably, with the increases in the minimum wage resulting in larger negative effects on employment during the crisis period of 2010 to 2014, when firms were arguably less able to transfer the burden to consumers in the form of higher prices. During this period, the employment elasticity was -0.77. In terms of incidence, during the period of positive growth (2008–09), the increase in the margin between revenues and materials suggests that most of the costs of the minimum wage increases were borne by consumers. In the subsequent periods, the majority of the minimum wage costs was borne by firm owners, as firms suffer a decrease in profits that offset the increase in labor costs caused by the higher minimum wage.Esta tese analisa as elasticidades do emprego e salários a mudanças no salário mínimo e a sua incidência nos consumidores e empresários em Portugal entre 2008 e 2017. Através de uma base de dados longitudinal que combina informação de trabalhadores e empresas, esta tese explora as diferenças na exposição das empresas a um aumento do salário mínimo para estimar os efeitos deste no emprego, salários e nas principais margens das empresas. Os resultados indicam que empresas com maior exposição registam maior crescimento no salário médio e um declínio mais acentuado no emprego. As estimativas para a elasticidade do emprego relativa ao salário médio variam entre -0.48 e -0.56 para o período 2008-17. A análise de vários períodos mostra que estas elasticidades variam consideravelmente, sendo que o aumento do salário mínimo foi mais prejudicial para o emprego no período de crise 2010-14. Quando as empresas estavam menos aptas a transferir os custos do salário mínimo para os consumidores através de preços mais altos. Durante este período, a elasticidade do empego foi -0.77. Em termos de incidência, durante o período de crescimento económico 2008-09, o aumento das margens das empresas indica que a maioria dos custos do salário mínimo foram suportados pelos consumidores. Nos períodos seguintes, a maioria dos custos do salário mínimo foram suportado pelos empresários, sendo que a redução registada nos lucros compensou o aumento dos gastos com pessoal causados pelo aumento do salário mínimo

Web collaboration for software engineering

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Incorporation of industrial wastes from thermal processes in cement mortars

This work presents the results of the incorporation of some industrial wastes from thermal processes in cement mortars. Employed wastes were generated in electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking and in steel foundry production. Namely, research with mortars containing EAF dusts and foundry sands and slags were conducted. Mechanical and environmental evaluation has been done, to compare the waste containing cement mortars samples with the normal one. The results indicated that the incorporation of these wastes generated in thermal processes in cement mortars does not affect significantly the mechanical properties, namely the flexural and compressive strength, and does not induce any relevant environmental impact when the materials have to be considered as waste, at the end of their life cycle. As a matter of fact, the cement mortar, if becoming a residue, may be considered as an inert one. The results of this work indicate that the incorporation of these wastes in cement mortars is an adequate waste management option.Este trabajo presenta los resultados de la incorporación de algunos residuos industriales generados a partir de procesos térmicos en los morteros de cemento. Los residuos son los generados en hornos de arco eléctrico (EAF) de producción de acero y en la producción de fundición de acero. Se llevó a cabo la investigación con morteros que contienen estos polvos, arenas y escorias de fundición. Se realizó una evaluación mecánica y ambiental para comparar los morteros que contienen residuos con el normal. Los resultados indicaron que la incorporación de estos residuos en los morteros de cemento no afecta significativamente las propiedades mecánicas, es decir, resistencia a la flexión y resistencia a la compresión, y no provocan ningún impacto ambiental pertinente cuando el material tiene que ser considerado como residuo, en el final de su ciclo de vida. Efectivamente, si el mortero de cemento, se convertirse en un residuo, ello se puede considerar como un residuo inerte. Los resultados de este trabajo indican que la incorporación de estos residuos en cementos es una vía de gestión adecuad

The Halloween effect in european sectors

Bouman e Jacobsen (2002) documentaram a existência de um forte padrão sazonal na rentabilidade das acções, também conhecido como efeito Halloween. Estes autores demonstraram que num conjunto de mercados de capitais, os retornos durante os meses de Novembro a Abril tinham sido largamente superiores aos registados durante os meses de Maio a Outubro. Seguindo de perto a metodologia proposta por Bouman e Jacobsen (2002), pretendemos estudar a existência do efeito Halloween na Europa desde Outubro de 1992 até Outubro de 2010 e fornecer algumas possíveis explicações para a existência da anomalia. Concluiu-se que o efeito Halloween é economicamente e estatisticamente significante, constituindo portanto uma oportunidade passível de ser explorada. Considerámos várias possíveis soluções para a anomalia, mas nenhuma delas foi capaz de justificar por completo o efeito. Sugerimos, que a possível explicação poderá estar relacionada com os retornos médios negativos durante o período de Maio a Outubro, em vez de estar relacionada com a performance superior durante os meses de Novembro a Abril.Bouman and Jacobsen (2002) documented the existence of a strong seasonal effect in stock market returns, also known as the Halloween effect. They presented sample evidence that in a number of countries, returns have been unusually larger during the months of November to April than those during the months of May to October. Following closely the methodology used by Bouman and Jacobsen (2002), we propose to examine the existence of the Halloween effect in Europe from October 1992 to October 2010 and to provide some insight on the possible explanations for the anomaly. We concluded that the Halloween effect is economically and statistically significant, constituting therefore an exploitable opportunity. We have considered several possible explanations for the anomaly, but none was able to completely justify the seasonal effect. We suggest, that a possible explanation for the anomaly may be related with the negative average returns during the May–October period, rather than with a superior performance during the November–April period

The State, Aerospace Multinational Corporations and Variegated Forms of Corporate Capture in Regional Training Systems: A Cross-National Comparative Study Between Charleston, SC, U.S.A. and São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil

In today’s globalized world, the power of influence of multinational corporations over the state and society is significant. One particular area is related to how MNCs have influenced states and public educational institutions in order to shape their educational agendas and training initiatives. Many scholars have conceptualized such an influence as processes of corporate capture. In this dissertation, I examine and compare the existing processes of corporate capture related to Boeing and Embraer in the regional training systems of Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., and São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. I also investigate how their distinctive state forms and their forms of governance account for differences in the evolution of such processes. This research, drawing from Neo-Marxist theories of the state and labor geography, critically engages with FDI studies and the GPN literature. Methodologically, this dissertation is based on qualitative cross-national comparative methods. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2014 and 2017, when fifty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with state managers, representatives from educational institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and firms, among others. In this research I develop two major arguments. First, I argue that the evolution of processes of corporate capture in the regional training systems of São José dos Campos and Charleston is intrinsically connected to their accumulation strategies and state forms. However, such an evolution happens through different mechanisms and is related to different state scales. Second, I turn my attention to the local forms of governance of Charleston and São José dos Campos, claiming that they reinforce processes of corporate capture at the local scale. I argue that their tendency to reinforce processes of corporate capture in training has to be comprehended alongside with their state form and type of state selectivity

Implementation of X-ray reflectivity on the characterization of ultra-thin films for memory devices

In this work X-ray reflectivity (XRR) was implemented as a characterization technique to study very thin films produced at CENIMAT. Three groups of samples were analysed: thin films of Ta2O5, thin films Ta2O5 mixed with SiO2 (TaSiO) and thin films of zinc-tin oxide (ZTO). Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used as a complementary technique and all results were compared with the results of profilometry and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). A good agreement was found between the thicknesses obtained by all techniques. XRR revealed to be a better technique than SE to determine the thickness of the native oxide of silicon. In the same way the determination of the roughness was more accurate with XRR. The objective of the characterization of the TaSiO and Ta2O5 samples was to study the influence of the radio frequency (rf) power in the Ta2O5 target during the sputtering process. In the case of the TaSiO samples an increase of the rf power resulted in an increase of the percentage of Ta2O5 and Ar in the films, as well as an increase of the density and dielectric constant. On the other side, the short-range order decreased. With the increase of the rf power the Ta2O5 samples only revealed a lower short-range order. The aim of the characterization of the ZTO was to study of the effect of rf power in the ZTO target during the sputtering process, as well as the influence of the H2 and O2 flows. The increase of the rf power resulted in denser films with lower short-range order. In a less clear way a change in the H2 influenced the films thickness. The increase of theO2 flow had as a result films less dense and less rough