Specific resources as bases for the differentiation and innovation of tourist destinations

Given that one type of tourist does not exist and different strategies are drawn to reach the wished "extraordinary" by tourists for holidays, there are windows of opportunities to the tourist destinations, as these give them the chance for differentiated offers and for a flexibility that opposes uniformity and gives place to variety and difference. Assuming that the development of the destinations do not obey to just a standard way, and alternatively is embedded in the historical, cultural, institutional and natural matrices of the regions where destinations are anchored, then the specific resources of a place can assume the basic role of inputs for the differentiation of the tourist destination and for the diversification of its tourist offers. Taking into account the exceptionality of tourist product as an experience, which is associated with an integrated experience offer, one can say that an idiographic perspective of a destination requires that the valuation of its specific resources pass not only for the tourist services providers to assume themselves as agents who facilitate the stay and the mobility of the tourists, but also that they need to become ambassadors of all the kind of services of the destination as well as of the region itself. Such tourist destination generates change. As it generates differentiated strategies at the regional level and as it is based on co-operation and network, these strategies and related facts make the environment propitious to the dissemination of knowledge and innovation. Innovation, in turn, generates difference, that strengthens the identity of the region, and potentially, of the tourist destination. Such strategies of differentiation, in a sustainable development frame, can be the turning point for a more selective tourist industry, and where all can win: the local communities, the tourists, the tourist agents, and the environment.Specific resources; idiographic approach; innovation; tourist destination; sustainability; regional development

Solving a Bi-objective Nurse Rerostering Problem by Using a Utopic Pareto Genetic Heuristic

Nurse rerostering arises when at least one nurse announces that she will be unable to undertake the tasks previously assigned to her. The problem amounts to building a new roster that satisfies the hard constraints already met by the current one and, as much as possible, fulfils two groups of soft constraints which define the two objectives to be attained. A bi-objective genetic heuristic was designed on the basis of a population of individuals characterised by pairs of chromosomes, whose fitness complies with the Pareto ranking of the respective decoded solution. It includes an elitist policy, as well as a new utopic strategy, introduced for purposes of diversification. The computational experiments produced promising results for the practical application of this approach to real life instances arising from a public hospital in Lisbon

As ilhas das Flores e do Corvo na perspectiva de um negociante micaelense de setecentos

Ao estudarmos a casa comercial de Nicolau Maria Raposo de Amaral, negociante de grosso trato da Praça de Ponta Delgada, entre os anos de 1769 a 1816, depararam-se-nos, entre numerosa correspondência, relevantes cartas destinadas a figuras que integravam o elenco governativo central. Uma delas, dirigida a D. Rodrigo Sousa Coutinho, Ministro e Secretário de Estado da Marinha e Domínios Ultramarinos, datada de 6 de Março de 1800, mereceu-nos particular atenção, devido a uma interessante descrição das ilhas Flores e Corvo, pois adianta-nos importantes informações sobre a economia florentina e corvina de finais de Setecentos, assim como representa mais um contributo para a compreensão da importância da Casa de Nicolau Maria Raposo, no incremento de inúmeras actividades inerentes à economia açoriana. [...

Contratos e contratadores régios : Açores - segunda metade do século XVIII

A arrematação dos contratos régios era um dos principais sistemas de organização fiscal do Estado Português, de finais de Setecentos, levando à interpenetração dos dinheiros públicos com os privados. Na verdade, este sistema interessava a ambos. Ao primeiro permitia-lhe a garantia e eficácia da cobrança dos impostos, pois esta era delegada nos contratadores, cujo principal objectivo era maximizar os lucros e aumentar os rendimentos; isentava-o das suas responsabilidades perante os agentes de fiscalidade, diminuindo assim as despesas. Esta isenção era tão importante para o Estado que, por norma, ela era fixada nas primeiras claúsulas dos contratos sublinhando-se que: ”todos os contratadores e seus administradores deveriam cobrar os direitos, fazendo exaustivamente a arrecadação das dívidas dos mesmos após o fim do primeiro ano”. Permitia ainda estabilizar as expectativas de rendimento régio nos anos seguintes, introduzindo um mínimo de planificação orçamental (normalmente os contratos eram celebrados por prazos de 3, 6, 9 ou 12 anos). Quanto aos privados, o sistema dava-lhes a possibilidade de não só enriquecer, como ascender a uma elite comercial e muitas vezes à nobilitação. Os grandes contratos formavam pois, um poderoso mecanismo de acumulação e eram apontados como um meio fácil de enriquecimento e influência, aspecto não menos importante numa sociedade de privilégios como a que era a do Antigo Regime. Daí, ser usual, ouvirem-se comentários sobre os contratos régios como sendo infalíveis, exorbitantes, fabulosos, que com pouco trabalho se conseguiam grandes lucros, chegando mesmo alguns dirigentes, como por exemplo D. Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, a afirmarem que os “contratadores enriqueciam à custa do Estado”. [...

A Memetic Algorithm for a Bi-objective Bus Driver Rostering Problem

The Bus Driver Rostering Problem (DRP) consists of assigning bus drivers to daily duties during a planning period. The problem considers hard constraints imposed by institutional and legal requirements. Solutions should as much as possible satisfy soft constraints that qualify rosters according to either the company's or the drivers' interests. A bi-objective version of the DRP is considered and two models are presented. Due to the high computational complexity of DRP, this paper proposes the Strength Pareto Utopic Memetic Algorithm (SPUMA) a new heuristic algorithm specially devised to tackle the problem. SPUMA genetic component combines utopic elitism with a strength Pareto fitness evaluation and includes an improvement procedure. Computational results show that SPUMA outperforms an adaptation of one of the state-of-the-art most competitive multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, SPEA2

Insights and Challenges about the use of VNA on Airport/Hinterland Linkages

Airport operators, planners and regulatory agencies to measure the economic contribution of an airport to its local and regional surroundings, frequently use economic impact studies. The most common methods to measure airport economic impacts have been the Input-Output method, the Collection of Benefits method and most recently the Catalytic method. The most used measured variables include employment, wages, local and regional spending and air traffic levels. This paper is a new approach to these impact studies in which is used a new tool to identify the added values generated within airports and surrounding community interactions to better catch real socio-economic impacts. The VNA – Value Network Analysis, is used as an integrated methodology to identify these interactions and added values generated (tangibles and intangibles) in the business system of landside airports. To define the system it is used the matrix key airport performance benchmarking areas of ACI (Airport Council International) that are in the range of landside of the airport. Key words: Social Networks, Airport Landside, Value Network Analysis, Key Performance Indicators, Business System.

Bi-objective Evolutionary Heuristics for Bus Drivers

The Bus Driver Rostering Problem refers to the assignment of drivers to the daily schedules of the company's buses, during a planning period of a given duration. The drivers' schedules must comply with legal and institutional rules, namely the Labour Law, labour agreements and the company's specific regulations. This paper presents a bi-objective model for the problem and two evolutionary heuristics differing as to the strategies adopted to approach the Pareto frontier. The first one, the utopian strategy, extends elitism to include an unfeasible solution in the population, and the second one is an adapted version of the well known SPEA2 (Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm). The heuristics' empirical performance is studied with computational tests on a set of instances generated from vehicle and crew schedules. This research shows that both methodologies are adequate to tackle the instances of the Bus Driver Rostering Problem. In fact, in short computing times, they provide the planning department, with several feasible solutions, rosters that are very difficult to obtain manually and, in addition, identify among them the efficient solutions of the bi-objective model

Mar e Terra : dualidade na economia micaelense nos finais de setecentos

Por definição, uma ilha é um bocado de terra rodeado de mar por todos os lados. Mar e Terra, dois espaços que se interpenetram e que não se podem isolar um do outro na vida das gentes açorianas. É verdade que a maioria dos habitantes das ilhas preferiu a terra, convertendo a agricultura na actividade económica dominante. Mas, também não deixa de ser verdade a sua dependência do cheiro da maresia e do revolto das suas águas, que se, por um lado, isolam, por outro, também permitem estabelecer elos de ligação com o resto do mundo. Esta dupla Mar e Terra esteve sempre presente na economia micaelense, nunca separadamente, mas sempre em interligação uma com a outra. A costa da ilha elevada e escarpada, cortada quase na vertical até ao mar, assim como os ventos ciclónicos que, por vezes, sopram o arquipélago afastaram as nossas gentes da pesca, tornando esta actividade muito elementar e pouco desenvolvida. Isto, apesar de alguns esforços individuais para a incrementarem, nomeadamente na segunda metade do século XVIII, quando um dos grandes comerciantes micaelenses, Nicolau Maria Raposo de Amaral, ao conseguir um contrato com a Secretaria dos Negócios Estrangeiros e Ultramar, para “prover os armazéns das reais fábricas de peixe salgado”, tentou desenvolver a pesca, cativando os pescadores com algumas ajudas monetárias e com outras melhorias técnicas, mandando mesmo buscar novos barcos. Também através de intervenções suas junto do Governo central, como testemunha uma carta endereçada a Martinho de Mello e Castro, denunciando a prática do Governo local de taxar o pescado, procedimento por vezes usado pelos almotacés dos Municípios, mas condenado pelo Governo central, o qual muito prejudicava os pescadores. A pesca, contudo, nunca foi considerada um elemento dinamizador da nossa economia. Pelo contrário, a agricultura foi desde os primórdios da ocupação a característica principal da ilha de S. Miguel. A alta fertilidade das suas terras levou a economia micaelense a não se confinar à auto-subsistência, aliando-se a produção para o mercado externo, abrindo assim a porta para um mercado mais vasto, tendo por via o mar. Foi assim desde sempre. Primeiro, com o trigo e o pastel, depois, com o linho, juntando-se a estes, nos finais de Setecentos, o milho e a laranja. Esta dialéctica Mar-Terra vai tomar grande acuidade na passagem do Iluminismo para o Liberalismo, pois é nela que os novos ideais de desenvolvimento económico mais se vão sentir. [...

Politics and gender in Guinea-Bissau: candidate selection across political parties

Guinea-Bissau is among the countries in the world with the lowest women representation in Parliament. During the democratic period, which started in 1994, women´s representation in Parliament ranged from 7 per cent in 1994 to 13.7 per cent in 2019. Worldwide, the fight for greater rights for women has been a long-time struggle and the relationship between female representation and democratization process continues to enhance debates among scholars. In Guinea-Bissau, studies on women´s representation are almost nonexistent. This study seeks to examine how formal and informal selection processes influenced the choice of female MP candidates by the three dominant political parties (PAIGC, MADEM and PRS) for the 2019 elections. The research follows a mostly qualitative methodological approach, based on the collection and analysis of documents, as well as on interviews with MPs and MPs candidates, as well as with party leaders and other political actors. The analysis shows that the recruitment process was mostly carried out in an informal way. Despite the existence of formal selection procedures, informal filters were created to influence the selection process. As a result, none of the three dominant political parties complied with the 36 per cent quota of women´s on the lists, required by the 2018 Parity Law. The main obstacles for a higher women representation in Parliament are associated with preconceived biases and social values that decrease the chances for a woman to be voted. Consequently, parties tend to prefer to choose men over women for their electoral lists