Barriers to innovation amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Portugal

The importance of innovation on the survival and competitiveness of organizations is an undeniable fact. Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) represent 99,99% of all Portuguese firms. This reality is shared by other European countries and therefore it is relevant to study their innovative behaviour and attitudes in order to achieve competitiveness and sustainability. The present study inquires about barriers to innovation, namely, what are the barriers faced by domestic companies, which barriers are easier to recognize and overcome and what is the level of importance they have on the firm point of view. The course of the investigation consists primarily in undertaking literature review on topics such as innovation, barriers to innovation, SMEs, strategy and competitiveness. The theoretical support, resulting therefrom leads to the building line of work that is embodied in two surveys. The results achieved made possible the creation of two new models of classification and segmentation of the barriers. The BARINOV Model that evidences the existence of internal or external barriers and flashes upon the concept of deviation barrier. The BARIFASE Model embodies the innovation process through three phases and evidences the occurrence of the barriers to innovation during these stages

Innovation: a strategy that leads to competitiveness in SMEs

This study took place in Portugal and focuses on the importance of the innovative attitude towards the sustainability of companies. The aim is to define how Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) must to be followed by companies to attain competitiveness, which will allow them to remain and survive in the market. Once confirmed this belief it becomes interesting to acknowledge why innovation does not occur and what kind of barriers to innovation face the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) studied. Additionally is analysed the existence of similarities in the barriers observed in Portugal with studies carried out in other countries

What prevents Portuguese SMEs from innovating?

The importance of innovation on the survival and competitiveness of organizations is an undeniable fact. Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) represent 99,99% of all Portuguese firms. This reality is shared by other European countries and therefore it is relevant to study their innovative behavior and attitudes in order to achieve competitiveness and sustainability. The present study inquires about barriers to innovation, namely, what are the barriers faced by domestic companies, which barriers are easier to recognize and overcome and what is the level of importance they have on the firm point of view. The course of the investigation consists primarily in undertaking literature review on topics such as innovation, barriers to innovation, SMEs, strategy and competitiveness. The theoretical support, resulting there from leads to the building line of work that is embodied in two surveys. The results achieved made possible the creation of two new models of classification and segmentation of the barriers. The BARINOV MODEL that evidences the existence of internal or external barriers and flashes upon the concept of deviation barrier. The BARIFASE MODEL embodies the innovation process through three phases and evidences the occurrence of the barriers to innovation during these stages

Barriers to innovation in SMEs: An international comparison

The Portuguese business frame is mainly compounded of small‐sized companies, namely small and medium enterprises, which represent 99.99% of all Portuguese firms. This reality is common to other countries and makes it relevant to study their behavior and attitudes towards competitiveness and sustainability. The present study proposes to inquire about the issue of barriers to innovation in the following circumstances: what are the barriers faced by domestic companies, how do they deal with and overcome them, and finally what is the importance of each barrier. The research identifies the main barriers in the companies surveyed which revealed as of extreme importance the current economic climate and showed the similarities between the barriers revealed in Portugal and barriers to innovation on other countries where similar studies occurred.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Profitability and risk of European banks : a comparison between fixed and floating rates

The share of floating-rate loans and fixed-rate loans varies across countries and over time. This is a study about how the movements in monetary policy interest rates defined by the European Central Bank and the changes in the yield curve of the countries influence the share of floating-rate loans. Moreover, there is also an attempt to study the impact of this type of interest rate selection with the main components of profitability in banks. Using a ten-country panel and econometric models, I find that the monetary policy instruments do influence the choice of loans with variable rates. However, the effects of this choice on banks’ profitability is less significant, suggesting that it depends on other components. These conclusions contribute to the literature related with monetary policy and banks’ interest rate risk management

Tourism through the gaze of stakeholders: the case of Óbidos Lagoon in Portugal

Coastal lagoons are valued and sensitive ecosystems often threatened by human pressure. In our study we focused on the development of local activities in the Óbidos lagoon and we aimed to understand the stakeholders’ view about the best solutions for local development. Stakeholders were divided into residents, tourists, groups of interest and surveys and interviews were applied. The results indicated that although the lagoon is considered a dynamic economical resource for the local economy communities, tourism was identified by all stakeholders as the strategic tool for development in the lagoon. These results suggest the urgency to promote sustainable guidelines for the local tourism development

A Visitação de Thomas Luis no contexto europeu: critérios de conservação e restauro baseados nos estudos iconográfico e da técnica

We aim to demonstrate how iconographic and technological studies can be essential to decide which conservation and restoration criteria to adopt on a fragmented master piece. The case of the Visitation’s altar piece by Thomas Luis (c.1565-c.1612), from Montijo’s ”Santa Casa da Misericórdia“ (Holy House of Mercy) church is considered herein. Regarding the iconographic study, we used nine literary sources available in Europe in the sixteen century confronting them with the mentioned painting. For scientific conservation and restoration purpose, the artist’s technique was studied by means of various methods: normal light and ultra violet (UV) radiation photography; infra red reflectography (IRR); optical microscopy (OM); micro chemical analyses (MA) and Fourier transformed infrared micro-spectroscopy (μ-FTIR).Consideramos aquí la pintura retabular Visitación de Thomas Luis (c.1565 - c.1612), perteneciente à la iglesia de Santa Casa da Misericórdia (SCM) do Montijo. Este artículo tiene el objetivo de demonstrar cómo los estudios iconográficos y tecnológicos pueden ser importantes a la hora de elegir criterios de conservación y restauración en obras de composición fragmentada. Para el estudio iconográfico hemos confrontado la pintura con nueve fuentes literarias de libre circulación en Europa durante el siglo XVI. Con el objetivo de realizar una conservación y restauro científica, la técnica del artista fu estudiada con diversos métodos: fotografías con luz normal y radiación ultra violeta (UV); reflectografía infrarroja (IRR); microscopia óptica (OM); análisis micro químico (MA) y micro-espectroscopia infrarroja por transformada de Fourier (μ-FTIR).Consideramos aqui a pintura retabular Visitação do pintor Thomas Luis (c.1565-c.1612), pertencente à igreja da Santa Casa da Misericórdia (SCM) do Montijo. Este artigo tem por objectivo demonstrar como os estudos iconográficos e laboratoriais podem ser determinantes para delinear critérios científicos de conservação e restauro numa obra que requer a reintegração cromática de lacunas extensas. No estudo iconográfico, confrontámos esta pintura com nove fontes literárias que circulavam na Europa no séculoXVI. Com o objectivo de assegurar uma conservação e restauro científica, estudámos atécnica do pintor com o recurso a vários métodos: fotografias sob luz normal e radiação ultra violeta (UV); reflectografia de infra vermelho (IRR); microscopia óptica (OM); análise micro química (MA) e micro-espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (μ-FTIR)

Thomas Luis, pintor maneirista do sacro e do profano: arte, conservação e restauro:casos de Évora, Aldeia Galega, Elvas, Idanha-a-Nova e Vila Viçosa - Séculos XVI a XVII

Tese de doutoramento, História (Arte Património e Restauro), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2014A presente dissertação tem como objectivo apresentar um estudo interdisciplinar inovador sobre as pinturas retabulares e murais do artista inglês Thomas Luis (Thomas Lewis). Estas obras, realizadas entre c. 1582 e c. 1603, estão localizadas em cinco zonas de Portugal: Évora, antiga Aldeia Galega (actual Montijo), Elvas, Idanha-a-Nova e Vila Viçosa. Trata-se de um pintor pouco estudado, de certa forma desvalorizado quando comparado com outros mais prolíficos (caso dos pintores Diogo Teixeira, Simão Rodrigues e Francisco João), mas que apresenta pinturas monumentais que importa conhecer, singulares do ponto de vista artístico. A pintura subsistente em edifícios religiosos e civis dá conta de uma clientela de saber erudito e actualizado em relação ao que de melhor se produzia quer a nível nacional, quer no estrangeiro (na vizinha Espanha, na Alemanha, na Flandres e em Itália). Dez conjuntos pictóricos, compostos por cento e setenta e oito temas (sem esquecer as que desapareceram e pertencem, por isso, à cripto-história), são aqui devidamente fundamentados em termos autorais, como sendo de Thomas Luis. O método de investigação escolhido foi imposto pelo objecto, isto é, pelas próprias pinturas, a partir das quais se realizou a biografia de Thomas Luis. As suas obras-primas foram analisadas de forma pluridisciplinar, segundo seis perspectivas: histórica (contexto espácio-temporal, encomendantes e mecenas); iconográfica e iconológica (perscrutando o significado dos programas sacros e profanos em fontes documentais e literárias); estilística e artística (apresentando as influências plausíveis dos vários ramos da arte – gravura, iluminura, pinturas de cavalete e murais, azulejaria, talha e pedra –, nas obras de Thomas Luis); dos materiais e das técnicas, com base nos resultados adquiridos com métodos de exame e análise (MEA), de área e de ponto; da história “transmemorial” (cronologia das alterações e das intervenções de Conservação e Restauro, com o apoio dos MEA); da Museologia, propondo formas de divulgação do conhecimento adquirido sobre o Património estudado, e da Curadoria, recomendando quer critérios de “autenticidade” para a exposição de bens culturais sacros em pólos culturais (igreja e museu), quer directrizes de conservação preventiva para o prolongamento da sua vida, explicando qual é o papel desempenhado pelo conservador-restaurador nesses âmbitos. Em grandes linhas, este trabalho visa a preservação e projecção da obra de Thomas Luis, dá-la a conhecer ao grande público e fomentar o turismo cultural.The goal of this thesis is to present an interdisciplinary and innovative study about the altarpieces and wall paintings by the English painter Thomas Luis (Thomas Lewis). These paintings, created between c. 1582 and c. 1603, are located in five areas in Portugal: Évora, the old Aldeia Galega (actual Montijo), Elvas, Idanha-a-Nova and Vila Viçosa. There are few studies about Thomas Luis, who has not been given sufficient recognition when compared with more productive painters (like Diogo Teixeira, Simão Rodrigues and Francisco João), in spite of his monumental paintings, which should be acknowledged, as they are unique. His paintings can be found in religious and private buildings. They show evidence that Thomas Luis’s patrons had an erudite taste and culture, concurrent with the best that was produced not only in Portugal, but also abroad (in neighboring Spain, in Germany, in Flanders and Italy). Ten pictorial groups, composed of one hundred and seventy eight themes (including the ones that disappeared), are herein justified in terms of authorship, as being by Thomas Luis. The research method chosen was imposed by the object, that is, by the paintings themselves, which, in fact, “write” Thomas Luis biography. His masterpieces were studied in a pluridisciplinary way, through six perspectives: historic (space and time contexts, patrons and Maecenas); iconographical and iconological (exploring the meaning of sacred and profane themes in documents and literary sources); stylistic and artistic (showing possible influences, from various art fields – engraving, illumination, easel and wall paintings, tiles, wood and stone works –, in Thomas Luis work); material and technological, using surface and local methods of exam and analysis (MEA); “transmemorial” history (chronology of the alterations and Conservation and Restoration interventions, using MEA), Museology, proposing ways for a wider acquaintance of Thomas Luis work, exhibited in cultural places (church and museum), and Curadory, recommending not only “authenticity” criteria for the exhibition of sacred heritage, but also preventive conservation guide lines to ensure its lasting preservation, explaining the role played by the conservatorrestorer in those areas. This work aims to acknowledge, preserve and project Thomas Luis work to a wider audience and promote the Cultural Heritage Tourism.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, SFRH/BD/46645/2008