Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2013-06-17"
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- Job Training Determinants, R&D and Effects on Firms’ Productivity : evidence from firm-level data in Latin AmericaPublication . Vaz, Ruben António Moreira; Almeida, Rita; Modesto, LeonorFor many decades, Latin America followed an import-substitution industrialization (ISI) process. Constant technological developments, complex production processes and stronger international competition put in evidence some workforce fragilities, their lack of skills and capabilities. Enhancing investments in both job training and R&D may be a proper reaction for either the more immediate needs or the medium/long run structural demands, in Latin America. Exploring a firm-level dataset from Chile and Argentina, we estimate the firms’ training decision (standard probit model) and the productivity effects through OLS, treatment-effects model and instrumental variable, using industry and region fixed effects and clustered standard errors. Using OLS, training estimates on firms’ performance are 24% in Chile and 18% in Argentina. Joint investment in training and R&D leads job training to have an effect of 53% in Chile and 22% in Argentina, and R&D a magnitude of 9% in Chile and 5% in Argentina, which seems to evidence a complementarity relationship between these two policies. Although with different magnitudes, conclusions remain consistent using OLS, treatment-effects and IV. Firms’ heterogeneity is also accounted for, estimating a quantile model.
- A organização do ambiente educativo e a aprendizagemPublication . Santos, Maria de Fátima Tenreiro dos; Xavier, Maria Raul LoboO desenvolvimento humano é um complexo processo de interatividade entre o sujeito e o meio, numa influência e enriquecimento mútuos. Neste processo de 'acomodação' equilibrante, onde as aprendizagens ancoram o desenvolvimento, destaca-se o papel determinante dos 'processos proximais', enquanto promotores do desenvolvimento e das aprendizagens do indivíduo. Estes processos operacionalizam-se no ambiente onde o indivíduo interage com os outros, desenvolve as suas competências e personalidade, aprende a fazer e a ser. O ambiente torna-se assim fundamental na contextualização do desenvolvimento e aprendizagem do indivíduo. No Jardim-de-Infância, o ambiente educativo e a sua organização, apresenta-se, por isso, como fator determinante da ancoragem e génese de 'processos proximais' do desenvolvimento pessoal e social das crianças. A presente reflexão equaciona, assim o papel da organização do ambiente educativo em contexto do Jardim-de-Infância como fator de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento da criança, enquadrando tal organização no contexto educativo e pedagógico da Metodologia de Projeto e da Aprendizagem cooperada, enquanto estruturas de suporte daquela. Sendo uma reflexão sobre a minha ação educativa, desenvolvida ao longo dos vinte e três anos como educadora de infância, o trabalho começa por enquadrar teoricamente os conceitos-chave fundamentadores da mesma, nomeadamente desenvolvimento, aprendizagem cooperativa e organização do ambiente educativo, para depois assentar numa reflexão mais específica sobre o papel e modo de organização do ambiente educativo, enquanto fator de desenvolvimento e aprendizagem. Os projetos desenvolvidos com as crianças, refletem os princípios educativos teoricamente expostos, corolários de toda uma intenção educativa, assente na perspetiva bioecológica de desenvolvimento e nos princípios de aprendizagem cooperativa e nos pressupostos das Orientações Curriculares para a Educação Préescolar.
- Galp Energia’s customer care program : opportunities for improvementPublication . Costa, Duarte Planas Raposo de Almeida; Xavier, RuteWith the liberalization of the energy markets, Galp Energia had the opportunity to enter a new market – the residential market of electricity supply. With the Galp On service, Galp Energia is able to deliver both energy services, electricity and natural gas, in the liberalized residential energy market. In this consulting project, the objective proposed by our client was to focus on this new market and analyze the customer care program that Galp Energia provides to its customers. This analysis is not only restricted to the study of the current customer care program. This project also identifies gaps and opportunities for the customer care techniques Galp Energia applies. In this project there are, in total, seven recommendations for the customer care program improvement – direct and indirect advertising, didactic channel, Google keywords tuning, warning system of energy cuts enhancement, SMS/E-Mail Care, the Galp On’s invoice redesign and the online customer support center. These proposals are analysed in detail and are supported with information presented in the appendices. This consulting project is the result of a semester-long research on the topic and also the reporting of the presentation of the project to the company – Galp Energia. In this document, I will describe how it was to manage this consulting project with the different variables – planning, scheduling, scope management and the final presentation done to the client.
- Bankruptcy resolution : an empirical investigation of debtor-in-possession financing, exit financing and corporate governancePublication . Ferreira, Pedro Miguel Oliveira Teixeira Santos; Bonfim, DianaThis dissertation investigates the impact of debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing and exit financing on the resolution of corporate bankruptcy. In order to accomplish the objective this study uses a large sample of bankrupt firms that filed for chapter 11 in the United States over the period 1998-2009. The analysis shows that the presence of post-petition financing is associated with an improvement of the odds of reorganization, with successful emergence from bankruptcy and an increase of the time spent in bankruptcy, effectively buying time to negotiate a successful restructuring. It also studies the effect on corporate governance by investigating top management turnover.