Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2015-09-01"
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- The evolution of streetwear : the newfound reality of streetwear and its luxury-like managementPublication . Macedo, Miguel Marques Lobo de; Machado, Joana Pinto Leite CésarPurpose: To explore the critical dimensions of successful streetwear brands and how they garner customers’ attention, devotion and regard for the brand. Ultimately, the goal is to compare the anatomy of a streetwear brand to that of a luxury fashion brand and analyze the main differences and similarities between the two in order to understand how a streetwear brand, Supreme, operates in its niche market. By using a case study approach, this study plans on analyzing the newfound reality of streetwear, the reasons for its unprecedented consumption and what the biggest brands in this industry do in order to appeal, constantly, to different crowds: the devoted followers and the fashion-driven consumers. With this in mind, the study intends to validate the relevancy of these streetwear labels in today’s luxury fashion markets. Findings: The aspirational consumer of today’s streetwear will be the aspirational consumer of the eventual luxury market of tomorrow. I understand that there is still a lot to be studied within this streetwear industry but believe to have validated the importance of these brands in the purchasing intention of today’s consumers, by deconstructing the brands. Three important levels of analysis cement my study. The aspirational consumer of today, its intricate and complex need for approval within its tribes and the management instruments necessary to fulfill all his needs, intrinsic and extrinsic ones. The brands that do this now are what I define as streetwear powerhouses as they hold the power to influence every little detail of consumers’ perceptions and tastes, maybe even more than luxury brands have influenced till this day.
- Determinação do posicionamento B2B : Decflex Sodeca GroupPublication . Araújo, Ana Caldeira dos Santos Vieira de; Marques, Susana Regina Bacelar de VasconcelosA proposta de investigação deste trabalho final de mestrado é a determinação do posicionamento B2B em mercados AVAC (Aquecimento, Ventilação e Ar Concidionado), que se apresentam neste momento em Portugal, altamente competitivos devido ao número de oferta. Tendo em consideração este objetivo, procuramos entender através da revisão da literatura quais os fatores chave para que uma empresa possa atingir determinado posicionamento e em que consiste este conceito que, visa permitir que uma empresa desempenhe determinada estratégia. Outros conceitos abordados de extrema importância para o estudo são, a segmentação, as percepções dos consumidores, a vantagem competitiva e os fatores críticos para o sucesso das empresas. Correlacionados, estes conceitos permitem analisar e facilitar a determinação da estratégia de posicionamento de uma dada empresa. A metodologia utilizada foi a concretização de um estudo de caso, onde foi escolhida a empresa Decflex Sodeca Group, para compreender qual o seu posicionamento atual, face a determinados atributos, como por exemplo, a qualidade, o preço, os prazos de entrega, o atendimento, o serviço pós-venda, o transporte e a flexibilidade, e ainda, como os clientes do sector AVAC avaliam esta empresa. Recorreu-se, neste sentido, à realização de um estudo quantitativo exploratório, onde foi elaborado um questionário e respetivamente distribuído a 120 (cento e vinte) clientes do setor. Através deste estudo procuramos entender de que forma os inquiridos relacionam a Decflex Sodeca Group, face à concorrência e que opinião tem face a outras empresas do ramo. Em simultâneo foi dado ao mesmo número de inquiridos, um inquérito presencial no balcão da loja de atendimento ao público, apenas com três perguntas comparativas, onde através de escalas os inquiridos faziam uma análise comparativa entre empresas que atuam no mesmo setor. Para finalizar o estudo foi realizada uma análise concorrencial direta. Com os resultados deste instrumento de investigação foi possível a construção de mapas de posicionamento, revelando a posição da Decflex Sodeca Group face à concorrência. Os resultados do estudo indicam que, de entre os atributos apresentados, o preço, a qualidade e o atendimento são os mais importantes para que a empresa se dedique sobre eles e alcance um posicionamento estratégico diferenciador e altamente competitivo. Estas conclusões, vêm a confirmar o que foi proposto e apresentado na revisão da literatura, no que diz respeito à importância das percepções dos clientes para que uma empresa consiga ir ao encontro do que o mercado exige e alcançar o posicionamento desejado, na mente do consumidor. Assim, os resultados deste estudo de caso permitem-nos definir um conjunto de sugestões para que a empresa, atualmente numa fase de transição de imagem e estrutura, opte por um posicionamento claro e distintivo, com uma forte vantagem competitiva.
- Reforma e pensão de administradores (a cargo da sociedade)Publication . Cunha, Paulo Olavo
- Música instrumental para iniciação ao estudo do Oboé : caderno diário de exercícios práticosPublication . Leal, Pedro André Moreira; Fonseca, Sofia Inês Ribeiro Lourenço daTendo em conta o atual contexto educativo da formação inicial no ensino da música, bem como o processo de ensino/aprendizagem, mais especificamente focando o ensino da iniciação ao instrumento oboé, este trabalho de investigação visa criar e compilar uma série de exercícios que possam ser úteis e mais uma ferramenta técnica e musical de uma melhor resolução de dificuldades específicas na aprendizagem deste instrumento. Através de uma análise de uma compilação bem estruturada de métodos, exercícios e estudos para oboé, o professor pode escolher o exercícios de uma forma mais simples e eficaz, não estando tão sujeito à pressão do tempo para encontrar o estudo ideal. Esta problemática pretendeu aqui ser investigada através de uma metodologia de análise de conteúdo das fontes primárias, nomeadamente os métodos didáticos relativos ao ensino do instrumento, procurando ainda contribuir e refletir sobre o conceito do papel do professor de instrumento e de um possível “professor-criador” e do seu material didático do ponto de vista técnico/musical. A parte empírica inclui ainda a análise de conteúdo da técnica de inquérito entrevista a diversos pedagogos da área específica em estudo. Identificadas que foram algumas das dificuldades mais frequentes na iniciação ao oboé, os resultados desta análise qualitativa foram incluídos nas respectivas conclusões e tidos em consideração na elaboração do caderno diário de exercícios práticos. Como contributo didático mais específico e aplicado, será por fim apresentada a proposta de método progressivo para o ensino do oboé no primeiro grau, onde serão apresentados exercícios técnicos e musicais denominados de “Caderno Diário de Exercícios Práticos”.
- A new chemistry of sound : the technique of multiphonics as a compositional element for guitar and amplified guitarPublication . Torres, Rita Luzes; Lopes, Paulo Ferreira; Troge, Thomas A.Due to lack of tone colour research on the guitar, the technique of multiphonics was investigated on this instrument. It was part of a strategy of presenting non-guitarist composers with new results from the exploration of unconventional performance techniques. Colour research on the guitar is usually carried out by such composers but these tend to dismiss the instrument. If, enticed by these results, they consider composing for guitar, the research's aim of contributing to the promotion of colour research on this instrument and to the establishment of multiphonics as part of its vocabulary would be fulfilled. The technique of multiphonics consists, like the technique of harmonics, in damping out some of the vibrational modes of the string by lightly touching it at certain locations during or after its excitation (or both). Unlike with the technique of harmonics, the filtering of the vibrational modes is not systematic with respect to mode number, for which it is easier to perceive multiple pitches, of which some may be quite soft. The technique has yet to be absorbed into the guitar's vocabulary, possibly because it only recently received renewed attention. The information that is provided in the recent scientific literature is, however, limited. Moreover, it ignores the influence of the differences that may exist between players/instruments, it does not always take psychoacoustics into account, and it does not explore the amplification of the sounds, a gap that was also verified in the artistic literature. Testing was therefore carried out to determine the influence of amplification on the audibility of the softer main components of the sounds. It consisted in recording with close microphone placement a sample of guitarists playing on their guitars a set of takes of the lowest string lightly touched at a myriad of established locations, and left to vibrate. The recordings were then spectrally analysed and the data was treated and evaluated taking psychoacoustics into account. The results show that the amplification with close microphone placement of sounds of guitar multiphonics introduces novelty to an audience relatively to the non-amplified instrument, regardless of room size. The results and assumptions based thereon were implemented in a piece for amplified guitar and live electronics, and in a guitar piece for which artistic research was carried out, leading to a new form of multiphonics usage.
- La connaissance comme l'un des Beaux Arts: la suite Vision-Action-Art chez AbellioPublication . Abreu, José Guilherme
- Chitosan as natural food preservative for sauces: a proof of conceptPublication . Costa, E. M.; Silva, S.; Silva, N.; Couto, J. A.; Gomes, A. M.; Pintado, M. M.Introduction: Nowadays, consumers demand more natural, nutritionally balanced, less caloric, and minimally processed foods leading to the emergence of sauces with low fat content and without chemical preservatives. This market pressure has led to the modification of a well-established and microbiologically stable matrix, triggering the search for new antimicrobial compounds of natural origin, compounds whose inhibitory efficacy must be studied [1]. Chitosan has attracted attention as a potential food preservative of natural origin due to its antimicrobial activity against a wide range of foodborne pathogens and contaminants. However, the antimicrobial capacity of chitosan, despite being extensively reported, is primarily based upon in vitro trials, where the compound, unimpeded, acts upon microorganisms. Currently, inclusion of chitosan in a food matrices is in its early steps with works reporting the application of chitosan in bread, egg, fruits, vegetables, juices, meat, milk and others, with various degrees of success [2]. In food sauces examples of chitosan application are few and scarce, as most works report on the usage of chitosan as an emulsifier or a emulsifier stabilizer and only Roller and Covill [3] described the successful usage of a chemically altered chitosan as a food preservative. As such, in this work we sought to ascertain the potential of chitosan as a viable, natural, alternative to traditional food preservatives used in food sauces, namely ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard, through assessment of the effect of chitosan containing sauces on the inhibition of lactic acid bacteria isolated therefrom and sensorial analysis of the developed prototypes.
- Attempts in enzymatic degradation of the pigmentation produced by fungi isolated from Portuguese wall paintingsPublication . Marco, A.; Moreira, P. R.; Pintado, M.; Vieira, E.Wall paintings are prone to different types of deterioration, including of biological origin. Our study focuses on the chromatic alterations of the paintings’ surfaces related to the presence and growth of microorganisms. The removal of the dark coloured stains from wall paintings is extremely difficult. Although treatment with biocides can eliminate microorganisms, these compounds are ineffective in cleaning the black pigmentation resulting of their growth. Therefore, it is necessary to understand which organisms are present, the characteristics of the compounds they generate, and in which conditions they produce it. The aim of this study was to isolate the pigment that is the source of the black stains in the studied wall paintings in order to, in a broader scope, eliminate or attenuate their visual impact. Wall paintings presenting black stains from three case studies – Igreja de Santa Eulália/Igreja de São Salvador de Arnoso (V.N. Famalicão), Igreja Paroquial de Valadares (Baião) and Igreja de Santa Cristina de Serzedelo (Guimarães) were dully studied from the conservation point of view. Fungi were isolated from selected areas that displayed dark pigmentation of the pictorial layer. Samples were collected with wet swabs and grown on solid culture medium, e.g. Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA). Isolates were further identified by classical and molecular biology methodologies. Three fungal isolates were selected for further studies due to their pigmentation and growth characteristics, mainly: blackening of solid culture media, dark or black hyphae growth, or a presence of black exudates produced by colourless hyphae. Enzymatic degradation of pigmentation resulting from a selected fungal isolates was attempted both in solution and on solid support and tested with fungal versatile peroxidase from Bjerkandera adusta. Changes in colour were detected by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and with a CIE L*a*b system colorimeter.