Dimitris Skuras, João Castro Caldas, Nicola Meccheri, Dimitris Psaltopoulos and Lourdes Viladomiu
The paper presents results from four surveys of rural businesses in mountainous and less‐favoured areas of Southern Europe. Institutional support to rural businesses is extensive…
Abstract
The paper presents results from four surveys of rural businesses in mountainous and less‐favoured areas of Southern Europe. Institutional support to rural businesses is extensive and delivered through the traditional instruments of capital subsidies, training and assistance to financial and technical management. Strategic orientations vary among case study areas and businesses. Results show that institutions should design and implement de‐centralised, flexible policies of business support in the less favoured areas of the European Union.
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José Carvalho Ferreira, Eduardo Santos, Hugo Madureira and João Castro
To provide an innovative way for manufacturing in which the integration of rapid technologies is simultaneously used methodologically in real‐time for the rapid product and…
Abstract
Purpose
To provide an innovative way for manufacturing in which the integration of rapid technologies is simultaneously used methodologically in real‐time for the rapid product and process development (RPPD).
Design/methodology/approach
A range of related works are discussed and an experimental implementation of the RPPD methodology is described for composite functional prototype design and rapid manufacturing (RM). The simultaneous integration of VP/RP/RT/RE/RM technologies consolidates a powerful methodology to achieve the RPPD objectives.
Findings
The RPPD developed methodology takes advantage of both virtual prototyping (VP) and physical prototypes made by rapid prototyping (RP) technology to evaluate performances and design ergonomic aspects. The increasing needs to reduce lead‐time and costs have direct converting RP in rapid tooling (RT) technology for RM. Furthermore, to verify the parts and tools geometry accuracy the simultaneous use of scanning techniques for metrology control aided by reverse engineering (RE) as allow decreasing the RPPD time.
Originality/value
This paper evaluated RPPD results and the metrology control plotted in error distribution function and cumulative error distribution histograms validate the best practice developed that industrial manufacturers could implement allowing time and costs reductions.
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The year opens with omens good, and foreboding, for librarians. Of the first kind is the re‐opening after two years of the Science Museum at South Kensington. The second was the…
Abstract
The year opens with omens good, and foreboding, for librarians. Of the first kind is the re‐opening after two years of the Science Museum at South Kensington. The second was the astounding proposal of the Air Ministry to commandeer the British Museum for its administrative work. After three years of a war which has shown the devastating results of the neglect of things educational and spiritual the rulers of this country had apparently acqui sced in a proposal which, in the words of the President of the British Association, would “cause a shudder to run through all civilised countries. Were it carried out it would cover the British nation with lasting obliquy.” As we go to press, however, it is announced that the proposed outrage is not considered to be necessary and will therefore not take place. We rejoice over the repentance of the Government; but the fact that the proposal was made seriously, and for a time upheld, is so significant that it behoves all who value the treasures of the nation to be upon their guard. The war, also, is not over yet.
João Pedro Carvalho de Souza, André Luiz Castro, Luís F. Rocha and Manuel F. Silva
This paper aims to propose a translation library capable of generating robots proprietary code after their offline programming has been performed in a software application, named…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a translation library capable of generating robots proprietary code after their offline programming has been performed in a software application, named AdaptPack Studio, running over a robot simulation and offline programming software package.
Design/methodology/approach
The translation library, named AdaptPack Studio Translator, is capable to generate proprietary code for the Asea Brown Boveri, FANUC, Keller und Knappich Augsburg and Yaskawa Motoman robot brands, after their offline programming has been performed in the AdaptPack Studio application.
Findings
Simulation and real tests were performed showing an improvement in the creation, operation, modularity and flexibility of new robotic palletizing systems. In particular, it was verified that the time needed to perform these tasks significantly decreased.
Practical implications
The design and setup of robotics palletizing systems are facilitated by an intuitive offline programming system and by a simple export command to the real robot, independent of its brand. In this way, industrial solutions can be developed faster, in this way, making companies more competitive.
Originality/value
The effort to build a robotic palletizing system is reduced by an intuitive offline programming system (AdaptPack Studio) and the capability to export command to the real robot using the AdaptPack Studio Translator. As a result, companies have an increase in competitiveness with a fast design framework. Furthermore, and to the best of the author’s knowledge, there is also no scientific publication formalizing and describing how to build the translators for industrial robot simulation and offline programming software packages, being this a pioneer publication in this area.
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André Luiz Castro, João Pedro Carvalho de Souza, Luís F. Rocha and Manuel F. Silva
This paper aims to propose an automated framework for agile development and simulation of robotic palletizing cells. An automatic offline programming tool, for a variety of robot…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose an automated framework for agile development and simulation of robotic palletizing cells. An automatic offline programming tool, for a variety of robot brands, is also introduced.
Design/methodology/approach
This framework, named AdaptPack Studio, offers a custom-built library to assemble virtual models of palletizing cells, quick connect these models by drag and drop, and perform offline programming of robots and factory equipment in short steps.
Findings
Simulation and real tests performed showed an improvement in the design, development and operation of robotic palletizing systems. The AdaptPack Studio software was tested and evaluated in a pure simulation case and in a real-world scenario. Results have shown to be concise and accurate, with minor model displacement inaccuracies because of differences between the virtual and real models.
Research limitations/implications
An intuitive drag and drop layout modeling accelerates the design and setup of robotic palletizing cells and automatic offline generation of robot programs. Furthermore, A* based algorithms generate collision-free trajectories, discretized both in the robot joints space and in the Cartesian space. As a consequence, industrial solutions are available for production in record time, increasing the competitiveness of companies using this tool.
Originality/value
The AdaptPack Studio framework includes, on a single package, the possibility to program, simulate and generate the robot code for four different brands of robots. Furthermore, the application is tailored for palletizing applications and specifically includes the components (Building Blocks) of a particular company, which allows a very fast development of new solutions. Furthermore, with the inclusion of the Trajectory Planner, it is possible to automatically develop robot trajectories without collisions.
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José Castro Oliveira, João M. Lopes, Luís Farinha, Sónia Silva and Mónica Luízio
The Paris agreement for climate changes brought new attention to the themes of reduce carbon emissions, green ecosystems, the circular economy and the need to ensure the emergence…
Abstract
Purpose
The Paris agreement for climate changes brought new attention to the themes of reduce carbon emissions, green ecosystems, the circular economy and the need to ensure the emergence of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study aims to investigate entrepreneurship from the perspective of circular economy and waste collection in the Portuguese context.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a quantitative approach, the sample comprises 2,690 firm-year observations related to 354 firms from different industries within the waste from electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) scope.
Findings
The results show that a large part of SMEs started to comply with waste management regulations as of 2006 and are still not prone to innovation. Regulatory compliance is expected to have a positive impact on innovation, with a significant and positive change in the number of patents and the value of intangibles after companies comply with the waste management regulation.
Originality/value
This paper is original because it addresses equally to entrepreneurial ecosystems and circular economy (studies that address these two aspects are rare), with the Portuguese context in an embryonic stage with an extensive path to follow in the applicability of circular economy to business.
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José Carlos Pereira de Morais, Nelson Castro Neves, Luís Abranches Soveral and João Lima
There is a growing urgent concern in involving higher education institutions (HEIs) towards an international effort in implementing a more suitable role as conductors of…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a growing urgent concern in involving higher education institutions (HEIs) towards an international effort in implementing a more suitable role as conductors of sustainable development. This paper/study aims to present the application of light emiting diode (LED) technology in an HEI assuming technology innovation as part of a larger institutional innovation management strategy addressing multiple dimensions in sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Investments in LED technology are analyzed for their impact on consumption results and quantitative comparisons between 2008 and 2022 are impaired with detailed information on the types of luminaires and the amount of installed energy.
Findings
The collected data shows a clear economic advantage of using LED technology, and the results subsidize institutional planning, considering not only ongoing technological innovation, but also educational components and community involvement in the organization sustainability strategy.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to a specific HEI and further comparative research should be carried out.
Practical implications
A holistic approach on sustainability objectives encourages further investment in environmental-friendly technology, example to other HEIs.
Social implications
The strategic vision of innovation is confirmed with the involvement of the community, at various levels, such as the academic community, local community, scientific international community.
Originality/value
This study addresses the lack of examples in the literature of structural planning and management systems that see sustainability as a strategy built in HEIs. The elaboration of an environmental sustainability plan places environmental sustainability at the confluence of themes such as education, investigation, use of natural resources, waste separation. For each topic are listed measures, actions, environment improvements, institution improvements and their results.
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João F. Proença and Luís M. de Castro
The paper aims to discuss the interaction processes and short‐term behaviours and motives in long‐term relationships between banks and their corporate clients.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to discuss the interaction processes and short‐term behaviours and motives in long‐term relationships between banks and their corporate clients.
Design/methodology/approach
The discussion is based on findings from four Portuguese case studies. Interviews made to major actors on both sides of each relationship were transcribed and analysed to investigate the buyer‐seller interaction process, and the interplay between the actors involved.
Findings
The paper contributes to knowledge concerning the nature of business banking relationships, provides insights about instability and stress therein, and suggests some factors that can generate or intensify that instability. Short‐term irregularities and stress are found to arise in the context of relationships' longer‐term continuity and stability.
Research limitations/implications
The irregularities found were endogenous to the relationships and originated from one of the actors or from the transaction. No exogenous factors were analysed and further research should be done about them. Some instability was found associated with clients keeping a portfolio of banking relationships, but the management of such portfolios is largely unstudied, begging for more work. It is also suggested that the present study be replicated in other countries and contexts for comparative analyses.
Practical implications
The paper provides a framework for corporate managers and bankers alike to better understand the process of banking relationships. It highlights some factors that should be monitored as they impact on buying behaviour and on the interplay between banks and firms.
Originality/value
The paper highlights some “stress” factors that can impact on buying behaviour and on the interplay between banks and firms, providing a new insight about the instability of business relationships in the banking business, and suggests some factors that can generate or intensify that instability.
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Gisele Mazon, João Marcelo Pereira Ribeiro, Carlos Rogerio Montenegro de Lima, Brenda Caroline Geraldo Castro and José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra
This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in maximizing social and economic benefits in a hands-on way. However, some studies on sustainable development and HEIs reveal a distancing between students and the application of sustainable initiatives in universities. This fact differs from the premises of the Talloires Declaration, which points to students as a community and as global leaders and ambassadors for sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper mapped the approaches, present in the literature, used to develop sustainable campuses and in particular the apparent dichotomy between the changes indicated as top-down or bottom-up in HEIs. To that end, scientific articles focused on sustainable actions in HEIs were analyzed to identify implementation approaches for sustainable development and student involvement in the process.
Findings
Results have shown that sustainability promotion models in universities generally occur in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not sources of development for sustainable policies in universities. Thus, the authors highlight the importance of students becoming central players in sustainable initiatives.
Originality/value
The article becomes original when it identifies the dichotomy between top-down and bottom-up approaches. It does so through multidimensional scaling and exploratory factorial analysis in scientific articles on the topic Sustainability Funding in Higher Education. These findings show that, unlike what is discussed in the literature, sustainability promotion in universities generally occurs in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not active agents in promoting sustainability. In response to this, the authors discussed the importance of the bottom-up approach, where they are key players.
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Francisca Nathalia de Sousa Leite, Eduardo Rodrigues de Castro and Henrique Ryosuke Tateishi
Constrained input use and lower productivity of rural establishments may be associated with restricted or concentrated access to financial resources, especially in developing…
Abstract
Purpose
Constrained input use and lower productivity of rural establishments may be associated with restricted or concentrated access to financial resources, especially in developing countries. Meanwhile, agricultural activity entails risks associated with the volatility of net cash flows and external events, which may discourage riskier but higher return investments (e.g. technology). As rural credit can alleviate the former, and rural insurance may help alleviate the latter, the combination of both policies might endorse each other. The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of rural credit and rural insurance policies with respect to productivity and crop area, in São Paulo state, Brazil, using farmer's microdata from two surveys realized in 2007/08 and 2016/17.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses propensity score matching and the entropy balance approaches in a complementary way. This study compared three policy treatments – rural credit, rural insurance and both policies combined, against establishments that received neither one. The analysis considered sugarcane, grain and grape crops separately and employed farmer's microdata. Moreover, the analysis was stratified into two categories: establishments owned by family farmers and those that did not.
Findings
Rural credit policy is related to higher productivity and larger cultivated area for grains and only to larger area for grape crops in the last analyzed period (2016/17). Rural insurance, as a unique policy or combined with credit, is related to higher productivity and cultivated areas, for all analyzed crops, only in the second period (2016/17), as the policy became more accessible to farmers. Heterogeneity regarding crops and farmers might influence the effectiveness of these policies. Despite rural insurance being related to a better performance regarding the outcome variables, it still reaches a small share of farmers, especially when combined with credit.
Originality/value
Many studies about the effectiveness of rural credit in Brazil have been conducted throughout the years, while there have been fewer studies regarding rural insurance since it became an important policy in the mid-2000s. However, few studies have conducted an analysis comparing its individual and interactive influences, with such level of disaggregation, on a farm-level database, considering the heterogeneity of the data and the different categories of farmers.