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The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is a long‐term concession of services used by the UK Government to capture private capital to fund public projects. This model is being increasingly applied in Portugal and the assessment of its competitive advantage is very important to Portugal. The empiric study undertaken both in Portugal and the UK has permitted some conclusions to be drawn already. PFI has developed the way the construction industry is managed, and has increased the competitive advantage of UK construction industry acting in the four vectors of competitive advantage: innovation, quality, efficiency and attention to the client. Innovation occurred through new designs that were more efficient and cost effective through the project’s whole life cycle. There is the widespread use of management tools: whole life cycle costing, risk management and benchmarking. PFI also improved communication in the UK construction industry, forcing interaction and feedback from all stakeholders in a project.

The objective of this research is to identify the cross‐cultural similarities and differences of the implementation of the UK PFI procurement process in different contexts.

The research methodology adopted was the SLEEPT approach. The identified features are examined from source material of various projects within the stated nations. A Delphic approach of confirmation by national collaborators from each country is utilised. Confirming and disaffirming features are examined utilising exogenous cultural drivers.

The conclusion of this research identifies cross‐cultural features of six different cultures presented as a “cultural compass” which will inform the development of future private finance initiative (PFI)/public private partnership (PPP) projects. The impact of this research will have implications for the appreciation of cultural similarities and differences of national “construction cultures” for effective project delivery of future PFI/PPP projects.

This paper offers an approach that can be generalised for adoption by nations considering the introduction of PFI as a procurement process.

This chapter, drawing on an anthropological perspective, explicates the process of tourism development and its implications for Ilha Grande in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The concept of tourismization, influenced by Norbert Elias’s sociological perspective on the “civilizing process,” is introduced to illustrate how social changes and society-individual relationships within this community can be perceived as a set of configurations and articulations, which are mediated by tourism. It is suggested that tourisimization can be perceived as a process which dictates the rules and new customs to be followed by people influenced by new local configurations mediated by tourism.

In a global world, the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs) emerges related with the continuous growing of knowledge and sharing of experiences. The main purpose of this research is to identify reasons, strategies and challenges inherent to the process of internationalization of HEIs in a very distinct context – Portugal. Therefore, literature is reviewed and a group of 10 deans/presidents/directors of Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIDs) are interviewed following a pre-designed protocol. The conclusions of this research are related to economic, academic and cultural aspects. The economic reasons are considered very important since they are related to funding issues. Yet, it was found that there are also cultural and academic issues influencing the internationalization of HEI´s in Portugal, such as the existence of a binary system. The challenges are closely associated with economic and cultural aspects. On the one hand, they are strictly connected to budgetary constraints; on the other hand, they encourage a new shift towards a different paradigm.

The innovation process demands an interaction between environment agents, knowledge generators and policies of incentive for innovation and not only development by companies. Universities have gradually become the core of the knowledge production system and, therefore, their role regarding innovation has become more important and diversified. This study is aimed at identifying the mechanisms of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, as well as the operationalization steps of the U–I collaboration process.

This study is aimed at identifying, based on a systematic literature review, the mechanisms of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, as well as the operationalization steps of the U–I collaboration process.

The analysis of the 72 selected articles enabled identifying 15 mechanisms of U–I collaboration, proposing a new classification for such mechanisms and developing a framework presenting the operationalization steps of the interaction process.

In this paper, the authors screened nearly 1,500 papers and analyzed in detail 86 papers addressing U–I collaboration, mechanisms of U–I collaboration and operationalization steps of the U–I collaboration process. This paper provides a new classification for such mechanisms and developing a framework presenting the operationalization steps of the interaction process. This research contributes to both theory and practice by highlighting managerial aspects and stimulating academic research on such timely topic.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the relevance of citizen complaints as a new source of information for local environmental governance. It represents an initial attempt to construct a fresh approach to the field.

The paper comprises a brief literature review around the concept of environmental governance, the role played by institutions, and the challenges of local environmental governance; an empirical study of a Portuguese municipality based on environmental complaints submitted to its City Council and a comparative analysis between the results garnered from the empirical study and the areas of intervention in the Municipal Environmental Plan.

The results suggest that the information gathered from public complaints on environmental issues has the potential to reveal the most significant environmental problems from the standpoint of local actors. This knowledge is relevant for self‐evaluation by local authorities whilst remaining a promising avenue for local public participation in decision‐making processes.

The authors take the view that concerns raised by local populations are important, latent sources of information that can have a positive impact on delineating necessary action for the management and resolution of local environmental problems.

The aim of this study is to obtain a broader knowledge of innovative pedagogical practices in higher education, by analysing the particular case of the Higher Institute of Administration and Languages (ISAL). The literature review reveals a gap in this scientific field, and filling this gap is as imperative as the need to articulate higher education with the Students' Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling.

This research adopts a qualitative methodological approach, in order to analyse the students and teachers' perceptions of the active learning methodologies implemented at ISAL. Data were collected from a closed-ended questionnaire, aimed at a population composed of students and teachers.

The literature review reveals a gap in this scientific field, particularly in Portugal. Filling this gap is as imperative as the need to articulate higher education with the Students' Profile by the End of Compulsory Schooling.

With the adoption of this methodological approach, this research intends to verify not only whether the innovative pedagogical practices addressed in the literature review are implemented in this institution, but also to identify obstacles to their implementation. With regard to the results, several pedagogical innovation practices are already implemented, even though some limitations to their implementation are identified.

This research allows identifying indicators that are essential to outline an intervention plan in the pedagogical practices implemented at ISAL or other higher education institutions and contributes to assessing the current state of pedagogical practices in higher education.

This paper analyzes the dynamics of agency costs in family firms through a systematic literature review, focusing on the interplay of governance mechanisms, institutional contexts and socioemotional wealth.

A systematic literature review of 91 articles published between 2010 and 2024 was made. The data was sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus databases using a search strategy emphasizing agency theory, family enterprises and emerging economies. Quantitative analysis identified key themes, influential authors and emerging trends, while qualitative synthesis provided deeper insights into governance practices and agency dynamics.

The study highlights the dual nature of family ownership as both a stabilizing force and a source of agency conflicts. While concentrated ownership aligns family and firm interests, it can lead to principal–principal conflicts, such as earnings management and minority shareholder expropriation, particularly in weak institutional contexts. Governance mechanisms, including board independence, external directors and professional management, are critical for mitigating agency costs but are often constrained by socioemotional wealth considerations.

The findings underscore the pivotal role of institutional environments in shaping governance practices and the performance of family firms. The study offers actionable insights for family business leaders, policymakers and practitioners.

This study aims to investigate the contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and propose strategies to cultivate a culture centred on the SDGs in HEIs.

The methodology used encompassed an integrative literature review, combining bibliographic analysis on how HEIs incorporate the SDGs into their practices, adopting a qualitative approach for the analysis and categorization of the results.

The multifaceted contributions of HEIs in promoting the SDGs stand out, through their roles in teaching, research, management and integration and communication between university and society.

While influencing policies at various levels, HEIs encounter challenges in the effective integration of SDGs into their strategies. This underscores the need for contextualized governance, understanding students’ perspectives on sustainability and active external collaboration in policy formulation.

There is an urgent need to integrate SDGs into academic programmes, emphasizing the importance of redesigning curricula, actively involving teachers, researchers and students, establishing partnerships and promoting research applied to SDGs.

The social relevance of the study lies in the emphasis on an SDG-centred culture, involving teaching, research, outreach, community engagement and governance practices.

The study’s uniqueness lies in identifying persistent challenges during the transition to an SDG-centred culture, necessitating multisectoral collaboration and educational programmes that integrate sustainability principles into the strategy of HEIs.