• Energy Research
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Energy policies in many countries push for an increase in the generation of wind and solar power. Along these developments, the balance between supply and demand becomes more challenging as the generation of wind and solar power is volatile, and flexibility of supply and demand becomes valuable. As a consequence, companies in the electric power sector develop new business models that create flexibility through activities of timing supply and demand. Based on an extensive qualitative analysis of interviews and industry research in the energy industry, the paper at hand explores the role of timing-based business models in the power sector and sheds light on the mechanisms of flexibility creation through timing. In particular we distill four ideal-type business models of flexibility creation with timing and reveal how they can be classified along two dimensions, namely costs of multiplicity and intervention costs. We put forward that these business models offer ‘coupled services’, combining resource-centered and service-centered perspectives. This complementary character has important implications for energy policy.

In the context of sustainable development, the fashion industry faces the challenge of aligning its practices with environmental and ethical standards. This thesis explores the potential of Artificial Intelligence as a transformative tool for achieving sustainability in this sector. The research focuses primarily on understanding how AI can contribute to sustainable fashion, while critically examining the unintended consequences of AI implementation. This exploration is based on two key research questions: ‘What consequences, challenges, or risks may arise from the application of AI in the context of sustainable fashion?’ and ‘How can we use existing AI tools and technologies more responsibly?’. It applies a qualitative research approach, conducting an in-depth analysis of interviews with industry experts, coupled with a comprehensive review of relevant literature. The findings highlight the dual role of AI in sustainable fashion. While it can bring significant benefits in terms of reducing textile waste and increasing supply chain transparency, it also poses challenges that require careful consideration. The research concludes that a balanced approach is needed to successfully integrate AI sustainably, taking into account both its benefits and potential drawbacks. This thesis contributes to a better understanding of the role of digital technology in sustainable fashion by providing a nuanced perspective on the impact of AI and guiding principles for its responsible application in the industry. No contexto do desenvolvimento sustentável, a indústria da moda enfrenta o desafio de alinhar as suas práticas com padrões ambientais e éticos. Esta tese explora o potencial da Inteligência Artificial como uma ferramenta transformadora para alcançar a sustentabilidade neste sector. A investigação centra-se principalmente na compreensão do modo como a IA pode contribuir para a moda sustentável, ao mesmo tempo que examina criticamente as consequências não intencionais da implementação da IA. Esta exploração baseia-se em duas questões de pesquisa principais: ‘Que consequências, desafios ou riscos podem advir da aplicação da IA no contexto da moda sustentável?’ e ‘Como podemos utilizar os instrumentos e tecnologias de IA existentes de forma mais responsável?’. Aplica uma abordagem qualitativa, realizando uma análise aprofundada de entrevistas com especialistas do sector, juntamente com uma análise exaustiva da literatura relevante. Os resultados destacam o duplo papel da IA na moda sustentável. Embora possa trazer benefícios significativos em termos de redução dos resíduos têxteis e de aumento da transparência da cadeia de abastecimento, também coloca desafios que exigem uma análise cuidadosa. A investigação conclui que é necessária aplicar uma abordagem equilibrada para integrar com sucesso a IA sustentavelmente, tendo em conta tanto os seus benefícios como os seus potenciais malefícios. Esta tese contribui para uma melhor compreensão do papel da tecnologia digital na moda sustentável, fornecendo uma perspetiva diferenciada sobre o impacto da IA e princípios orientadores para a sua aplicação responsável no sector.

Current data and scientific predictions about the consequences of climate change are accurate in suggesting disaster. Since 2019, climate change has become a threat to human health, and major consequences on health and health systems are already observed. Climate change is a central concern for the nursing discipline, even though nursing theorists’ understanding of the environment has led to problematic gaps that impact the current context. Today, nursing discipline is facing new challenges. Nurses are strategically placed to respond to the impacts of climate change through their practice, research, and training in developing, implementing, and sustaining innovation towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is urgent for them to adapt their practice to this reality to become agents of change.

Sustainability, known as one of the pillars of digital transformation, combined with the growing recognition of importance of environmental, social and economic sustainability, creates the need for companies to integrate sustainable practices into their business strategies and into the company's culture and philosophy. This scientific review article explores digital marketing opportunities and challenges in the sustainability era, as a set of strategies that promote sustainable actions and products for a company, this article analyzes the impact of sustainable practices on business strategies and addresses Green IT it also has some examples of good practices of companies that use green marketing. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Islands are often considered excellent socio-ecological laboratories for testing the rapidity of global change since they experience the climate effects of sea-level rise faster than other areas. The Azores are a Portuguese volcanic archipelago located on the junction of the three tectonic plates: the Eurasian, the African and the North American plates. São Miguel, the main island of the Azores archipelago, hosts three active volcanoes, but the last significant volcanic eruption was the Capelinhos volcano on the island of Faial in 1957. Hence, the Azores offers the opportunity to assess insular risk awareness, facing both telluric and climate-related hazards. The key research question emerges from their natural situation: how does the local population perceive the threat of the natural hazards that occur in Azores? Because risks are socially constructed and depend on the uniqueness of territories, risk mitigation strategies must focus on the individual experiences of local dwellers, as a relationship between risk awareness and such strategies may be expected. To analyze this relationship, a web-based survey with a questionnaire including these variables was administered to a sample of Azoreans. The study aimed to assess risk awareness of the Azorean population and find a relationship between this and reported mitigation strategies. The results gave a preliminary insight into Azorean risk awareness of natural hazards and showed a significant positive relationship between risk awareness-raising activities and reported mitigation strategies. This is relevant information for municipalities and regional governments of areas with similar risk exposures, showing that, although risk awareness alone is not enough for measures to be implemented, it may be an important motivational first step for this to occur.

A particularly visible aspect of multidimensional approaches to human development and ecological boundaries has been the elaboration of various types of indicators. But such an activity has often proceeded without much scrutiny of: (i) the theory and philosophy that underpins the multidimensional conception expressed through those indicators; and (ii) the socio-economic structure behind those indicators. This article addresses those questions, through a comparison of two authors who pioneered multidimensional approaches aimed at a more humane and sustainable approach to development: A. K. Sen, who focused essentially on human development; and E. F. Schumacher, who also advocated a humane approach to development, but within a conception where ecological sustainability is at the core of the analysis. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Emerging issues related to climate change have been explored in recent years as the need for appropriate behavioral solutions grows. However, one of the main problems raised and yet to be solved is the challenge to encourage people to act against climate change. One of the identified barriers is the mental indirect link between the influence of human activities in the present and their future consequences. This psychological distance could be investigated by examining temporal discounting—the overvaluation of benefits in the present compared to benefits in the future—and its relationship to environmental behavior on consumers’ attitudes toward green purchasing. In this research, we conducted a survey (n = 337) to examine the relationship between temporal discounting and perceived seriousness of environmental behavior and investigated the moderating effect of consumers’ attitudes regarding green purchasing. The results show a moderating effect of these consumers’ attitudes on the relationship between temporal discounting and perceived seriousness of environmental behavior. These findings make important contributions to environmental policies by rethinking and adapting new solutions that promote behavioral change, namely by exploring psychological variables and identifying green consumption profiles.

Com a evolução das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TICs), e principalmente com a popularização da Internet, a cultura global se transformou, alterando e potencializando, principalmente, o acesso à informação. As relações entre as pessoas mudaram, exigindo das organizações adaptação a esse novo contexto e ao novo perfil de consumidores, mais exigentes e conscientes dos impactos das ações empresariais no meio ambiente. Assim, conceitos como o de Sustentabilidade e Responsabilidade Social Empresarial ganharam força, sendo necessária a sua compreensão enquanto ativo estratégico das organizações. Esse entendimento passa pela inserção da responsabilidade social na cultura e identidade organizacional e, consequentemente, na exteriorização dessa cultura aos públicos externos, agregando valor à marca e auxiliando na construção de relacionamentos mais duradouros e estáveis, o que dá espaço à atuação dos profissionais de relações públicas. Com o objetivo principal de verificar de que forma a identidade socialmente responsável da Delta Cafés é exteriorizada, em meio digital, através dos temas de comunicação, esta dissertação está estruturada como uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória, apoiada em análise documental; pesquisa bibliográfica e estudo de caso. O estudo empírico é realizado a partir do modelo de Prisma de Identidade de Marca proposto por Kapferer (1991), utilizado para análise das mídias sociais da empresa objeto de estudo, nomeadamente o Instagram, o Facebook e o LinkedIn. Através dessa metodologia e com base no novo contexto de comunicação digital, busca-se responder se a exteriorização das temáticas comunicacionais por parte das relações públicas da Delta Cafés, nas mídias sociais, identifica a empresa como socialmente responsável. With the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and especially with the popularization of Internet, the global culture has changing and increasing the access to information. Relations between people have changed, requiring adaptation from organizations to this new context and to this new profile of consumers, more demanding and aware of the impact of corporate actions on the environment. Thus, concepts such as Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility gained strength, requiring their understanding as a strategic asset of the organizations. This understanding involves the integration of social responsibility in the organizational culture and identity and, consequently, the externalization of that culture to external audiences, adding value to the brand and helping to build long-lasting and stable relationships, which gives space to the actions of public relations professionals. With the main objective to verify how the socially responsible identity of Delta Cafés is externalized in digital media, through the communication issues, this dissertation is structured as a qualitative exploratory study, based on document and literature analysis; and case study. The empirical study is conducted from the Kapferer (1991) Brand Identity Prism, used to analyze the social media of the study subject company, including Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Through this methodology and based on the new context of digital communication, this research try to answer if the externalization of communication issues by the public relations of Delta Cafés, in social media, identified the company as socially responsible.

This study develops a scale to measure wine tourism experiences and was tested in Portugal, in two of the main wine tourism centres: Porto and Madeira. The wine experience scale combines experience traits with the traditional approach to scales related to wine tourism. The development of the scale follows the most recognised validated procedures. Data were collected from a total of 647 international wine tourists in the wine cellars of the two main fortified wine tourism regions visiting areas: Porto and Madeira. Structural equation modelling (SEM-AMOS) was used as the main analysis and validation tool. The resulting 18-item wine experience scale comprises four major dimensions: (1) Wine storytelling, (2) wine tasting excitement, (3) wine involvement, and (4) winescape. All these showed reliable and validated indicators. This new scale presents a valid new tool to better measure and evaluate experiences in a wine tourism setting. This study offers a broad range of use for academics, managers, planners, and practitioners. It shows how a new measurement tool focused on the wine tourism experience in terms of several outcomes and applications, addressing important practical managerial implications, can have an impact on academic research. Most previous tourism scales still fail to measure the specifics of wine settings. This is the first scale that comprises the dimensions of experience with wine senses, applied in a relevant wine destination where research is still limited. The results are relevant in boosting the increasingly recognized awareness of Portugal as wine tourism, as well as bringing experience scales to the body of knowledge.