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This case study paper outlines the approach and experiences gained in a KM project conducted between two continents on a completely remote basis - due to the pandemic in 2021. The project scope comprises the systematic initiation, design and implementation of a comprehensive knowledge management system at an innovation institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The practical business process-oriented KM (BPO-KM) methodology of the Berlin-based Competence Center Knowledge Management at Fraunhofer IPK, was used to define KM goals, to analyze strengths and gaps in knowledge handling and to set up customized KM action programs. Starting with the examination of the institute's business strategy, the overall KM goals were derived together with the institute's top management and KM core team. According to the holistic KM approach on the levels "People, Organization, Technology", an online survey ("KM Fitness Check") was conducted with over 100 respondents. The survey results were discussed in an online kick-off workshop in order to prioritize the main strategic and operational KM challenges. In online breakout sessions with different working groups, using collaborative online tools, the knowledge flows inside the institute's value adding core processes were analyzed in depth ("KM Process Profiles"). In parallel, the KM core team was supported to develop a map of the institute's crucial knowledge to serve as a common taxonomy for the research groups and administrative functions involved in the KM project, such as HR, IT and project management office. After this initial analysis phase, suitable solutions for the main KM challenges were designed and transformed into three main action programs to start the actual implementation of the institute's KM system. In a preliminary evaluation, a systemic controlling logic was defined to keep track on results, benefits and impacts of the KM actions regarding the institute's business strategy. Major learnings, discussed in this paper, include the following findings: a) accompanying change management and communication from the beginning is key to keep motivation high, b) connecting KM to other organizational functions is crucial to anchor KM in the organization, c) remote and online project collaboration bears advantages and drawbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates uses of blended learning in teacher education where students participate through respectively webinars, seminars and self-directed group work to study literacy. Based on a recently implemented study activity model that aims to strengthen teacher students' academic activity, the paper asks how different patterns of relationships and spatial arrangements produce student activity in specific ways. How are forms of participation, learning and presence performed through webinars, seminars and group activities and in connections between these activities? How do technologies participate in and contribute to creating student activity, engagement and learning? The paper builds on research in a Danish teacher education college where a study activity model has been implemented as part of a joint model for activity in professional higher education. In this model learning is understood through forms of activity that are either student or teacher initiated. However, in practice not only students and lecturers participate in and produce these activities, technologies such as smartboards, pc's, online platforms and cloud based environments are also significantly involved in creating activities, engagements and learning opportunities. The research project investigates these relationships by studying the arrangements and practices of activities through observations of different activities and interviews with students. Preliminary results from these interviews suggest that arrangements of activities not only vary significantly, but also affect students' preferences and experienced potential for learning in different ways. Methodologically, the research is inspired by sociomaterial approaches to education that understand learning activities as entanglements created through dynamic relationships between human and material participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences from Europe have shown that it is becoming more and more important to develop systematic management procedures for intangible assets for fast growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they are the sound basis for an increasingly knowledge-based economy. Now, intangible assets become a key success factor for sustainable growth in the rapidly emerging Brazilian economy, and especially in the fast advancing city and state of Rio de Janeiro. Thus, the major management goal becomes to keep productivity at a constant high level in a dynamic and fast growing business environment in order to secure individual profits and national welfare at the same time. This goal can only be achieved if the intangible success factors, such as employees' expertise and motivation, internal communication and management structures as well as external relations, all of which are summarized in the concept of Intellectual Capital (IC), are maintained and developed in a professional and adequate manner, meeting the specific demands of fast growing SMEs. This pent-up demand in management has been the starting signal for the first pilot-project on implementing the management tool "Intellectual Capital Statement" (ICS) in ten pioneer SMEs from Rio de Janeiro. On the basis of the experiences from the German pilot-project "Wissensbilanz - Made in Germany" as well as the European pilotproject "InCaS", a special implementation procedure for micro and small companies has been designed and tested. The so-called "ICS Factory" aims at ensuring fast practical results in the companies as well as supporting rapid prototyping and an action research approach to be used for the development of an adapted Brazilian version of the ICS. In a two-day workshop concept, with three to five SMEs each represented by two to three senior managers and key people, a complete analysis of the company's individual IC is produced. The structured self-assessment approach of the European method served as the basis to build on. First intermediate results of the first ten pilot-implementations are presented in this paper contributing to the improvement of the procedural concept and ensuring sustainable usage of the ICS in the upcoming next generation of pilot-implementations in 60 Brazilian SMEs from the oil and gas sector. Hence, this paper provides a summary of the experiences from the first ten Brazilian ICS pilot-implementations, investigating the crucial role of the "ICS Moderator" who is assigned to each SME in the concept of the ICS Factory, being supported by a clearly structured, software-based implementation procedure. Furthermore, the paper will describe and discuss the challenge of integrating the ICS in a comprehensive strategic change process, taking into account the special circumstances of small, organically grown organizations in the Brazilian business environment. In order to initiate a continuous improvement cycle in the individual company, the ICS has to be used, focusing on practical actions for maintaining and developing its intangible assets to ensure future competition capability. In that way ICS supports sustainable business development in an emerging economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation is a key instrument for companies to improve their efficiency and establish a long-term competitive advantage. In this context, Science Parks (SPs) are effective environments to promote new business based on technology and innovation. At the regional level, SPs are important for economic, social, and cultural development. As such, they promote new business and jobs, partnerships with universities and research centres, and attract new technology-based companies (NTBFs), which derive benefits from the spillovers that are generated. However, different regional realities and the varied motivations of the stakeholders explain the diversity among SPs. Accordingly, SPs arise and are governed through the cooperation of different types of stakeholders, such as academic, governmental, entrepreneurial and other agents and entities. Thus, they result from different interests and incentives that converge to their creation. A relevant approach to understand the specific engagement of different stakeholders in the creation of SPs and their respective roles is to study the context and circumstances of their formation. Starting from this point, the objective of this paper is to propose a SPs implementation framework based on cases from two countries -- Brazil and Portugal. An investigation was laid down on 4 SPs in Brazil and 4 in Portugal through a comparative analysis methodology. Data collection occurred upon technical visits and, in complementarity, there was a documental approach on government websites, networks and associations and the SPs themselves. The results show that the main prerequisites for the formation of SPs are: a favourable environment with institutional stability, available knowledge, development business space and motivations that converge to a common purpose. As a theoretical contribution, the outcome of the research introduces the SPs implementation framework, emphasizing the main stakeholders and the fundamental prerequisites for their formation and development. As practical implications, the results can guide the design of a favourable institutional environment for the creation of SPs, enhancing the potential to produce good results such as innovation for the involved stakeholders and society, particularly at the level of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to propose a hybrid organization that acts as a network of innovation brokers which could enhance the access to new knowledge sources, into new markets and accelerate innovative activities of an economy as a whole. ENRICH is an initiative of EC's Horizon 2020 program that consists of three centres located in Brazil, China and the USA. Its objective is to spur innovative activities and enhance the cooperation in research, technology and entrepreneurship between European Union and the above countries. With the main approach of networking, ENRICH in Brazil, China and the USA aims to become the main hub and contact point of STI actors in the respective countries who wish to collaborate with the EU and vice versa. The paper is a contribution to the development of new business models as well as strategies that aim to effectively foster international collaboration on research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The insights of this article can be of relevance for policy makers that are looking to establish or foster international science, technology, and innovation ecosystems, as well as for academics who are interested in the transnational innovation ecosystems and strategic collaborations. The first and theoretical parts of this paper are based on library resources and recent academic articles. The second portion of the paper presents the European Union Horizon 2020 funded project ENRICH Centres as an example of the proposed hybrid organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two fundamental and recently initiatives have shown that it is time to think about new ways of managing companies, particularly in emerging economies. The paper, "Intellectual Capital Statements in Brazilian SME" (Fernández, et al., 2012), points out that, in the rapidly emerging Brazilian economy, intangible assets become a key success factor for sustainable growth. As experiences in the fast moving city and state of Rio de Janeiro have shown, the development of systematic management procedures for these intangible assets is especially valuable for fast growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to serve as the solid backbone for an increasingly knowledge-based economy. In this context, it becomes an essential management goal to keep productivity at a constant high level, in a dynamic and fast growing business environment, and thus, at the same time, securing individual profits and national welfare. This management challenge has been the starting point for the first pilot-project on implementing the management tool "Intellectual Capital Statement", ICS, in ten pioneer SMEs from Rio de Janeiro. The second initiative described in the paper "Current State of Competitive Intelligence in Brazil" (Sequeira, et al., 2012) highlights that Brazil has been evolving into a knowledge society dealing with political changes, globalization, new technologies, and new global competitors, such as China. The need to enhance companies' and, by extension, countries' competitiveness has grown rapidly. The Brazilian government and companies have realized that competing in a global economy requires a strong vision of what exists outside the country. As a result, Competitive Intelligence is becoming more accepted as a fundamental business function. The paper concludes that organisations in Brazil should seek to engage proactively with the global environment by revising their strategic priorities. It is, therefore, evident that organisations and particularly government policies need to redress some critical competitiveness issues, most notably the establishment of the Competitive Intelligence System as a strategic tool. Without such tool, organisations and the country will find it difficult to position themselves in the global marketplace. Taking into account the main conclusions of the two initiatives described above, and the unique circumstances of organically grown organizations in the Brazilian business environment, this paper discusses the challenge of integrating the ICS into a comprehensive strategic change process. In order to promote sustainable business development in an emerging economy, the ICS has to be used to establish a continuous improvement cycle in the individual company, focusing on practical actions for maintaining and developing its intangible assets to ensure future competition capability. And, in parallel, there is the need for a National Innovator Monitor as a Competitive Intelligence System in order to fulfill the requirements of, at least, four main stakeholders' perspectives: Companies (benchmarking), Policies (innovator monitor), Research (research agenda), and Financial Market (risk assessment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become indispensable as a factor which generates a competitive advantage for business, gaining even more investments and being constantly held responsible for that. The success of a project deal with quantitative and qualitative aspects, were people are what have more influence on a project's success or failure. This paper has as main objective to analyze and define the expected ICT professionals' profile in Brazil, from the perspective of the industry. Specialized literature presents professional competence foreign cases, from which was pointed out the influence of cultural aspects in the definition of competence. Based on theoretical references, a data collection instrument was created considering the more common soft skills. The survey was conducted in public and private organizations in Brazil's Federal District. For data analysis, descriptive statistic techniques and multi-variable analysis were used. The results from the analytical research coincided with those found in literature, with small variations in relation to some factors of importance. It became evident the importance of some non-technical abilities that work as a support for improving the technical abilities requested from ICT professionals. Among technical abilities, the emphasis was on logic and math reasoning. The boundaries of the set of soft skills are generally considered to include least the following attributes and skills: communications (oral and written), teamwork focusing on clients and business, customer service focus, ability to be resourceful and constructive when solving problems and adaptive expertise. This research points out the need for integrating initiatives between enterprises and educational institutions aiming at competence development for future ICT professionals in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on 13 years of experience lecturing blended learning higher education courses, in the Polytechnic of Porto. The reflection presented in this paper focus on different learning experiences, special on gamification and how it can make learning and evaluation enjoyable. We implement a new learning environment on higher education. Instead of using the time in-class for lectures we gave online lectures to the students using videos, social network, webinars and interactive e-contents and use the time in-class to promote debates, synchronous communication with students from Portugal and Brazil and other interactive learning activities. In each class we also promote learning activities based on the gamification theory. In this article we present a learning model that we are using in our institution that combines face to face sessions and online sessions in a global higher education environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to identify the process of social innovation of the Brazilian wine chain based on the analysis of information from literature review, previous studies and conducted interviews. The changes in the business environment, coupled with the restructuring of the productive processes of the industrial division between mass production and the new economy, have reshaped the set of competitive requirements, stimulating collective strategies. The impact of these strategies restructurings has reconsidered the advantages of single organizations and the advantages of hybrid collaboration arrangements. One of the ways to synchronize training and stay on the market is though the cooperation among organizations, which can help overcome needs that alone would be difficult to meet. These changes are driven by changes in the dynamics and demands of the external environment of organizations: competition, co-operation, co-creation, cocreation. As a consequence one obtains the exchange of information and knowledge between individuals, organisations and regions. The result of this synergy accelerates economic growth, especially in developing countries, which increases the number of competitors, extrapolating the local demographic region, and becoming international. Therefore, the present work seeks to deepen the analysis of the work involving the theme of social innovation, its actors and processes in the Brazilian wine chain, characterizing itself as exploratory and descriptive. The data surveyed in the southern region of Brazil, as well as the semi-structured interviews, occurred with actors linked to the main and auxiliary chain. After analyzing the data, the main results were: the wine chain carries out social innovations focused on the well-being of the stakeholders, as well as the sustainability of the sector. The data collected presuppose that the planning of the sector becomes sustainability with responsibility as long as the actors of the links of the chain have a strong connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the core economy of Latin America, and Germany plays that role for the EU. Bilateral relations between Brazil and Germany are long-standing and comprehensive. For more than 140 years, Brazil and Germany have been connected by active bilateral diplomatic relations. Based on this solid relation and their economic positions, it is interesting to find means of collaboration, especially in long-term strategies as innovation. Based on broadly literature review, this study attempts to identify strength and weaknesses of each National Innovation System through a framework that comprises six different functions and three types of interactions between the actors in the system. They are policy formulation, performing R&D, financing R&D, promotion of human resource development, technology bridging, promotion of technological entrepreneurship; R&D collaboration, technology diffusion, labour mobility. This research contributes to a new perspective that is particularly interested in the differences in these structures in developing countries and countries at the frontier. Besides, the outcome of this study guides insights on how two leading economies, which have historical great relations, could better cooperate in innovation, science and technology field. This study attempts to examine, by means of a SWOT analysis, the Brazilian and German Innovation System in order to suggest improvements on each system and the binational cooperation concerning science, technology and innovation. The first step of the paper is the identification of the strengths and weakness in each National Innovation System based on library resources, articles, reports and other secondary data. In a second step, through interviews with relevant experts, the study tries to clarify the opportunities and threats on the binational cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the current scenario of marketplace instability and uncertainty, the way companies conduct and manage their intellectual capital is crucial. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of intellectual capital as a key driver of organisational performance due to its importance as an asset in the value creation process, yet few have analysed the relationships between internal communication, intellectual capital and job satisfaction. Considering the relevance of knowledge management and intellectual capital in the service sector, namely in the banking system (Curado 2008; Starbuck 2002), this study aims to assess the structure of intellectual capital in a Brazilian Credit Union, and how it relates to internal communication and job satisfaction. To accomplish this objective, a structural model, based on Longo and Mura (2011), was developed and tested on a sample of 109 employees from a particular branch of the union. Results confirm the three-dimensionality of the Intellectual Capital construct and that job satisfaction, as well as internal communication, are constructs separate from intellectual capital and should not be confused. In fact, internal communication may be considered as an antecedent of intellectual capital, whereas job satisfaction is a consequence. Furthermore, results suggest that intellectual capital plays a mediation role in the relationship between internal communication and job satisfaction. Nevertheless, the framework presented in this paper is not without limitations. Firstly, the sample size and the fact that it is a case study requires caution regarding extrapolation of conclusions. A second limitation has to do with the measurement of Relational Capital, as items employed have shown to be problematic in terms of convergent validity. Nevertheless, this study holds great potential for the strategic management of human resources in banking, in particular credit unions, which is a prime concern for bank administrations, bank branch collaborators, and society at large. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to model the interrelationships between internal communication, intellectual capital and job satisfaction in a credit union, an organisation with particular structural and strategic features resulting from its external customers being members and owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to analyze the strategic direction of the Brazilian e-Government Program from 2008 to 2014 associated with the Brazilian ranking on the United Nations e-Government Survey. Federal government strategic plans from 2008 to 2014 were analyzed based on three categories: e-services, e-administration (interoperability and integration, standardization and structuring systems) and e-democracy (open data, transparency and e-participation). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen government executives responsible for the planning and coordination of public policies. The research demonstrates that the Brazilian e-Government Program acquired a more important role in the Brazilian political arena after the protests of June 2013. The "Gabinete Digital" ("Digital Office") was created and reported directly to the Presidency of the Republic. It has successfully launched many e-government initiatives that were being developed but were not considered as a priority. Another research finding was the emphasis on increasing the supply of e-services. This was explicitly observed in government strategic planning starting in 2011. As a result of those strategies, Brazil moved up 33 positions on the online index of the UN Survey from 2010 to 2012. The last presidential term was more focused on promoting interaction between government and society - through an increase of transparency, the use of open data by the states and municipalities, and providing access to public information. As a result, Brazil rose seven positions on the eparticipation index between 2012 and 2014. Despite numerous initiatives, Brazil's e-government index ranking in the UN Survey is advancing very slowly and still didn't reach the 45th global position it had in 2008, mainly because of low scores on the telecommunication infrastructure and the human capital indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic goal of this paper is an attempt to conduct comparative analysis of innovation determinants in companies of small and medium enterprises sector in Brazil and Poland. The comparison shall enable evaluation which determinants stimulate and which are barriers to innovativeness development in the SME sector in the researched countries. The authors put forward the following research hypothesis: H1: The determinants forming the innovative potential are similar for Brazilian and Polish companies of SME sector. In order to confirm or negate the hypothesis, the authors have conducted empirical researches of the innovative activities' determinants in the SME sector companies in Brazil and Poland (an Internet questionnaire has been used in the research). The received results have been subject to basic statistical comparative analysis and on this basis with the logical induction the authors have made conclusions on the determinants of innovative activity in researched companies. The applied research method is based on the analysis of the innovative processes taking place in companies - with a special consideration of the nature of innovative processes taking place in SME sector. The article includes the results of all the empirical researches conducted by the authors in the years 2009-2013. The obtained results enable the confirmation of the thesis put forward by the authors - determinants forming the innovative potential are similar for Brazilian and Polish companies of SME sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge Management is a young discipline that nowadays it is important for many kinds of organizations. For software development organizations (SDO) the effective use of knowledge is a fundamental aspect to improve their processes and obtain sustainable competitive advantages. In this sense, this paper presents a critical review about how the knowledge management has been included in the processes established/ defined by several Software Process Reference Models. For this study, five software process reference models, broadly used in Latin-American countries, were selected: the standard ISO/IEC 12207, the Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development (CMMI-DEV), the Brazilian Model for Software Process Improvement (MPS-BR), the Mexican Software Process Model (MoProSoft), and the Latin-American software process improvement model for small and medium enterprises (COMPETISOFT). To obtain the review, the follow three stages were defined: 1) selection of process reference model to analyze; 2) analysis of each process proposed in process reference models, in order to identify the aspects related to knowledge management; 3) mapping the knowledge management aspects in relation to the taxonomy of knowledge management schools proposed by Earl and the classification of organizational capabilities linked to knowledge management, proposed by Gold, Malhotra and Segars. The findings of this study show that in all models there are elements of knowledge management processes, and there are two models, MoProSoft and Competisoft, that have a process area named Knowledge Management. Nevertheless, the knowledge management aspects included in these models is grounded in statements from Earl's systems and engineering schools. Likewise, in terms of Gold's knowledge management capabilities, the technology, knowledge acquisition and knowledge conversion capabilities are broadly covered but elements for others capabilities are not included in these reference models. This work constitutes an important reference for research and practice because presents a synthesis of the knowledge management topics included in software process reference models and helps practitioners, from software development organization, to identify the foundations and the options to implement knowledge management initiatives within their organizations. Likewise, this study helps researchers to identify trends and topics to formulate new research projects about include the different "flavors" of knowledge management in software process reference models or to develop a knowledge management process reference model relevant for software development organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the process of internationalization of micro and small companies from the perspective of knowledge. It consists of an investigation of the contributions of a knowledge-based approach to the internationalization process of micro and small sized (MSEs) firms, and how such knowledge manifests itself in the daily life of these firms. Knowledge is considered a strategic factor that promotes both the insertion and permanence of companies in the international market, specially regarding the reality of micro and small enterprises in Brazil. The coherence of this approach lies upon the usually limited resources available to MSEs, urging them to compensate their lack of tangible resources through the use of intangibles resources. Therefore knowledge represents a significant advantage for organizations that operate in the international market, mainly because it takes into account geographic scope, cultural aspects, operational costs and the risks involved in making highly complex decisions. Hence, the study of internationalization from the perspective of knowledge is a timely occurrence, given its potential to generate tangible contributions to the reality of companies and their international operations. Our research is exploratory in nature since it seeks to comprehend the potential roles of knowledge factors on the internationalization process of MSEs. For that purpose, we have conducted multiple case studies within three companies from the clothing segment of the Federal District - Brazil as the basis for applying and testing the knowledge-based model of MSEs' internationalization, developed and proposed by Mejri and Umemoto (2010). As a result, it was confirmed that in fact there are other knowledge factors, beyond marketing knowledge, that contribute to the effectiveness of results in the internationalization process of MSEs. These factors are associated to a more holistic and integrated perspective of knowledge, where the results are linked to combinations of other kinds, or dimensions, of knowledge. Thus, we observed that different knowledge factors do strengthen, in a complex and integrated fashion, the insertion and permanence of Brazilian MSEs in the international market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the interactions between the strategic process and the one of innovation, observing, in particular, how the mechanisms of decision making and the strategic actions of innovation contribute to the formation and formulation of different competitive strategies. This framework is proposed for analyzing the innovative strategic actions of ViniBrasil, given the challenges posed by the intensification of competition in the domestic and international wine markets. The study has a qualitativeexploratory character and used, as reference of the framework, the model developed by Sarkar (2007). The data arise from archival research and from a questionnaire applied to the key managers of ViniBrasil. The survey used is divided into two parts. The first one contains three blocks of closed answers (data analysis of characterization of the company, socio demographic data, and about the ability to innovate and use ICT). The second part consists of four blocks of responses, with a metric scale of measurement, in order to measure a set of latent variables. The most significant findings relate to the strategic actions of innovation applied to the production process, including the conversion of vineyards, the adequacy of the conduction and irrigation system, the production of differentiated wines, the winery modernization and to the business model, with emphasis on new marketing standards focused on domestic and foreign markets. The ViniBrasil is located in Fox Archetype Space, both at the level of product as of the production process. This space is characterized by the existence of a large number of competitors, operating in an environment of much competitive pressure and high degree of differentiation/innovation. Innovations occur in a continuum, ranging from the introduction of new products and processes, significant improvements in marketing and in the business management itself, factors which generated different impacts on the sustainability and maintenance of the competitive advantages of business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has studied game mediated learning and its motivational function. Educational games must maintain their educational function retaining clear definitions of the teaching objectives and instructional methods. This paper evaluated the impact of a game on a reading instructional procedure that has been successfully applied in Brazil. Two matching-to-sample teaching tasks were tested on 19 children in literacy ages. In the condition of standard teaching, only the matching-to-sample tasks were presented. In the game-based condition, the same matching-to-sample tasks were interspaced with game challenges. A behavioral choice procedure indicated the participant's condition choice. After learning 15 words, the participants responded a computerized version of the Learning Motivational Scale of Basic Education, which identified the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Results show no motivation and reading scores correlation and validate the choice procedure as reliable predictor of preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative and highly technological spirit characterizes the Brazilian agribusiness sector. This sector is important not only for generating wealth but also for being responsible for the movement of other economy's sectors. In this context, knowledge sharing has been treated as an antecedent of innovation, but not always considering the role of absorptive capacity. In the agribusiness context, this relationship is still less explored. Thus, in this paper, we propose a structural equations model to analyze the relationship between knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and its influence on innovation in the Brazilian apple production chain. To validate the model and the proposed hypotheses, we use a quantitativedescriptive methodology, empirically investigated based on a survey. We apply a questionnaire with 166 actors from the apple value chain, from the production and packing-houses segments of Southern Brazil. The results obtained provided strong support for hypothesized relationships, which demonstrated that the sharing of knowledge significantly influences innovation in the Brazilian apple production chain. However, must be integrated with the absorptive capacity to maximize its effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the introduction of an IT Governance Framework into a Hospital environment. It further addresses the relationship between corporate governance (hospital strategy and organization) and the role of IT Governance in managing new services deployment. Both ITIL and COBIT are introduced as a best practice for supporting Hospital Information Systems (HIS) management. IT Governance is an extensive framework; therefore we focused our study on ITIL Assessment combined with COBIT. The assessments were centered on IT Service Management, which, according to our findings, is being carried inefficiently in Hospital São Sebastião (HSS). We used both COBIT and ITIL assessment to audit and identify IT Governance weakness. These processes revealed a way to assist the organization at becoming aware about IT improvement priorities. The results were used to rethink HIS strategy in order to properly address the need to develop new health services like ambulatory surgery and connecting with out-patients services. We used the IT Governance standard ISO/IEC 38500 to provide guiding principles for the effective use of IT according to Calder-Moir framework. Starting with a COBIT assessment we identified IT management priorities and metrics, then we focused on the ITIL assessment steps. Finally, we applied the framework on both Service Desk and Incident Management processes. We analyzed the level of IT governance maturity and produce some recommendations to improve IT Service Management practices. The ITIL assessment identified existing gaps between the current organization practices and how the organization should perform according to ITIL, and what key actions need to be taken to close those gaps. At the end disclosed that IT Governance inefficiency is an important barrier to HIS management, mostly in IT service management which has a direct impact in users' daily work flow, and therefore on Healthcare services delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates and analyses the process of building a knowledge management (KM) model at Brazil's Embrapa (The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation). Embrapa is a world class knowledge organization whose mission is to provide feasible solutions for the sustainable development of Brazilian agribusiness through knowledge and technology generation and transfer. The qualitative research strategy used was the study of a single case with incorporated units of analysis and two criteria were observed for the judgment of the quality of the research project: validity of the construct and reliability. Multiple sources of evidence were used and data analysis consisted of three flows of activities: data reduction, data displays and conclusion drawing/verification. The results revealed a robust KM model made of four dynamic axes: (i) strategy (a strategic conception of information and knowledge use), (ii) environment - four different groups of enabling conditions (social-behavioral, information/communication, cognitive/epistemic and business/managerial), sine qua non conditions for successful implementation, (iii) tool box - sets of IT tools and managerial practices and (iv) results - in terms of outputs, being both tangible and intangible assets. The conclusions suggest that a collaborative building of a KM model in a diverse and geographically dispersed organization is more likely to succeed than one that is build and implemented from the top-down perspective. Embrapa's KM Model is more inclined to be a knowledge-based view of organization than merely a KM model. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economists have concluded that the intangible assets growth have exceeded expectations in the last years. Although there is no general agreement on its conceptualization the intangible assets's effects in the company's statements have been widely recognized, raising interest from researchers and economic agents on methods of appraisal. The purpose of this paper is to provide ideas for discussion by testing Pulic's theory of Value Added Intellectual Capital - VAIC, for manufacturing industries operating in Brazil, in the period of 2000 to 2006. Pulic's Theory was selected mainly because it is applicable based on public data gathered from company's financial statements. The sample is comprised of Brazilian non listed and listed companies with more than 100 employees belonging to the Annual Industrial Research (Pesquisa Industrial Annual - PIA) annually undertaken by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE). Research was undertaken in the field of quantitative methodology. Static and dynamic regression models were applied to a data panel. In general, the results achieved indicate that the VAIC model is relevant to explain value creation by the Brazilian companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identifies the Knowledge Management maturity levels of 73 federal government organizations in Brazil, 66 of which are part of the executive branch. The paper also identifies the main strong and weak points in those organizations regarding the implementation of Knowledge Management (KM), as well as the possible actions that could be taken for its effective institutionalization. The study applied the Knowledge Management Maturity Model proposed by Batista (2012), with minor adaptations. The model is known as the Instrument for the Assessment of Knowledge Management in Brazilian Public Administration and comprises seven criteria: KM leadership, process, people, technology, knowledge processes, learning and innovation, and KM results. Its survey questionnaire contains 42 statements measured by a seven-point Likert scale, for five levels of KM maturity: reaction, beginning, introduction (expansion), refinement and maturity. The respondents were inter-departmental teams with participants from the areas of human resources, information and document management, information technology, process management, strategic planning and general management, among others, seeking to obtain a self-assessment of the KM maturity level for each organization. The results show that KM is fully institutionalized in only three organizations (4.1% of the total). The majority of the institutions (approximately 70%) is at the initial levels: beginning (2.4%) and introduction (42.5%). Another subgroup is at the "refinement" level (26% of the total). Among the organizations that have reached the "beginning" level, their strong points are concentrated in the "technology" and "learning and innovation" criteria, while their weak points include "KM leadership", "knowledge processes", and "KM results". Among the organizations that are at the level "introduction" ("expansion"), the weak points tend to be in "process" and "technology". Finally, the weak points among the organizations in the "refining" level include "people", "knowledge processes" and "KM results". The survey results lead to the recommendation of a series of actions related to each one of the seven criteria used to assess KM maturity levels. The originality of this study lies in the fact that this is the first KM maturity assessment conducted in public organizations at the federal level in Brazil. The actions prescribed for KM institutionalization also provide a relevant contribution for organizations that are interested in integrating KM into their management models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies working in the field of information technology are considered knowledge intensive. Knowledge sharing is one of the most important processes in knowledge management and is related, for example, to increased innovation. Hence, the main aim of this research is to investigate whether country and team tenure are moderators in the relationship between knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and innovation in information technology companies. For this purpose, this research adopted survey method in which data were collected using a questionnaire sent by e-mail with a link to the instrument. The 121 responses were divided into three groups: 43 respondents - Brazilian companies operating in Brazil; 41 respondents - Portuguese companies operating in Brazil; and 37 respondents - Portuguese companies operating in Portugal. The countries were selected because they share the same language, and because one is a member of the BRICS group of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The data were analysed using Descriptive measures, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Partial Least Squares structural equation modelling. This study confirms the relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation with partial mediation by absorptive capacity and the role of moderators in this relationship. The country of origin of the company was not confirmed as a moderator in the relationship between knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and innovation, whether the company is located in its home country or not. However, the two countries analysed here are classified as collectivist. Team tenure was identified as a moderator in the relationship (knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and innovation), in this case, teams with members with up to 12 months on the same team display greater relational intensity. This may occur because when working together for longer, the group's knowledge may become homogeneous, leading to reduced sharing. The results of this paper will be of use to both corporate managers and scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing globalization has originated profound changes in the factors that currently determine the competitiveness of companies, regions or even countries. The competitiveness is no longer measured only by the production process as it happened in the industrial age. Nowadays, the intangible assets gained dimension and are the major source of competitiveness. In the case of public administration obliged to manage scarce resources in complex political and social contexts, the management of these assets becomes more imperative. For example, the management of a university, a hospital or an autarchy has a set of specifics that if they are not safeguarded by formalized processes of knowledge management, they will have great difficulty in being optimized. When we analyse the current Brazilian and Portuguese situations of public administration, we find some studies that allow us to conclude that the practice of knowledge management in these Lusophone countries is little consistent and formalized. Many practices of knowledge management, implemented by agencies and public entities in Brazil and Portugal, are not aligned with the strategic guidance of the organization (vision, mission, strategic objectives, strategies and targets). Other public organizations do not also ensure the use of knowledge management to improve processes, products and services, placing themselves at the service of the citizen, their client. In the recent years, the interest of public managers by the practices of knowledge management has increased, however, effects of current management practices are not visible. The aim of this paper is to present an empirical research conducted in Portuguese and Brazilian public institutions. This research describes the results of the analysis of practices of knowledge management in several public institutions of the two countries. As a research tool, we used the same questionnaire adapted to the linguistic reality of each country's organizations. Considering the strong historical, cultural, social and economic links between Portugal and Brazil, we intend to explore the possibility of creating a model of knowledge management, adapted to public administration in the two countries. As a result of this research, four essential indicators of public service, supported in knowledge management are indicated: service focused on customer (citizen), transparency, traceability and image. In the sample analyzed, the survey results show that most Brazilian and Portuguese public organizations are in an early stage of implementation of most practices. As future work, we recommend an empirical study with a large sample of Brazilian and Portuguese public organizations to confirm or refute the results of this study and a study to investigate the causes of the low effectiveness of the practices of knowledge management in these organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of globalization and the change on technological paradigm have important effects in the modeling of new patterns of competition. In this context there is a consensus among specialized researchers that the collaborative learning processes in clusters are crucial for the configuration at the competitive advantage of the companies individually and to the group that forms the cluster. This paper aims at identifying and analyzing the knowledge transmission channels in textile and clothing clusters located in Brazil and in Europe. Primary data was obtained through interviews with key individuals. The collection of primary data was carried out based on a questionnaire with ten categories of indicators of knowledge transmission. Secondary data was also collected through a literature review and through international organizations sites. Similarities related to the use of the main transmission channels of knowledge are observed in all cases. The main similarities are: influence of suppliers of machinery, equipment and raw materials; imitation of products and best practices; training promoted by technical institutions and businesses; and cluster companies being open to acquire new knowledge. The main differences lie in the relationship between companies, where in Europe the intensity of this relationship is bigger when compared to Brazil. The differences also occur in importance and frequency of the relationship with the government, with the cultural environment, and with the activities of research and development. It is also found factors that reduce the importance of geographical proximity in transmission of knowledge, and in generating trust and the establishment of collaborative behavior. This was the reality found in the studied clusters,that currently go through a process of adaptation to the changes in the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the literature on academic entrepreneurship, the creation of academic spin-offs is one of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer (KTT) channels most studied. The use of different KTT channels and the creation of spin-offs can be a source of opportunity for the overflow of knowledge and innovation with wealth creation. Although with a broad spectrum, research on academic entrepreneurship still has gaps to be explored in the literature. In Brazil, there is a lack of studies that explain more specifically how the professor at the public university transfers knowledge and technology and undertakes entrepreneurial activities. The main motivations of the doctoral research presented in this article are the lack of studies concerning the trajectory of successful entrepreneurial professors and the exploration of the use of different KTT channels in academic entrepreneurship for wealth creation. The general goal of the research is to identify the strategies used during the innovation trajectory of entrepreneurial professors in Information Technology (IT), who converted knowledge and scientific assets into wealth. To meet this goal, an adapted retrospective roadmapping approach was used to collect data, to map and to analyze the life trajectory of innovation of six professors from three Brazilian Public Universities in the IT area. The results made it possible to understand how professors innovated, became entrepreneurs and transferred knowledge and technology. They mobilized 136 strategies using different channels (e.g., Entrepreneurs Training, Collaborative Research and Development Projects, Technology Residency, Academic Spin-offs Creation, Academic Consulting). The professors' strategies resulted in a value distribution, with considerable wealth (tangible and intangible). The results showed that although there is no pattern in the professors' trajectories of innovation and entrepreneurship, there are several strategies common to the cases. One of them was to train qualified personnel at the university, based on intensive research in knowledge seeking to solve real market problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil, one of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), is becoming one of the most important players in the global economy. Recognized as the leading economic power in the South American region, the country seeks a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Nonetheless, to secure a place in this strategic UN organ and become a prominent player, Brazil needs to strengthen its economy and war power through updated military equipment. The Brazilian Government has put innovation on the political agenda and has been using the practice of offset contracts or agreements as a means to promote innovation and overcome the main insufficiencies of the defence sector. The present paper aims to explore the role of offset contracts in the innovation process in the context of Brazilian Defence Industry. Specifically, it intends to evaluate if the offsets performed between 2009 and 2011, the same time period used in other national surveys, are related to: i) the number of product and process innovation introduced; ii) the degree of autonomy in terms of innovation development; and iii) the degree of novelty of innovations. Our empirical study comprises an electronic survey of the member companies of the Brazilian Defence and Security Industries Association, based on the Oslo Manual. The results show that participation in offset agreements is related to process innovation. We have not found statistical evidence that offset contracts leads to new or significantly new products. The study also indicates that participation in offsets is not associated with the degree of autonomy or the degree of novelty, both in product and process innovation. Nevertheless, the interviews conducted with the Armed Forces experts highlight the importance of participating and benefiting from offset agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last two decades of the last century, new conceptual approaches in the field of Strategic Management have highlighted intangible assets, especially information and knowledge, as the basis for generating and sustaining competitive advantage. This paper aims to describe routines that foster organizational knowledge in a mining company located in Brazil. Nine managers from the following departments were interviewed: Technological Development, in charge of knowledge management in the organization; Human Resources, Communications and Marketing, directly related to employees and stakeholders' knowledge; Industrial Engineering and Industrial Automation for their relation to the innovation in the manufacturing process; and Mining and Processing departments, since they represent the core business of the company. A qualitativedescriptive approach was applied in the research. Semi-structured interviews were used in order to collect primary data. The company's managers were asked to identify routines that promote the creation, acquisition, codification, sharing, usage and protection of knowledge. Those interviews were recorded and transcribed. Internal documents were also used to describe the routines. Routines that promote organizational knowledge in the researched company are strongly aligned to the strategic outcomes and to the consequent critical knowledge necessary to achieve them. Considerable efforts have been made by the company regarding technology, compensation and structure in order to support the routines. Those investments reveal the importance of a strong commitment of the top managers to the knowledge management. The company recognizes the competitive advantage it gains by utilizing its employees as a source of information and knowledge. Despite this awareness and all measures connected to effectively implement routines which maximize the creation of internal information, the information sharing process lacks efficiency. The resistance of employees in sharing information brings up the relationship between knowledge and power. Among the organizational aspects that permeate all routines it is possible to highlight interdisciplinary work, financial and material support and financial and symbolic rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have demonstrated fundamental importance for the functioning of all developed economies including BRICS countries like Brazil. According to OECD, they represented in 2016 close to 50% of all employment and 95% of the number of companies and they need higher investment in skills, innovation and tech to boost wages and productivity, (OECD, 2019). On this background we present a project where we analyze the innovation activities of 32 Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the logistics and transport sector in the city of Cascavel, Parana, Brazil, with special focus of the importance of knowledge transfer for the innovations. Cascavel is located on strategic place in Western Parana, an important Brazilian agribusiness region, in which logistics and transport sector has had key role in the competitiveness for trade. The empirical part of the project was based on data collection at two points in time -- before and after an exchange of knowledge had taken place. This gave us the opportunity to study one of the key messages from the OECD -- innovations need developments of skills -- and we find that in most cases knowledge transfers has an effect on innovations via skill developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is one of the results of broader research that sought to analyze the process of implementation of the Open University of Brazil (Universidade Aberta do Brasil - UAB) in a public higher education institution. The objective of this research was to make a theoretical, bibliographic and documentary survey of the main challenges faced in distance courses in Brazil, mainly teacher training, in its didactic-pedagogical aspects that involve the teaching-learning process and the curricular internship. The research methodology sought to collect the data on the website of the Brazilian Association for Distance Education (Abed - research in all periods presented on the website), in the publications of the National Association of Postgraduate Studies and Research of Education (Anped) in the period 2012-2015. Information was also collected from the thesis and dissertation database of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) in the period 2012-2015, and from the Census of Higher Education of 2012 and in the data of the EAD.br Census 2015. The authors who analyzed the research data collected were: Belloni (2002); Alonso (2005); Farias et al. (2009); Moore (1997); Moore and Kearsley (2007); Peters (2009), Pimenta and Lima (2004), Simonson et al (2015). The data showed that there has been little research carried out within the scope of curriculum internship in the distance education modality in Brazil. It also revealed that challenges are similar to that of presential teaching and that organization is necessary for presential support and for the different personnel that deal with the students so that accompaniment, orientation and supervision can occur in a way that promote the construction of knowledge, research in the field, as well as the relation of theory and practice in a way that can better aid student development. Regarding didactic-pedagogical processes, there is research in the area but the results do not clearly advance the construction of specific characteristics for didactics in the modality of distance education. Research and studies are lacking in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is one of the results of broader research that sought to analyze the process of implementation of the Open University of Brazil (Universidade Aberta do Brasil - UAB) in a public higher education institution. The objective of this research was to make a theoretical, bibliographic and documentary survey of the main challenges faced in distance courses in Brazil, mainly teacher training, in its didactic-pedagogical aspects that involve the teaching-learning process and the curricular internship. The research methodology sought to collect the data on the website of the Brazilian Association for Distance Education (Abed - research in all periods presented on the website), in the publications of the National Association of Postgraduate Studies and Research of Education (Anped) in the period 2012-2015. Information was also collected from the thesis and dissertation database of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) in the period 2012-2015, and from the Census of Higher Education of 2012 and in the data of the EAD.br Census 2015. The authors who analyzed the research data collected were: Belloni (2002); Alonso (2005); Farias et al. (2009); Moore (1997); Moore and Kearsley (2007); Peters (2009), Pimenta and Lima (2004), Simonson et al (2015). The data showed that there has been little research carried out within the scope of curriculum internship in the distance education modality in Brazil. It also revealed that challenges are similar to that of presential teaching and that organization is necessary for presential support and for the different personnel that deal with the students so that accompaniment, orientation and supervision can occur in a way that promote the construction of knowledge, research in the field, as well as the relation of theory and practice in a way that can better aid student development. Regarding didactic-pedagogical processes, there is research in the area but the results do not clearly advance the construction of specific characteristics for didactics in the modality of distance education. Research and studies are lacking in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The desenvolvement of the hability to program computer systems is growing in necessity, due to the vast use of computer resources in the more diverse areas in Brazil. At the same time, the known difficulty of the amount of professionals being graduated in the area. Some states study the difficulty of the students and at the same time the lack of methodology in a way to use this as a possible elements contributing to this context, colaborating the necessety of desenvolvement of studies about the learning of languages of programming. Inside the possible solutions to this motivation problem, the desenvolvement of an enviroment gameficated as a way of a learning tool for programming languages are being explores in studying projecta and in commercial options. One of the observed difficulties in these projects is the lack of support to the teachers for acompanning the desenvolvement of the students. Searching to attend this problem, this project shows an helping enviroment to the learning of programming logic where is the inclusion of resources of the analysis of the behavior of the students for the support of teachers. This way, the project presented brings together electronic games and on-line monitoring of each step through the use of educational data mining techniques. Using an gamefication framework, it was defined and desenvolved an WEB enviroment for the teaching of LUA language, with aspects of gamefication and educational data mining. This enviroment was tested preliminarily with students of technical education with good results. The desenvolvement of the enviroment of this project showed that gamefication is an excelent motivational resource for learning of the concepts of programming language and that educational data mining helped the teachers to learn the diffiulties of the students, and like that, propose changes in the progamming logic learning methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable tourism systems have many variables of significant implications, with poverty being one of the most latent, which in conjunction with hunger will eventually lead to inevitable social chaos. Therefore the aim of this research is to explore modern techniques for the development of sustainable tourism and then work on great ideas to help people to reduce the problem of poverty. It therefore will apply the theory of Planned Behavior, derived from the theory of Reasoned Behavior that created by two scholars, namely Icek Azjen and Marin Fishbein's, to examine the questions. The study will use the North Shore of Bahia State in Brazil as the study area and the conclusion of this research is that the residents' practice of the given technologies will maximise the available means from the environment, and will also reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. Therefore this is a plan for socioeconomic transition to sustainability in ecotouristic communities by means of social technologies to reduce poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a tool for Organizational Coaching (OC). Following a methodological standard typical of action research, a group was set up with 11 executives from the information technology department of a large financial institution in Brazil, in which SNA was to be conducted, for the purposes of compiling an initial diagnostic of the network of institutional commitments that exists among them. This would then be used as a basis for the individual and organizational coaching that followed. The application of SNA in this group's network of commitments has revealed: (i) its ability to selforganize, given the hectic nature of this field (IT) and the size of the organization; and (ii) the ability to coordinate actions, by group members and by the group as a whole, in terms of its internal and external interfaces within the organization itself. We used metrics that demonstrate the structure of the informal network, the nature of the relationships in / of the group, and its critical players. The article also shows how this diagnostic was subsequently used to optimize the organizational learning and knowledge management processes, led by OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the relationship between intellectual capital and value creation in the sector of Production and Assembly of Vehicles and Auto-parts in Brazil. Through the access of the database from the Annual Industrial Research conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, we gathered 865 observations, from 2000 to 2006, of public and private Brazilian companies with more than 100 employees. The database allows the estimate of relevant aggregated variables such as national accounts, gross domestic product, intermediate consumption, as well as propitiates a sectorial study of business strategies and performance, including value added by individual companies. In particular, in this study we use data on variables associated to intellectual capital. To achieve the goal of the study, we consider intellectual capital as defined by Pulic (2000, 2002), including human capital and structural capital. For the analysis of business performance, we used Pulic's VAIC index as a measure of efficiency of the employed financial and intellectual capital. Regression models were run to verify the relationship among the efficiency in the use of intellectual capital and the profitability of Brazilian companies. The gross income, calculated as before selling, general and administrative expenses, depreciation expenses, amortization and interest expenses, was used as measure of the flows of value creation and the profitability was measured by the gross income to the total assets of the companies. Considering the constructs defined by Pulic (2000, 2002), we tested, for the Brazilian sector of Production and Assembly of Vehicles and Auto-parts, the following hypotheses: (i) there is a positive relationship between value creation and intellectual capital, (ii) there is a positive relationship between value creation and stock of intellectual capital, (iii) there is a positive relationship between value creation and efficiency of the employed capital , (iv) there is a positive relationship between value creation and efficiency of the human capital, (v) there is a positive relationship between value creation and efficiency of the structural capital. The results of the study, obtained through panel data analysis and through the use static and dynamic models, support the hypotheses that the intellectual capital of the companies, in its flow and stock dimensions, is positively and significantly related to value creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of virtual communities has opened many opportunities for a more participatory democratic debate, but this potential has not necessarily been explored in all online collectives. This research - based on an empirical study on Brazilian environmental-education virtual communities - explores the reasons why members may prefer to keep silent in debates that are supposed to foster democratic participation through online interactions. Drawing upon institutional theory, this research explores how authority and power systems may constrain the freedom of expression in virtual communities in such a way that more institutionalised perspectives are reproduced by social actors in the online environment. Community members reveal the fear of challenging participants with legitimate knowledge, such as academic professionals, and questioning mainstream perspectives on the theme of environmental education. The study also gives details about the relevance of mechanisms that reinforce the legitimacy of institutionalised perspectives, and mechanisms that punish deviant behaviour such as the expression of challenging standpoints. Indeed, respondents point out that the practice of strongly criticising members (flaming), ostracising dissident voices and even expelling participants who do not agree with mainstream perspectives, are mechanisms for fostering silence in the communities. In addition, leaders have other subtle procedures to set the agenda of debate for the whole community - including the private organisation of peers to demonstrate a coordinated support to their common ideas in the public space - as a way of avoiding the emergence of challenging propositions. Even the fact that alternative perspectives are simply ignored by the community creates reasons for frustration and silence as members understand the debate is not actually open. The study concludes on the relevance of considering the institutional environment to understand the social structures that emerge from virtual communities, and of reflecting on the limits of virtual communities as spaces for a more participatory democratic debate in specific contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]