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This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the financial performance of aquaculture firms in Portugal from 2013 to 2022, considering regional, age, and size dynamics. Using financial data from the ORBIS database, key performance indicators are calculated to assess the industry's economic sustainability, regional disparities, and firm-level effects. The analysis reveals insights into the resilience of aquaculture firms in navigating economic challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights the importance of tailored policy interventions to support regional development and industry competitiveness. Age trends show the influence of industry experience on financial performance, with older firms demonstrating higher turnover and profitability. Size trends indicate the advantages of economies of scale for larger firms, while smaller firms exhibit agility and innovation. This study contributes to the understanding of aquaculture economics in Portugal, providing valuable implications for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and aquaculture firms. By considering regional, age, and size dynamics, stakeholders can develop comprehensive strategies to enhance the sector's long-term sustainability and resilience in an increasingly dynamic market environment. Recommendations are provided for policymakers to support regions with lower performance metrics, enhance infrastructure development, and promote workforce productivity to foster balanced economic growth across the aquaculture sector in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Future Museums Project Group was created under the Portuguese Ministry of Culture with the mission of proposing recommendations for a 10-year public policy for museums, palaces, and monuments, considering sustainability, accessibility, and innovation issues and their relevance in society. Against this background, museums were understood as agents of change with a role to play in achieving a more sustainable future, and culture as a fundamental pillar for democracy and sustainable development. This study discusses the findings of the project, focusing on three features that highlight the approach adopted to sustainability, which included collections management, participation, and mediation. Drawn from empirical research, a series of concrete recommendations, both for policy makers and museums, are discussed. The study concludes by arguing that cultural policies must place sustainability at the core of their strategy in order to function as a framework to drive and implement sustainable development practices in museums and heritage. Furthermore, within the scope of post-pandemic recovery plans, climate emergency, and the energy crisis, it is even more pressing that cultural policies provide support for museums and heritage and ensure that they have the conditions and resources to be able to move forward in a more integrated manner, thus contributing to a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portuguese forests have always played an essential role in the socioeconomic development of national rural areas, but also in several forest-based industrial sectors, such as the cork, pulp and paper, and wood panels industries. In addition to these dominant sectors, there are also several other uses for forest timber, such as being the major raw materials to the production of furniture or devoted to the growing biomass pellets production industry. This review article presents the evolution of the forest industrial sector throughout the recent past, and its impact on the development of the rural environment, from a socioeconomic perspective, namely concerning the jobs and value-added creation, as well as the importance of the forest in national industrial development. It shows the importance of sustainable forest management for the development of the rural environment, as an essential sector for the creation of wealth and for the establishment of populations in the interior regions of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper considers and analyzes the role of management and entrepreneurship on the firm and region sustainability. This relation was explored in terms of managers' behaviour related to three aspects of sustainable development, namely, economic, social and environmental. Through a questionnaire survey of 251 micro, small and medium firms in Vale do Sousa region located in the Northern Portugal, it was discovered that, contrary to what most of literature presents, managers are putting in first place the environmental aspect of sustainability, followed by the social aspect, and the economic as the last one. These results lead to a characterization of firms as being sustainable, but with a risk-averse and non innovative behaviour on the part of the firms' management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental empowering to control resource consumption and environmental impacts is critical to engage citizens to adopt more sustainable habits. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of innovative approaches based on sustainability indicators towards a low-carbon economy. A methodology to measure and promote sustainability in schools has been proposed and evaluated, aiming at showing the environmental performance and informing of potential environmental savings. The methodology, titled ClimACT, has two main purposes: measuring the environmental performance of schools through a school sustainability index based on measurable indicators in the areas of transport, procurement, green spaces, indoor air quality, energy, water and waste; and encouraging students, teachers and families towards an energy-efficient and low-carbon pathway through a structural procedure based on roles, activities and progress evaluation. The approach, applied to 39 pilot schools from Portugal, Spain, France and Gibraltar, achieved promising and encouraging results. All schools deployed the methodology successfully, achieving measurable environmental benefits in 95% of cases, with an average improvement of 10% in the global performance of schools after one year. Moreover, the 5112 surveys applied to school communities, before and after the methodology implementation, highlighted how the sustainable indicators had a significant influence on the daily lives of families, leading to improvements of their behaviour, with an average increase of 20% in indicators regarding good practices in transport, energy, water, waste and citizenship. The environmental empowering through measurable indicators is a step forward a low-carbon economy. This methodology is open and adaptable to all sectors and requirements. Image 1 • Empowering school communities towards a low-carbon economy. • The paper proposes a methodology to measure and promote sustainability. • The methodology was evaluated in 39 pilot schools from 4 European countries. • After one year, 95% of schools achieve measurable environmental benefits. • Sustainability indicators are proposed as key elements towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study to focus on sustainable entrepreneurship practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thus aiming to understand the reasons owners-managers implement them as well as the benefits they provide after considering the three domains of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was adopted using two Portuguese cases (SME). Data were obtained from interviews and documentary analysis. Findings: From content analysis of the interviews held, the results obtained show that both SMEs studied are concerned about sustainable practices and development. They have competences directing them towards a sustainable entrepreneurship. Practical implications: The study contributes to understanding the benefits of adopting sustainable entrepreneurial practices in the SME context and helping these firms' managers reformulate more appropriate and effective strategies and actions to ground these firms in a process of continuous improvement, especially in reducing their environmental footprint. Originality/value: Although SMEs are numerous and central in the dynamics of the world economy, sustainable entrepreneurial practices have not been studied as a vehicle to reduce the ecological footprint. This holds particularly true for the realm of SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy conservation is a popular topic in scientific research today, despite the specific effects of energy conservation awareness still being investigated. Significant research about this topic has been performed in different countries. However, the research conducted so far concerns methods of energy saving, a building's energy efficiency and new technologies; however, a significant part of society will live in technologically old buildings for a long time, which requires the involvement of consumers to save energy. To explain how energy-saving awareness plays a role in energy-saving behavior, this study will take city dwellers as a research facility and integrate relevant literature and disciplines, such as information and knowledge management, with the mechanistic study of how energy-saving awareness influences behavior that conserves energy and establishes a sensible behavior model. The survey was conducted in Poland, Portugal and Italy with over 18,000 people who declared that they are responsible for managing the household. In addition to the quantitative and qualitative research defining the percentage of behavior, the research group gave answers to the assessment of energy management, both assessing itself and the activities carried out in its own households on the Likert scale. The SERVPERF method was used for this. The results of the study clearly show that not only do economic factors affect energy saving, but also an informed society that cares about resource management. The research carried out presents the measures undertaken to save energy, and also identifies the level of knowledge and behavior that reflect pro-ecological trends and care for the sustainable development of the city, country and one's own household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]