Place-based transdisciplinary research involves multiple academic disciplines and non-academic actors. Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) platform is one concept with ~ 80 initiatives globally. 
As an exercise in learning through evaluation we audited (1) the siting, construction and maintenance of individual LTSER platforms, and (2) them as a distributed infrastructure for place-based transdisciplinary research with focus on the European continent. First, we defined a normative model for ideal performance at both platform and network levels. Second, four surveys were sent out to the 67 self-reported LTSER platforms officially listed at the end of 2016. Third, with a focus on the network level, we analyzed the spatial distribution of both long-term ecological monitoring sites within LTSER platforms, and LTSER platforms across the European continent. Fourth, narrative biographies of 18 platforms in different stages of development were analyzed. While the siting of LTSER platforms represented biogeographical regions well, variations in land use history and democratic governance were not well represented. Platform construction was based on 2.1 ecological monitoring sites, with 72% ecosystem and 28% social system research. Maintenance of a platform required three to five staff members, focused mostly on ecosystem research, was based mainly on national funding, and had 1–2 years of future funding secured. Networking with other landscape approach concepts was common. Individually, and as a network, LTSER platforms have good potential for transdisciplinary knowledge production and learning about sustainability challenges. To improve the range of variation of Pan-European social–ecological systems we encourage interfacing with other landscape approach concepts.

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LTSER platforms as a place-based transdisciplinary research infrastructure: learning landscape approach through evaluation

Sustainability In Higher Education: A Review Of Contributions From Portuguese Speaking Countries

Social innovation research has been increasing over the last decades in many countries and fields of study. This study understands social innovation (SI) as a way to mitigate social problems, resulting in new or improved solution for a specific community. This paper analyzes the research in the field of social innovation in the business management area, understanding its antecedents and trends. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to propose a framework to guide further research in social innovation. Through a systematic literature review, the paper offers a preliminary framework with sub-themes of interest, possible contexts and actors involved in social innovation initiatives. The antecedents showed that the SI since the first concepts presents issues related to social change and has evolved to understand the relationships between different actors, between institutions and the social context where it is inserted. The trends link the SI to areas such as institutional theory; social movements theory; power and multi-actors perspective.

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An Overview On Social Innovation Research: Guiding Future Studies

Purpose




The purpose of this article is to present the experience of a Central American university that has been successfully advancing an educational model focused on sustainability for over 25 years. Many universities in industrialized nations are assuming a more active role in promoting sustainable development, while in emerging countries, interest in this issue is recent and not well known.




Design/methodology/approach




A study was conducted on perceptions of the impact from graduates of EARTH (Escuela de Agricultura de la Region Tropical Humeda) University in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, utilizing a mixed methodology that combined the application of a standardized questionnaire, together with focus groups of graduates, and semi-structured interviews of graduates, their employers, members of their communities, clients of the companies where they work and colleagues.




Findings




Agricultural engineers who received their education at EARTH University have had a positive social, economic and environmental impact in their communities of origin. They have taken on leadership positions and have become change agents who are aware of the social needs around them. They contribute to economic growth and job creation, and at the same time, promote sustainable management of natural resources.




Research limitations/implications




It is a case study and their findings are limited.




Practical implications




Learning about EARTH University’s experience may be useful for other higher education institutions seeking to cultivate this perspective in their degree programs, and for academics who support a fundamental reorientation in higher education aimed at confronting the challenge of promoting sustainable development.




Social implications




The results established that most of the agronomists who studied at EARTH University are having a positive economic, social and environmental influence, which appears to be closely associated with their university education. This suggests that higher education may in effect play an important role in promoting sustainability and contributing elements for advancing this perspective in higher education in Latin America.




Originality/value




This study of EARTH University’s educational model reveals that, in the case of Latin America, education for sustainability cannot be limited to providing training in natural resources management. The promotion of inclusive development supposes that students have learned how to manage productive activities that are economically and socially sustainable, and that students have received a solid education in values, aimed at fostering a commitment to build a fairer society.

Higher Education for Sustainable Development at EARTH University.

O Exame Nacional do Ensino Medio (ENEM) e uma avaliacao constituida por uma redacao e por questoes de multipla escolha...

Química do ensino médio técnico e Enem: uma comparação curricular

Os Institutos Federais de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia (IFs) foram recentemente criados no Brasil. Eles tem como objetivo suprir a demanda de mao de obra tecnica qualificada, que tem aumentado no pais, e agregar qualidade aos curriculos, buscando integrar conhecimentos basicos e tecnicos e preparar os estudantes para a vida e para o exercicio da cidadania. Sendo assim, demonstram em seus documentos ter preocupacao com questoes ligadas ao desenvolvimento sustentavel. Alguns estudos tem apontado a importância da insercao de debates sobre a educacao para a sustentabilidade nas instituicoes de ensino e tambem nos cursos da area de gestao. Deste modo, o presente estudo tem por objetivo identificar como questoes relacionadas ao assunto estao sendo tratadas nos IFs brasileiros, especialmente no Instituto Federal de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS). Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de carater exploratorio, delineado por um escopo descritivo, para verificar como a sustentabilidade tem sido abordada nos cursos do IFRS relacionados ao eixo tecnologico gestao e negocios. Para definicao dos cursos, utilizou-se como referencia o Catalogo Nacional de Cursos Superiores em Tecnologia e o Catalogo Nacional de Cursos Tecnicos do Ministerio da Educacao. Observou-se que, apesar do IFRS apresentar em seus documentos uma preocupacao com o assunto, nao existe uma politica institucional que integre as acoes relativas a sustentabilidade na organizacao em geral, sendo que a introducao do tema nos cursos acontece de formas diversas, por iniciativa de alguns professores. Contudo, projetos que buscam a insercao da sustentabilidade em cursos da area de gestao e negocios ja podem ser verificados, como os que estao sendo desenvolvidos nos campi Canoas e Osorio, que tambem sao apresentados no presente trabalho. E importante salientar que os projetos encontram-se em fase de implementacao, o que impossibilita uma avaliacao com relacao aos seus resultados. Entretanto, estes podem servir de base para acoes que podem ocorrer na instituicao e de modelo para outros niveis e instituicoes de ensino.

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Educação para a sustentabilidade : a construção de caminhos no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS)

As mudancas de comportamento do consumidor de alimentos tem determinado e influenciado as estrategias e atitudes dos outros elos das cadeias produtivas. Esta logica altera a visao de que a producao determina o consumo e, portanto, as estrategias de marketing, para uma visao da producao orientada pelo consumo. Assim, este estudo objetiva identificar as principais estrategias de marketing dos produtores familiares de produtos orgânicos, expostos na 29a Exposicao Feira Internacional (Expointer) realizada em agosto/setembro de 2006, no Parque de Exposicoes Assis Brasil, em Esteio, Rio Grande do Sul (RS). Para fundamentar as proposicoes e questionamentos deste estudo, foram abordadas algumas reflexoes teoricas acerca da agricultura familiar, producao orgânica,cooperacao e marketing. Os dados foram coletados atraves da aplicacao de um questionario semi-estruturado a representantes de nove agroindustrias familiares produtora de orgânicos. Verificou-se que os produtores orgânicos estudados apresentam estrategias de marketing incipientes, centradas principalmente na participacao em feiras. Neste sentido, percebe-se a cooperacao, mediante a formacao de redes de cooperacao, como alternativa relevante no estabelecimento de um olhar da producao e comercializacao de orgânicos a partir do marketing, orientado pela demanda.

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Agricultura familiar de produtos orgânicos: um olhar sob a ótica do marketing

Social innovations are seen as alternatives to address social and environmental problems facing humanity. However, the term covers a broad range of definitions which can include a variety of initiatives. Based on analytical dimensions of social innovations, this study sought to assess to what extent the emergence of collective enterprises in the Brazilian handicraft sector is consistent with the dimensions postulated in the literature. Drawing on a multiple case study, the results showed that the analytical dimensions of social innovation identified the main elements involved in developing solutions with a significant number of actors, which indicates they are appropriate for understanding the formation of collective enterprises in the handicraft sector. This study has enabled, therefore, an understanding of how social solutions are built collectively and can be used to generate other social innovations or improvements to existing ones.

/pdf/analytical-dimensions-for-identifying-social-innovations-1nskbny7zc.pdf

Analytical Dimensions for Identifying Social Innovations: Evidence from Collective Enterprises

The Brazilian Mobile Phone Sector (BMPS) has been through a series of technological and structural changes in the past few years, which have directly impacted strategic issues that should be taken into consideration by companies in this sector. This article addresses three main objectives: the first is to explore some strategic BMPS categories; the second is to build a theoretical and methodological framework from them; and the third is to present a value added model supporting theory development. Towards that aim, we build on a theoretical approach to competitive strategy, technological innovation and stakeholders theory, and perform an empirical research supported by interviews with Brazilian experts from the sector; the interviews were further analyzed from a content analysis perspective. The key result from this study concerns the very theoretical and methodological framework for the BMPS, and such a framework can be conceived as a value-added contribution to theory. It is worth noting that some advances over traditional approaches to framework development are made, as well as regarding particular content analysis procedures.

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Theoretical and methodological framework to identifying strategic categories in the brazilian mobile phone sector (bmps): towards theory development

O agronegocio florestal tem ganhado destaque nosultimos anos no Brasil e no mundo, principalmente em funcaode tratar-se de recursos renovaveis dentro da otica desustentabilidade ambiental e seguindo a trajetoria de substituicaoou producao de recursos ate entao extraidos da natureza.Porem, mesmo se tratando de recursos renovaveis, osetor florestal, como a maioria das outras atividades produtivas,produz grandes quantidades de sobras de menor valorcomercial, chamados tradicionalmente de residuos. Sobrasestas que muitas vezes sao destinadas erroneamente ao meioambiente, causando serios problemas de poluicao ambiental.Dentro desta perspectiva, realizou-se o presente estudo, como objetivo de verificar alternativas de aproveitamento dosresiduos florestais, bem como suas contribuicoes parasustentabilidade ambiental da regiao de Lages (SC). Paratanto, tomou-se como objeto de estudo o setor florestal daregiao de Lages (SC) e mais especificamente a Unidade deCo-geracao Tractebel Energia, empresa consumidora debiomassa dos residuos das industrias madeireiras, gerandoenergia eletrica e vapor para industrias locais. Verificou-seque a referida empresa esta aplicando conceitos e praticasde sustentabilidade ambiental, podendo ser considerada umaexperiencia modelo.

/pdf/o-aproveitamento-dos-residuos-do-setor-florestal-de-lages-48scirdpit.pdf

Tânia Nunes da Silva

Papers

Educação para a sustentabilidade : a construção de caminhos no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS)

Agricultura familiar de produtos orgânicos: um olhar sob a ótica do marketing

Analytical Dimensions for Identifying Social Innovations: Evidence from Collective Enterprises

Theoretical and methodological framework to identifying strategic categories in the brazilian mobile phone sector (bmps): towards theory development

O aproveitamento dos resíduos do setor florestal de Lages - Santa Catarina