The paper presents basic concepts on nanotechnology and the use of this in an oil and gas research and development (R&D) center, the Research and Development Center Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello of Petrobras (CENPES). The aim of this paper is to present a proposal of an observatory of trends in the area of nanotechnology at CENPES, to generate information, such as the state of the art technologies, technological trajectories, movements of competitors and partners, and aspects relating to regulations and incentives for decision making in the technology management process. The model consists of five steps that should occur in a continuous cycle: literature review, expert consultation, analysis of opportunities and threats, timelines or roadmaps, and monitoring. In conclusion, the proposed observatory includes a set of topics (variables), sources, techniques of competitive technical intelligence and technological foresight, systematized in order to support decision making in technology management.

This paper presents the results of a research project which have investigated the effectiveness of the contribution of Product-Service Systems (PSS) towards sustainability from a business perspective in an emerging context. The focus of this study is on the implications on the achievement of a "distributed economy". The authors have investigated the issue in three case studies, each representing one of the main typologies of PSS: result-oriented, product-oriented, and service-oriented. The companies that participated in these case studies were from three different business sectors: a packaging manufacturer for the automotive sector, an office space provider, and a major manufacturer of pipes and fittings. The results reported in this paper focus on the three initial phases of the data collection protocol developed in each case study: strategic analysis, exploration of opportunities, and development of the PSS concept. The data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, system maps, Sustainability Design-Orienting Toolkit (SDO/MEPSS), direct observation, and photography and document analysis. The intracase study analysis was carried out through workshops with the partner companies, followed by cross-case study analysis, with the aim of identifying common patterns. The case studies show that PSS can contribute to expand the involvement of local stakeholders and to the achievement of a higher level of customization to local requirements. They also showed that it is not possible to state that a PSS can result in small, decentralized, and flexible production units. Also, although they expand the net of stakeholders, none of the case studies present an explicit intent to search for synergy with their counterparts in the same business sector, despite the benefit that such strategy could bring to scaling up the PSS concepts. Therefore, the authors conclude that, within a business perspective in an emerging context, there is no direct connection between PSS and the full extent of the "distributed economy" concept.

O potencial de compreensão dos problemas de sustentabilidade de forma integrada, sistêmica e interdisciplinar propiciado pelo pensamento de sistemas (systems thinking) se apresenta como uma promissora abordagem para a educação ambiental. Neste artigo são apresentadas e discutidas as principais correntes teórico-metodológicas de pensamento de sistemas - funcionalistas-estruturalistas, interpretativistas e de sistemas críticos, bem como abordagens integradoras. Como resultado, propõe-se um quadro-síntese destas abordagens, com indicação da sua possível contribuição em estudos e projetos em Educação Ambiental.

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RESUMOA Macroergonomia é baseada em um método participativo, no qual o público envolvido no processo de trabalho contribui para que as intervenções que se façam necessárias tenham uma maior assertividade, pois reduz a margem de erros na sua criação e tem melhora e aceitação porque foi construído junto com os trabalhadores. Por meio deste estudo buscou-se verificar como a liderança influencia no processo de melhoria do ambiente de trabalho no campo da macroergonomia. As visões dos colaboradores e do gerente foram confrontadas para avaliar os pontos críticos da gerência e propor ações de melhoria. Os resultados permitiram concluir os conceitos, técnicas e ferramentas da macroergonomia somente podem ser aplicados e implementados em sua plenitude quando são reconhecidos pelo Líder como indispensáveis para o bem-estar dos trabalhadores e para a melhoria do seu desempenho. Para isto, o gerente deve apresentar os requisitos mínimos para uma boa liderança. Palavras-chave: Liderança, Macroergonomia, Restaurantes. ABSTRACT The macroergonomics is based on a participatory approach, in which the public involved in the work process helps to ensure that interventions are necessary to have a more assertive because it reduces the margin of error in its creation and has improved and acceptance because it was built along with workers. Three capstan of this study tried to determine how leadership influences the process of improving the