Abstract
In BSc/MSc engineering programmes at Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), the need to provide students with teamwork experiences close to a real world environment was identified as an important issue. A new group-formation method that aims to provide an enriching teamwork experience is proposed. Students are asked to answer a questionnaire to evaluate their teamwork profiles and are assigned to groups by an algorithm aiming to achieve maximum diversity within groups and homogeneity among groups. The profile diversity/complementarity within a group is an important factor to promote members' commitment and coordination in order to achieve the proposed goals. The proposed method is compared to a standard self-selection method for three engineering programmes in three academic years. The results show that, with the new method, there are a higher number of medium ranked groups which surpass the expectation and that, contrary to some students' beliefs, the method does not have a negative impact on the overall final marks. © 2009 SEFI.

Abstract
The widespread usage of technology for service provision to customers has created a new and challenging environment for the design of interactive systems, with the emergence of technology enabled multi-channel services. Requirements engineers involved in the design of such service systems must actively work together with interaction designers and service managers to better integrate customer service experience and technology components, requiring unifying methods and tools within the emerging field of service science management and engineering. This paper proposes the service experience blueprint (SEB), a multidisciplinary method for the design of technology enabled multi-channel service systems and illustrates its application in two examples of redesign of banking services that involved an extensive study with more than 4,000 bank customers. The SEB method is based on concepts and tools from RE and interaction design, such as goal-oriented analysis and conceptual modeling, but also uses methods developed in the service and marketing fields, such as service blueprinting. SEB brings marketing research methods to the requirements process, as they can provide a useful contribution for the elicitation of customer experience requirements in service environments. By bringing together goal-oriented modeling and use case modeling from requirements engineering, with service blueprinting from service design, the SEB method contributes to creating a shared understanding and a unifying language to better support the design of new technology enabled multi-channel service systems, where technology and service issues are deeply intertwined.

Abstract
Nowadays there is a visible shift from product-oriented economy towards service-oriented economy. This shift relates to a huge pressure on innovation in services and new offerings to the market. Concurrently with this shift, capabilities of IT/software tools are increasing rapidly. Such movements are opening new space in the dynamic market and are encouraging new ventures to be founded. A challenge for managers and leaders is to design processes and set/manage an internal environment that inherently supports creativity and cooperation between team members in new ventures. In this paper, we characterize a management model named INnovation&COoperation (INCO) suitable for innovative software start-ups. We propose that the management processes and leadership of such enterprises have to have six distinctive qualities to support innovation and cooperation of team members. Proposed qualities are as follows: (1) network-hierarchical organizational structure; (2) assessment function of added value; (3) context awareness; (4) equal opportunities; (5) portfolio project management and uniformity; (6) embedded feedback. We believe that these qualities are essential for setting up a dynamic and flexible enterprise in the long-term perspective. A case study of a spin-off from Masaryk University, Czech Republic, is used to illustrate and validate this proposal in practice. This IT/software SME follows a network-hierarchical organizational structure, project team members are assigned dynamic roles and continuous feedback is provided to control and enhance collaboration and creativity.

Abstract
This paper explores the evolution of productivity of the artisanal dredge fleet that operates in the south coast of Portugal. This fleet is considered to be one of the most significant in the sector, essentially due to the volume and value of its catches. In this context, the study carried out sought in first place to determine variation in productivity over a time window of 10 years (between 1995 and 2004). Secondly, it sought to distinguish the performance of local and coastal vessels comprising the chosen fleet, The performance of the five homeports in the Algarve coast was also compared. We used Malmquist indexes to measure productivity change and explored the impact of changes in stock conditions and in regulatory policies on productivity levels. During the time period analysed, the measures defined by regulatory entities included allowing the use of a new type of dredge and the establishment of fishing quotas per vessel and per species. Finally, the fishing quotas allowed for each vessel were confronted with the captures officially declared.

Abstract
This paper develops a method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) for efficiency assessments taking into account the effect of non-discretionary factors. A typology that classifies the non-discretionary factors into two groups is proposed: the factors that characterize the external conditions where the decision making units (DMUs) operate (external factors), and the factors that are internal to the production process but cannot be controlled by the decision makers (internal factors). This paper proposes an enhanced DEA model that accommodates non-discretionary inputs and outputs and treats them differently depending on their classification as internal or external to the production process. This generalized model integrates the previous approaches for dealing with non-discretionary variables described in the DEA literature. The model defines the efficient frontier based exclusively on the discretionary variables and internal non-discretionary factors, but the potential peers of each DMU are restricted to other units facing comparable external conditions (represented by the external non-discretionary factors). The peer selection criteria implemented in the DEA model is informed by decision makers' opinion, The applicability of the model developed is illustrated with a real-world assessment of retailing stores.

Abstract