Abstract
Despite all the differences on markets, cultural environment, and organizational objectives, some changes are modifying the way business occurs, turning competitive advantages difficult to accomplish. In a global marketplace scenario, changes are constant and with variable amplitude. Organizations need to be alert to all movements to counter-answer and re-align themselves with the new market conditions. Thus, it is wise to develop a flexible strategy, where it is possible to monitor the market conditions and the overall performance of the organization. We propose a project portfolio management and evaluation framework which gathers important concepts and tools from different areas, like Organizational Strategy, Organizational Learning, Decision Support Systems (DSS), Project Portfolio Management and Organizational Maturity, fundamental for acquiring and developing competitive advantages, and, therefore, for increasing the organization's overall performance.

Abstract
This paper seeks to give a general idea of the universe of project portfolio management, from its multidisciplinary nature, to the many challenges it raises, passing through the different techniques, models and tools used to solve the multiple problems known. It is intended to contribute to the clarification, with great depth, of the impacts and relationships involved in managing the projects' portfolio. It aims at proposing a technique for the project alignment with the organisational strategy, in order to select projects that later on will be considered in the analysis and selection of the portfolio. We consider the development of a methodology for assessing the project alignment index very relevant in the global market scenario. It can help organisations to gain a greater awareness of market dynamics, speed up the decision process and increase its consistency, thus enabling the strategic alignment and the improvement of the organisational performance.

Abstract

Abstract
Semi-infinite programming (SIP) problems arise in several engineering areas such as, for example, robotic trajectory planning, production planning, digital filter design and air pollution control. In spite of being an active research area with many seminal works it lacks available software that could be used by the research community. The only exceptions are the fseminf MATLAB function, available in the Optimization Toolbox, and the NSIPS solver, but neither of them provide an implementation of a method belonging to the well known reduction type class. This paper proposes an implementation of a reduction type algorithm base on a penalty technique and provides a compare between several well known penalty functions. The provided numerical results with a significant number of SIP test problems are reported as performance profiles.

Abstract
The development of information and communication technologies and turbulent market conditions have forced enterprises to adapt their way of undertaking business, from traditional practices to e-business. in this context, achieving seamless interoperability among heterogeneous organizations becomes a critical issue. This article has two main objectives: (1) to present a review of the most relevant approaches aiming at achieving seamless interoperability in a collaborative networked environment. In this sense, major interoperability issues (e.g., interoperability requirements, technologies) are discussed, and the most significant independent (e.g., ebXML) and industry-specific initiatives (e.g., RosettaNet, papiNet, TexWeave) are analyzed; (2) to introduce a recently developed two-layered operational infrastructure aiming at attaining seamless interoperability in the footwear industry (the up-stream segment), based on the requirements identified for this sector in a recent industry survey conducted at European level. Other relevant initiatives targeting this sector are also analyzed, emphasizing the innovative aspects and advantages of this approach.

Abstract
Several collaborative business frameworks have been developed in order to support organizations to attain interoperability in today's networked business arena. However, the diversity of frameworks generates selection problems. The goal of this article is to present an analytical method supporting the comparison of collaborative business frameworks, which may also be used by decision makers in the framework selection process. The results obtained by comparing four collaborative business frameworks are discussed.