Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:25:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ariadne Arruda Camara.pdf: 3435966 bytes, checksum: 22d4a579cf449d66b79dceae781e8867 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-24 / This study aimed to examine the relationship established between the companies and the multi-party collaboration about the theme of sustainability. The intention was to discuss how this relationship engages different kinds of actors of society in a social learning process by understanding the problems, conflicts, social dilemmas and how those involved create development strategies considering sustainability guidelines. It was intended, with that, understands the limits, contradictions, possibilities and paradoxes of this relationship. The research was supported by authors such as Pahl-Wostl, Jacobi, Granja & Franco, and Waddell in terms of social learning theory, and Sachs and Elkington as theoretical support for sustainability. Therefore, it was chosen the studying of a project in which it was observed an interaction between social actors with different views, backgrounds, beliefs and values about the reality in which they operate, but, at the same time, they have a higher goal, which is acting in accordance with the goals of sustainable development. Thus, a basic qualitative interpretative study was conducted in eleven companies that are part of the Sustainable Business Linkages Project: a big company, three small and medium ones, three enabling institutions, a German technical cooperation agency, three nonprofit institutions, one of them is focused on research and development of knowledge on issues of business management. Data, collected through documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews, were analyzed with inspiration in the proposed analysis of qualitative data from Flores. The analyses describes the differences on how it has been operationalized the concept of sustainability by the members of the project; the approach movement of social actors, the process of social learning and some elements for reflection on the perception of those who were interviewed to enhance the learning towards the development sustainable. The results reveal a solid program, but shows that there are progresses in one hand and obvious limitations and contradictions in their actions in the other hand. The project was able to make small and medium businesses incorporate sustainable guidelines and engage them in the discourse; it resorted to rich learning strategies such as exchange of experience between partners, formal courses, informal meetings; however, it still did not break with the primacy economic concern of small and medium enterprises, which was revealed in the speech of the interviewed when they clearly stated that the economic goals still outweigh the social and environmental goals. Yet, somehow, it was observed that there was an appropriation of the idea of sustainability, since all the participants, in a lesser or greater degree, develop actions in this direction. The project allowed the interaction between different social actors that influence each other in the places where they are established. Such interaction promoted an auspicious environment for social learning, but that still requires a series of continuous effort to enhance the bonds of trust, commitment and resolve the dilemmas inherent in the process in a more participative way. A bigger approximation of those involved, the expansion of the use of spaces for informal discussions and a methodology that enhance more effectively the integration of the three pillars of sustainability economic, social and environmental are points that need to be enhanced to leverage the process of learning of those involved in the project. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a relação que se estabelece entre as empresas e os múltiplos colaboradores acerca do tema sustentabilidade. A intenção foi discutir de que forma esta relação engaja diferentes tipos de atores da sociedade em um processo de aprendizagem social por meio de entendimento de problemas, conflitos, dilemas sociais e como os envolvidos criam estratégias de desenvolvimento considerando diretrizes da sustentabilidade. Pretendeu-se, com isto, compreender os limites, as contradições, as possibilidades e os paradoxos dessa relação. A pesquisa apoiou-se em autores como Pahl-Wostl, Jacobi, Granja e Franco e Waddell no que diz respeito a teoria de aprendizagem social e Sachs e Elkington como aportes teóricos para a sustentabilidade. Para tanto, optou-se pelo estudo de um projeto no qual fosse observado uma interação entre atores sociais com distintas visões, formações, convicções e valores sobre a realidade em que atuam, mas que possuem um objetivo maior comum, que é atuar em acordo com as metas do desenvolvimento sustentável. Desta forma, foi conduzido um estudo qualitativo interpretativo básico em onze organizações que fazem parte do Projeto Articulações para a Sustentabilidade: uma grande empresa, três pequenas e médias empresas, três instituições capacitadoras, uma agencia de cooperação técnica alemã, três instituições sem fins lucrativos, sendo uma delas voltada para a pesquisa e o desenvolvimento de conhecimento em temas da gestão empresarial. Os dados, coletados por meio de análise documental e de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, foram analisados com inspiração na proposta de análise de dados qualitativos de Flores. As análises descrevem as diferenças sobre como vem sendo operacionalizado o conceito de sustentabilidade pelos integrantes do projeto; o movimento de aproximação dos atores sociais; o processo de aprendizagem social e alguns elementos para a reflexão na percepção dos entrevistados para aprimorar a aprendizagem em direção ao desenvolvimento sustentável. Os resultados revelam um programa robusto, mas que, se avança por um lado, há limites evidentes e contradições em sua atuação por outro. O projeto foi capaz de fazer com que pequenas e médias empresas incorporassem diretrizes sustentáveis, se engajassem no discurso; lançou mão de estratégias de aprendizagem ricas como troca de experiência entre os parceiros; cursos formais; encontros informais; entretanto, não rompeu ainda com a primazia da preocupação econômica das pequenas e médias empresas, o que se revelou no discurso dos entrevistados quando claramente afirmaram que os objetivos econômicos ainda sobrepujam as metas sociais e ambientais. Apesar disso, de alguma forma, foi possível observar que houve apropriação da idéia de sustentabilidade, já que todos os participantes, em menor ou maior grau, desenvolvem ações neste sentido. O projeto permitiu a interação entre diferentes atores sociais que se influenciam mutuamente nas regiões onde ele se estabelece. Tal interação promoveu um ambiente propício para a aprendizagem social, mas que ainda demanda um esforço conjunto e contínuo, para que se aprimorem os vínculos de confiança, comprometimento e solucionem os dilemas inerente ao processo de forma mais participativa. Uma maior aproximação dos envolvidos, a ampliação do uso de espaços informais para debates e uma metodologia que reforce mais efetivamente a integração dos três pilares da sustentabilidade, econômico, social e ambiental são pontos de atenção que precisam ser aprimorados para alavancar o processo de aprendizagem dos envolvidos no projeto.

This thesis proposes a collaboration framework for the Web of Things based on the concepts of Service-oriented Architecture and integrated with semantic web technologies to offer new possibilities in terms of efficient asset management during operations requiring multi-actor collaboration. The motivation for the project comes from the rise in disasters where effective cross-organisation collaboration can increase the efficiency of critical information dissemination. Organisational boundaries of participants as well as their IT capability and trust issues hinders the deployment of a multi-party collaboration framework, thereby preventing timely dissemination of critical data. In order to tackle some of these issues, this thesis proposes a new collaboration framework consisting of a resource-based data model, resource-oriented access control mechanism and semantic technologies utilising the Semantic Sensor Network Ontology that can be used simultaneously by multiple actors without impacting each other’s networks and thus increase the efficiency of disaster management and relief operations. The generic design of the framework enables future extensions, thus enabling its exploitation across many application domains. The performance of the framework is evaluated in two areas: the capability of the access control mechanism to scale with increasing number of devices, and the capability of the semantic annotation process to increase in efficiency as more information is provided. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework is fit for purpose.

This thesis proposes a collaboration framework for the Web of Things based on the concepts of Service-oriented Architecture and integrated with semantic web technologies to offer new possibilities in terms of efficient asset management during operations requiring multi-actor collaboration. The motivation for the project comes from the rise in disasters where effective cross-organisation collaboration can increase the efficiency of critical information dissemination. Organisational boundaries of participants as well as their IT capability and trust issues hinders the deployment of a multi-party collaboration framework, thereby preventing timely dissemination of critical data. In order to tackle some of these issues, this thesis proposes a new collaboration framework consisting of a resource-based data model, resource-oriented access control mechanism and semantic technologies utilising the Semantic Sensor Network Ontology that can be used simultaneously by multiple actors without impacting each other’s networks and thus increase the efficiency of disaster management and relief operations. The generic design of the framework enables future extensions, thus enabling its exploitation across many application domains. The performance of the framework is evaluated in two areas: the capability of the access control mechanism to scale with increasing number of devices, and the capability of the semantic annotation process to increase in efficiency as more information is provided. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework is fit for purpose.