Questões para Concursos

Advanced Dynamics of International Business Strategy In the era of hyper-globalization, international busi ness strategy has evolved into a highly sophisticated discipline characterized by the orchestration of cross border value creation under conditions of uncertainty and institutional divergence. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) must navigate complex configurations of global value chains (GVCs), optimizing location-spe cific advantages while mitigating transaction costs, as articulated in Transaction Cost Economics. A central theoretical lens in this domain is the Eclectic Paradigm, which posits that firms engage in foreign direct investment (FDI) when three conditions are satisfied: ownership-specific advantages (O), location specific advantages (L), and internalization incentives (I). These determinants collectively inform entry mode decisions, ranging from wholly owned subsidiaries to joint ventures and strategic alliances. Institutional theory further underscores the impor tance of isomorphic pressures—coercive, mimetic, and normative—that shape organizational behavior across different jurisdictions. Firms operating in emerging economies often encounter institutional voids, charac terized by the absence or underdevelopment of inter mediaries such as capital markets, legal enforcement mechanisms, and regulatory agencies. In such contexts, firms may adopt non-market strategies, including polit ical lobbying and network-based relational contracting, to compensate for institutional deficiencies. From an operational perspective, supply chain resil ience has become a critical strategic priority. Concepts such as just-in-time (JIT) inventory manage ment are increasingly being reevaluated in favor of just-in-case (JIC) models, particularly in light of disrup tions stemming from events like the COVID-19 pan demic. Firms now emphasize redundancy, nearshoring , and diversification of suppliers to enhance robustness against exogenous shocks. Financially, exchange rate volatility and cross-border capital flows introduce significant risks. Firms employ sophisticated hedging instruments, such as forward contracts, options, and swaps, to manage foreign exchange exposure. Additionally, transfer-pricing mechanisms are utilized not only for internal cost allocation but also as tools for tax optimization, often scrutinized by regulatory authorities for compliance with the arm’s length principle. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies—including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT)—are transforming international operations. These technologies facilitate real-time data analytics, enhance transparency in supply chains, and enable predictive decision-making. However, they also neces sitate compliance with divergent data localization laws and cybersecurity regulations across jurisdictions. Sustainability and ESG integration are increasingly embedded in corporate strategy through frameworks such as carbon accounting, circular economy models, and impact investing. Firms are now expected to align with global standards like the United Nations Global Compact, ensuring adherence to principles related to human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. Ultimately, competitive advantage ......................... international business is contingent ...........................a firm’s abilityto integrate strategic, operational, financial, andtechnological capabilities while remaining adaptive ...................an evolving global ecosystem marked .......................volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

Leia o texto para responder à questão. ELF: English as a lingua franca The Vienna Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE), a collection of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) currently under construction, defines lingua franca as an additionally acquired language system that serves as a means of communication for speakers from different speech communities, who use it to communicate with each other but for whom it is not their native language. Early findings from the VOICE corpus tentatively identify a number of features which point to systematic lexicogrammatical differences between native-speaker English and ELF, for example dropping the third person present tense ‘s’ (e.g. she wear), omitting definite and indefinite articles, insertion of prepositions (e.g. can we discuss about this issue). These features are not a threat to comprehension, as they involve typical errors that most English teachers would correct and remediate. However, Seidlhofer (2004) points out that they appear to be generally unproblematic and do not cause an obstacle to communicative success in ELF. The work of Jenkins (1996, 2000, 2004, 2005) has also been very influential in relation to the teaching of pronunciation for ELF. Her research finds that a number of items common to most native-speaker varieties of English were not necessary in successful ELF interactions; for example, the substitution of voiceless and voiced th with /t/ or /s/ and /d/ or /z/ (e.g. think became sink or tink , and this became dis or zis ). Jenkins argues that such features occur regularly in ELF interactions and do not cause intelligibility problems. Problems may arise in the (perhaps unfair) equation between a reduced or ‘stripped down’ ELF syllabus and an impoverished experience of the L2. Indeed, it could be argued that learners of any language always end up producing less than the input they are exposed to, and that if that input itself is deliberately restricted, then even less will be the outcome. (O’KEEFFE, A., MCCARTHY, M. & CARTER, R. From corpus to classroom. Language Use and Language Teaching. Cambridge, CUP. 2007. Adaptado)

Read the text below and answer the next question: Gaia Pope: Family appeals for art in memory of teenager The family of teenager Gaia Pope are appealing for people to create and donate artwork to honour her memory a year after her death. The 19-year-old was reported missing from Swanage on 7 November. Her body was found 11 days later near the Dorset coast path. Her family said as the anniversary of her disappearance approached they were "asking people to make something to show she is not forgotten". The artwork will be displayed online. Miss Pope, from Langton Matravers, near Swanage, made an allegation she was raped two years before her death. Her family claimed an alleged failed police investigation "severely affected Gaia's mental and physical state". Art, particularly pyrography (woodburning), became a form of therapy for the teenager, her family said. Her mother Natasha Pope said: "I don't speak about my daughter in the past tense - I utter her name as I always have because I know she is still with me, every moment, in all we're doing. "Gaia's art and poetry, inspired by the beauty of nature and the strength of femininity, is her way of connecting with her true self. In spite of all she's been through she is not defined by that. "Our Gaia would want to provide a forum for others to find their voice and create." Miss Pope's cousin Marienna Pope-Weidemann added: "Some things are so big, run so deep, they can only be expressed through art. Our love and our grief for Gaia feels that way. "The love we've felt from the community felt that way too. We want to honour that, make it visible, maybe do something to show other survivors, families who's lost someone too soon, that they are not alone." The family said the project was inspired by the #JusticeForLB social media campaign and want people to share their art on Twitter via #JusticeForGaia. The #JusticeForLB campaign was set up by Dr Sara Ryan - the mother of 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who had epilepsy and drowned in a bath after having a seizure in Oxford. Dorset Police is being investigated over the way it handled the rape allegation and its response to Miss Pope's disappearance. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset45571415

TEXT: Making homework count By Stephanie Hirschman October 8, 2024 Homework and independent study can make a massive contribution to students’ progress, particularly when classes don’t meet daily, or students aren’t living, working or studying in anglophone environments. There are several issues to consider when setting homework. Why students are doing homework is a fundamental question which can cover a wide spectrum of reasons. The most obvious is that it offers both teachers and students a chance to check on learning and identify areas for further review and consolidation. Exam preparation courses make use of homework to consolidate and accelerate learning and deliver results. Finally, some institutions require teachers to set homework and some clients, for example parents, believe that a course with homework offers better value for money. Whatever the reason behind setting homework, be clear with students about how they’ll benefit from the assignment, how to do it effectively, how long they should spend on it and how it will be marked. The homework that many people expect from a language course is “more of the same” exercises, that is, those that offer extra opportunities to practice grammar or vocabulary from the lesson. It is also possible to bring in practice from other online or print sources, but this can sometimes be problematic, especially for lower levels. Make sure that the resource you choose maps onto the lesson content without placing extra demands on students, for example, by introducing a completely different context or topic with unfamiliar vocabulary to practice a grammar point. You also need to make sure that terminology is consistent – students who are expecting to practice present continuous may not recognize that it is also called present progressive. With lower levels, go over the instructions and/or demonstrate one of the exercises so they know how to get started. It's worth mentioning here that flipped learning may also be a useful approach to homework. This is where students preview part of the lesson plan (like a reading or listening task) or research a general topic independently before class in order to maximize opportunities for communicative activities during the lesson. Other types of homework include semi-controlled practice of target language. Students could write personal sentences including vocabulary items or grammatical structures from the class – note that they may need training to do this. A sentence like, “The milk went off,” is not as effective for learning as, “We had no milk for the coffee this morning – it went off because we didn’t put it in the fridge last night.” You may wish to provide some question or example prompts as support. An unusual and motivating type of speaking homework is a personalized bingo game. Students create their own bingo card, which might be a 4x4 grid. In each cell, they write a key word or structure from the lesson that they wish to practice during the next few days. They carry the card around in their pocket, and every time they use an item of target language, they can tick it off, aiming to complete a line. This is especially suitable for students who are living, working or studying in anglophone environments. Teachers can monitor progress regularly and even offer small prizes. The question of what teachers actually do with homework also has multiple possible responses, which will depend on the teaching context. At one end of the spectrum, if there is good buy-in from the students, teachers may only need to point them towards a selected set of “more of the same” exercises and make sure the answers are accessible for self-checking. Make it clear that you welcome questions if anything isn’t clear and test regularly to check understanding. Whatever choices you make about homework, here’s one final tip. It’s best to complete assignments the day after receiving them and not on the same day. Research on spaced repetition shows that reviewing information after around 24 hours, “just before you forget it,” is the most effective way to boost retention. Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/blog/post/makinghomework-count Acesso em 25/10/2024

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witko, 1840-1877) was an Oglala Lakota Sioux warrior and warband leader considered among the greatest defenders of Sioux lands against the forces of the US government in the 19th century. He is one of the most famous Native American figures in history and among the Sioux's most honored heroes. Although he is often referred to as a "chief", Crazy Horse was actually a "Shirt Wearer" – a kind of "subchief" – who carried out the decisions of the council and also served as a war chief of a given band of warriors. Even so, Crazy Horse inspired such devotion in his followers that he was regarded as a "chief" and is referenced as such by others. His name, Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse), is accurately translated as "His Crazy Horse" or "His Horse is Crazy" and was his father's and grandfather's name, seemingly referencing a horse that behaved erratically. According to Black Elk, however, the name correlated to Crazy Horse's famous vision in which he saw his horse dancing as though "made only of shadow" in a strange or "crazy" way. Crazy Horse dedicated himself to opposing the US military as early as 1854 following the Grattan Fight (Grattan Massacre) and the subsequent massacre of Little Thunder's camp in 1855 by Colonel William S. Harney. He continued his resistance over the next eleven years and was named a "Shirt Wearer" in 1865. He fought in the Battle of Plate River Bridge (1865), Red Cloud's War (1866-1868), the Battle of the Rosebud (1876), and the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876). His last full-scale engagement with US forces was the Battle of Wolf Mountain in January 1877. World History Encyclopedia. Adaptation.