Filipe Santos Costa is the new president of AICEP - Agência para o Investimento e Comércio Externo de Portugal and the new Board of Directors took office this Monday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "We are ready to face the current challenges of the global market and lead a new cycle of attracting investment to Portugal and supporting the internationalization of Portuguese companies," said the new president of the agency. "It is our commitment to strengthen the solid reputation of this great institution that is AICEP, through a new strategic vision that will enable Portuguese companies to achieve even greater success across borders," he said. "Our main objective is to reinforce the promotion of Portugal as an attractive destination for major productive investments, whether national or foreign," concludes the President of AICEP. Since July 2018, Filipe Santos Costa has been CEO of aicep Global Parques, which manages industrial parks in Sines, Setúbal and Sintra. He holds a Master's degree in "Development and International Cooperation" from ISEG, was an AICEP Delegate in San Francisco and Shanghai and has held various positions in the field of Economic Diplomacy. With experience in managing European funds, he was in charge of the Mission Structure for the Management of Community Funds at the Ministry of Internal Administration. The new Board of Directors will have Cristina Pucarinho, Luís Rebelo de Sousa, Isabel Tenreiro and João Noronha Leal as Executive Members and Carlos Abade, member of the board of directors of Turismo de Portugal, and Marisa Garrido, member of the board of directors of IAPMEI, as Non-Executive Members. The priorities of the new AICEP Board of Directors will be to increase Portugal's competitiveness and reputation by boosting structural investment and the internationalization of Portuguese companies. The new Board of Directors was appointed by order of the members of the Government responsible for Foreign Affairs, Finance and the Economy and the Sea for a three-year term. José Carlos Lourinho

"Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room." - Jeff Bezos Bezos was partly right. When we leave the room we leave a signature, but it's probably not so much your brand as a new area of psychology. A few days ago I came across a new concept, first described in 2010, called affective presence. In short, this idea stems from the fact that each individual has the ability to influence the mood of others. Generally, we don't realize our effect because it's difficult to compare the mood of a group with or without our presence, as we can only feel it when we are present. Everyone has a personal signature and affective presence effect, meaning you don't have to be a celebrity, footballer or opinion leader to affect the emotional state of others. Although we all produce this effect, there are individuals with a stronger affective presence than others. For me, the most interesting part of the concept of affective presence is that this effect is reasonably predictable and independent of the mood and context of the people we come into contact with. In other words, the effect of our affective presence tends to be consistent. It is therefore distinct from emotional contagion, which results from others mimicking and synchronizing our emotional state. Affective presence can be positive or negative. People who habitually leave others feeling uncomfortable or insecure have a negative affective presence even if they haven't engaged in any aggressive or negative behavior. On the other hand, there are individuals who make us feel energized and more cheerful; they have a positive affective presence. There are some studies that show that more empathetic individuals tend to have a more intense and positive affective presence. This only reinforces the importance of developing empathy as an essential tool for motivating and positively influencing others, whether in organizations or in our interpersonal relationships. Another interesting notion in this area is that negative feelings are more influenced by the people we are interacting with than by who we are. Thus, frustration, stress and discouragement are more influenced by others, while positive emotions such as enthusiasm or happiness are more influenced by our intrinsic characteristics. In addition, the individual's personal characteristics do not serve as a predictor of the emotional effect produced on others, i.e. a happy person will not necessarily have a positive "personal signature". A better understanding of this concept has a direct impact on leadership and group dynamics in organizations. For example, a study showed that in creativity and innovation activities, the presence of a leader with a greater positive affective presence stimulated the sharing of more ideas and produced environments with greater psychological security. There is evidence that individuals with a positive affective presence play a more central role in their friendship networks and are more successful at attracting partners. Although it is not yet clear what factors produce a strongly positive affective presence, the current theory is that it is associated with individuals who have a good capacity for emotional self-regulation, that is, close to our emotional intelligence. The study of how our emotional signature can affect behavior and cognition is extremely important for companies and their leaders. On the other hand, having the ability to self-assess how we make others feel can be a new tool for developing leadership and teamwork skills. This ability to influence and be influenced emotionally by others is fascinating, but the most important thing is to translate our emotional presence into something positive for others in the search for better collaboration and interpersonal relationships. I will continue to try to define my "emotional signature" or vibe. In the meantime, I leave you with the challenge: What is your vibe? When you leave the room, what would others say about how you made them feel? Joana Santos Silva, Coordinator of the Strategic Management & Innovation executive program at ISEG Executive Education

In this interview, we will look at investments in an economy that is less dependent on fossil fuels, from the perspective of this official Sean Kidney, co-founder and CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, is the fourth guest in the series of eight episodes of the podcast "Uncomplicating Sustainable Finance", a partnership between JE, ISEG's Center for Sustainable Finance and the UK Embassy in Lisbon. José Carlos Lourinho

Maria Rosa Borges Economist, Full Professor at ISEG The 2023-2027 Stability Program provides good prospects for the Portuguese economy over the next four years, despite the uncertainties resulting from the war in Ukraine and the international geopolitical situation. Output will grow by an average of 1.8 %, bringing the national economy into line with the European average, the unemployment rate will fall from 6.7% in 2023 to 6% in 2027, and inflation will fall further from 5.1% in 2023 to 2% in 2027, investment grows as a percentage of GDP, particularly the greater dynamism of public investment, boosted by European funds, and interest rates begin to stabilize at the end of 2023, to levels just below 4%. Lígia Simões

A pioneer in the sector, it is the result of a partnership between Porto Business School and Mota-Engil. WoMEn Leaders - Training Program For Leadership, launched on March 8th, International Women's Day, aims to annually develop leadership skills in around 70 women in the construction group, for at least three consecutive years. In training for companies, each case is really a case and is treated as such. In this specific case, Porto Business School has developed a customized B2B program, in online format, with multi-language sessions in order to respond to Mota-Engil's international scale. An exclusive tailor-made program that includes modules such as: Integral Leadership, Finance, Problem Solving, Sustainability and Change Management. Customized programs for companies represent an important part of the executive training business. In contrast to Open programs, Custom programs are designed to support the individual needs of companies in the (trans)training of their executives. Technological evolution dictates different objectives and needs for companies and organizations every day. It's no coincidence that these programs are growing. The role of program design At Nova SBE, Customized programs account for approximately 70% of executive training activity, reveals Pedro Brito, Associate Dean @ Nova SBE, responsible for this segment of the Carcavelos School's education and training. "Last year we carried out around 300 projects, many of them designed with the participation not only of the faculty involved, but also with the companies themselves, ensuring that the objectives of the programs are met," he reveals. According to the associate Dean, this collaboration has contributed to Nova SBE Executive Education being ranked 16th in the world for Program Design in the 2023 Financial Times Ranking, released this week. In a broader context, Pedro Brito explains that Customized programs have evolved beyond training and have integrated dimensions such as innovation, entrepreneurship and research. "Leadership was, is and will continue to be a fundamental skill in organizations, but it is always evolving. It's a chronic skill. Whether it's leading teams, projects or businesses, or leading oneself," he explains. Relational themes Filipa Cristovão, Custom and International Programs Director at Iseg Executive Education, told JE that tailor-made programs are a fundamental component of Escola do Quelhas' executive segment. ISEG Executive Education includes five areas of activity: ISEG MBA, postgraduate courses, executive training, customized solutions and consultancy. "Customized solutions are the B2B component of our offer, i.e. dedicated to the corporate world. It's an area that is growing in our offer and represents a growing share of our activity," he reveals. He adds that demand is "very significant" for soft skills, linked to relational skills (negotiation, communication, persuasion, influence, ...), team management and leadership. "Companies have very varied needs. However, the most important asset of any organization is its people, which is why relational topics are essential, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic, when some bonds of coexistence and alignment have been broken," explains Filipa Cristovão. Another topic in high demand, she adds, is sustainability, from an ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) perspective. Regulatory requirements and market imperatives are increasingly awakening companies to the need to include this approach in their strategy. "There are skills gaps in this area that need to be filled," says the head of ISEG Executive Education. Tailor made is inexhaustible In the case of customized programs, our "tailor made" portfolio is inexhaustible, says Céline Abecassis-Moedas, director of Executive Education at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics to JE. The offer is tailored to the needs of each company. "The programs are born, they are co-created whenever a company counts on us as a development partner for its employees," she explains. Also in Católica-Lisbon's customized training, the most popular topics lately have been sustainability, leadership, negotiation, digital transformation and diversity and inclusion. The bottom line? The focus of companies and schools, which really work in partnership in this area of customized training, is, of course, on the major societal themes and the knowledge economy. Almerinda Romeira

Good news for executive education. The Financial Times Executive Education 2023 global ranking, published this week, includes five Portuguese schools among the best in the world. Four are even in the Top 50. This performance reflects the strategy and work carried out by the schools over the years and consolidates Portugal's reputation as a benchmark destination for those abroad looking for excellent executive education. It also highlights the role of a country that wants to be an exporter of higher education. The Financial Times Executive Education global ranking is an aggregate ranking based on two components: open rank programs and custom rank programs. Schools are evaluated on the basis of teaching methodologies, faculty qualifications, contribution to new skills and learning and return on investment for participants. In 2023, Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE), Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Porto Business School, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management and ISCTE Executive Education will be shining in the spotlight. Nova SBE has risen to 18th place in the world, the best ever achieved by a Portuguese school in this ranking. "The results consolidate our leadership in Portugal, both in Open and Customized programs, and reveal that we are on the right path towards creating a community of talent and knowledge with an impact on the world," says Pedro Oliveira, dean of Nova SBE. In the Open programs, the Carcavelos School is 29th in the world, standing out in the "International Participants" indicator, which reflects the strong commitment to the internationalization of the programs. In the Customized segment, it is 16th and stands out in the "Partnerships with Other Schools" indicator, which mainly reflects the level of its partner organizations. Places and strategies On the executive education world map, Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics is now 24th. The best position ever, after rising 26 places in just two years. The overall results are mainly due to the 41 positions achieved in the Open programs over this period. Filipe Santos, dean of Católica-Lisbon, explains the performance based on the "strong commitment to the talent of our teachers, pedagogical innovation and adaptation to the needs of companies". He adds that the school was one of the three in the world "with the best progression in the rankings" and that "this trajectory and recognition" only increases the responsibility to "better serve the training needs of the professionals of the future, accelerating their careers and creating value for companies". Porto Business School continues to stand out in the ranking, where it has been since 2011. The University of Porto Business School is ranked 34th overall in 2023, up six places on the previous year. "In a society in constant transformation, particularly with regard to digital and technological innovation and sustainability, we continue, year after year, to be an international benchmark in the area of management training and to respond to the current needs of executives," says José Esteves, dean of PBS. ISEG Executive Education completes the national presence in the Top 50, taking 47th place in the FT table. João Duque, president of ISEG, says that the executive training at the century-old Quelhas School is "coherently inserted in an organizational perspective where the creation of business value takes precedence over individual success, although it doesn't detract from it". And he points out: "This way of looking at the growth of training in the organizational context is recognized by the market and therefore by the FT ranking." Iscte Executive Education is in the group of the 40 highest-scoring schools in Europe (Top 40 in Europe) and the 75 highest-scoring schools in the world (Top 75 in the World). "This is the year of confirmation of the strategy we have been following. Internationalization has taken its rightful place and we have been duly rewarded. If it was already the beacon, now it's the beacon's turn to shine even brighter," says José Crespo de Carvalho, president of Iscte Executive Education. "If there were any doubts, the path is clear. We will therefore continue to strengthen our international commitment to executive training. We want to be global and reach at least 50% international students by the end of 2024," he reveals. The world executive training podium is occupied by the French business school HEC Paris. Silver goes to Spain's IESE Business School, with campuses in Spain, the USA, Germany and Brazil. The podium is completed by France's Insead, with campuses in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Almerinda Romeira

"If I know that I have to suffer without hope of any relief, I will leave, not for fear of the pain itself, but because it prevents everything for which I would live." - Seneca The lack of consensus in Portuguese society regarding assisted suicide and euthanasia reflects the complexity of the issue and the approach of human nature to the ethics of the act. In a world where advances in medicine and biotechnology lead us to live longer and better, the current premise seems to be that it is simply unworthy to suffer. In fact, it is assumed that suffering reduces a person to a state incompatible with dignity. But is this really the case? A few years ago, V.J Periyakoli, a specialist in palliative care at Stanford University, started an extremely important project to address the end of life. The Letter Project encourages patients to write a letter expressing what matters most to them and how they would like to spend their last days. They can send the letter to their doctors or family members to ensure that they have some control over the end of life. In the letters, people are asked whether they would submit to certain interventions, such as feeding tubes or breathing machines, and whether they would prefer to die at home or in hospital. The research shows that most doctors feel uncomfortable broaching the subject of end of life with patients and sometimes end up opting for heroic interventions that they themselves would not undergo. It is estimated that 90% of doctors would opt for non-resuscitation. The same expert says that the aim of medicine should be to prolong life and not the process of death. This argument seems to be closely linked to the four main arguments used to justify assisted suicide and euthanasia: the autonomy argument, the compassion argument, the harm of suffering argument and the loss of dignity argument. In a cold and rational way, I am in favor of a dignified and painless death even if it requires assisted intervention. However, my opinion of non-negotiable issues, i.e. the loss of faculties that today would lead me to choose to end my life, may not remain unchanged. Our perception of quality of life, and even the incredible capacity of human beings to adapt, means that a linearly rational approach is unlikely to be applied to a subject as complex as our death. I remember my grandmother asking to die at home, which at the time I was 20 years old seemed absurd, but today I understand this request perfectly because I would do the same. If on the one hand I'm afraid of suffering, on the other I'm also afraid of dying! The availability of an extraordinary lethal treatment option must be accompanied by careful regulation and supervision to minimize the risk of abuse. There are already a number of countries with legal frameworks for euthanasia and/or assisted suicide, but probably the most permissive example is Canada. In 2016, Canada approved the medical assistance in dying program called MAID, which was aimed at terminally ill adults, and in that year just over 1,000 people underwent assisted suicide. In 2021, the law was changed to cover individuals with serious and chronic physical illnesses, even if these conditions are not terminal or life-threatening. In 2021, 10,064 Canadians chose to end their lives through the MAID program, which represented an increase of 32.4% over the previous year. In 2021, MAID deaths represent 3.3% of all deaths in the country. Canada, along with Belgium and the Netherlands, allows people who are not facing a terminal illness to access assisted suicide. Applicants with serious, incurable but non-life-threatening conditions must be assessed by two different doctors and wait 90 days to end their lives, but are these steps enough to safeguard human life? In 2023, a proposal was made to extend MAID to individuals suffering from mental illness, but due to social protest the decision was postponed until March 2024. Making death an easy solution predominantly affects the most vulnerable people, who are often easier to abuse and pressure. On the other hand, through standardization and regulation, we absolve society of its responsibility to defend and protect its citizens. Using assisted death as a solution to social problems such as poverty or extreme loneliness, situations of disability or even burdens directly or indirectly related to health, is unacceptable and does not comply with fundamental human rights. The proposed framework in Portugal is not the same as in Canada, but we have an aging country with fragile populations and low levels of health literacy. I have a genuine concern about the implementation of assisted suicide or euthanasia in Portugal. If, on the one hand, I advocate that any individual should be able to decide the limits of the medical interventions to which they wish to be subjected and should be able to opt for the most suitable conditions for them at the end of their life, as a society, we can never facilitate or encourage this option with ease or even with enthusiasm. A dignified and humane society defends the value of life and must do everything it can to promote its quality. This quality and the necessary conditions must be safeguarded from the beginning to the end, because this is the only way we can fulfill our responsibility as a society in which we want to live. Promoting death to eliminate pain and suffering can be a sign of a highly evolved society, but always with caution because, to quote Seneca again, "Human ignorance, or rather dementia, is so great that some are led to death precisely because of their fear of death". Joana Santos Silva, Coordinator of the Strategic Management & Innovation executive program at ISEG Executive Education

On May 19, don't miss the broadcast of the second episode of the podcast "Uncomplicating Sustainable Finance", a partnership between Jornal Económico, ISEG's Center for Sustainable Finance and the UK Embassy in Lisbon. Through conversations with British and Portuguese speakers with recognized work in the area of sustainable finance, the aim of the new podcast is to highlight the role of the financial sector in combating climate change. The second program will be broadcast next Friday on the "Jornal Económico" website and social networks, but also on the main streaming platforms, with the guest of Alice Khouri, lawyer and university professor of Energy and Regulation. In an interview conducted by JE editor José Carlos Lourinho, the topic of environmental, social and governance responsibility and its role in sustainable finance will be analyzed. The cycle of eight programs kicked off earlier this month with the presence of Isabel Ucha, CEO of Euronext Lisbon. Sean Kidney, Nick Bridge and Sofia Santos are among the guests on the next programs. José Carlos Lourinho

Jornal Económico is now available in the main Portuguese universities, in an unprecedented initiative supported by EDP - Energias de Portugal. If you're a student, teacher or employee at one of the 18 universities and polytechnics covered, here's how to access the digital version of the weekly edition of JE for free, with the innovative @office solution Jornal Económico is available at the main Portuguese universities, in an unprecedented initiative supported by EDP - Energias de Portugal. If you are a student, lecturer or employee at one of the 18 universities and polytechnics covered, here's how you can access the digital version of the weekly edition of JE for free, using the innovative @office solution. Jornal Económico is available at the main Portuguese universities, in an unprecedented initiative supported by EDP - Energias de Portugal and other companies. Students, teachers and staff at 18 higher education establishments (a total of 63 entities, including different faculties, schools and departments) can consult the weekly edition of Jornal Económico free of charge, in digital format. Find out how. My university has @office. How do I access Jornal Económico's premium content? It's simple: visit www.jornaleconomico.pt or leitor.jornaleconomico.pt to access the weekly edition of JE and click on the @office button in the top right-hand corner of the homepage. By clicking on this button, you will automatically log in to your @office and have immediate access to all the content reserved for subscribers. What content do I have access to via @office? Readers who log in via @office can consult the weekly edition of Jornal Económico and the archive containing all editions of the newspaper published since September 16, 2016. They also have access to all the editions of the news, culture and leisure section Et Cetera, Económico Madeira and all our specials and supplements. All content can be accessed in web version (normal text) and in e-paper and pdf formats. How does @office work? The @office solution allows access to all of Jornal Económico's premium content from all devices (computers, tablets or smartphones) connected to the same IP address. In this way, everyone connected to the Wi-Fi network of a building with @office can read Jornal Económico for free via the JE Leitor platform, at http://leitor.jornaleconomico.pt. This platform allows quick and easy access to our newspaper's premium content. Try JE Leitor here, free of charge. Which universities, colleges and polytechnics have the @office solution? The @office solution is available at the following higher education establishments, with the support of EDP: Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Economics of the New University of Lisbon, Nova School of Business and Economics, European University, Portucalense University, Portuguese Catholic University, Portuguese Catholic University Porto/Business School, UCP/Faculty of Law, UCP/Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Porto, University of Minho, Higher Institute of Economics and Management (ISEG), University of Beira Interior, University of Coimbra and Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. These institutions are joined by the University of Madeira (with support from the Sharing Foundation), the Higher Institute of Accounting and Administration of Coimbra (with support from Active Trades) and the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (with support from Active Trades). My university doesn't have @office yet. How do I install the service? You can contact us by calling 217 655 300 or emailing assinaturas@jornaleconomico.pt. Our sales department will help you find the best solution for your university. I'd like to install @office in my company. Is this possible? Yes, @office was created with all organizations that have several devices connected to the same IP address in mind. You can contact us by calling 217 655 300 or emailing assinaturas@jornaleconomico.pt. Our sales department will help you find the best solution for your company.

A series of eight programs kicks off on May 5, analyzing the role of the financial sector in promoting a more sustainable world. Isabel Ucha, Sean Kidney, Nick Bridge and Sofia Santos are among the guests The first episode of the podcast "Uncomplicating Green Finance", the result of a partnership between Jornal Económico, ISEG's Center for Sustainable Finance and the UK Embassy in Lisbon, kicks off on May 5. Through conversations with British and Portuguese speakers with recognized work in the area of sustainable finance, the aim of the new podcast is to highlight the role of the financial sector in combating climate change. Editorial