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
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.

Abstract
Partner selection in virtual enterprises (VE) can be viewed as a multi-criteria decision making problem that involves assessing trade-offs between conflicting tangible and intangible criteria. In general, this is a very complex problem due to the dynamic topology of the network, the large number of alternatives and the different types of criteria. In this paper we propose an iterative and interactive exploratory process to help the decision maker identify the companies that best suit the needs of each particular project. This is achieved by using cluster analysis to distinguish companies according to some selected features. We present an example to illustrate this approach.

Abstract
Due to its combinatorial nature, the Unit Commitment problem has for long been an important research challenge, with several optimization techniques, from exact to heuristic methods, having been proposed to deal with it. In line with one current trend of research, metaheuristic approaches have been studied and some interesting results have already been achieved and published. However, a successful utilization of these methodologies in practice, when embedded in Energy Management Systems, is still constrained by the reluctance of industrial partners in using techniques whose performance highly depends on a correct parameter tuning. Therefore, the application of metaheuristics to the Unit Commitment problem does still justify further research. In this paper we propose a new search strategy, for Local Search based metaheuristics, that tries to overcome this issue. The approach has been tested in a set of instances, leading to very good results in terms of solution cost, when compared either to the classical Lagrangian Relaxation or to other metaheuristics. It also drastically reduced the computation times. Furthermore, the approach proved to be robust, always leading to good results independently of the metaheuristic parameters used.