As the environment of business becomes more global and complex, a dynamic enterprise is needed, managed on a broad issues-based platform and not on a narrow expertise. These aspects conducted to this issue “New Approaches to Management”. It presents several perspectives related with the relevance of knowledge transfer, modes of new technology adoption, the potential of social networks and the information technology-business alignment. Given the importance of these powerful tools and practices, greater attention is required on their performance.
For instance, one of the papers discusses the university-firm relations, specially the ‘academic enterprise’, with interesting results as the creation of spin-offs through applied research of the university. Another work characterises the process of new technologies adoption, whether developed internally, supplier dominated or motivated by the international market. Important contributors for business dynamics and innovation are: employees, supply/distribution/ customers’ networks and institutional links. Other paper reports how small and medium enterprises are exploring social networks. Most entrepreneurs consider that social networks enhance the performance of their firms, but few really measure the results obtained. This is important for designing competitive social media-business integration strategies. And a last, but not least, work reinforces the relevance of aligning information systems with people and their activities.

Marisa Cesário and Sílvia Fernandes