* Jose Antonio Marques Almeida

In the era of global world economics, which is moving from a vertical system - command and control - to a horizontal mode - connect and collaborate - where supply chains prevail, it’s obvious that this change will affect the way how business is done and the way in which individuals and companies organize themselves.  

As a consequence of this new reality, whose dynamics in essence is to synchronize these global company supply chains, the intellectual capital of a modern organization is not just limited to their internal talent. It can and must be cultivated in relationships with suppliers, partners, customers, community agents and even with competitors.   

Thus the importance of programs to develop human resources, as outlined by Professor Peter Cappelli of Oxford University, USA, for whom "training seems to be intimately related to organizations that present high performance".    

By the fact that we live in an era that could be called "Instant Economy", we have to decide "online" more often. Issues, how to survive the perverse effect of global competition worsened by the vagueness  of what we know as work and how to qualify human talents to face these challenges, were formulated in an article by Prof. Dr. César Souza, from Wharton School of Management, to demonstrate the complexity that is the taking of decisions in such a volatile environment.   

He replies. To form a team of employees to face global competition, the company needs to evolve to a new model of the Era of Knowledge, characterized by learning "anywhere and at any time."    

On the same line, Professor Marisa Eboli, from FEA/USP, understands that to face competition in the patterns of the new international configuration, it is fundamental that companies have a program to develop their human resources that favor behavior aspects: development of attitudes, posture, and not only technical and instrumental knowledge. Let’s agree that there are basic points for the balance of the modern company: like economic organization, human organization and social organization.    

Illustrating well the importance of this approach are the data coming from the University of Southern California, published in Fortune magazine, about "The most esteemed companies to work for in the USA". Of the ten companies most esteemed by customers, five are also part of the relationship of the most esteemed by employees.  

Creating a dynamic curriculum, linking strategic issues and related subjects, is possible and more adequate through the formation of a consortium of learning partnerships. The intention of this program is to train human resources in a series of abilities and knowledge considered fundamental for the company to achieve success.  

In this sense, to build a partnership between the company and Porto Virtual School certainly is a way of building a vision of a successful world organization, which seeks improvement of action and wants to guarantee that its customer is well served.  

The Porto Virtual School is an innovative proposal of training and development, which takes into account that to work and study are becoming sides of the same coin, and has as principles: 

a) to provide learning opportunities which give support for the company to reach their critical business objectives, inside the systemic vision of the productive chains of the ports;   

b) to migrate from the "classroom" model to learning "online" (at any time and anywhere); 

c) to create effective evaluation systems of investments and obtained results. 

To accomplish this mission with high quality, the staff of teachers at the Porto Virtual School is constituted of titled professionals, with wide experience in port activities and committed to the development of marine trade.    

It will be worthwhile to enter in contact to learn and to build the partnership between your company and the Porto Virtual School: curso@portogente.com.br.  

* José Antônio Marques Almeida, Jama, is a graduate engineer from Taubaté Engineering School, company administrator from Santos Catholic University, postgraduate in port administration at the University of Antwerp (Belgium), MBA in Port and Coast Environmental Administration and editor of the sites www.portogente.com.br and www.portfolk.com.