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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 July 2020

Ana Roque, José Manuel Moreira, José Dias Figueiredo, Rosana Albuquerque and Helena Gonçalves

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the relaxion on what can be done to develop ethical cultures that may be less permeable and more resilient to changes in leadership…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the relaxion on what can be done to develop ethical cultures that may be less permeable and more resilient to changes in leadership from an ethical point of view. The influence of leaders on organisational ethics is recognised, and there are even those who consider that it is not possible to maintain an ethical culture when leaders are not engaged. But, if this theory is true, all business ethics programmes that can be created, and the cultures that can gradually be developed in organisations, will always have their existence and robustness suspended at each leadership change. How to maintain an ethical culture beyond leadership?

Design/methodology/approach

As a strategy, we used the case study with a narrative methodology, in which a chief executive officer (CEO) and a chief compliance officer (CCO) narrate in the first person a case of perceived collapse of the ethical culture of a multinational company.

Findings

The findings point to the difficulty in maintaining ethical leadership. Key aspects to protect an organization from leadership changes are as follows: the management of the succession process, the quality of the training on ethics and the mechanisms developed by the organization to foment speak up and take notice of the situations. Moral blindness and the banality of evil that also can be observed in organizations appear as facilitating elements for collapse.

Originality/value

Ethical leadership is generally presented as a necessary condition for an ethical culture. However, leaders often have unethical or ethically neutral leadership. This case helps to understand the difficulties experienced by leaders in adopting ethical leadership and proposes a set of instruments and procedures that, when included in an ethical programme, can protect the company's ethical culture against unethical leaders. Some characteristics of our case study make it particularly relevant: action occurs in a multinational, a context where, by size and complexity, achieving uniformity in culture becomes particularly relevant, and actions happen in the context of a CEO succession process, something that may occur in any company and which is often a trigger for ethical misconducts. Additionally, our case is narrated by a CEO and a CCO, which makes it rare, as it is especially difficult to have access to these executives.

Details

Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2041-2568

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 September 2018

Veronica Cristina Heras, María Soledad Moscoso Cordero, Anja Wijffels, Alicia Tenze and Diego Esteban Jaramillo Paredes

In other fields, like natural resources, a wide range of participatory methods have been applied, criticized and adapted trough practice. Areas such as anthropology, history or…

Abstract

Purpose

In other fields, like natural resources, a wide range of participatory methods have been applied, criticized and adapted trough practice. Areas such as anthropology, history or architecture have contributed to the identification of heritage values. Semi-structured interviews and cultural mapping are examples of qualitative and participative methods that have been applied already in the conservation field. Nevertheless, no framework exists to assess the effectiveness of such methods and little experience has been built up in actor’s integration within the heritage value identification process. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to recognize heritage values incorporating multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The socio-praxis approach, which is the outcome of an articulation of diverse methodologies that aim to support social processes from a bottom-up approach as a tool for decision making and community planning, was implemented in the present research. In this context, it supported the identification of heritage values incorporating multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives of two traditional neighborhoods of the city of Cuenca in Ecuador.

Findings

The results show that the identification of heritage values from multidisciplinary and multi-actor perspectives allows a more comprehensive vision of the existing values and the process reveals a greater involvement of the neighbors in heritage issues. The importance of structuring organized group of neighbors and positioning them as living experts has showed the complexity of cultural heritage conservation process but at the same time the significance for heritage management has been demonstrated. Therefore, this experience can be considered as an invaluable tool for heritage sites managers.

Originality/value

Stakeholder involvement in heritage conservation management has been widely discussed on international forums in the ultimate decades. While the importance of actor perceptions and priorities for sustainable heritage conservation is recognized, little has been said about the ways to reveal – non-expert – heritage values in such a way that people get involved in the heritage value assessment. In this perspective, the present research represents an invaluable tool for heritage sites that aim to implement a long-term management plans.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 November 2014

Ana Patrícia Duarte, Daniel Roque Gomes and José Gonçalves das Neves

This study aims to examine the influence of different corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions on prospective applicants’ responses, namely, organizational attractiveness…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the influence of different corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions on prospective applicants’ responses, namely, organizational attractiveness and intention to apply for a job vacancy (IAJV).

Design/methodology/approach

Using an experimental 2 × 3 crossed factorial design (n = 195), the level of engagement of a hypothetical company in socially responsible practices (high vs low) was manipulated concerning three dimensions of CSR (employees, community and environment and economic level). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the six conditions and, after reading the corresponding scenario, were asked to evaluate the extent to which the company was considered a good place to work and their IAJV in it.

Findings

The level of engagement in socially responsible practices had a positive effect both on the degree to which participants favorably perceived the organization as a place to work and on their IAJV. Furthermore, the level of engagement in practices toward employees and in the economic domain had a stronger effect on participants’ responses than the engagement in practices that benefit community and environment.

Research limitations/implications

Data were obtained in a laboratory setting, so the generalization of results to actual job search settings must be made with caution.

Practical implications

CSR can be a source of competitive advantage in the recruitment of new employees. Because not all CSR dimensions have the same effect on applicants’ responses, companies should take into account the CSR dimensions in which they are engaged and communicate them to the public.

Originality/value

As far as we know, this is the first study to examine the impact of different CSR dimensions both on organizational attractiveness and IAJV.

Details

Management Research: The Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1536-5433

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 January 2018

Fausto Cardoso, Maria Cecilia Achig-Balarezo and Gabriela Barsallo

The purpose of this paper is to present tools to support the preventive conservation of heritage buildings as part of the results of the vlirCPM research project. The tools…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present tools to support the preventive conservation of heritage buildings as part of the results of the vlirCPM research project. The tools presented are inventory systems, damage registration system, monitoring and control system, which include preventive conservation manuals and maintenance booklets.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology proposes the design of tools that support the preventive conservation of heritage buildings, which have been designed, tested and applied in the south of Ecuador through the use of maintenance campaigns in rural and urban areas.

Findings

The project developed and tested some important analysis methodologies that are now part of the research and documentation activities of the monuments of Cuenca, which have been addressed in this paper, such as the damage registration system of heritage buildings (SISREDA), the monitoring and control system, the preventive conservation manuals, the maintenance booklets and its application in the maintenance campaigns.

Originality/value

The city of Cuenca, recognized as Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO, 1999), has a wealth of heritage buildings which are susceptible to several threats that cause its deterioration. The vlirCPM (World Heritage City) research project of the faculty of architecture of the University of Cuenca has contributed to the development of tools to improve the management of world heritage sites in southern Ecuador. These tools are the result of ten years of research.

Details

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1905

Since the publication of the report of the Lancet Commission on Brandy and the prosecutions that followed, much attention has been given to the subject, and although no great…

Abstract

Since the publication of the report of the Lancet Commission on Brandy and the prosecutions that followed, much attention has been given to the subject, and although no great additions to our knowledge of the composition of this spirit have recently been made, practical use is now being made of information which has been at our disposal for five years or more, which has already had far‐reaching effects upon the trade.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 17 May 2023

Rita Melo, João Lima, Ana Lúcia Baltazar, Ezequiel Pinto and Sónia Fialho

The purpose is to analyse the nutritional adequacy and carbon footprint of intermediated meals provided to preschool children and primary-level students in a Portuguese…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose is to analyse the nutritional adequacy and carbon footprint of intermediated meals provided to preschool children and primary-level students in a Portuguese municipality.

Design/methodology/approach

An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sampling consisting of school snacks from a Portuguese municipality. The nutritional assessment used food labels and a Portuguese food composition table. The literature review for carbon footprint assessment was conducted by searching for the products under analysis or similar ones.

Findings

The results showed that 80% of snacks have a higher energy value than recommended. The majority of options are below recommendations for protein and fat and above recommendations for carbohydrates. The intermediated meals with more dairy products in composition have the highest carbon footprint. The carbon footprint included the packaging of the products, and it wasn't possible to determine the influence of non-food products.

Research limitations/implications

This study has limitations in the fact that we do not know the carbon footprint of Portuguese products and we had to compare them with others, from different countries, with possibly different types of production.

Practical implications

Intermediate meals are inadequate, and the carbon footprint is higher when the intermediated meals include products of animal origin – the reason why the composition of intermediated meals should be redesigned considering the achievement of these targets.

Social implications

The promotion of intermediated meals that promote the Mediterranean eating pattern contributes to health and well-being and is a vehicle for nutrition education and healthy food consumption in schools.

Originality/value

Many studies have been conducted to analyse the carbon footprint and environmental impact of school meals, but commonly lunch is the meal evaluated and the assessment of intermediated meals' impact is an open field.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2022

Giovana Gonçalves Gallo, Daniela Fernandez Curado, Mayra Pires Alves Machado, Vitor Villar Scattone and Ana Regina Noto

Mental health issues are concurrent among college students and new interventions are needed to address the problem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the convergence of…

Abstract

Purpose

Mental health issues are concurrent among college students and new interventions are needed to address the problem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the convergence of symptoms into a single factor called “mental distress” and its relationship to mindfulness facets.

Design/methodology/approach

Brazilian university students (n = 136) answered self-report questionnaires, assessing sociodemographic information, dispositional mindfulness, insomnia severity, perceived stress, depression and anxiety. The analytical procedure consisted of defining the latent variable and relationships with mindfulness facets in a structural equations modeling environment.

Findings

The proposed model presented good fit [χ2 (23 = 34.38; p = 0.060; RMSEA = 0.068 (90% CI = 0.00;0.114); CFI = 0.951] and mental distress was inversely related to the five facets of mindfulness questionnaire of nonjudgment and nonreactivity.

Originality/value

The symptoms converged into a latent variable, and the latent variable was related to the abilities of not judging and not reacting to internal stimuli. The relationships found might guide the development of future intervention strategies to benefit university students’ mental health.

Details

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, vol. 17 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-6228

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2011

Cristina Rodríguez‐Rieiro, Paz Rodríguez Pérez, Susana Granado de la Orden, Mercedes Moreno Moreno, Ana Chacón García and Amaya Sánchez‐Gómez

The paper's purpose is twofold: to provide a predictive model for estimating in‐hospital mortality rates after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Spanish autonomous regions…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper's purpose is twofold: to provide a predictive model for estimating in‐hospital mortality rates after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in Spanish autonomous regions (AR) after adjusting relevant factors; and to determine whether there is a difference between expected and observed mortality rates.

Design/methodology/approach

All patients registered in a minimum basic data set (MSBD) undergoing CABG between 2000 and 2004 were selected. After bivariate analysis to explore associations between in‐hospital death and other variables, a multivariate analysis using logistic regression was conducted. The predictive model was evaluated using calibration and discrimination techniques. Standardized mortality ratios by AR were calculated.

Findings

The expected Spanish in‐hospital mortality rate after CABG was 7.68 and the observed rate was 7.69 deaths per 100 operations. Discrimination obtained with the model resulted in an area under the curve of 0.70 (95 per cent CI, 0.69‐0.71). When each AR's mortality rate is calculated and compared with the observed rate, some ARs present an observed mortality rate higher or lower than the expected rate according to adjusted variables in the model.

Research limitations/implications

The MSBD registry does not contain patients' critical data, such as arterial damage severity, or in which hospital procedures were performed.

Practical implications

There are factors related to individual patient variation, financial resources or healthcare quality in different ARs, which should be investigated in follow‐up studies.

Originality/value

The paper shows that, although the global expected mortality rate is almost the same as the observed Spanish mortality rate, this similarity disappears when AR rates are compared.

Details

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0952-6862

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2021

Marcelo Benetti Corrêa da Silva, Juliana Matte, Suélen Bebber, Mayron Dalla Santa de Carvalho, Suane de Atayde Moschen and Ana Cristina Fachinelli

This study aims to test and analyze factors that may influence the satisfaction of university students, specifically, from the built environment, price fairness and teaching care.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to test and analyze factors that may influence the satisfaction of university students, specifically, from the built environment, price fairness and teaching care.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted with 250 students from a university in southern Brazil. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling.

Findings

The main results proved that the built environment, price fairness and teaching care have a significant and positive influence on the satisfaction of university students.

Practical implications

The factors presented explanation power for student satisfaction, which shows that they are essential aspects and, therefore, must be observed by universities to satisfy their students.

Originality/value

The study identifies the impact of factors such as the environment, price and teaching service on student satisfaction.

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2020

Sara M. Martins, Fernando A.F. Ferreira, João J. M. Ferreira and Carla S.E. Marques

The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making…

745

Abstract

Purpose

The prosthodontics sector is facing major challenges because of scientific and technological advances that imply a clearer definition of lines of action and decision making processes. Measuring quality of service in this sector is a complex decision problem since the perceptions of three main players need to be considered: patients, dentists and dental technicians. This study sought to develop an artificial-intelligence-based (AI-based) method for assessing service quality in the dental prosthesis sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Using strategic options development and analysis (SODA), which is grounded on cognitive mapping, and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH), a constructivist decision support system was designed to facilitate the assessment of service quality in the dental prosthesis sector. The system was tested, and the results were validated both by the members of an expert panel and by the vice-president of the Portuguese association of dental prosthesis technicians.

Findings

The methodological process developed in this study is extremely versatile and its practical application facilitated the development of an empirically robust evaluation model in this study context. Specifically, the profile analyses carried out in actual clinics allowed the cases in which improvements are needed to be identified.

Originality/value

Although already applied in the fields of AI and decision making, no prior work reporting the use of SODA and MACBETH for assessing service quality in the prosthodontics sector has been found.

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