Search results

1 – 10 of 10
Article
Publication date: 26 March 2024

Oscar Espinoza, Luis González, Catalina Miranda, Luis Sandoval, Bruno Corradi, Noel McGinn and Yahira Larrondo

The job satisfaction of university graduates can serve as an indicator of success in their professional development. At the same time, it can be a measure of higher education…

Abstract

Purpose

The job satisfaction of university graduates can serve as an indicator of success in their professional development. At the same time, it can be a measure of higher education systems’ effectiveness. The purpose is to assess the relationship of university graduates’ socio-demographic characteristics, aspects of their degree program, experiences in the labor market and current working conditions and their job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from a survey conducted at 11 Chilean universities with 534 graduates. An ordinal logistic regression model was fit to calculate job satisfaction probabilities for different graduate profiles.

Findings

The results show that sex, field of study, gross salary and horizontal match are related to graduates’ job satisfaction. Men and graduates in education and humanities are more likely to report being satisfied with their current job. Those graduates receiving higher salaries and those who are horizontally well-matched report higher levels of job satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study contributes to expanding knowledge about the job satisfaction of university graduates. Specifically, based on the results obtained, it introduces the idea of aspiration fulfillment as a possible determinant of job satisfaction in different fields of study. This can serve as a starting point for research that delves into differentiated expectations for graduates from different disciplines.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Pablo Zoghbi-Manrique-de-Lara and Rita M. Guerra-Báez

This paper aims to incorporate the justice framework of hospitality and marketing literature into the bus service user research to extend our knowledge about whether and why…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to incorporate the justice framework of hospitality and marketing literature into the bus service user research to extend our knowledge about whether and why visitors on a local daytrip within a travel destination display behavioral intentions to revisit that destination. Because prior studies show that perceived justice leads customers to positive outcomes, the authors suggest that when bus service is provided fairly, it is more able to elicit feelings of satisfaction with the bus service in same-day visitors. This satisfactory context, in turn, leads same-day visitors to experience feelings of destination loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 105 day visitors on 48 bus arrivals to Las Palmas city from the southern area of Gran Canaria Island (Spain). The authors used partial least squares regression (SmartPLS 20) to test the relationships.

Findings

Although the studied relationships may be dynamic over time, and a cross-sectional method might seem useless in accounting for them, results support that the more fairly the bus operator treats the daytrip visitors, the more they express intentions to revisit the destination, with service satisfaction acting as a full mediator that explains this link.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that by promoting fair treatment on local daytrips, the travel destination, through the bus transport, is communicating to same-day visitors a collective effort to provide happy and successful local visits within the destination, thus contributing to the overall attractiveness of the destination.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first empirical studies to provide a justice-based framework for understanding why tourists’ experiences during their local movements by bus within a destination could encourage these tourists to revisit the destination.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 December 2020

Catalina Iliescu-Gheorghiu

This paper aims to check whether the bodily self-perception factor plays any role in (female) migrants’ alleged underuse of health services. Out of the four main reasons…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to check whether the bodily self-perception factor plays any role in (female) migrants’ alleged underuse of health services. Out of the four main reasons identified by scholars, the “cultural specificity” factor is tackled here from an intersectional perspective that envisages gender, migration and totalitarianism.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted on 20 Romanian women living in Spain. Two categories were analysed (body as image and body as discourse) to detect perceptions in consultations in Spain as compared to Romania. The assumption that their perceptions varied between the period prior and subsequent to the fall of the dictatorship was contrasted with the information provided by a sample of 25 Spanish women.

Findings

The analysis revealed perceptions of a more relaxed medical relationship for Romanian patients in Spain, hence the possibility that migration (normally stressful) gave them a sense of freedom and empowerment.

Originality/value

The intersectional perspective in health communication is original. This study opens a research avenue in health services’ underuse by migrants.

Details

International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-9894

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 October 2008

Solomon W. Polachek and Konstantinos Tatsiramos

Who works, how much one works, and what one earns are the cornerstones of labor economics. However, determining the answers to these questions can be tricky because many factors…

Abstract

Who works, how much one works, and what one earns are the cornerstones of labor economics. However, determining the answers to these questions can be tricky because many factors are involved in estimating labor supply, explaining the implications of labor demand, and determining the resulting earnings. This volume contains 13 chapters on these components of the labor market. Five deal directly with labor supply; four deal with labor demand, most notably the effect of cyclical demand fluctuations; and the remaining four deal with compensation, particularly wages, wage distributions, and fringe benefits.

Details

Work, Earnings and Other Aspects of the Employment Relation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-552-9

Book part
Publication date: 6 May 2008

Thomas F. Burke

Fifty years ago the political scientist Robert Dahl concluded that courts are usually in sync with “the policy views dominant among the lawmaking majorities” and thus offer little…

Abstract

Fifty years ago the political scientist Robert Dahl concluded that courts are usually in sync with “the policy views dominant among the lawmaking majorities” and thus offer little help to aggrieved minorities (Dahl, 1957, p. 285). In recent years, Dahl's classic formulation has received renewed attention. This chapter uses the example of the Rehnquist Court's First Amendment decisions to analyze “regime politics” theory. On religion cases the Rehnquist Court was generally in sync with the socially conservative strain in the Republican Party, but in other First Amendment areas the pattern is far more complex, raising questions about the relationship between conservative judges and the political movements that brought them to office.

Details

Special Issue Constitutional Politics in a Conservative Era
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1486-7

Article
Publication date: 30 April 2020

Nicolás Salvador Beltramino, Domingo García-Perez-de-Lema and Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the structural capital of SMEs in the capacity of innovation and organizational performance, in the context of an…

1226

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the structural capital of SMEs in the capacity of innovation and organizational performance, in the context of an emerging country.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 259 industrial SMEs from the province of Córdoba Argentina. The data was analyzed by Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS–SEM).

Findings

The study provided evidence that acquisition of information and knowledge management, organizational culture and structure, systems and processes have positive and significant effects on the innovation capacity of SMEs. Only the communication and cohesion component did not show positive and significant results on it. It also showed a positive and significant relationship between the capacity for innovation in processes and performance, contributing to the scarce empirical literature in the context of SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The research exposes some limitations that uncover a path for the development of future lines of research. In the first place, the work focuses on the use of a single source of information, the consultation at the managerial level of the company, without considering other representative variables to measure the capacity for innovation. Second, the study covered only companies in the industrial sector and country. Future studies should focus on other sectors and countries.

Practical implications

The results of the study can have important practical implications for the owners and managers of SMEs. The results offer a vision of the dimensions of structural capital that most influence the innovative capacity of the organization. This is especially useful given that in the context of Argentina there is a low level of knowledge and structural capital is key to being more competitive. The managers of SMEs can thus increase the innovative potential of the company and favor the acquisition of information and knowledge and improve its processes and systems to contribute to the development of innovation capabilities to make SMEs more competitive.

Social implications

The results obtained can be useful for those responsible for making public policy decisions, since in the knowledge of the economy to maintain a developed state and nation, it is necessary to include as one of the main issues on the national agenda the improvement of intellectual capital of its people to promote the competitiveness of companies.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the development of intellectual capital literature focused on the generation of innovation and performance in the perspective of SMEs in emerging countries.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 21 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2019

Eunice Ngozi Ezembu, Chioke Amaefuna Okolo, James Obiegbuna and Florence Chika Ikeogu

The purpose of this study is to examine the acute toxicity and antidiabetic activity of Asystacia gangetica leaf ethanol extract.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the acute toxicity and antidiabetic activity of Asystacia gangetica leaf ethanol extract.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was designed as completely randomized in vivo experimental model. Where acute toxicity study was carried out using 30 albino mice, randomly assigned into six groups of five mice each. Toxicity signs and mortality were observed in the rats within a period of 24 h. The acute and sub-acute antidiabetic study was carried out using 50 rats, randomly assigned into five groups of 10 rats each. The rats’ blood glucose levels were determined and used to assess the acute and sub-acute antidiabetic activity of the extract.

Findings

Results obtained from the acute toxicity study indicated no death in any of the study groups, even at 5,000 mg/kg body weight and showed no signs of toxicity. The acute antidiabetic study showed that treatment with 400 mg/kg of the extract significantly (p = 0.01) lowered glucose level in the diabetic rats from 430.6 to 177.4 mg/dl while 800 mg/kg brought down glucose level from 370 to 144.2 mg/dl by the end of 6 h following administration when compared with the diabetic control group. It was observed that the effect of the extract mostly at 800 mg/kg also compared favorably with that of the standard drug (glibenclamide), which lowered glucose level in diabetic rats from 374.2 to 176.4 mg/dl. Furthermore, the significant reduction was evident from 4, 2 and 2 h for 400 mg/kg extract, 800 mg/kg extract and 5 mg/kg glibenclamide, respectively. At sub-acute level the blood glucose was lowered from 155.6 to 127.2 mg/dl, 137 to 124.4 mg/dl and 151.8 to 121.8 mg/dl for diabetic rats treated with 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg glibenclamide, respectively, when compared to the diabetic untreated rats, which ranged from 417.6 to 358.6 mg/dl. The biochemical profile, lipid profile and hematological examination were all positively restored near to normal with the herbal treatment at the different doses. At histopathology level, the liver of the rats treated with 400 mg/kg had moderate portal inflammation without interface or lobular hepatitis while that of 800 mg/kg showed severe portal inflammation with the interface and lobular hepatitis with extensive confluents necrosis. The pancreatic cells of the treated rat showed no significant difference in the β-cells of the islets of Langerhans with hyperplasia of the acinar cell when compared to the diabetic untreated.

Research limitations/implications

The record of no death and signs of toxicity implies that the extract is safe for consumption even at a high dosage of 5,000 mg/kg body weight. The significant (p = 0.01) reduction in the plasma glucose level of the treated rats as compared to the control is an indication of blood glucose-lowering potential of the extract at two different doses. The significant reduction evident of the extract at different hours and days for the two doses implies that the extract rate of lowering potentials is dose-dependent. The evidence of moderate-severe portal inflammation with the interface and lobular hepatitis at 800 mg/kg treatment is an indication that the intake of this herb at high dosage for long period is not safe for the liver tissue.

Practical implications

The outcome of this study suggested that the Asystacia gangetica should also be used as a vegetable in-home food preparation and food processing to use its antidiabetic effect. The herbal extract could also be incorporated into a food product and processed into herbal tea bag for convenient. The subjection of this herbal plant to heat treatment during processing could be a possible avenue to make it safe.

Social implications

The economic burden and complications of diabetes mellitus management will be reduced if the practical implication of this research finding is implemented in foods as vegetable and in functional food production.

Originality/value

This study revealed that Asystacia gangetica leaf extract may be safe and effective for use at a low dose for acute management of diabetes mellitus. This research may be of value to those living with diabetes mellitus.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 50 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2021

José Daniel Barquero Cabrero, David Caldevilla Domínguez, Almudena Barrientos Báez and Juan Enrique Gonzálvez Vallés

This study aims to determine whether the communication of Universities in Madrid (Spain) on social networks through their official channels has caused positive results in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to determine whether the communication of Universities in Madrid (Spain) on social networks through their official channels has caused positive results in students’ perceptions of their trust in university institutions during the first semester of the 2020–2021 term and to measure whether the implementation of happiness management strategies in the communication within university governance affected students’ happiness levels, as well as on the recognition of their belonging to the university.

Design/methodology/approach

With an exploratory-correlational approach and a quantitative study, this study conducted a statistical-descriptive analysis based on the premise of a general linear regression model with correlations between the variables, using a data collection instrument, whose construct and content validity was previously assessed by experts, which was answered by 564 students of the Degrees in Communication and Marketing from the Complutense University of Madrid, University of La Laguna, and ESERP Business and Law School. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Bartlett’s test of sphericity were implemented to analyze the correlation between variables; Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Pearson and Spearman’s coefficients were also used.

Findings

Those students who used social networks to receive news from university institutions about the COVID-19 pandemic deem these channels official, sound and credible. Similarly, the use of official information from university institutions on social networks increases students’ happiness levels.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies aiming to provide scientific evidence of the relationship between happiness management and university governance. This research’s practical implications lead to attributing added value to these types of means for the university governance that seeks students’ happiness.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 July 2020

Letícia Fernandes Gomes, Sibelle Aparecida Madureira Costa, Arthur Rocha-Gomes, Amanda Escobar Teixeira, Alexandre Alves da Silva, Mayara Rodrigues Lessa, Nísia Andrade Villela Dessimoni-Pinto, Sergio Ricardo Stuckert Seixas and Tania Regina Riul

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the pathological, biochemical and redox state parameters of liver tissue in Wistar rats treated from birth to adulthood (119 days) with…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the pathological, biochemical and redox state parameters of liver tissue in Wistar rats treated from birth to adulthood (119 days) with cafeteria diet.

Design/methodology/approach

During the lactation, 6 liters of Wistar rats (dam + 8 pups each) were fed one of two diets: control (CTRL; n = 3) or cafeteria (CAF; n = 3) diets and water ad libitum. After weaning, the males were placed in individual cages, receiving the same diet offered to their respective dams (CTRL or CAF; n = 18) until adulthood. The following parameters were evaluated: absolute and relative liver weight; blood, liver and feces biochemistry; liver histology; and redox state of the liver.

Findings

When assessing the relative and absolute organ weight, no significant differences were found between the groups. The Cafeteria group exhibited higher values of serum LDL-c (p = 0.008), VLDL-c (p = 0.03) and triglycerides (p = 0.01), as well as several micro and macrovacuoles of fat accumulation, higher hepatic lipid (p = 0.03) and cholesterol (p = 0.0001) levels regarding Control group. Cafeteria group showed greater expression of glutathione-s-transferase (p = 0.03) and superoxide dismutase (p = 0.005) enzymes compared to the control group. In the case of the markers of oxidative stress, there was no difference between the groups.

Originality/value

A simple and standardized cafeteria diet caused an accumulation of fatty acids in liver tissue, inducing a state of hepatic steatosis besides an increased expression of antioxidant enzymes.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science , vol. 51 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 November 2022

Kamal Pandey and Bhaskar Basu

Building energy management systems use important information from indoor room temperature (IRT) forecasting to predict daily loads within smart buildings. IRT forecasting is a…

Abstract

Purpose

Building energy management systems use important information from indoor room temperature (IRT) forecasting to predict daily loads within smart buildings. IRT forecasting is a complex and challenging task, especially when energy demands are exponentially rising. The purpose of this paper is to review the relevant literature on indoor temperature forecasting in the past two decades and draw inferences on important methodologies with influencing variables and offer future directions.

Design/methodology/approach

The motivation for this work is based on the research work done in the field of intelligent buildings and energy related sector. The focus of this study is based on past literature on forecasting models and methodologies related to IRT forecasting for building energy management, with an emphasis on data-driven models (statistical and machine learning models). The methodology adopted here includes review of several journals, conference papers, reference books and PhD theses. Selected forecasting methodologies have been reviewed for indoor temperature forecasting contributing to building energy consumption. The models reviewed here have been earmarked for their benefits, limitations, location of study, accuracy along with the identification of influencing variables.

Findings

The findings are based on 62 studies where certain accuracy metrics and influencing explanatory variables have been reviewed. Linear models have been found to show explanatory relationships between the variables. Nonlinear models are found to have better accuracy than linear models. Moreover, IRT profiles can be modeled with enhanced accuracy and generalizability through hybrid models. Although deep learning models are found to have better performance for this study.

Research limitations/implications

This is accuracy-based study of data-driven models. Their run-time performance and cost implications review and review of physical, thermal and simulation models is future scope.

Originality/value

Despite the earlier work conducted in this field, there is a lack of organized and comprehensive evaluation of peer reviewed forecasting methodologies. Indoor temperature depends on various influencing explanatory variables which poses a research challenge for researchers to develop suitable predictive model. This paper presents a critical review of selected forecasting methodologies and provides a list of important methodologies along with influencing variables, which can help future researchers in the field of building energy management sector. The forecasting methods presented here can help to determine appropriate heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems for buildings.

1 – 10 of 10