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A novel model of the upper arm under transcutaneous electrical stimulation with multi-pad electrodes is presented and experimentally validated. The model aims at simulating and analysing the effects of surface electrical stimulation on biceps brachii. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Both the passive properties of tissues surrounding nerve bundles and the active characteristics of the nervous system are included. The output of the proposed model is nerve recruitment and muscle contraction.

Simulations and experimental tests on six healthy young adults have been conducted and results show that the proposed model gives information on electrically elicited muscle contraction in accordance with in-vivo tests and literature on motor unit recruitment order. Tests with different electrodes configurations show that the spatial distribution of active electrodes is a critical factor in electrically elicited muscle contractions, and that multi-pad electrodes can optimise the stimulation effectiveness and patient comfort with sequences of biphasic pulses of 350 μs at 30 pulses/s and threshold values of 2 mA.

Results encourage the use of the proposed model of the upper arm as a valid and viable solution for predicting the behaviour of the neuromuscular system when surface electrical stimulation is applied, thus optimising the design of neuroprosthetics.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of a combination of selective laser sintering (SLS) and vacuum casting to create plastic composites made by additive manufacturing.

The research has been carried out by approaching a new concept of the final part consistent in a plastic component, where the main body is made by SLS and the internal long fibres for reinforcing are made by vacuum casting of high-resistance epoxy resin. The part is designed for optimal number and distribution of the internal fibres taking into account the target relative stiffness (N/mm*kg). The methodology is applied to a pedal clutch of a car which has been tested in an equipment for fatigue and durability, being compared to the correspondent design for injection moulding.

Research has proven that the approach introduces relevant improvement in mechanical properties of the base resin consistent in PA 3200GF (EOS), reinforced by internal long fibres of resin VG SP5. Experiments showed significant increase of stiffness in the pedal clutch made under this procedure, where the stiffness was 77 per cent higher than the conventional SLS part and only 11.7 per cent lower than the one made by injection moulding of PA 66 with 50 per cent fibreglass.

The developed method introduces an alternative procedure for increasing the mechanical properties of plastic parts developed in SLS. Optimal orientation and distribution of long fibres clearly achieves better mechanical properties at low cost.

The purpose is to evaluate the effect of positive and negative traditional word-of-mouth (PWOM and NWOM) on price-based quality perceptions of middle-range wine (price comprised between US$4 and US$12), considering the moderator role of type of relationship between source and receiver –in terms of the strength-of-tie – and the wine expertise of the source.

A between-subjects experimental design was employed to test the hypotheses. The dependent variable, perceived quality, was analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent samples t-tests.

(1) WOM significantly affects price-based wine quality perceptions only when the source is perceived as expert, and independently on the type of relationship between source and receiver. (2) WOM has no “additive effect” on price-based quality perceptions for all but one condition (PWOM about high-priced wine from a close and expert source). (3) WOM results more useful than price to assess quality mainly in “contradictory” situations.

The main limitation is related to the fact that is an experiment, specifically the manipulation of strength-of-tie and source expertise. Although manipulation checks show good results for the procedure, future research should try to design better ways to manipulate these variables, or different procedures to capture similar data.

Managerial efforts aimed to the encouragement of PWOM will be more efficient in markets with a high proportion of experts. Also, the marketing strategy of stimulating PWOM would be more effective for wines in the low-price category.

This study contributes to understand the impact of WOM on wine quality perceptions by examining if WOM affects priors price-based quality perceptions. In particular, we determine if price-based quality perceptions are able to be modified by PWOM and NWOM, a “competing” approach that is novel within the wine literature in which price is usually the most used cue to elaborate quality perceptions.

This paper highlights the importance of understanding family firms in different contexts. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the characteristics and behavior of family firms in Ibero-America, and their contribution and fit to the broader field of research. Based on the five articles in this special issue, this paper attempts to give an overview of their main contributions.

This paper explains in a contextual and analytical way the contributions of five papers that focus their attention on Ibero-American family firms, by linking them to the current research in the field and finding their fit within the broader field of family business. Tackling different topics, these five papers discuss about the comparison between family vs non-family businesses, innovation in family firms, and governance in family firms

Findings suggest that there is a need to stimulate research in family business in Ibero-America, especially Latin America, regarding family business dynamics, the different roles of the family within the enterprise, family governance, and the role of women. With regards to innovation the cultural and economic context play an important role in how they perform innovative activities.

This paper contributes to further understanding family firms by discussing the importance of the context and by linking all five papers with the broader literature in family business. The introduction also discusses topics worth to be further researched in Ibero-America.

Este artículo destaca la importancia de entender las empresas familiares en diferentes contextos. El objetivo, por tanto, es reflexionar sobre las características y el comportamiento de las empresas familiares en Ibero-America, y su contribución y encaje en el amplio campo de investigación de la empresa familiar. Basado en los cinco artículos de este número especial, este trabajo intenta dar una visión general sobre sus principales contribuciones.

Este documento explica de manera contextual y analítica las contribuciones de cinco artículos que centran su atención en las empresas familiares iberoamericanas, vinculándolos y buscando el encaje en la investigación existente en el campo de la empresa familiar. Estos cinco documentos discuten sobre la comparación entre las empresas familiares frente a las no familiares, la innovación, y las estructuras de gobierno.

El análisis sugiere la necesidad de estimular la investigación en la empresa familiar en Iberoamérica, especialmente en América Latina, sobre temas de dinámica empresarial de la familia, los diferentes roles de la familia dentro de la empresa, el gobierno familiar , y el papel de las mujeres . Con respecto a la innovación el contexto cultural y económico juega un papel importante en la forma en que realizan sus actividades de innovación.

Este trabajo contribuye a la comprensión de empresas familiares en un determinado contexto, vinculando las cinco publicaciones con la literatura más amplia en la empresa familiar. La introducción también sugiere temas a investigar más en profundidad en Iberoamérica.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a competitiveness measurement system for start-ups considering multiple critical success factors.

The methodological approach uses concepts from key performance indicators (KPIs) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) based on the fuzzy AHP (FAHP) methodology to weight the criteria related to fundamental points of view (FPVs) and critical success factors (CSFs).

Data collection was performed with 21 specialists and 28 start-ups, which returned the weights and performance of CSFs and FPVs related to the start-ups’ competitiveness. The results show only one start-up had a highly competitive global performance. In addition, all start-ups showed low competitiveness related to industry 4.0 technologies.

The article collaborates with existing research as a starting point for discussions on the subject, considering that previous research did not address the measurement of the start-ups’ competitiveness level through multiple factors, as developed in this article. In addition, we provide decision-makers and other stakeholders in the start-up ecosystem with a robust measurement system to assess business competitiveness and diagnose the company’s situation.

The gender specific issues that arise out of transport infrastructures, such as more complex travel patterns and safety and security concerns for women in transport, highlight more than ever the need for a better gender perspective in the design, development and management of transport systems. This however is hard to achieve when only 22 per cent of transport employees in the European Union are female. According to the International Transport Forum, women are less represented in senior level positions in the sector. Furthermore, with declining numbers in employment in the sector, the risks of discounting some of these gender concerns in decision-making becomes even more pressing. This chapter looks at current trends and investigates the opportunities and challenges that the sector is facing to attract, retain and train women in transport. Focussing on cases of EU island states, this research will look at women and work within the public transport sector and, through interviews with management, will investigate concerns about current trends as well as the future of work in transport. The chapter also discusses the future of transport employment, and raises some questions with regard to the fast approaching decarbonisation of transport, with increased focus on green skills and green jobs, but also with the forthcoming technological disruption envisaged through automation and Mobility as a Service.

This chapter discusses the main research interests and outputs in the various branches of geography that have influenced the study of tourism from a geographical perspective. It argues that the idiographic tradition has been transversal throughout, leading to the growing interest for tourism within the geography academic community in the last 10 years. There is a focus on the birth of specific research groups, mainly related to a constellation of new university curricula on tourism and—with few exceptions of territorial tradition—to an intermittent availability of public research funds. The chapter concludes with a more general picture of the place of tourism within the geography discipline in Italy and of evolving trends in terms of research results, dissemination, and evaluation.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.