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21 – 30 of 56Isabel Maria Abreu Rodrigues Fragoeiro
Learning to be someone in today’s world requires training, knowledge, adaptive skills, differentiated skills, and mastery of instrumental and advanced technological tools to…
Abstract
Learning to be someone in today’s world requires training, knowledge, adaptive skills, differentiated skills, and mastery of instrumental and advanced technological tools to manage complex, new, and crucial problems that societies face. Citizens need to satisfy their basic needs, and they want to feel fulfilled. These are determinants of mental health/health, essential goods for the growth and evolution of humanity, and for the survival of the planet that shelters it.
The objectives of this chapter are: (1) reflect on the influence of mental health/health in high-level training processes, which require the student to mobilize physical and mental capabilities and functions; (2) realize to what extent the use of digital technology is an essential tool for learning and developing skills for higher education students; (3) addressing the question: Are higher education institutions (HEIs) and professors prepared for the challenges they face today? And, at the confluence of the previous three: (4) analyze the health/mental health interconnections, the use of digital technologies and training paths, as pillars of human development and the progress of societies.
In HEIs, there is evidence of the intersection of students’ learning abilities with the contexts that are favourable to them, namely, due to the possibility of finding space to create, develop potentials, acquire high-level knowledge and skills, present themselves to society as reliable, credible, and promising professionals for success in the organizations they form part of.
For the preparation of this exploratory and reflective chapter, the collaboration of some higher education teachers in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) was requested, also basing it on their own experience and knowledge acquired as a teacher, researcher, and expert in the field of mental health.
The perspective presented for reflection and analysis is limited by the look and the way we interrogate and interpret the realities where we operate, for these same reasons, imbued with subjectivity.
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Angela Wroblewski and Rachel Palmén
Gender equality plans (GEPs) are currently the preferred approach to initiate structural change towards gender equality in research organisations. In order to achieve structural…
Abstract
Gender equality plans (GEPs) are currently the preferred approach to initiate structural change towards gender equality in research organisations. In order to achieve structural change, GEPs have to be more than just a formally adopted institutional policy. Effective GEPs lead to a transformation of gendered practices and thus to structural change. This chapter presents the innovative approach developed for an H2020 structural change project and its theoretical background. We argue that due to the dual logic, which characterises academic organisations, the organisational logic and the academic logic, change is a complex endeavour. To deal with this complexity, one of the main functions of a GEP is to provide space and initiate reflexivity at an individual as well as at an institutional level. A theory of change approach supports reflexivity in all stages of a GEP as it ensures that basic assumptions of the institutional change process are questioned and reflected on by the different stakeholder groups involved in the implementation.
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M. Isabel Sanchez‐Hernandez and Francisco J. Miranda
The purpose of this paper is to present the first empirically tested model showing that internal marketing (IM) is a factor of success in new services development. It attempts to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the first empirically tested model showing that internal marketing (IM) is a factor of success in new services development. It attempts to bridge internal market orientation (IMO) – the philosophical background of IM programs – with successful service innovations represented by new service performance (NSP).
Design/methodology/approach
To explore the link between IMO and NSP a structural equations model was designed considering service quality and time‐to‐market as mediator variables. Data were gathered from business service firms' senior managers in Spain and Portugal (74 service companies based on a questionnaire).
Findings
The results largely support the hypothesized theoretical relationship that organizational effort in the human resources area, supported by the marketing function and implemented through an IMO, is connected with increasing service quality and innovation success.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study are context specific. In addition, surveys usually present data collection problems such as composing questions properly, key informant bias and non‐response bias. However, the actions undertaken – such as pre‐testing coupled with personal telephone contact with managers and the good results obtained in verifying the representativeness of the sample – suggested that every effort was made to obviate the limitations.
Practical implications
The results suggest that managers must ensure that internal aspects of management, such as internal communication and employee commitment, are taken into account in order to implement successful new services. Managers need to be more proactive, trying to include the marketing function in human capital issues. Understanding internal clients' wants and needs and selling company goals internally would make external efforts in developing a new service much more likely to succeed.
Originality/value
Reflecting the literature which highlights the importance of the internal relationship between service employees and the company in service innovation, the paper pays particular attention to the role of IMO linkages and their effect on service innovation success. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time this relationship has been empirically tested.
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Paulo Sampaio, Maria Sameiro Carvalho and Ana Cristina Fernandes
Juliane Barroso Leal, Juçara Barroso Leal, Joaline Barroso Portela Leal, Yan de Lima Borges, Maria Ivone Leal de Moura, Alfredo Anderson Teixeira-Araujo, Venilson Serafim da Costa and Ferdinando Oliveira Carvalho
This paper aims to verify the effect of 12 weeks of grape juice (GJ) consumption associated with aerobic exercise on the variation of the hypertensive elderly pressure.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to verify the effect of 12 weeks of grape juice (GJ) consumption associated with aerobic exercise on the variation of the hypertensive elderly pressure.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 45 hypertensive elderly of both sexes were distributed into: control group (CG, n = 10), exercise group (EG, n = 10), juice group (JG, n = 12) and juice and exercise group (JEG, n = 13). Blood pressure and heart rate were checked weekly before exercise in JG and JEG, and before and after intervention in all groups, with JG and JEG supplemented with 200 mL of GJ. Three weekly sessions of moderate walking were applied.
Findings
There was a reduction in EG, JG and JEG for systolic pressure and diastolic only for JG and JEG. The GJ consumption to the practice of aerobic exercise provided reductions in the arterial pressure of hypertensive, in addition to stabilization of the diastolic pressure.
Research limitations/implications
Although the objective of the study was to compare the effect and value of intervention with controls, the study had no intervention in food consumption, which could have led to more significant results. There was a limitation in the control drink, leading the study not to be blind, which may have impaired the results. However, it is probably not a bias, as the groups were divided by residence area, and therefore, had no direct contact with the other groups. Another limitation was that the sample size was still small, which would lead to more reliable results. Finally, although the existing limitations cannot be disregarded, the results of this research are very promising, especially when the objective is the effect of GJ and aerobic exercise on blood pressure, with the possibility of implementing supplemental GJ and the inclusion or not of exercise to the hypertensive elderly.
Originality/value
The paper deals with the benefits of GJ consumption associated with aerobic physical exercise on the blood pressure of elderly hypertensive patients. Considering that GJ along with physical exercise was enough to reduce the blood pressure of hypertensive elderly, this may be a new model to be used to reduce and/or control blood pressure, and GJ and the exercise to be part of the daily life of the population.
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Sonia Virginia Moreira, Nélia R. Del Bianco and Cézar F. Martins
The expansion of connectivity on a national scale in Brazil, whether through mobile Internet or fixed broadband, is described as one of the factors that can lead to social and…
Abstract
The expansion of connectivity on a national scale in Brazil, whether through mobile Internet or fixed broadband, is described as one of the factors that can lead to social and economic benefits for large parts of the population who do not have a network connection. It can also help to reduce poverty by improving the infrastructure of services and increasing Internet use for education purposes. It also provides people with the ability to communicate with online administrative services – local, regional, and national. In Brazil, the main difficulty facing an effective universalization of telecommunications has been limitations in accessing services. This chapter demonstrates the relevance of small Internet providers for the expansion of fixed broadband in less commercially attractive regions (in terms of subscribers, income, and distance) who have been growing over recent years and are now present in 70% of Brazilian municipalities and whose role is paramount to reducing the digital divide.
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Nuno V. Brito, Delfina Santos, Ana P. Vale, Isabel M. Afonso, Eulália Mendes, Susana Casal and M.B.P.P. Olveira
The purpose of this work is the physicochemical characterization of a traditional Portuguese meat sausage, “Chouriça de carne de Melgaço”, including its lipid profile, taking into…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this work is the physicochemical characterization of a traditional Portuguese meat sausage, “Chouriça de carne de Melgaço”, including its lipid profile, taking into account the effects of autochthonous pig breed (Bísaro) and processing scale in its final composition.
Design/methodology/approach
Sausages from three manufacturers' scales (homemade, traditional, and industrial) and two breed origins (Bísaro and non Bísaro) were analysed for pH, moisture, fat, protein, ash, NaCl, hydroxyproline and fatty acid composition. A total of 11 samples from each type of manufacture and breed were randomly selected after the complete drying‐ripening process, in a total of 55 samples.
Findings
Physicochemical analysis of meat sausages showed a medium protein content (28‐33 per cent) correlated to manufacture type (p<0.05), and a high fat level (29‐41 per cent) related with manufacture type and breed. Homemade manufacture was characterized by lower moisture and higher salt contents, reinforcing consumer's safety and economical assurance. The industrial processed sausages presented significantly higher moisture content and higher PUFA contents than expected, indicating the use in the feeding of the pigs feedstuffs rich in oilseed components and an increased susceptibility to oxidation. Comparing with similar products from foreign origins, this sausage is characterized by similar salt contents and similar or lower fat contents, highly monounsaturated, with positive nutritional outcomes.
Originality/value
The improvement and control of Chouriça de carne de Melgaço manufacturing and breed origin is clearly needed. PGI should be implemented to guarantee genuineness of this product. The preservation of traditional procedures must guarantee the high quality of the product, its safety and consumer's acceptability.
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Dante Baiardo Cavalcante Viana Jr, Isabel Maria Estima Costa Lourenço, Marília Ohlson and Gerlando Augusto S F de Lima
This study investigates how the association between national culture and earnings management compares between developed and emerging countries.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates how the association between national culture and earnings management compares between developed and emerging countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical analysis relies on a sample of 6,313 firm-year observations from 11 emerging markets and 27,605 firm-year observations from 22 developed countries. The authors use ordinary least squares regression methods to test the hypotheses of the study.
Findings
Based on Hofstede's (2011) cultural dimensions, the authors find that firms from countries with a higher level of uncertainty avoidance and individualism are less likely to engage in earnings management, but the effect of uncertainty avoidance (individualism) is more (less) pronounced in the emerging countries. Moreover, the authors demonstrate that firms from emerging (developed) countries with higher levels of power distance and masculinity are less (more) likely to engage in earnings management. Finally, the authors find evidence of a trade-off between accruals-based and real earnings management in firms from countries with greater long-term orientation and an indulgence cultural dimension.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the literature by theoretically discussing and empirically analysing the role that developed and emerging countries' development plays on the effect of national culture on earnings management.
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Isabel de Jesus Oliveira, Flávio Filipe Sousa Ferreira and Licínia Vanessa Rodrigues Fernandes
This paper aims to disseminate the results of research aiming to identify the prevalence of dysphagia and related clinical factors in nursing home residents.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to disseminate the results of research aiming to identify the prevalence of dysphagia and related clinical factors in nursing home residents.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional descriptive study was developed, including 99 residents in five nursing homes. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Gugging Swallowing Screen for dysphagia screening were used for data collection.
Findings
The prevalence of dysphagia was 59.59%. A significant correlation was found between dysphagia and worse scores for fall risk, pressure ulcer, level of independence for activities of daily living and cognitive functioning.
Research limitations/implications
Results should be interpreted carefully due to sample size and specific country context. A larger sample must be achieved in further research.
Practical implications
Nurses must receive proper training to perform systematic dysphagia screening, and it should be considered, given the high prevalence, the inclusion of professionals specially trained for rehabilitating dysphagic residents in nursing home teams.
Social implications
The social and economic burden of dysphagia, in addition to all the implications on the person’s quality of life, requires a differentiated focus on this issue by nursing home managers.
Originality/value
Nursing homes have nurses providing health care; however, trained professionals for dysphagia treatment commonly are not. These results highlight the importance of systematic screening for dysphagia in all residents, thus promoting timely intervention to prevent respiratory and nutritional complications.
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Fátima David and Isabel Gallego
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interrelationship between corporate income tax (CIT) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the international framework of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interrelationship between corporate income tax (CIT) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the international framework of the European Union (EU).
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical framework of the paper is based on taxation and social responsibility theories that evaluate the impact of economic, financial and social decisions taken by firms, in the area of accounting and tax harmonization in general, and of corporate income tax, in particular.
Findings
Through the connection of CIT and CSR frameworks, the paper urges for more accountability and shows that, as each EU Member State improves accounting and taxation harmonization, the result is more comparability of economic and financial information presented by the firm.
Practical implications
The paper attempts to provide an understanding of the adoption of the social responsibility posture of firms as a key factor that negatively and positively influences the tax regime of each EU Member State. In a social responsibility, accounting and taxation transnational framework, the increasing of a firm's activity and changes in its environment require new attitudes of sustainable development.
Originality/value
The paper is the first to discuss the interrelationship between CIT and CSR within the international framework of the EU. Corporate income tax can be seen as the mechanism by which governments encourage active civic duty, corporate sponsorship and CSR practices.
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