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Article
Publication date: 27 July 2018

Joaquim Rocha dos Santos, Eduardo Ferreira Franco, Hamilton Coimbra Carvalho, Stefano Armenia, Alessandro Pompei and Carlo Maria Medaglia

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impacts of different policies to address the water supply crisis experienced by the metropolitan region of Sao Paulo during 2013 to…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impacts of different policies to address the water supply crisis experienced by the metropolitan region of Sao Paulo during 2013 to 2015 and evaluate the resilience of its water supply system for the coming years.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this study is based on the system dynamics simulation paradigm, combined with empirical data obtained from the regional water authority.

Findings

The results from the simulations suggest that the first layer of sustainability of the water supply in the region strongly depends on how the system’s operator responds to crises, in particular how it balances policies acting on the supply and demand for the resource.

Practical implications

Severe water crises typically make salient the perception that water is a finite and public resource. Long-term, sustainable management of the system requires a paradigm shift from widespread, old-fashioned beliefs that water is an infinite resource. It also requires active management to increase the system’s preparedness to withstand events caused by climate change.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the system dynamics and water resource management literature by presenting an integrative model to evaluate the resilience of a particular water supply system. Although there are previous studies on this subject, the present one focuses on the role that the water authority plays in a crisis and especially on a specific combination of policies to address an episode of crisis in a system unprepared for it.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 December 2018

Hamilton Coimbra Carvalho, José Afonso Mazzon and Joaquim Rocha Santos

The purpose of this paper is the development of a framework to address complex social problems. The paper proposes an integrative framework inspired in complexity sciences, using…

335

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is the development of a framework to address complex social problems. The paper proposes an integrative framework inspired in complexity sciences, using it to explain the demise of cigarettes in recent decades.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the method of system dynamics to represent the complexity inherent in most social ecosystems where social marketers operate.

Findings

The framework identifies the major determinants of complex problems in social ecosystems, giving emphasis to the role performed by endogenous social structures. The paper presents the results of a simulation replicating the evolution of perceived attractiveness of cigarettes in recent decades, highlighting the role of the Surgeon General’s 1964 report in the USA as a catalyst force that accelerated the process of change.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations derive from the use of the system dynamics method, in particular the high level of aggregation of variables. Implications include the potential for increased cross-fertilization between social marketing and other disciplines concerned with social change.

Practical implications

The eight elements that compose the proposed framework can be identified or applied to any social ecosystem, helping in the identification of points with high leverage for social change.

Social implications

Proper understanding of how complex social problems arise is vital to increase the odds of success of social marketing interventions. The paper also highlights common threads in the development of problems in different social ecosystems.

Originality/value

The paper presents a novel framework for addressing the complexity inherent to the social ecosystems where social marketers operate.

Details

Journal of Social Marketing, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6763

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2017

Bassiro Só, Eduardo Ferreira Franco, Hamilton Coimbra Carvalho, Joaquim Rocha dos Santos and Stefano Armenia

This paper aims to understand and explore the causal relationship of elements responsible for the macro vicious cycle of poverty in Guinea-Bissau, and discuss policies to break it.

268

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand and explore the causal relationship of elements responsible for the macro vicious cycle of poverty in Guinea-Bissau, and discuss policies to break it.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used in this study is based on the system dynamics simulation paradigm.

Findings

Breaking the Guinean poverty cycle requires a multifaceted approach involving more resources and the building of several national capabilities. Traditional approaches tend to fail.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations come from the level of abstraction used in the model, which does not detail the processes for building specific capabilities and their interrelationships, and the necessary exclusion of variables that may have an impact in the process. Considering implications, the study models the evolution of human development index (HDI) in Guinea-Bissau, linking it to the economy and political sectors and allowing the simulation of different scenarios.

Practical implications

The study presents a critical stance towards common recommendations from international agencies, and it provides a blueprint for development of more effective public policies.

Social implications

Overcoming the poverty trap in sub-Saharan countries remains a challenge for the international community. The study aims at helping in the process of integrating different frameworks into a compact and manageable model.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the system dynamics and economic development literatures by presenting an integrative model of human development in Guinea-Bissau. There is no study in the system dynamics literature modelling the relationship of HDI to economy and political sectors while different and contradictory points of view characterize the economics literature, leaving well-meaning public officials in Guinea-Bissau at a loss of mental models to tackle the poverty trap in the country.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 47 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2021

Ilse Valenzuela Matus, Jorge Lino Alves, Joaquim Góis, Augusto Barata da Rocha, Rui Neto and Carlos Da Silva Mota

The purpose of this paper is to prove and qualify the influence of textured surface substrates morphology and chemical composition on the growth and propagation of transplanted…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to prove and qualify the influence of textured surface substrates morphology and chemical composition on the growth and propagation of transplanted corals. Use additive manufacturing and silicone moulds for converting three-dimensional samples into limestone mortar with white Portland cement substrates for coral growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Tiles samples were designed and printed with different geometries and textures inspired by nature marine environment. Commercial coral frag tiles were analysed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify the main chemical elements. Raw materials and coral species were selected. New base substrates were manufactured and deployed into a closed-circuit aquarium to monitor the coral weekly evolution process and analyse the results obtained.

Findings

Experimental results provided positive statistical parameters for future implementation tests, concluding that the intensity of textured surface, interfered favourably in the coralline algae biofilm growth. The chemical composition and design of the substrates were determinant factors for successful coral propagation. Recesses and cavities mimic the natural rocks aspect and promoted the presence and interaction of other species that favour the richness of the ecosystem.

Originality/value

Additive manufacturing provided an innovative method of production for ecology restoration areas, allowing rapid prototyping of substrates with high complexity morphologies, a critical and fundamental attribute to guarantee coral growth and Crustose Coralline Algae. The result of this study showed the feasibility of this approach using three-dimensional printing technologies.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 April 2024

Ilse Valenzuela Matus, Jorge Lino Alves, Joaquim Góis, Paulo Vaz-Pires and Augusto Barata da Rocha

The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process…

301

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process, materials, structural design features and implementation location to determine predominant parameters, environmental impacts, advantages, and limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

The review analysed 16 cases of artificial reefs from both temperate and tropical regions. These were categorised based on the AM process used, the mortar material used (crucial for biological applications), the structural design features and the location of implementation. These parameters are assessed to determine how effectively the designs meet the stipulated ecological goals, how AM technologies demonstrate their potential in comparison to conventional methods and the preference locations of these implementations.

Findings

The overview revealed that the dominant artificial reef implementation occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas, both accounting for 24%. The remaining cases were in the Australian Sea (20%), the South Asia Sea (12%), the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, both with 8%, and the Indian Sea with 4% of all the cases studied. It was concluded that fused filament fabrication, binder jetting and material extrusion represent the main AM processes used to build artificial reefs. Cementitious materials, ceramics, polymers and geopolymer formulations were used, incorporating aggregates from mineral residues, biological wastes and pozzolan materials, to reduce environmental impacts, promote the circular economy and be more beneficial for marine ecosystems. The evaluation ranking assessed how well their design and materials align with their ecological goals, demonstrating that five cases were ranked with high effectiveness, ten projects with moderate effectiveness and one case with low effectiveness.

Originality/value

AM represents an innovative method for marine restoration and management. It offers a rapid prototyping technique for design validation and enables the creation of highly complex shapes for habitat diversification while incorporating a diverse range of materials to benefit environmental and marine species’ habitats.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 30 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 7 October 2019

Marle Aparecida Fidéles de Oliveira Vieira and Valdete Côco

In this article, we discuss the issue of the right to education of young children, focusing on the Institution of Early Childhood Education (EIC in Portuguese), of views with…

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the issue of the right to education of young children, focusing on the Institution of Early Childhood Education (EIC in Portuguese), of views with legal markers and educational indicators of a Brazilian State. From a research that approached Early Childhood Education (EI in Portuguese) in settlements of the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST in Portuguese) and making use of the Bakhtinian framework we highlight the processes of inequality that devastate childhood in the rural settings. The data reiterate the need to not only combat the logics of precariousness that affect the service given but also to guide the specificity of Children’s education field, within a framework of the effectiveness of primary school attendance. Hence, we call one’s attention to the debate of the ways of setting up institutions, with a view to serving children, urging the regulations related to the right to education, particularly, the right to Early Childhood Education in the peasant’s context, particularly in settlements.

Details

Human Rights for Children and Youth
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-047-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Bruno Tomaselli Fidelis, Jorge Henrique Caldeira Oliveira, Janaina de Moura Engracia Giraldi and Renê Oliveira Joaquim Santos

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of sexual appeal in print media on consumers’ brand recall. More specifically, the differences between the fixation time on…

1203

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of sexual appeal in print media on consumers’ brand recall. More specifically, the differences between the fixation time on the “image” and “logo” elements in advertisements, with and without sexual appeal, were verified.

Design/methodology/approach

The correct research is experimental in nature, and divided into three stages: choosing the print advertisements to be viewed by the participants with eye tracking, capturing participants’ eye movements using a special eye tracking equipment and completing the questionnaire for calculating the number of brands recalled by the participants.

Findings

The authors have identified that there are no statistically relevant differences between the number of brands recalled, whether the advertisement does or does not have any sexual appeal.

Practical implications

The use of sexual appeal in advertisements on print media must be made with caution, and several implications for the textile and apparel industry are expressed in the conclusions.

Originality/value

The study’s relevance is threefold: the authors present more recent results about the relationship between sexual appeal and brand recall, as the most recent research study of a similar type was published in the late 1990s; they adopt key concepts from the neuromarketing field in an attempt to connect memory with the capacity of different components of the advertisements, to attract the visual attention of consumers; and they present results for three different product categories (alcohol, apparel and perfume).

Details

Research Journal of Textile and Apparel, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1560-6074

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 May 2017

Fábio Henrique Pereira

This chapter examines the professional identities of Brazilian journalists. It does so through an analysis of the growing professional autonomy of journalism from 1950 to 1990…

Abstract

This chapter examines the professional identities of Brazilian journalists. It does so through an analysis of the growing professional autonomy of journalism from 1950 to 1990 through the life stories of 10 intellectual-journalists, individuals whose journalistic activities have crossed over into other intellectual fields.

This study applies a symbolic interactionist framework to understand how these actors managed their reputations and careers within the intellectual world. The narratives were taken from qualitative semi-structured interviews, and supported by additional research such as interviews, biographies, and articles which have been published about their lives.

The life stories were compared to the extensive structural changes affecting the world of journalism and the world of intellectuals in Brazil. This comparison revealed gaps between these two spheres of practice, within which the ambivalent form of journalists’ identities have been constructed.

This chapter offers two contributions to the study of Brazilian journalists. From a theoretical and methodological viewpoint, it advances beyond other studies that focus more on the prevailing representations of journalists’ professional identities and their role in society. From an empirical standpoint, it describes the complex negotiations between the worlds of journalism, culture and politics. This chapter also reexamines the current dominant explanation for the changes in Brazilian journalism. It shows that building careers and new levels of interpersonal cooperation for intellectuals and journalists has been a slow process. Ultimately, this development has left some behind, especially those actors stretched between multiple professional identities such as those who self-identify as intellectual-journalists.

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2014

Elomar Castilho Barilli, Stenio Freitas Barretto, Carla Moura Lima and Marco Antonio Menezes

The aim of this paper is to present the use of virtual communities in work processes in Popular Education, a field strongly supported by presentiality because of historical social…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to present the use of virtual communities in work processes in Popular Education, a field strongly supported by presentiality because of historical social inequalities in Brazil. It presents the assessment of the Virtual Community Work (CVT) used in the Popular Healthcare Education Policy (PNEPS).

Design/methodology/approach

The exploratory research adopted two paths of analysis, one quantitative (using questionnaire) aimed to collect the participants’ perceptions regarding the navigation, tools and features of CVT, and the other qualitative through observation of the interventions in its different spaces, having discourse analysis as the technique for analysis.

Findings

The hands-on nature of Popular Education, revealed in the posts and in the speech of the participants, showed the potential and challenges of the territory and the need for change, both of the professional’s outlook on his or her own work process and working with health in the communities that are, still today, very centered around authoritarian models.

Research limitations/implications

Because the participation was not mandatory, the reduced number of participants was the main limitation of this work.

Practical implications

The health problems specified in the interactions and much discussed in CVT may help the consolidation of the policy as the main practical implication.

Social implications

Contribute to the creation of a network for the exchange of educational experiences in the field of Popular Education.

Originality/value

The innovating character of this work lies in the application of Virtual Community in the field of popular education within the health sector as a strategy for implementation of a national policy.

Details

Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2014

Helena Santos Curto and Álvaro Dias

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between administrative reform in Portugal and the impacts on the dependence of local governments in the face of budgetary…

1100

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between administrative reform in Portugal and the impacts on the dependence of local governments in the face of budgetary resources of state and local municipal revenue collection, which is understood as a form, among others, participation civil society in local public policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study opts for an exploratory analysis using the grounded theory approach, including the use of data relating to local government structures and partnerships with the private sector, based on the main lines of the public administration reform. The data were supplemented by documentary analysis, including legislative documents and papers in specialized area of administrative decentralization and civil society participation in local public policies.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about how the increased participation of civil society in local public policies is associated with less reliance on state budgets and a greater number of local managerial structures.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the chosen research approach, the results cannot be generalized. A comparative study between several countries could bring several interesting insights.

Social implications

The paper includes implications for economic and social development of new public policies in the context of administrative reforms.

Originality/value

This paper makes several theoretical and empirical contributions on this research field specially about local public manager's decisions for financial resources transfers within the active policy of sustainable local development.

Details

International Journal of Public Sector Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3558

Keywords

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