Search results

1 – 10 of 47
Article
Publication date: 11 July 2016

Miguel Saraiva, Irina Matijosaitiene, Mónica Diniz and Vilius Velicka

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the need for comparative studies on methodologies for implementing Crime Prevention through Urban Design and Planning (CP-UDP) at the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the need for comparative studies on methodologies for implementing Crime Prevention through Urban Design and Planning (CP-UDP) at the local level, particularly in peripheral Europe where CP-UDP’s top-down standards have poor dissemination and acceptance. This paper debates how local partnerships can help reduce crime and how a CP-UDP-based model can be introduced into municipal planning.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses the challenge of CP-UDP in the framework of a post-crisis Europe and Europe 2020. Because there is a large gap between theory and practice, lack of a shared holistic approach, and scepticism, or lack of knowledge, of public authorities, at local-level planning professionals and the police have devised bottom-up initiatives based on interdisciplinary partnerships with the community. The paper describes, discusses and compares the implementation of such approaches in Lisbon (Portugal) and Vilnius (Lithuania).

Findings

The paper addresses the processes and challenges of establishing synergies and working relationships between police officers, public officials and the community, and it discusses six main causes for its (un)success. When these conditions were met, crime and social constraints reduced.

Practical implications

Lessons learned are deemed crucial to disseminate knowledge and best practices, paving the way for proper top-down policies and planning legislations in these and other countries.

Originality/value

This paper analyses the potentialities and shortcomings of local-level implementation of CP-UDP strategies as an alternative to failed top-down strategies in two realities mostly unknown of the international scientific community. The case study material is previously unpublished internationally.

Details

Journal of Place Management and Development, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2018

Pedro Fontes Falcão, Manuel Saraiva, Eduardo Santos and Miguel Pina e Cunha

After a hiatus in the research on individual differences in negotiation, there has been a surge of renewed interest in recent years followed by several new findings. The purpose…

1452

Abstract

Purpose

After a hiatus in the research on individual differences in negotiation, there has been a surge of renewed interest in recent years followed by several new findings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that personality, as structured by the five-factor model, have over negotiation behavior and decision making in order to create new knowledge and prescribe advice to negotiators.

Design/methodology/approach

This study replicates observations from earlier studies but with the innovation of using a different methodology, as data from a sample of volunteer participants were collected in regard to their personality and behavior during two computerized negotiation simulations, one with the potential for joint gains and the other following a more traditional bargaining scenario.

Findings

Significant results for both settings were found, with the personality dimensions of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion systematically reoccurring as the most statistically relevant, although expressing different roles according to the type of negotiation and measure being registered. The findings thus suggest a multidimensional relationship between personality and situational variables in which specific traits can either become liabilities or assets depending upon whether the potential for value creation is present or not.

Originality/value

The new findings on the impacts of personality traits on both distributive and integrative negotiations allow negotiators to improve their performance and to adapt to specific distributive or integrative negotiation situations.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 5 January 2022

Cathy Brennan, Sonia Saraiva, Elizabeth Mitchell, Richard Melia, Lydia Campbell, Natalie King and Allan House

There are calls for greater regulation of online content related to self-harm and suicide, particularly that which is user-generated. However, the online space is a source of…

Abstract

Purpose

There are calls for greater regulation of online content related to self-harm and suicide, particularly that which is user-generated. However, the online space is a source of support and advice, including an important sharing of experiences. This study aims to explore what it is about such online content, and how people interact with it, that may confer harm or offer benefit.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors undertook a systematic review of the published evidence, using customised searches up to February 2021 in seven databases. The authors included empirical research on the internet or online use and self-harm or suicide content that had been indexed since 2015. The authors undertook a theoretically driven narrative synthesis.

Findings

From 4,493 unique records, 87 met our inclusion criteria. The literature is rapidly expanding and not all the evidence is high quality, with very few longitudinal or intervention studies so little evidence to understand possible causal links. Very little content online is classifiable as explicitly harmful or definitively helpful, with responses varying by the individual and immediate context. The authors present a framework that seeks to represent the interplay in online use between the person, the medium, the content and the outcome.

Originality/value

This review highlights that content should not be considered separately to the person accessing it, so online safety means thinking about all users. Blanket removal or unthinking regulation may be more harmful than helpful. A focus on safe browsing is important and tools that limit time and diversify content would support this.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 October 2020

Leão Maldonado, Silvia Pereira de Castro Casa Nova, Luiz Miguel Renda dos Santos and Marcia Maria dos Santos Bortolocci Espejo

At one end, family farming is seen as important for incentivizing local ­development. At another end, the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is a social assistance…

Abstract

At one end, family farming is seen as important for incentivizing local ­development. At another end, the Brazilian National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is a social assistance policy that provides food and nutrition for students enrolled in public schools. In 2015, the program fed 41.5 million students across the country. In 2009, these two worlds – family farming and school feeding – were connected through a public policy implemented by law. This law defines that 30% of the financial resources for the acquisition of school feeding, transferred by the federal government to states and municipalities, must be spent on items produced by family farming. However, even considering the legal requirement and many of the changes it has brought, many municipalities still do not meet this minimum requirement. In 2015, more than half of the 5,570 Brazilian municipalities, about 54%, did not reach the 30% minimum; that is, over 3,000 municipalities failed to meet that legal threshold. This context raises some questions: Why is the law not effective? What are the social structures that hinder the implementation of this public policy as it was conceived? One of the theoretical frameworks that could sustain such questioning is Structuration Theory (ST; Giddens, 2003). It brings the concept of structure duality, stating that there is no prevalence between social structure and human action, but rather a reciprocity. In this theory, the structure can be distinguished into three dimensions (signification, domination, and legitimation) and the interaction of these dimensions can lead to either transformation or continuity. Using the lenses of ST, our aim is to identify, analyze, and understand the reverberations of this public policy on social practices and how these reverberations could explain this state of things. For this, we conducted a preliminary field research, based on interviews with key agents involved in the school feeding program in a municipality in the Midwest of Brazil. The preliminary results revealed that the change induced by the law reflected on those agents, altering social practices. New procedures were adopted that transformed social practices pertaining to the dimension of signification. Nevertheless, challenges related to logistics (transport and storage), trust, training, and bureaucracy are still hindering the effectiveness of the intended public policy. As a limitation, we were not under conditions to grasp the changes while they occurred because our point of attention is the scenario after the enforcement of the relevant Law. Beyond that, our study uses ST to deal with the resistance of social structures to change even in a scenario of mandatory law enforcement.

Article
Publication date: 12 February 2020

Artur Saraiva, Emília Fernandes and Moritz von Schwedler

The market system and a materialistic lifestyle have contributed to some of the environmental and social problems that currently affect the world. However, only a few consumers…

1002

Abstract

Purpose

The market system and a materialistic lifestyle have contributed to some of the environmental and social problems that currently affect the world. However, only a few consumers are willing to express ecological oriented consumption. This study aims to analyse how organic food consumers build a green identity, as well as the new expressions that arise from this identity construction.

Design/methodology/approach

A hermeneutical approach was adopted to address the narratives of 31 frequent consumers of organic products motivated by environmental issues. The narratives were collected through the interview method, which was further complemented by participant observation.

Findings

The following five phases of identity formation were identified: consciousness, gathering, negotiation, stabilisation and sharing. By looking at the different identity stages, it becomes visible how organic consumption and pro-environmental behaviours act as transformative practices, promoting ecological activism and fortifying a green identity.

Originality/value

This study extends the “processual theory of identity” by analysing how organic products help shape consumer practices and their lifestyle. Moreover, a contribution is provided on how we can build an ecological citizenship by reducing consumption and also by adopting alternative practices of consumption.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 August 2021

Luis Miguel Fonseca, Maria Cristiana Cardoso and Maria Henriqueta Nóvoa

This paper aims to identify and characterize the motivations for ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) implementation and certification, with a novel, valid and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and characterize the motivations for ISO 9001 quality management system (QMS) implementation and certification, with a novel, valid and business-oriented scale applied to a large sample. Instead of adopting a normative approach focusing on the internal/external nature of the motivation, this investigation aims to emphasize the ISO 9001 driving forces from an instrumental (productivity, market and competitiveness) perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is framed with a quantitative methodology supported by an email survey encompassing a sample of 526 Portuguese ISO 9001 certified organizations. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factorial analysis (EFA), t-tests and correlation analysis were performed according to the proposed research questions.

Findings

Regarding the motivations, three factors were obtained by applying EFA: market, productivity and competitiveness. The respondent organizations consider the productivity factor (mainly related to internal motivations) to be the most important. Concerning the other factors, competitiveness in the sector is ranked second and the reasons related to the market come in third. Additionally, organizations of medium dimension (between 50 and 249 employees), certified up to 1999 or from the private sector, give greater relevance to motivations related to the market and competitiveness.

Research limitations/implications

This investigation suffers from the limitations inherent to the survey methodology (e.g. potential bias) and a Portuguese sample’s restrictions. Moreover, this research does not cover organizations that have been certified after 2015, namely, with an initial ISO 9001:2015 certification. Nevertheless, most of the respondents’ organizations remain ISO 9001 certified today.

Practical implications

The information provided allows managers to know the driving forces and motivations behind seeking ISO 9001 certification. It can assist certification bodies in fine-tuning their marketing strategies to attract new customers and support ISO 9001 stakeholders in the ISO 9001 revision cycles.

Social implications

Policymakers can also adjust policies to foster ISO 9001 certification accordingly. Furthermore, as Wawak et al. (2020) suggested, with ISO starting a new revision cycle for ISO 9001, an increase in the research topic is expected. This study brings additional knowledge that can assist ISO stakeholders in that process.

Originality/value

This study presents a novel, valid and more business-oriented scale to characterize and identify the motivations for ISO 9001 QMS certification and maps the driving forces for ISO 9001 certification in a large sample size of diverse organizations. The instrumental nature of the scale (productivity, market and competitiveness) improves the consistency with recent research on ISO 9001 contributions for organizational performance compared with previous scales that focused on the internal/external nature of the motivation.

Details

International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-669X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 23 March 2017

Barbara de Lima Voss, David Bernard Carter and Bruno Meirelles Salotti

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…

Abstract

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.

Details

Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management: Social and Environmental Accounting in Brazil
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-376-4

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Transgenerational Technology and Interactions for the 21st Century: Perspectives and Narratives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-639-9

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2008

Paulo Augusto Cauchick Miguel

Since the importance of implementing portfolio management is growing world‐wide, this paper seeks to report on case‐based research on portfolio management in a company that…

4517

Abstract

Purpose

Since the importance of implementing portfolio management is growing world‐wide, this paper seeks to report on case‐based research on portfolio management in a company that implemented it along with a new product development process.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a case study approach conducted in a manufacturing company in Brazil. Data were gathered through participation in portfolio meetings, non‐structured interviews, and document analysis; results were aggregated a posteriori to construct the case.

Findings

The paper finds that portfolio management was implemented using a framework which employed a scoring system and qualitative information. The empirical evidence lends support to the existence of portfolio management practices as identified in the literature. In addition, the use of the proposed framework assisted the company in putting in place a methodology to select the right projects and to allocate both capital and personnel resources.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is limited to a single case study. Replications among other samples are needed to validate current findings.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few published studies that report on and discuss the implementation of portfolio management in a country in South America.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 September 2009

Constance de Carvalho Correia Jacob Melo and Gilda Collet Bruna

The purpose of this paper is to study the urban transformation process that is happening in Teresina, State of Piauí in Northeast Brazil.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the urban transformation process that is happening in Teresina, State of Piauí in Northeast Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were used, based on the research plan's four parts: the city history during the colonial period; the territorial landmarks and policy implemented; the population growth; and the housing programs developed by governmental agencies.

Findings

The analysis showed that the city became impoverished and the environmental impacts are connected to the lack of any sanitation infrastructure, and to the floods invading the lowlands of the city, bringing diseases to the population. Poor quality of life of the poverty‐stricken population in those conditions suggests that the city is rather unsustainable.

Originality/value

The paper presents an understanding of the peculiar features of a Northeast Brazilian city that needs to improve the urban environment, specifically the area located on low lands of about 70 meters above sea‐level, where the rivers in flow cover an extensive part of the urban network.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 20 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

1 – 10 of 47