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1 – 10 of 849Gina Gaio Santos and Carlos Cabral‐Cardoso
The paper looks at the tensions and conflict between work and family life that arise from work intensification in higher education, in the particular context of Portuguese…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper looks at the tensions and conflict between work and family life that arise from work intensification in higher education, in the particular context of Portuguese academe. Drawing on the concept of work‐family culture, the paper aims to discuss its influence on the level of work‐family conflict and the effectiveness of work‐family policies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted in a Portuguese university. Data were collected from 32 in‐depth interviews with faculty members from different backgrounds and affiliations.
Findings
The preservation of traditional gender roles in the family as well as a work‐family culture that is largely family‐unfriendly helps to understand the tensions and conflict between academic work and family life. These tensions are mainly felt by women particularly mothers of dependent children. The data also suggest that work‐family policies are fruitless unless they are supported by a positive work‐family culture.
Research limitations/implications
Study limited to a single university.
Originality/value
The paper provides evidence of the cumulative effect of the traditional division of gender roles in the family and a negative work‐family culture in the organization in contributing to increasing levels of work‐family conflict, particularly in a context of work intensification.
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Sónia Cardoso, Orlanda Tavares and Cristina Sin
Industrial doctorates have arisen in recent decades as a new form of doctoral education which has the potential to innovate the curriculum, among other things. Such programmes run…
Abstract
Purpose
Industrial doctorates have arisen in recent decades as a new form of doctoral education which has the potential to innovate the curriculum, among other things. Such programmes run in a number of countries including Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia or Italy. In Portugal, industrial doctorates are very recent. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether Portuguese industrial doctorates distinguish themselves through collaboration with industry, specifically in curriculum development and delivery, or if they replicate the traditional doctorates under a new name.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from self-assessment reports of existing programmes submitted to the Portuguese accreditation agency and interviews with programme leaders were analysed.
Findings
The findings suggest that despite the fact that there is space for improvement in the collaboration in curriculum development and delivery, this is nonetheless a dimension which differentiates industrial doctorates. Industrial doctorates can, therefore, be “judged by their cover” because they are indeed a new category of doctoral degrees.
Originality/value
Although circumscribed to the Portuguese context and focussed on a particular aspect of university–industry collaboration, the paper contributes to further knowledge on industrial doctorates, a topic on which research is still scarce.
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Few research has addressed the factors that undermine people’s subjective perceptions of career success. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to further illuminate the issue of…
Abstract
Purpose
Few research has addressed the factors that undermine people’s subjective perceptions of career success. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to further illuminate the issue of career barriers in perceptions of career success for a specific group of professionals: academics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an interpretative-social constructionist methodology. Complementarily, it was employed a phenomenological method in data gathering and analysis – with the use of in-depth interviews and a theme analysis. The research was undertaken with a group of 87 Portuguese academics of both sexes and in different stages of their academic careers.
Findings
The findings pinpoint the existence of multi-level barriers encountered by the academics when trying to succeed in their careers. The interviewees mentioned particularly the organizational-professional career barriers pertaining to three general themes: poor collegiality and workplace relationships; the lack of organizational support and employment precariousness; and the career progression standards and expectations. At the individual life cycle level the interviewees referred to the theme of finding balance; at the same time, the gender structure was also a theme mentioned as an important career barrier in career success, particularly by the women interviewed.
Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations of this research is related to the impossibility of generalizability of its findings for the general population. Nevertheless, the researcher provides enough detail that grants the reader with the ability to judge of its similarity to other research contexts.
Practical implications
This research highlights the role played by distinct career barriers for a specific professional group: academics. This has implications for higher education policy-makers and for human resources managers in higher education institutions.
Originality/value
The current study extends the literature on career success by offering detailed anecdotal evidence on how negative work experiences might hinder career success. This research shows that to understand career barriers to success it is useful to consider multi-level factors: organizational-level factors (e.g. poor collegiality and workplace relationships); individual-level factors (e.g. life-cycle factors such as age/career stage); and structural-level factors (e.g. gender).
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Amélia Veiga, Maria João Rosa, Sónia Cardoso and Alberto Amaral
The purpose of this article is to discuss Portuguese academics’ views on quality assessment and the elements that are important for a better understanding of what ascribes meaning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to discuss Portuguese academics’ views on quality assessment and the elements that are important for a better understanding of what ascribes meaning to “quality cultures” in Portuguese higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The discussion was based on the results of a survey run in 2010 among Portuguese academics on quality assessment objectives and purposes. Descriptive statistics was used to investigate academics’ support to what quality assessment was supposed to guarantee (its purposes) and which should be its objectives. Furthermore, a factorial analysis using Promax rotation (oblique) was performed to investigate if the different purposes could be grouped according to the different areas they address in terms of quality assessment, helping to uncover a rationale that could explain the answers obtained. Theoretically, the results have been analysed in the light of the “quality culture” concept.
Findings
Perceptions of Portuguese academics that support internal processes of quality assurance correspond either to the responsive quality culture or the regenerative quality culture. The viable form of ideal cultures is analytically limited, and the perceptions gathered encourage “quality cultures” biased by stronger group control.
Originality/value
The paper offers new insights into academics’ perceptions on quality assessment, a theme that so far has been relatively absent from higher education quality assurance studies. Furthermore, the results obtained could be useful to policymakers and quality assurance agencies when setting up evaluation and accreditation systems capable of balancing improvement associated with the group dimension and accountability coupled with the grid dimension.
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Geir Sogn‐Grundvåg and Jens Østli
This study sets out to explore how consumers evaluate unbranded and unlabelled food products and to what extent they are able to select the products with the highest potential to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study sets out to explore how consumers evaluate unbranded and unlabelled food products and to what extent they are able to select the products with the highest potential to meet their expectations regarding eating quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The study focused on Portuguese consumers and their purchase of bacalhau, i.e. salted and dried cod, which is sold unpacked, unbranded and unlabelled in supermarkets. The collection of data encompassed observations of shoppers in supermarkets, individual interviews and focus groups with consumers, and a consumer panel that conducted quality assessments and rankings of nine different bacalhaus and subsequent taste assessments of the same products following desalting and cooking.
Findings
Results indicate that Portuguese consumers – in spite of substantial experience with buying, preparing and consuming bacalhau – are uncertain in their in‐store quality assessment. Shoppers used multiple criteria to assess the quality of the bacalhau, such as the appearance and dryness of the product. Some rather curious quality criteria that were not related to “objective” product quality were also discerned. Touching the dried and salted cod trying to “feel” the quality was common. Some even broke the fish tail to assess the dryness. Findings from the consumer panel showed large discrepancies between how the same products were assessed before and after desalting and cooking.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to one food product and one national market. Marketing implications, such as focus on packaging, quality labelling, and branding are discussed, as well as implications for future research.
Originality/value
The paper shows that although unlabelled and unbranded food products are common, relatively little research addressing how consumers assess such products in a wider sense, including which strategies consumers apply and to what extent they are able to select products that meet or exceed their expectations regarding eating quality, has been conducted. The paper also addresses the role cultural rules and rituals may play in the assessment of traditional food products such as bacalhau.
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Rafael Robina-Ramírez, José Amelio Medina-Merodio, Rosa Estriégana and Hector V. Jimenez-Naranjo
A model is proposed to develop happiness in the banking sector based on an improvement in the spirituality of employees.
Abstract
Purpose
A model is proposed to develop happiness in the banking sector based on an improvement in the spirituality of employees.
Design/methodology/approach
Following the Schwartz’s model for behavioural transformation, a new path has been proposed based on the development of the transcendent vision of work. The data obtained were analysed using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (SEM) method.
Findings
Contrary to the widespread idea that happiness is orientated towards the enjoyment of goods, bank employees prefer to develop spiritual values and resources that allow them to respond adequately to massive layoffs and pressures at work.
Research limitations/implications
The bank employees’ schedules made it difficult to organise group sessions. Multiple sessions prevented us all from interacting.
Practical implications
It is established a training strategy for the pursuit of happiness, to propose an engine for actions orientated towards happiness and to introduce transcendence and spirituality as requirements for finding happiness during daily work.
Social implications
There is a need to return to traditional values and principles in daily work. This will have a positive effect on communities and society.
Originality/value
A new concept has been coined: spiritual resources. This new variable can help to combat adversity by exploring the meaning of transcendence at work.
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Cláudia S. Sarrico and Margarida M. Pinheiro
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the quality and accreditation of management education by examining the fit between the characteristics of current…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the quality and accreditation of management education by examining the fit between the characteristics of current management academics in Portugal and recognised accreditation standards. For purposes of comparison, the authors use both general Portuguese teaching accreditation standards and specific international standards for management education.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyse indicators of staff career positioning, tenure status, full time vs part-time, age, degree qualifications, field of training, level of academic inbreeding, internationalisation, research activity, professional activity, and the number of hours taught per week. The authors also examine the relationship between them, in light of accreditation standards, for all academic staff teaching in management degrees submitted for compulsory accreditation by the Portuguese accreditation agency.
Findings
The reality found in this study shows gaps between the actual attributes of management academics and what can be considered appropriate attributes, according to the general consensus found in the literature and which is duly mirrored in common “qualified faculties” accreditation standards by Portuguese and international standards (AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS).
Research limitations/implications
The findings relate to the Portuguese situation and the analysis developed should be extended to other contexts. Also, while the data, which were collected through a census, has a wide national scope, it only covers one academic year.
Practical implications
This work has policy setting implications for degree accreditation and for developing capacity during the transitional periods when universities implement the mandatory minimum standards. It can also help universities to benchmark themselves against their peers as a diagnostic tool for elaborating improvement plans.
Social implications
The massification of higher education has led to legitimate concerns about the quality of the services provided, and consequently accreditation procedures were devised to restore trust. However, policy makers must be aware of the impacts of their actions, namely the effects of degree accreditation, as their goals need to be achieved with the minimum negative impact on academic work.
Originality/value
The authors work sheds light on the characteristics of those who teach management and how they align with the current accreditation policies that affect academia globally and, in the process, presents empirical evidence from Portugal, which is at a relatively early stage in the accreditation process.
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Carlos Páscoa, Nelson Ferreira and José Tribolet
The aim of this article is to: provide an overview of the role of organizational simulators as essential tools to assess, at early stages of the planning phase, organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to: provide an overview of the role of organizational simulators as essential tools to assess, at early stages of the planning phase, organizational objectives and strategy; propose recommendations on how to advance the subject area in terms of research and development; demonstrate that aeronautical concepts can be applied in the organizational context.
Design/methodology/approach
The article refers concepts and theories related with the subject and presents a methodology for social investigation, which was used in this research.
Findings
Organizational simulators have a fundamental role in organizational self-awareness because they help to control the organization's vital parameters, in a proactive manner, considering the creation of different scenarios that allow, beforehand, a predictive assessment.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides empirical evidence of use in the operational domain of the Portuguese Air Force and also an example of the valuable collaboration between real operations use and academia research. It also offers an insight, by using the metaphor “Flying the Organization”, on how flying concepts can be applied in the organizational context.
Practical implications
The research lab was done using Microsoft Excel in what was related to the simulator development. All relevant data was gathered from organization's information systems (IS) and inserted into Microsoft Excel. Future implementations should be integrated with the organization's IS.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the “state of art” of organizational simulators by providing a real case and provides both the entrepreneurial and academia communities for conducting future actions within this subject. The article also provides value to organizational management actors on how organizational simulators can be applied.
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Milena Carvalho, Michael Boock, Tania Yordanova Todorova, Susana Martins, Ines Braga and Cláudia Pinto
Surveying authors at doctoral-granting institutions of higher education in Portugal, the authors in this paper aim to seek to determine the extent to which Portuguese researchers…
Abstract
Purpose
Surveying authors at doctoral-granting institutions of higher education in Portugal, the authors in this paper aim to seek to determine the extent to which Portuguese researchers prefer that their work appears in open access journals or open access repositories resulting in improved access to quality, peer-reviewed scientific information and faster scientific and technological advances. The authors also seek to gauge Portuguese author's familiarity with open access, the importance they attach to open access when choosing a publication outlet, and to determine their preferences for achieving open access.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology adopted in this research is the case study. The case study intends to understand a complex social phenomenon through an in-depth study holistically. In May 2020, the authors distributed a survey to faculty in all academic ranks at 14 Portuguese higher education institutions to learn the extent to which Portuguese authors currently make their research openly available, ascertain their awareness of open access, their support of the European Union (EU) open access goal and their preferences for achieving open access.
Findings
Researchers at Portuguese universities overwhelmingly are aware of arguments in favor of open access and believe that open access benefits researchers in their fields. Portuguese researchers regularly publish in open access journals and deposit their papers in institutional or disciplinary repositories.
Research limitations/implications
16.7% of 740 potential respondents completed the survey. The relatively low response rate prevents extrapolations from being made to the universe. The study was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, due to the disruption created in all sectors, made data collection complex and delayed its subsequent treatment.
Originality/value
Similar studies have been conducted at individual universities and in particular disciplines to determine the degree to which their faculty authors are aware of open access, its benefits, and preferences for achieving it. A similar study of Bulgarian university authors was conducted in 2018. No previous study of Portuguese authors at institutions of higher education has been conducted. The results will be useful to Portuguese institutions of higher education and academic libraries to establish and revise open access outreach and implementation services that may be helpful to their faculty in meeting EU open access and funder open access requirements.
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Enrique Ogliastri, Carlos Pombo and Elvira Salgado
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the anniversary issue marking 30 years of academic publication.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the anniversary issue marking 30 years of academic publication.
Design/methodology/approach
This anniversary issue contains 12 articles from 11 countries and 17 academic institutions which present literature reviews, meta-analyses, and novel studies. It also contains testimonials about the history of the journal from Enrique Ogliastri (Editor and/or Director between 1998 and 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editor between 2002 and 2013), and Carlos Pombo (Chief Editor, 2013 to the present).
Findings
The history of the journal may be divided into five stages: first, the foundation at the Universidad de Chile (1988-1998); second, the move to the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá) and the preparation of a proposal to the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) for inclusion among the scientific journals of the world (1999-2004); third, a period of consolidation in Latin America (2004-2007); fourth, the acceptance of the journal in ISI and the development of an electronic platform with free access to the journal (2008-2013); and fifth, the entry of the Emerald group as editorial partner (2013-2018).
Originality/value
The 12 articles present literature reviews, meta-analyzes, and novel studies.
Propósito
El propósito de este editorial es presentar el tema del aniversario.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Se publican doce artículos provenientes de once países y 17 instituciones académicas. Se presentan los testimonios de Enrique Ogliastri (editor y/o director entre 1998 y 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editora entre 2002 y 2013), y Carlos Pombo (jefe editorial 2013-2018).
Hallazgos
Se publican doce artículos provenientes de once países y 17 instituciones académicas. Se presentan los testimonios de Enrique Ogliastri (editor y/o director entre 1998 y 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editora entre 2002 y 2013), y Carlos Pombo (jefe editorial 2013-2018). La historia de la revista de CLADEA se podría dividir en cinco etapas: la fundación en la Universidad de Chile (1988-1998); pasó a cargo de la Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá), un período de puesta a punto para presentar al Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) la solicitud de ser analizada e incluida entre las revistas científicas del mundo (1999-2004); el período de consolidación en América Latina (2004-2007); la aceptación en ISI y el desarrollo de una plataforma electrónica de acceso libre a la revista (2008-2013); y el ingreso del grupo Emerald como socio editorial (2013-2018).
Originalidad/valor
Los 12 artículos presentan revisiones de literatura, metanálisis y estudios novedosos
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