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Abstract

Details

Inquiring into Academic Timescapes
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-911-4

Article
Publication date: 22 August 2008

Gina 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…

3997

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.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 23 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2019

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.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 February 2016

Gina Gaio Santos

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…

5259

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).

Details

Career Development International, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2014

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.

Book part
Publication date: 21 November 2022

Hugo Horta

Academic inbreeding, whereby universities select their academic staff from among their own graduates, is a prevalent practice worldwide. This chapter presents a review of academic…

Abstract

Academic inbreeding, whereby universities select their academic staff from among their own graduates, is a prevalent practice worldwide. This chapter presents a review of academic inbreeding research and discusses its relevance to leadership. The definition of academic inbreeding is examined, including its rationale and conceptualization. Then, the mechanisms through which academic inbreeding comes to be and the mechanisms that sustain the practice are presented and elaborated upon. Empirical evidence about the effects of academic inbreeding on scholarly practices is considered. Considering that the effects of academic inbreeding tend to be mostly detrimental to a university which aims to be creative, proactive, engaged with external communities, and producing knowledge with the highest levels of quality, policies to deal with this phenomenon are needed. Leadership in this context faces often difficult challenges since the curtailing of academic inbreeding is necessary but often deeply entrenched in traditions, culture and norms, habitus and power structures of the universities.

Details

International Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-305-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2009

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…

2276

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.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 43 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 November 2021

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.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 April 2015

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.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 53 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 September 2013

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…

1209

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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