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1 – 10 of 30Maria Manuela Cruz-Cunha, Isabel Miranda, Nuno Lopes and Ricardo Simoes
The health and social care sector is receiving growing attention due to the increased life expectancy and to the public demand for a better quality of life and better health…
Abstract
Purpose
The health and social care sector is receiving growing attention due to the increased life expectancy and to the public demand for a better quality of life and better health services. New cost-efficient approaches are required, and the paper aims to present and discuss the main results of a study undertaken in a Portuguese municipality on the perceived relevance of an e-marketplace of social and healthcare services for the inhabitants in general, and for people with special needs in particular, and the identification of the most relevant services to be offered through this platform.
Design/methodology/approach
A wide survey was undertaken to identify the needs of potential users and their expectancies with relation to the proposed platform. The results of the study are a support for the project promoters to understand the viability of the solution and the requirements to the deployment of the pilot experiment, as well as to drive the selection of domains of activities/classes of services to be offered by the platform.
Findings
Services such as information about healthcare services, home monitoring/accompanying services 24 hours per day, and personal hygiene services provided at home are the ones recognized by the inquired citizens as the most important, which indicates that the potential users will be mostly people with special needs or their family or caregivers.
Originality/value
While still at a preliminary development phase, the project represents a good opportunity to develop a totally innovative service with high potential impact for the senior population and for individuals with special needs.
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Pedro Simões Coelho, Paulo Rita and Ricardo F. Ramos
This paper analyzes previously unmeasured effects of a response to a service incident called “benevolent” within the customer –firm relationship.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyzes previously unmeasured effects of a response to a service incident called “benevolent” within the customer –firm relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was administered to telecommunication customers in a Western European country, and the model was estimated using partial least squares (PLS).
Findings
This study shows that the customer–firm relationship is surprisingly affected by the response to expected incidents that the customer interprets as acts of benevolence or opportunism. This research also shows that the firm's incident response interpreted as benevolence or opportunism has an effect that merely positive or negative events do not. Acts of benevolence response towards an incident positively affect customer–firm relationship quality, and expectations of such acts may lead to an upward spiral in customer commitment.
Originality/value
While benevolence trust has been proposed and studied before, the response to incidents interpreted as benevolent or opportunistic and their consequences have been under-studied, hence exhibiting a research gap.
研究目的
在公司與顧客之間的關係的範疇內, 公司對服務事故所作的被稱為仁慈的反應的影響不曾被測量; 本研究擬就該反應的影響進行分析和探討。
研究設計/方法/理念
研究以問卷方式進行¸ 對象為一個西歐國家裏的電訊服務客戶。研究人員使用偏最小平方法作估算, 設計有關的模型。
研究結果
研究結果顯示、若顧客對公司就預期的事故所作的反應看作是仁慈的話, 又或相反地視為是投機主義所驅使的, 則公司與顧客之間的關係會出人意表地受到影響。研究結果亦顯示、顧客的仁慈、抑或是投機主義的闡釋和理解所帶來的影響, 與單純積極正面事件或消極負面事件所帶來的影響是不一樣的。公司對事件仁厚的回應會給予顧客之間的關係的質量帶來正面的影響; 而且, 對這種回應的預期、或會給客戶承諾帶來螺旋上升。
研究的原創性/價值
對仁厚之信賴曾被提出並作探討。唯對被視為仁慈的或機會主義作祟的反應所作的研究則不足, 這方面實存研究缺口。
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André Feliciano Lino, Ricardo Rocha de Azevedo and Guilherme Simões Belote
This article analysed how data collection systems (DCS) developed by governmental audit organizations (Court of Accounts) affect budgetary planning within local governments.
Abstract
Purpose
This article analysed how data collection systems (DCS) developed by governmental audit organizations (Court of Accounts) affect budgetary planning within local governments.
Design/methodology/approach
Eighteen semi-structured interviews complemented by six time-lagged interviews via WhatsApp were carried out with the actors involved in the preparation and auditing of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in Brazilian local governments. Documents such as the structured layouts of Courts' DCS and the publicised MTEF prepared by local governments were also analysed.
Findings
The findings indicate that Courts' DCS structured layouts reduce local governments' budgetary planning autonomy in elaborating their MTEF. It happens as the Courts' main driver is to make MTEF information auditable and not to improve the usefulness of information by governments. As a result, the planning choices of the local governments end up limited, not by the general legislation but by the rules established by the computerized systems of the Courts.
Originality/value
The paper's originality relies on demonstrating that the digitalisation of audit processes ultimately affects local governments' practices through structured layouts for the data collection on MTEF information - that impose rigidity on the budget planning process of local governments. The authors highlight the role of public sector auditing organisations as potential catalysts of reforms; however, this should be considered cautiously since the drivers and motivations of the organisation that sponsors public financial management reforms matter for overall reform effectiveness.
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Marina Bastos Carvalhais Barroso, Ricardo Silveira Martins and Jonathan Simões Freitas
This study aims to demonstrate a rigorous approach to applying the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and Honey’s Content Analysis (HCA) to obtain and process qualitative data through…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to demonstrate a rigorous approach to applying the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and Honey’s Content Analysis (HCA) to obtain and process qualitative data through structured interviews.
Design/methodology/approach
An illustrative case study using the OpenRepGrid package from the open-source software R facilitates a deeper understanding of these techniques. The study subjects were employees of a corporate charter company.
Findings
The RGT enables the identification of key attributes as perceived by interviewees regarding the phenomenon, whereas HCA clarifies how these attributes impact the desired analysis outcome. The presented case study identified constructs related to the client–supplier relationship and their impact on service performance from the provider’s perspective.
Research limitations/implications
This study illustrates the use of qualitative methods based on an interpretative naturalistic approach to rigorously and systematically capture interviewees’ perspectives.
Practical implications
The combination of RGT and HCA can be a valuable tool for management studies by allowing controlled researcher interference in empirical investigations. In addition, the data-driven selection of constructs by interviewees can lead to the emergence of novel theories.
Social implications
Using diverse methodologies enables researchers to address complex managerial challenges that often surpass the capabilities of conventional analysis methods.
Originality/value
The proposed methodology offers a robust understanding of phenomena from the interviewees’ perspectives. Consequently, this study highlights the potential of these techniques for theoretical and empirical research in the field of administration.
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Laís Rodrigues, Alessandra de Sá Mello da Costa and Marcus Wilcox Hemais
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how, in three different contexts, the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation narratively uses its past to build an official…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze how, in three different contexts, the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation narratively uses its past to build an official history concerning its origins that legitimates advertising self-control as a hegemonic narrative.
Design/methodology/approach
By using the historical research and the “uses of the past” approach, this study identifies, analyzes and confronts three organizational histories of Conar’s origins (both its official and unofficial versions) in the context of the creation of the Brazilian system of advertising self-regulation.
Findings
After a thematic analysis of the documentary sources, the narratives on the National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation’s origins and the self-control process were grouped into three versions: the narrative under the military regime: 1976/1980; the narrative during the process of re-democratization of the country: 1981/1991 and the contemporary narrative: from 2005 onwards. These narratives were confronted and, in consequence, provided, each of them, a different interpretation of the context surrounding the creation and justification for advertising self-control.
Originality/value
The study shows how a consumer defense organization re-historicized its past strategically to gain legitimacy in three different ways through time. It also reveals that organizations strategically use their past to build an intended vision of the future, thus having more agency than the hegemonic literature in management studies usually guarantees. Finally, it exposes the malleability of past narratives through which organizations play a critical role in the ongoing struggle for competing uses of the past. Therefore, the study identifies different organizational stories through time that allow researchers to reflect on several strategic uses of the past by organizations.
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Ricardo Martins, Janaina Siegler, Jonathan Simões Freitas, Laysse Fernanda Macêdo dos Santos, Marina Bastos Carvalhais Barroso and Roberta de Cássia Macedo
This paper aims to explain and demonstrate how the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and Honey’s Content Analysis (HCA) can make new contributions to the field of Operations and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explain and demonstrate how the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and Honey’s Content Analysis (HCA) can make new contributions to the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM). The proposition involves integrating these complementary analyses to fortify the rigor of qualitative research and establish robust data analysis protocols to identify the main attributes of interviewees regarding a phenomenon while understanding in their perspective how these attributes impact the desired analysis outcome.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses examples with rich empirical data from 40 interviewees across two organizations. The examples use a protocol that allows the grouping of meanings from different knowledgeable individuals and capturing relevant constructs related to an outcome.
Findings
The combination of RGT and HCA permits researchers to effectively identify and analyze the constructs individuals and groups utilize to comprehend the subject matter under investigation. Consequently, these techniques present a structured means to conduct grounded theory investigations and interpretive research, thereby enabling the iterative development of the preliminary conceptual models necessary for OSCM field advancement.
Originality/value
We present two examples in which the protocol is applied to the field of OSCM. These examples illustrate that the techniques provide valuable opportunities for OSCM research, particularly for addressing the limitations related to sample size. Ultimately, RGT and HCA complement quantitative methodologies by uncovering nuanced variations and micro-foundations within firm- and network-level phenomena, offering insights essential for advancing our understanding of OSCM dynamics in specific contexts.
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Luís Sanhudo, João Poças Martins, Nuno M.M. Ramos, Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida, Ana Rocha, Débora Pinto, Eva Barreira and M. Lurdes Simões
This paper aims to further the discussion on Building Information Modelling (BIM) legal requirements, providing a framework with key energy parameters capable of supporting the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to further the discussion on Building Information Modelling (BIM) legal requirements, providing a framework with key energy parameters capable of supporting the Appointing Party in the definition of the Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) for a BIM project appointment. The EIR is described in ISO-19650–1:2018 as a fundamental step in the information delivery cycle.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review on the topic of BIM energy analysis was completed to identify current knowledge gaps and support the need for the proposed framework. Afterwards, the framework was established based on the review findings and the authors’ domain knowledge. The applicability of the proposed framework was assessed through a case study, where several energy simulations were performed in three different design stages of the same BIM model.
Findings
This study identified a lack of standards and legislation capable of supporting the Appointing Party in the definition of energy-related BIM requirements. To this end, a new framework is proposed to mediate existing practices, linking prior knowledge with BIM’s new reality. The study showcases the applicability of the framework, identifying that the performance of different energy studies involves distinct Level of Development (LOD) requirements, which in turn have an impact on the modelling time and cost.
Originality/value
A BIM framework for the specification of information requirements in energy-related projects was developed to support the Appointing Party. The framework presents appropriate parameters for energy analysis in each design stage, as well as the suitable LOD for the BIM model.
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Camila Simoes, Parag Chatterjee, Lucía Paola Lemes, Andreína Tesis, Franco La Paz, Gonzalo Cuñarro, María Belén Masset, Vanessa Yelós, Mariano Parodi, Juan Cardelino and Ricardo Armentano
In times when digitized and blended learning paradigms are getting more profuse, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially changed the dynamics of this program, forcing all the courses…
Abstract
Purpose
In times when digitized and blended learning paradigms are getting more profuse, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially changed the dynamics of this program, forcing all the courses to migrate to virtual modality. This study highlights the biological engineering courses at the University of the Republic (Universidad de la República) in Uruguay pertaining to the adaptations to virtual learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzing its impact through the courses taught in the virtual setting.
Design/methodology/approach
Global education has seen a significant paradigm shift over the last few years, changing from a specialized approach to a broader transdisciplinary approach. Especially in life sciences, different fields of specializations have started to share a common space in the area of applied research and development. Based on this transdisciplinary approach, the Biological Engineering program was designed at the University of the Republic (Universidad de la República), Uruguay.
Findings
The new challenges posed by the virtual modality on the pedagogical areas like course design, teaching methodologies and evaluations and logistical aspects like laboratory-setting have sparked a considerable change in different aspects of the courses. However, despite the changes to virtual modality in this year, the student-performance showed an overall improvement compared to the last year.
Originality/value
With the changing direction of pedagogy and research in biological engineering across the world, it is quintessential to adapt university courses to the same, promoting an environment where the scientific and engineering disciplines merge and the learning methodologies lead to a dynamic and adaptive ubiquitous learning environment.
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Gustavo Silva, Leandro F. Pereira, José Crespo Carvalho, Rui Vinhas da Silva and Ana Simoes
This study aims to conduct a pertinent assessment of the concept of business competitiveness and how Portugal can progress in that field, for the sake of becoming a more…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conduct a pertinent assessment of the concept of business competitiveness and how Portugal can progress in that field, for the sake of becoming a more sustainable and wealth-creator economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was elaborated with 65 in-depth interviews with expert persons from the Portuguese business ecosystem, who were asked to reflect on the state of the economy and competitiveness of the country.
Findings
There is much room for improvement in almost all areas of activity, in particular by promoting an innovative, value-adding and exporting private sector and a lighter and more efficient public sector. The conclusions point to modernisation of the Portuguese economy as a way of making it more competitive in a highly competitive and demanding global scenario.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time that a reflection with experts of the local Portuguese economy has been carried out, especially after a difficult period of COVID.
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