Remote work and human resources challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic scenario: The cases of Italy and Portugal.

This study presents the preliminary results of a European project (EURECA) being carried out in Italy and Portugal. One of its aims is to understand the role of remote work arising from the recent pandemic. The question that drove this research was: What is the role of remote work resulting from the emergent changes of the 2019 pandemic scenario in Portuguese and Italian organisations?. Case studies were used as the methodological approach, and the qualitative and inductive work directed the research, guided by the assumptions of practice-based theory. Thus, interviews were conducted with human resource managers and/or directors of companies/public institutions. So far, the sample comprises 16 organisations. The results show that before the crisis, which lasted about two years, most organisations did not engage in remote work. Afterwards, human resources practices had to adapt to this new reality, and hybrid work (a combination of remote and face-to-face work) is currently present in most of the organisations studied. New challenges are also appearing in this area, including new information systems, career management, and training and performance evaluation, among others. Hence, this new model of work design also brings new challenges to organisations and management. The implications pressing issue are several: practical (for management and organisations); theoretical (new inputs on HR practices, remote working and change management); and methodological (reinforcing the importance of case studies and practice-based theory in a comparative analysis of the Portuguese and Italian contexts). Avenues for further research are also proposed

Expero: A model to evaluate the quality of the learning outcome in higher technical education courses based on stakeholders\u2019 expectations and perceptions

The book describes the first version of Expero model, derived from a two years European Project funded by LdV. The project results has been included in EU best practices and it reaches a 9/10 score by National Agency. The model aims to analyze the quality of the learning outcome in vocational education. It includes three level of stakeholders, internal, external and students. It approaches quality from the psychological point of view as a comparison between expectations and perception, where also school imagine has its relevance. The book dedicates a first part to the literature analysis of quality, exposing in depth also the psychological topics of Service quality, customer satisfaction, expectation and perception. The second part of the book describes the Expero model and the third part the data collected in the European schools in which it has been tested. The final part contains the evaluation of the model by external referees

The multi-sensory sort (MuSeS): a new projective technique to investigate and improve the brand image

Purpose \u2013 In the literature, there is a lack of tools able to catch the symbolic dimension of the brand image, which go beyond rational and emotional dimensions. This paper aims to find and test a new instrument, named \u201cMulti-Sensory Sort\u201d (MuSeS). Design/methodology/approach \u2013 MuSeS, a direct methodology of exploring the consumer's symbolic universe and the unconscious expectations, is composed of a set of projective techniques based on multi-sensory stimuli. Findings \u2013 The results showed how MuSeS allows one to collect in-depth data, otherwise difficult to obtain through other kinds of surveys. Practical implications \u2013 MuSeS is able to measure both the consumers' perceptions about the brand image concept (its potentials) and the characteristics that the customer wishes to find in the brand image (brand image future development). Originality/value \u2013 Most of the tools created to investigate the brand image are based on questionnaires with attitude scales; this assumes that the brand image is a conscious and fully verbalized construct. The paper started from another assumption, trying to measure the non-verbal and the unconscious brand image aspects, using instruments derived both from psychology and marketing

Under the Reputation Umbrella: an Integrative and Multidisciplinary Review for Corporate Image, Projected Image, Construed Image, Organizational Identity, and Organizational Culture

Purpose of this paper: Currently, in literature, words such as \u201ccorporate image,\u201d \u201cprojected image,\u201d \u201cconstrued image,\u201d \u201creputation,\u201d \u201corganizational identity,\u201d and \u201corganizational culture\u201d are often confused and superimposed. This creates a conceptual mismatch that leads to results that are hard to compare. Moreover, this leads to difficulty in individuating the correct tools to investigate these constructs. Part of this confusion is due to the lack of a framework shared by different literatures. The aim of this paper is, firstly, to propose a reasoned review of the literatures related to these constructs. Secondly, we propose a new framework and a standard terminology, in which reputation is the wider construct that includes and relates to the others. Design/methodology/approach: We did an extensive and multidisciplinary review in the twelve most used databases within corporate communication, organizational psychology, marketing, organizational studies, management, and business. A semiotic and relational approach was implemented as modus operandi. Findings: We built upon the previous literature clarifying labels and constructs and identifying a standard terminology, on which future studies can refer to in order to facilitate a multidisciplinary dialog along different disciplines. What is original/value of paper: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first review that takes into consideration all of these seven constructs together and relates them within one framework. Moreover, it uses a novel approach in seeing \u201creputation\u201d as an umbrella construct under which all the other constructs are grouped and included

Dal ServQual al ServPerval

La misurazione della qualit\ue0 del servizio \ue8 probabilmente uno degli ambiti di ricerca pi\uf9 sviluppati in marketing, ma, al contempo, anche uno dei pi\uf9 frammentari. Questo articolo si propone di analizzare i quattro modelli che hanno rivoluzionato la letteratura del settore (il ServQual, il ServPerf, la \u201cScuola Europea\u201d e il ServPerval), i quali si distaccano molto da ogni altro modello, per il loro impatto teorico e pratico. Si introdurr\ue0 dapprima la definizione di qualit\ue0 percepita, per poi presentare e comparare i quattro modelli. Nella parte finale dell\u2019articolo vengono riportate alcune considerazioni sullo stato attuale della ricerca e sullo sviluppo di altri modelli derivati