Telecommuting potential analysis

Commuting is a problem for developed societies that translates into economic, social and environmental losses. This study is set to explore the potential of telecommuting. The empirical study started with interviews to build a survey that was answered by 126 Lisbon commuters. Results show interviewees perceived telecommuting consequences are in line with extant research and that attitudes towards telecommuting (productivity, and cost savings) are predictors of the intention to accept telecommuting offers. Likewise, professional tenure and work-to-home stress foster a more favourable attitude related to productivity / quality of working life while displacement mode (active) and home-to-work stress foster a more favourable attitude related with cost savings. The study concludes that there is considerable potential for telecommuting and that the process of implementing telecommuting as an HRM policy is doable based on the attitudes identified in the model developed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Does customer-based reputation add to social and mass media reputation in judging social responsibility of banks?

Purpose: Reputation is a critical asset for finance and banking organizations where the mere suspicion of a problem suffices to trigger media turmoil with high risk of market share losses. Investing in media to build reputation has been therefore a priority for banks. However, another source of reputation may stem from direct front-office contact and it is yet unknown to which extent it plays a role when confronted with the widespread social and mass media reach. This study aims at testing the extent of the importance of customer-based reputation, as against media-based reputation, in explaining customer outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preliminary analysis of differentially expressed genes involved in meat tenderness in Angus and Nelore beef cattle.

ISCB-Latin America 2014. Pôster O10

Clinicians’ perceptions of Norwegian women’s experiences of infertility diseases

Background: Norway has one of the best health systems in the world. However, it has a low birth rate, which decreased by 21.2% between 2009 and 2018, and one of the highest rates of infertility prevalence. The aim of this study is to understand how Norwegian doctors perceive female infertility diseases, namely those that are more difficult to diagnose and to treat, and that are more common in their practice. Method: Descriptive qualitative study was conducted with gynecologists and general practitioners. The sample resulted from the establishment of five criteria and on the doctors’ acceptance to participate in this study. Our sample comprised thirteen highly qualified and experienced doctors. Qualitative content analysis was the method chosen to analyze the collected data. Results: Clinical diseases (polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and vulvodynia) and consequences of these diseases were the pinpointed themes. These led to a set of sub-themes: the main symptoms and the treatment of the diseases, from the perspective of both women and doctors (stigmatization, disturbances in women’s daily life, diagnostic delay, and governmental support). Conclusions: The three most relevant disorders mentioned were polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and vulvodynia. These diseases cause several impacts on the lives of women, because they feel stigmatized and limited in their daily life and sexuality, and the diagnosis of these diseases takes too much time. Governments should better redistribute the financing of women’s health and allocate resources to specialized centers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A proposal of an analytical conflict management model for the Chinese context

China’s culture is different from Western cultures, with various implications including conflict management styles. Many conflict management studies have been based in a set of models with the same or similar assumptions, namely two axis related with concern for self and concern for the other or for the relationship with the other, that produce four or five conflict management styles (e.g., Rahim 2002). However, those similar models do not reflect China’s culture. This study aims to create a model for conflict management styles structure definition that is adapted to Chinese culture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Web semântica na Embrapa: o próximo desafio da gestão do conhecimento.

Um problema que enfrentamos hoje na Web é que junto com a informação que buscamos, retorna uma quantidade de informações irrelevantes. Projetada pelos idealizadores da Web, a Web Semântica propõe-se a estruturar a rede de forma que seus dados possam ser compreendidos por qualquer computador nela conectado, refinando essa busca e filtrando do conhecimento que nos interessa, aliviando a sobrecarga de informação com o aumento da precisão

Optical limiting behavior of bismuth oxide-based glass in the visible range

The authors report experimental results on the optical limiting behavior of a bismuth oxide-based glass by exciting the samples with nanosecond laser pulses at 532 and 598 nm. The results show that two-photon and free-carrier absorption processes contribute for the nonlinear absorption. Values for β, the two-photon absorption coefficient, and σe, the absorption cross section due to free carriers, were determined. The values for β and σe are dependent on the amount of bismuth oxide in the glass composition

Analyzing the determinants of e-commerce in small and medium-sized enterprises: a cognition-driven framework

The increasing use of information technology in enterprises’ daily operations has led to multiple innovative ways to run a business, including electronic commerce (hereafter, e-commerce). However, firms with fewer resources, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are more reluctant to use electronic channels during transactions. This aversion to contemporary business models is a result of these companies’ lack of knowledge and capabilities regarding e-commerce. To improve their businesses, SMEs’ managers and decision makers could benefit from a methodological framework that fosters a deeper understanding of the determinants of e-commerce. This study sought to explore the use of fuzzy cognitive mapping to address this need. The results are grounded in the knowledge and experience of a panel of experts in e-commerce. The fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) developed shows that entrepreneur profile, market, operational management, marketing and promotions, website and digital platform, and products present the highest centrality indices as determinants of SME e-commerce. The findings offer a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between these determinants. The advantages, limitations, and shortcomings of our constructivist proposal are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chiropractic Manipulation: Reasons for Concern?

Chiropractic's popularity is rising among the general population. Moreover, few studies have been conducted to properly evaluate its safety. We report three cases of serious neurological adverse events in patients treated with chiropractic manipulation. The first case is a 41 years old woman who developed a vertebro-basilar stroke 48 h after cervical manipulation. The second case represents a 68 years old woman who presented a neuropraxic injury of both radial nerves after three sessions of spinal manipulation. The last case is a 34 years old man who developed a cervical epidural haematoma after a chiropractic treatment for neck pain. In all three cases there were criteria to consider a causality relation between the neurological adverse events and the chiropractic manipulation. The described serious adverse events promptly recommend the implementation of a risk alert system

Bounded rationality in decision making: Biases in managers of the Portuguese port sector

Decision-making is a multidisciplinary and ubiquitous phenomenon in organizations, and it can be observed at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Decision making plays, however, an increasingly important role for the manager, whose cognitive competence is reflected in his ability to identify potential opportunities, to immediately detect and solve the problems he faces, and to predict and prevent future threats. Nevertheless, to what extent do managers of the most diverse sectors continue to rely on false knowledge when they have better strategies at their disposal? The present article proposes the diagnosis of three prominent biases – overconfidence, optimism, and anchoring effect – in managers of the Portuguese port sector, as well as a comparative analysis with the conclusions already documented in relation to the Brazilian civil construction sector. In addition, this paper also provides a set of measures capable of contributing to the mitigation of the effects of these and other biases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio