Entrepreneurial artisan products as regional tourism competitiveness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the role of entrepreneurial artisan products in regional tourism competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – This study applies secondary data from different sources (Regional Directorate of Statistics of Madeira, the Madeira Institute of Wine, Embroideries and Handicrafts) covering a temporal period spanning the last 15 years (2001-2015). This deployed quantitative data analysis through an econometric approach with recourse to regression models and the Pearson’s correlation technique. Findings – According to the results, it is suggested that in terms of external support and funding, there should be a greater role and a boost in the number of projects carried out not only under the auspices of the European Union but also under the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Thus, participant companies may invest in greater business efficiency and entrepreneurship, in innovation, promotion and the internationalisation of their products, and thereby obtain greater overall regional competitiveness. Research limitations/implications – The generalisation of results remains to a certain extent limited, given the findings stem from only one particular region. The exclusive utilisation of secondary data may also undermine the robustness of the results obtained. Originality/value – The study provides empirical evidence that helps in identifying the role of artisan products within the capacity for regional tourism sector entrepreneurship and competitiveness. Furthermore, this also contributes to the knowledge of the scientific community particularly interested in artisan and cultural entrepreneurship and regional competitiveness in the tourism sector.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intrapatient variability of the pupillary pain index to remifentanil

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tourist events and satisfaction: a product of regional tourism competitiveness

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the contribution of tourist event and satisfaction with tourism events as a product of regional tourism competitiveness, as well as evaluate factors of competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The research followed a quantitative methodology by conducting a questionnaire on the four largest tourist events in Madeira (Carnival, Flower Festival, Atlantic Festival and Wine Festival), an insular island located in Portugal. Findings – The sample consisted of 2,262 tourists surveyed during the year 2017 and structural equation models were used as the statistical method. Results showed that satisfaction is reflected in the client’s loyalty to the choice of a tourist destination and also contributes directly and indirectly to the regional tourist competitiveness. Originality/value – This study contributes to the valorization of local and regional events, perceived by the level of satisfaction and loyalty of tourists, as products of regional competitiveness of a tourist destination.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A systematic literature review on family business: insights from an Asian context

Purpose – Family firms have been the subject of various scientific studies. This interest derives not only from their unique characteristics in terms of their management but more specifically in terms of their succession in a dimension that does not impact on other companies in the same way. Hence, and as a complex field of research, this study seeks to map out and analyse the intellectual knowledge on research into family firms in Asian contexts. Design/methodology/approach – As regards the statistical and analytical methods, the authors made recourse to the bibliometric, co-citation and cluster analysis techniques. In order to evaluate any potential patterns among the articles, the authors analysed the ways in which the articles are jointly cited. This furthermore applied hierarchical cluster analysis to the totality of the articles subject to co-citation analysis within the scope of grouping the interrelated articles into distinct sets. In order to graphically map the bibliographic co-citation analysis, the authors deployed the network and cluster determination theories. Findings – The results enabled the identification and the classification of various theoretical perspectives on the domain of family firms into four main approaches: (1) family business behaviour; (2) family versus non-family CEOs; (3) business family performance; and (4) business family and people. Originality/value – This study identifies, explores, analyses and summarises the main themes, contributing towards deepening the literature through the means of identifying the priority areas in relation to Asian family businesses able to guarantee international standards of excellence in comparison with their respective competitors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Remifentanil analgesic interpatient variability assessed through pupillary reflex dilation

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Laccase production by free and immobilized fungal mycelium of Trametes versicolor

The production of laccase by free and immobilized mycelium of Trametes versicolor was evaluated. Fermentation experiments were carried out using a Trametes defined medium [1] supplemented with tween-80 (0.5%, w/v) and xylidine (30 μM) to stimulate and induce the secretion of extracellular enzyme. The support for the mycelium immobilization consisted in 0.3 cm3 cubes of synthetic fiber (Scotch Brite, 3M Spain, SA), which were added to the culture system at 1 g/100 mL of medium. Assays were performed in 250-mL Erlenmeyer flasks and in a 2 L stirred tank bioreactor. For the flasks fermentations, three 7 mm diameter plugs from the fungal monoculture plate were inoculated into 50 mL culture medium in the presence or not of the immobilization support. For the assays in bioreactor, the volume of inoculum necessary to obtain an initial cell concentration of 70 mg/L was transferred to the reactor containing 1 L of culture medium with or without the immobilization support. In both cases, the fungus was incubated at 28 °C and 180 rpm. During the experiments, samples were periodically withdrawn for laccase and glucose determinations. Synthetic fiber was used as immobilization support since this material was demonstrated to be of great potential for fungi immobilization [2]. Additionally, many studies have demonstrated that fermentation systems with immobilized cells are able to increase the process productivity. However, the laccase production by T. versicolor (present study) did not show this performance. In both systems (Erlenmeyer flasks and bioreactor), the highest laccase production was obtained when using free mycelium. Additionally, the maximum laccase production obtained in bioreactor was lower than the maximum found in Erlenmeyer-flasks, suggesting that the conditions used in the bioreactor should be optimized to increase the laccase production results. Due to the great importance of the laccases in the industrial sector, more studies will be performed aiming to find a strategy to maximize the production of this enzyme by T. versicolo

Laccase production by free and immobilized mycelia of Peniophora cinerea and Trametes versicolor: a comparative study

The production of laccase by immobilized mycelia of Peniophora cinerea and Trametes versicolor was studied. In an initial stage, experimental assays were performed in Erlenmeyer flasks using free and immobilized mycelium, and the performance of the fungal strains to produce the enzyme was compared. Both fungi adhered into the support material (a synthetic fiber), growing not only on the surface but also in the interspaces of the fibers. Immobilization of P. cinerea provided a 35-fold increase in laccase production when compared to the production obtained by using free mycelium. On the other hand, immobilization of T. versicolor caused a decrease in laccase activity. A comparison between the strains revealed that immobilized P. cinerea (3,500 U/L) surpassed the enzyme production by free T. versicolor (800 U/L). When the conditions that gave the best laccase production to each fungus were employed in a stirred tank bioreactor, very low laccase production was observed for both the cases, suggesting that shear stress and mycelia damage caused by the agitation impellers negatively affected the enzyme production.S.C. Silverio acknowledges the financial support from FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e para a Tecnologia, Ph.D. grant SFRH/BD/43439/2008), Portugal; and S. Moreira acknowledges CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico), Brazil