Information Relevance and Availability: Toward Effective Management of Projects in Public Sector

Information plays a critical role in the different stages of managing a project. This study examines the views of one hundred and two (102) Portuguese Public sector officials on the relevance, availability and sharability of information as practiced in their organizations. Cluster analysis, gap analysis and confirmatory factor analysis procedures are utilized to analyze the collected data. The results of this study tend to underscore the growing need to have well- designed information systems, which are capable of enhancing the availability and promoting the sharability of relevant information

The impact of customer personality and online brand community engagement on intention to forward company and users generated content: palestinian banking industry a case

Personality five characteristics are playing crucial role on intention to forward Online Company Generated Content and user generated content mediated by online brand community engagement. This paper is applied on a case of banking industry in order to perceive a long run relationship between banks operating in Palestine and their customers. The total of 685 valid questionnaires were collected from online banking sector in Palestine, who is member of online brand community in Facebook. Moreover, the data were analysed and processed by structural equation model. The results reveal that personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) have positive influence on online brand community engagement. It also found that online brand community engagement plays vital role in inducing clients to forward CGC and UGC. Simultaneously, the results provide banks with a valuable implication on how banking industry can attract more customers in online brand community website and perceived trust of banks services and products

Performance Measurements Utilizations Among Iranian and Portuguese Manufacturing Organizations: Similarities and Differences

This study compares the extent of utilization of five performance dimensions in the manufacturing organizations in Iran and Portugal. These dimensions include Financial, Product Quality and Customer Satisfaction, Quality and Independence of Management, Human Resource Management, and Social Responsibility. Results show that while there are some similarities among the two groups of participants in the two countries, there are major differences. These differences are particularly evident in the ranking of the performance measures, which could be attributed to the differences in the business culture. The similarities, however, might be linked to the global nature of doing business, which is competition-drive

Social Sustainability Strategy Across the Supply Chain: A Conceptual Approach From the Organisational Perspective

Much of the existing literature on the social aspects of sustainability in the supply chain has focused on dyadic buyer-supplier relationships. However, supply chains are much more extensive, featuring multi-tiered systems consisting of many interconnected sequential and parallel dyadic relationships; therefore, a more expansive and holistic approach to exploring the management and integration of social sustainability standards across the extended supply chain is desirable. This research attempts to help fill this void and considers the extent to which a series of sequential upstream and downstream supply chain partners, rather than only a focal organization’s immediate suppliers and buyers, influence the formulation process of the social aspects of a sustainability strategy and the deployment of associated practices across the extended supply chain. Findings in the literature indicate that, inter alia, sustainability efforts in the supply chain are likely to be guided by stakeholders’ sustainability desires/requirements, the geographical location of buyers and suppliers and the associated sustainability enforcement regulations and cultural norms, and the volume of trade between the buyer and supplier. This paper uses the results gleaned from a review of the literature to propose a conceptual framework for selection of sustainability strategy across the multi-tiered supply chain. Finally, we introduce a conceptual approach to the process of implementing and deploying the social aspects of sustainability strategies and practices across the supply chain using an integrated social-sustainability information management system (ISIMS)

Effect of oral administration and topical application of melissa officinalis ethanolic extract on wound healing and serum biochemical changes in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Background and purpose: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with several complications, such as delayed wound healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral administration and topical application of hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis on cutaneous wound healing and serum biochemical changes in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: In this experimental study thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of control, diabetic control, and diabetic treatment. After anesthesia, full-thickness pieces of skin (25×25 mm) were removed from upper dorsal part of the rats. Subsequently, 24 h after the operation, the wounds of the diabetic group were locally treated with topical application of 5% cream and oral administration of Melissa officinalis extract (2500 mg/kg) was performed by gavage, daily for three weeks. The control and diabetic control groups received no treatment. The wound surface areas were measured using linear and photographic methods on days 4, 7, 14, and 21. Incisional biopsies were performed to evaluate the wound healing rate and for histopathologic examination. Finally, blood samples were taken to measure the serum glucose level and biochemical factors including triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase using standard methods. Results: According to the results, administration of Melissa officinalis extract significantly reduced glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and creatine phosphokinase levels in the diabetic group (P<0.05). Additionally, the histopathological study showed that the collagen fibers density and wound healing increased in the diabetic treatment group. Conclusion: As the findings indicated, oral and topical administrations of Melissa officinalis extract accelerated the wound healing process and may act as an cardioprotective agent

Strategies employed by e-commerce firms in Portugal : an empirical investigation

A survey integrating different theoretical views of value creation was developed, then sent to Portuguese e-ommerce firms to assess the underlying dimensions and the most important characteristics of their e-Commerce strategies. The survey was sent to 188 firms in 2007 and repeated in 2010 to validate the results, obtaining a total sample of 62 e-Commerce firms. Through factorial analysis, three e-Commerce strategy dimensions were identified: one relates to differentiation via marketing based on reputation and brand identification, in which advertising and innovation in marketing techniques and methods are important; a second differentiation dimension focuses on product development and is supported by technical capabilities; and a cost leadership dimension which uses strategic networks to obtain economies of scale and scope, and exploits technological advancements to reduce transaction costs

Revisiting the applicability of porter’s model to the portuguese manufacturing : a departure from traditional strategies

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategies utilized in the Portuguese manufacturing environment, and to compare the results with those of a similar study conducted in 1993. Self-administered surveys were employed and a total sample of 229 firms were used for the analysis. The responses were factor analyzed to establish patterns of strategic behaviours. In comparison with 1993, today’s Portuguese manufacturing firms are using more product development and innovation in order to offer many new customized products to different markets. In most cases, they are capitalizing on flexible manufacturing to achieve more depth and breadth in their product lines

The impact of customer personality and online brand community engagement on intention to forward company and users generated content: palestinian banking industry a case

Personality five characteristics are playing crucial role on intention to forward Online Company Generated Content and user generated content mediated by online brand community engagement. This paper is applied on a case of banking industry in order to perceive a long run relationship between banks operating in Palestine and their customers. The total of 685 valid questionnaires were collected from online banking sector in Palestine, who is member of online brand community in Facebook. Moreover, the data were analysed and processed by structural equation model. The results reveal that personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) have positive influence on online brand community engagement. It also found that online brand community engagement plays vital role in inducing clients to forward CGC and UGC. Simultaneously, the results provide banks with a valuable implication on how banking industry can attract more customers in online brand community website and perceived trust of banks services and product

The role of customer online brand experience in customers' intention to forward online company-generated content: The case of the Islamic online banking sector in Palestine

The purpose of this study is twofold: Firstly, to assess the impact of customer online brand experience (COBE) with online banking on customer's intention to forward online company-generated content (CGC). Secondly, to explore the role of online brand community engagement (OBCE) and the perceived trust of brand community page (BCP) as mediating variables between COBE and the intention to forward online CGC. This research conducted an online survey among various Islamic bank customers in Palestine who were members of online brand communities (fan pages) on Facebook. 375 valid responses were collected and results revealed that COBE exerts a dual influence on intention to forward CGC. This study is a pioneering empirical research on the role of OBCE in customers' intention to forward online CGC within the fast-growing Islamic banking industry. This study contributes to fill this research gap by assessing the effect of COBE on OBCE and intention to forward online CGC within the context of the Islamic online banking sector in Palestine. In this sense, this study is a first-of-its-kind research on the role of experience on customer engagement with regard to online brand communities of Islamic banks.El objetivo de este estudio es doble: En primer lugar, evaluar el impacto de la experiencia online del cliente con la marca (COBE) en la banca electrónica sobre la intención del cliente de reenviar contenidos online generados por la empresa (CGC). En segundo lugar, explorar el papel del compromiso con la comunidad de marca online (OBCE) y la confianza percibida en la página de la comunidad de marca (BCP) como variables mediadoras entre la COBE y la intención de reenviar CGC online. Esta investigación realizó una encuesta en línea entre varios clientes de bancos islámicos de Palestina que eran miembros de comunidades de marca en línea (páginas de fans) en Facebook. Se recogieron 375 respuestas válidas y los resultados revelaron que el COBE ejerce una doble influencia en la intención de reenviar CGC. Este estudio es una investigación empírica pionera sobre el papel de la OBCE en la intención de los clientes de reenviar CGC en línea dentro del sector bancario islámico, en rápido crecimiento. Este estudio contribuye a llenar este vacío en la investigación evaluando el efecto de la COBE sobre la OBCE y la intención de reenviar CGC online en el contexto del sector de la banca islámica online en Palestina. En este sentido, este estudio es una investigación pionera sobre el papel de la experiencia en el compromiso del cliente con respecto a las comunidades de marca en línea de los bancos islámicos