Strategic Planning and Organizational Effectiveness in Social Service Organizations in Portugal

This study aims to understand the reality of social service organizations, the level of implementation of the strategic planning as well as the impact of its application on organizational effectiveness. At first, we will group organizations in clusters according to the level of strategic planning implementation and its degree of effectiveness. Secondly, we will analyse all the different groups. Given the growing number of social service organizations and the consequent complexity of their structures, it turns out the need for these organizations adopt formal management techniques. Strategic planning is a valuable strategic management tool and one of its main objectives is to make organizations more effective. Therefore, the research has been conducted in order to determine if strategic planning is implemented in social service organizations and which effects has its application on organizational effectiveness. The survey, applied to 220 social service organizations, allowed us to gather them into different clusters, showing that different levels of strategic planning determine distinct degrees of organizational efficiency. Finally, it should be noted that findings of this research may be essential to decision makers of these organizations, because it was shown that the adoption of strategic planning has a positive influence on organizational effectiveness of social service organizations

Dos maus tratos ao bom cuidado

Este trabalho explorou a ideia de que os maus-tratos emergem em contexto relacional de prestação de cuidados e deste modo constituem ou são uma consequência direta de cuidados inadequados. Esta formulação privilegia mais o olhar para os maus tratos como uma prática inadequada de cuidados do que uma forma de violência. Isto não significa que se olhem os maus tratos como não sendo violência. Significa tão só uma estratégia de olhar para o fenómeno que permite identificar mais rapidamente necessidades de formação e de alteração de práticas, que não são práticas apenas para com o recetor de cuidados, mas para com a própria pessoa que presta o cuidado.Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no Centro de Investigação em Psicologia (PSI/01662), Universidade do Minho, e foi financeiramente suportado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia e pelo Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, através de fundos nacionais, e co-financiado pelo FEDER, através do COMPETE2020, no âmbito do acordo Portugal 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653). O primeiro autor foi financiado por uma bolsa da Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT - (PD/BD/105965/2014).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Behavior of the complex micro-ecology in maize and rye flour and mother-dough for broa throughout storage

Besides water, maize and rye flour are the main constituents of broa a unique sourdough bread, manufactured following traditional protocols at the farm level in Portugal. Mother-dough, i.e., a piece of leavened dough kept aside from batch to batch under refrigeration conditions, constitutes the only starter culture used throughout breadmaking. Maize and rye flour, as well as mother-dough, were accordingly assayed for their microbiological profiles throughout storage time, to characterize the evolution in viability of the adventitious microorganisms: total viable counts, as well as viable yeasts, molds, gram-negative rods, gram-positive rods (endospore-forming and nonsporing) and gram-positive cocci (catalase+ and catalase). In general, all microbial groups exhibited an outstanding resistance to storage, so use of mother-dough appears technologically effective in this form of breadmaking, and an appropriate storage of flour does not convey any important changes to their microbiological profile.Several members of the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Entre-Douro-e-Minho (DRAEDM, Portugal) and several local farmers are hereby gratefully acknowledged for their cooperation, on a volunteer basis, in supplying samples for analysis. Financial support for author J. M. R. was provided by a Ph.D. fellowship within the program PRAXIS XXI – ref. PRAXIS XXI/BD/16060/98, administered by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal) and supervised by author F. X. M. Partial financial support was received within program PAMAF – IED, through research grant “Pão de milho: caracterização do processo tradicional de produção e melhoramento tecnológico” – ref. PAMAF 1022, administered by Ministério da Agricultura, Desenvolvimento Rural e Pescas (Portugal) and coordinated by author F. X. M

Physiologic Basis and Pathophysiologic Implications of the Diastolic Properties of the Cardiac Muscle

Although systole was for long considered the core of cardiac function, hemodynamic performance is evenly dependent on appropriate systolic and diastolic functions. The recognition that isolated diastolic dysfunction is the major culprit for approximately fifty percent of all heart failure cases imposes a deeper understanding of its underlying mechanisms so that better diagnostic and therapeutic strategies can be designed. Risk factors leading to diastolic dysfunction affect myocardial relaxation and/or its material properties by disrupting the homeostasis of cardiomyocytes as well as their relation with surrounding matrix and vascular structures. As a consequence, slower ventricular relaxation and higher myocardial stiffness may result in higher ventricular filling pressures and in the risk of hemodynamic decompensation. Thus, determining the mechanisms of diastolic function and their implications in the pathophysiology of heart failure with normal ejection fraction has become a prominent field in basic and clinical research

As motivações no trabalho voluntário

Este trabalho revê e discute a literatura sobre as motivações dos voluntários para doarem o seu tempo às ONG’s. Quanto melhor uma organização conhecer os voluntários, mais essa organização poderá ir de encontro às necessidades e expectativas desses mesmos indivíduos. Por isso, compreender as motivações que podem levar um indivíduo a doar o seu tempo a uma determinada organização é relevante na gestão das ONG’s. Primeiro, o artigo discute o estado da arte do voluntariado formal e as motivações dos indivíduos voluntários não dirigentes. Apresenta-se uma pesquisa a bases de dados bibliográficas, que inclui revistas especializadas na investigação de voluntariado. Depois, o artigo mostra e compara os diferentes tipos de motivações associadas ao trabalho voluntário e propõe uma tipologia que agrupa as motivações dos voluntários em quatro tipos: altruísmo, pertença, ego e reconhecimento social e aprendizagem e desenvolvimento. Por fim, efectua-se uma análise que indica três lacunas na literatura das motivações dos voluntários que justificam investigação adicional: (i) a omissão de diferenças entre as motivações relacionadas com a “Atracção” versus a “Retenção” dos voluntários; (ii) a focalização das investigações no contexto norte-americano e australiano; e (iii) a ausência de análises comparativas que relacionem as motivações por tipos de ONG’s.This research intends to critically review and discuss literature about volunteers’ motivations to donate their time to NGO’s. The more an organization knows its volunteers, the better this organisation will be able to meet the needs and expectations of these individuals. Therefore, to understand motivations that can make individuals donate their time to a certain organisation is an important issue for NGO’s management. Firstly, this paper exam- ines the state-of-the-art in formal voluntarism and the motivations associated with the work of direct service vol- unteers. We illustrate the results of an analysis conducted in bibliographical databases that include specialised journals in voluntarism research. This discussion is followed by a presentation of a typology that organises differ- ent volunteers’ motivations in four groups: altruism, belonging, ego and social recognition and learning and devel- opment. Finally, three gaps in the literature of volunteers’ motivations that can justify additional research are iden- tified: omission of differences between motivations related with volunteers’ ‘attraction’ versus ‘retention’; focus of the investigations in North American and Australian contexts; and absence of comparative analyses that relate motivations by NGO types.Este trabajo revisa y discute la literatura sobre las motivaciones de los voluntarios que donan su tiempo a las organizaciones no gubernamentales. Cuanto mejor una organización conoce a sus voluntarios, más esta orga- nización puede ir más allá para satisfacer las necesidades y expectativas de estas personas. Por lo tanto, la comprensión prensión de las motivaciones que pueden llevar una persona para donar su tiempo a una organización en particular es relevante en la gestión de las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG’s). En primer lugar, el artículo describe el estado del arte del voluntariado formal y las motivaciones de los voluntarios no dirigentes. Se presenta una búsque- da de bases de datos bibliográficas, que incluye revistas especializadas en la investigación sobre el voluntariado. A continuación, el artículo describe y compara los diferentes tipos de motivaciones relacionadas con el trabajo volun- tario y propone una tipología que agrupa a las motivaciones de los voluntarios en cuatro categorías: el altruismo, la pertenencia, ego y el reconocimiento social y el aprendizaje y el desarrollo. Por último, un análisis que indica que tres lagunas en la literatura de la motivación de los voluntarios para justificar una investigación más a fondo: la omisión de las diferencias entre las motivaciones relacionadas con la “atracción” versus la “retención” de los vo- luntarios, el enfoque de las investigaciones en el contexto América del Norte y Australia, y la ausencia de análisis comparativas que relacionen las motivaciones por tipos de ONG’s

Organisational influence on volunteer satisfaction and attitudes towards HRM practices: the case of hospital volunteers

We examine volunteer satisfaction with HRM practices, namely recruitment, training and reward in NPOs and attitudes regarding the appropriateness of these practices. The participants in this study are 76 volunteers affiliated with four different NPOs, who work in hospitals and have direct contact with patients and their families. Analysing aggregate results we show that volunteers are more satisfied with training, and consider the training strategies to be very appropriate. After identifying differences between organisations we discover that in some organisations volunteers are satisfied with rewards but they have negative attitudes regarding the appropriateness of the recognition strategies. We also identify the volunteers who are the most and the least satisfied

Volunteering for a Lifetime? Volunteers’ Intention to Stay in Portuguese Hospitals

The current study aims to study Hospital volunteers’ intention to stay in an organization through understanding motivation, management factors, and satisfaction. A total of 304 Hospital volunteers, mainly women, completed a questionnaire measuring motivations, management factors, satisfaction, and intention to stay. In this study, structural equation modeling was used. Results demonstrate that there is a positive relationship between (a) motivation and satisfaction, (b) management factors and satisfaction, (c) satisfaction and intention to stay, and (d) motivation and management factors. These results present important outcomes that should be reflected in the way organizations operate. This research indicates aspects which are most valued by volunteers and allows NPOs to design and establish appropriate and assertive management policies

Marketing social e gestão de voluntários em ONG's

Este trabalho apresenta um projecto de investigação que relaciona a área do marketing social com a gestão do voluntariado em ONG’s. Trata-se de uma primeira reflexão que contextualiza a problemática da gestão de pessoas não remuneradas nessas organizações e introduz diversas questões sobre a gestão das ONG’s e do voluntariado. Nomeadamente, qual o papel do voluntariado nas ONG’s e quais as principais motivações associadas ao voluntariado? Como é que as ONG’s podem recrutar e seduzir de forma eficaz o voluntariado? Qual a particularidade do comportamento organizacional nestas organizações, como, por exemplo, que conflitos surgem entre os corpos profissionalizados e os voluntários nessas organizações?This paper presents a research project which relates the social marketing domain with NGOs voluntary management. It is a prelimin ary reflection which contextualizes the problem of management of not paid people in NGOs. The research introduces several questions related to NGOs management and voluntary work. More specifically what role does voluntary work play in NGOs and what are its main motives? How can NGOs attract and maintain the voluntary workers? What are the particularities of the organizational behavior in such organizations, for example, what type of conflicts arise between professional and voluntary work in NGOs

An empirical analysis about motivations among Hospital volunteers

Considerado como best paper desta conferência.The purpose of this paper is to identify the different types of volunteers’ motivations that work in hospitals. We present the literature review about different types of motivations and we collect data from hospital volunteers through a questionnaire. Four different motivations categories are identified: development and learning, altruism, career recognition and belonging and protection. The main motivations expressed are, first, development and learning, followed by altruism. Belonging and protection, followed by career recognition are the least mentioned motivations. Career recognition is negatively correlated with age and belonging/ protection is negatively correlated with education. That is, younger volunteers present more career recognition motives and less educated volunteers show more protection and belonging purpose. This paper brings together hospital volunteers and motivations. The paper is useful to policy makers aiming to develop targeted approaches to attract and retain volunteers