Balancing exploration and exploitation in public management: Proposal for an organizational model

Over the last 30 years, a wave of reforms has reshaped the panorama of public administrations around the world, which have also stimulated debates on the subject reform in public sector relations. Much research has focused on discussing the validity of New Public Management (NPM) as a paradigm, including the recognition of regional versions of a number of universal problems in the Public Governance, NPM, and Public Value areas. This debate is focused on the need to give concrete answers to the new management needs of policy makers and to the growing demands of citizens. Increasingly public administration is based on meeting two needs: society requires creative, flexible, and innovation-oriented approaches, whilst economic pressures and budget cuts are forcing uses and models oriented toward efficiency, competitiveness, and cost savings. As regard the changing requirements of the public government, the new organizational system needs to incorporate the creativity, innovation capacity, and flexibility necessary to achieve sustainability and public value. The purpose of this research is to offer an organizational model, which balances exploration activities with those of exploitation, thus being able to meet the changing needs within the Administration, and the actions envisaged for its operations. This article also introduces the requirements for a decision support system to measure regional performance and service quality. It is hoped that we add to our knowledge and understanding of coordinated public policy and good governance that is effective even in these radically demanding Covid-19 times

Application of Technological System Based on Processes Modelling and Analysis: A Case Study in Italian Aquaculture Company

In recent years, cause of several scandals and incidents in agrifood context, consumer awareness about food product increased. That evolution of the consumer triggers new demand about transparency/accountability by the market. Food industry can face the emerging issues considering traceability principles. A traceability system could support the food companies to maneuver in the complex network of the supply chain and, simultaneously, to answer to the new consumer and market needs. In this work a theoretical approach based on business process modelling was proposed and tested in a real case study. Through an interview and using BPMN technique, the cherry cultivation process of a food companies was modelled. Each activities and actors involved in cultivation was identified in order to detect data stored in different source and format. These data could be strategical if elaborated and transmitted to different stakeholder of the supply chain

Responsiveness to sensory cues using the Timed Up and Go test in patients with Parkinson's disease: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To test the effectiveness of the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test to define responsiveness to auditory and visual cues in patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Consecutive patients > 50 years old were enrolled if they were classified as stage 1–3 of the Hoehn and Yahr scale; scored ≤ 45 on part III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; > 23 on the Mini-Mental State Examination; and were able to perform the TUG test without assistance. Within-subject analysis identified positive-responders, negative-responders and non-responders. TUG times with and without sensory cues were studied among all patients, and among responders only using the Friedman Test. Results: Twenty-two patients (16 men, 6 women), mean age 72.4 years (standard deviation (SD) 8.7 years) were included. Basal mean TUG time was 12.3 (SD 4.0). TUG times after visual cues (11.7 (SD 4.8)) were lower than in basal conditions (p = 0.006), whereas TUG times after auditory cues were not (p > 0.05). In the 16 patients who were positive-responders, mean TUG times after visual (11.0 (SD 3.1)) and auditory (11.3 (SD 3.6)) cues were lower than in basal conditions (12.5 (SD 3.8)) (p = 0.0002). Conclusion: The TUG test may be used to tailor the rehabilitation programme in patients with Parkinson's disease, identifying those who respond to visual and auditory cueing

A Imigração Alemã na Literatura Brasileira: uma breve análise

O artigo propõe uma análise da passagem do imigrante alemão na literatura brasileira, com o intuito de observar a capacidade da literatura em registrar e representar aspectos históricos e aspectos socioculturais que condicionam comportamentos assumidos pela sociedade em determinadas épocas. Adiante, serão destacadas quatro obras, que serão brevemente analisadas, que retratam a imigração alemã, o que proporcionará uma conceituação mais prática da análise efetuada inicialmente e do percurso da imigração alemã na literatura brasileira: “Canaã” (Graça Aranha, 1905), “O Continente” (Erico Verissimo, 1949), “A Ferro e Fogo” (Josué Guimarães, 1972) e “Videiras de Cristal” (Luiz Antonio de Assis, 1990

O processamento do sujeito ex(im)plícito nas marcas de pretérito-mais-que-perfeito em contos publicados na imprensa paulista

Nas publicações midiáticas podemos verificar a trajetória de determinados usos e como tais usos são sensíveis às necessidades comunicativas de diferentes gerações. Neves (2004: 130) relaciona tais necessidades com a gramaticalização e afirma que a formação de novos usos pode ocorrer de forma a satisfazer necessidades linguísticas não satisfeitas ou podem desenvolver-se a despeito da existência de estruturas velhas funcionalmente equivalentes. Ao assumirmos tal pressuposto respeitante à gramaticalização, pretendemos verificar e registrar a trajetória das marcas de pretérito-mais-que-perfeito e a relação que elas estabelecem com o processamento do sujeito ex(im)plícito em contos publicados na imprensa paulista do séc. XX, bem como as possíveis motivações que fundamentam a concorrência entre ela

Entre o esquecimento e a lembrança: uma breve abordagem interdisciplinar sobre a linguagem e Doença de Alzheimer

Uma abordagem interdisciplinar sobre a relação entre a linguagem e a Doença de Alzheimer é necessária para que seja possível estabelecer discussões produtivas e atingir resultados que viabilizem uma compreensão mais aprofundada sobre o tema. Propomos neste artigo que os estudiosos da linguagem investiguem os testes clínicos para rastreio de déficits cognitivos com o objetivo de levantar questões referentes a mente e linguagem. Para exemplificar esse procedimento metodológico, foi selecionado para essa ocasião o Mini Exame do Estado Mental - MEEM, atentando para certas atividades propostas que oferecem questionamentos que podem ser abordados por essa perspectiva de estudo

Patient Perceptions of Effectiveness in Treatments for Menière's Disease: a National Survey in Italy

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate current treatment practices and self-reported effectiveness in Menière's disease. Materials and Methods: Members of two Italian Menière's disease support (n=170) with ≥6-month history of Menière's disease were administered an online survey about recent treatments. Vertigo episode count, work absenteeism, and limitations in family life, social life,work or travel, as included in the Social Life and Work Impact of Dizziness (SWID) Questionnaire before and after recent treatments were queried. Results: Twenty-four different treatments were reported for Menière's disease, with dietary modifications (55%), diuretics (47%), and betahistine (41%) being most common. The majority (71%) received multiple simultaneous treatments. Prior to the most recent treatments 78-89% of respondents indicated limitations in family or social life, work or traveling. After their most recent treatment, respondents reported improvements in mean vertigo episode counts (5.7±7.6 vs. 2.6 ±4.6, p<0.001), days off work per month (10.1 ±9.2 vs. 4.2 ±6.7, p<0.001), and proportions indicating limitations in any functional measure assessed (p<0.05). These findings were consistent regardless of treatment approach (all p<0.05). Intratympanic gentamicin provided the greatest reductions in vertigo count, functional limitations, and work absenteeism (all p<0.01) as well as the fewest respondents reporting post-treatment functional limitations (16-37%). Conclusions: Despite numerous treatment approaches targeting different proposed pathophysiology for Menière's disease in this cross-sectional survey, all treatments are reported as effective by patients. These findings support a prominent placebo effect in Menière's disease and highlight challenges in studying treatment outcomes; there is a critical need to better understand Menière's disease