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The purpose of this paper is to propose a predictive model that could replace lawyers’ annual performance rankings and inform talent management (TM) in law firms.

Eight years of performance rankings of a sample of 140 lawyers from one law firm are used. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to model and simulate performance rankings over time. Multivariate regression analysis is used to compare with the non-linear networks.

With a lag of one year, performance ranking changes are predicted by the networks with an accuracy of 71 percent, over performing regression analysis by 15 percent. With a lag of two years, accuracy is reduced by 4 percent.

This study contributes to the literature of TM in law firms and to predictive research. Generalizability would require replication with broader samples.

Neural networks enable extended intervals for performance rankings. Reducing the time and effort spent benefits partners and lawyers alike, who can instead devote time to in-depth feedback. Strategic planning, early identification of the most talented and avenues for tailored careers become open.

This study pioneers the use of ANNs in law firm TM. The method surpasses traditional static study of performance through its use of non-linear simulation and prediction modeling.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach to talent management that consists of averaging performance appraisal and assessment center ratings for in-depth identification of lawyers’ talents.

The approach’s adjustment was examined using a 61 senior-lawyer sample from a Portuguese law firm. Comparisons between assessment center and performance appraisal ratings were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests and a kernel density function, and predictive validity was assessed with Pearson correlations. Evidence of both a general performance factor and two additional factors was verified using principal component analysis. Varimax rotation was used to verify three broad factors with job profile’s three broad areas.

Results suggest support for the assessment center’s predictive validity. Its lower and more variable ratings overcome performance appraisal rating bias. Adjustment of the new approach to lawyers’ overall talent identification (the general factor) and each lawyer’s relative talents (three broad factors) was observed.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the substantive existence of a general performance factor, and adds to empirical research concerning talent management, which is lacking. However, generalizability requires broader samples and replication.

The approach is a methodology that informs career management, high-flyers’ identification, talent mapping, development, succession planning, team composition, and diversity analysis. For lawyers, objective feedback allows benchmarking talent and managing one’s career.

This study pioneers empirical research that develops methods for identifying talent in law firms, vital for firm sustainability.

Marketing Channels.

The case was developed to stimulate the discussion about decisions and strategies of channel and was recommended for MBA students in courses such as Marketing Channels or Trade Marketing in Business Administration.

The case reports the dilemma experienced in 2013 by Osmar Buzin, one of the partners of Cervejaria Noi, whose specialty beers had achieved prestige among their customers, mainly in the city of Niterói, RJ, where the company was born. This success aroused the interest of other markets that wanted to sell their products. The opportunity for expansion brought together the need to decide how to meet these new markets: deliver directly to the points of sale, as it did before; or use distributors. Osmar knew that he could count on Gilmar Gutbrodt, his partner and brewmaster, along with Bianca Buzin, the General Manager of the brewery to evaluate together the best strategy for reaching new markets.

It is expected that at the end of the discussion of the case, students will be able to achieve the following learning outcomes: to design the path-to-market, identifying the role of intermediaries; to identify distribution alternatives and key channel members; and to perceive the advantages and disadvantages of intermediation and its unfolding in channel management.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS: 8: Marketing.

The impact of dependence on self-care on people’s lives is very significant, with consequences for the person and their caregivers. The purpose of this study is to map the evidence on the factors that influence the empowerment of the person dependent on self-care on returning home.

Scoping review according to the criteria proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute: population (people with a dependence on self-care), concept (factors that influence training) and context (return home after hospitalization in a medical-surgical context). The research was carried out from March 1 to April 30, 2022, in the databases CINAHL and MEDLINE (via EBSCO), Scielo, LILACS, Cuiden and MedicLatina; Gray literature searched RCAAP, DART-Europe and OpenGrey. Studies published in Portuguese, Spanish and English were included, with no time limit.

One hundred and eighty-one articles were obtained, which, after analysis according to the criteria, resulted in seven studies included for review, ranging from 2007 to 2021, with a level of evidence between 2. c and 4. a (according to Joanna Briggs Institute), and two thematic areas/four categories emerging.

The need for information and training, the relationship and proximity with the health-care team, the design of nursing care targeted at the person’s level of dependence, education, gender, type of surgical intervention and postoperative period, physical space and lack of privacy and audiovisual media.

The perception of these factors proves to be important in the person’s training process, with the nurse’s role being highlighted due to their emphasis on the transition home.

This paper proposes a framework to assist in managing predictive maintenance by detecting progressive surface wear on spur gears through the analysis of digital images of gear teeth using computer vision (CV) techniques.

An experimental setup was constructed to capture images of gear teeth using endoscopic cameras. The images were selected, pre-processed, stored in a database and used in the experimental study of the proposed framework. Three CV techniques were explored within the framework for detecting wear in spur gears: (1) edge detection; (2) gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms and (3) deep learning with convolutional neural networks (CNN).

The results showed 85% accuracy using the edge detection algorithm. Among the ML algorithms, accuracy was above 60% for the support vector machine (SVM) and above 70% for K-nearest neighbors (KNN). Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that as the distance between the principal components increased, it characterized the formation and progression of surface wear on the gear teeth. With the CNN, an accuracy of 99.999981% was achieved in the training loss rate, with a classification accuracy rate (CAR) of 91.6666%, an F1 score of 90.9090% and a recall of 83.3334% during the testing phase.

This framework is applicable to a variety of gear systems and industrial contexts requiring predictive maintenance, making it a highly scalable solution for industry professionals.

This paper proposes a novel framework that considers various CV techniques to detect and assess the level of wear on spur gear surfaces. Moreover, the results provide guidelines for selecting the most appropriate method for detecting wear in gear systems.

The significance of event tourism in destination development underscores the importance of assessing the quality of events and their sustainability for competitiveness. This study investigates tourists’ perceptions of service quality and sustainability at the “Biggest São João in the World” event in 2023. Employing a quantitative approach, we conducted field research using questionnaires based on the Tourqual model, integrating sustainability indicators to address environmental impacts associated with such events. Data collection took place between June and July 2023, with a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 709 visitors. Descriptive statistics were applied to the 2022 survey data (397 respondents), on the 2023 data (709 respondents). Results reveal that the event’s diverse activities received the highest average rating at 4.03, while the use of sustainable transport during the event garnered the lowest rating at 1.93. This emphasizes the need for event organizers to implement continuous improvement plans, focusing particularly on areas with critical evaluations to enhance visitor satisfaction. This study’s originality and innovative approach contribute valuable insights for event managers and researchers and promote both local development and environmental awareness.

We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

This chapter presents a theoretical reflection on the possible impact of politicians' positive Word of Mouth (pWOM) on the tourists' risk perception and destination image of Portugal in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reflection is based on the collection of remarks or comments made by international politicians collected using Google as the search engine and subsequent manual textual content analysis. The results show five recurring themes in the politicians' pWOM: general praise, pandemic numbers, politician positioning, health care and population attitude. The discussion includes a reflection on the outputs of the channels used for the dissemination of the messages and the importance of the politicians' countries of origin to a market strategy that highlights Portugal as a tourism destination.

Cultural expertise can play a relevant role in countries where cultural diversity marks social life, as in the case of Portugal, a country where migration always characterized its past and continues to influence the present, and where the presence of ethnic and religious minorities must be noticed. In this chapter, we aim to survey the use of cultural mediation in Portuguese law, as well as case law and culture centered mediation out of courts, in order to understand whether the concept of cultural expertise, in a broad sense, might be useful. Although it is a “contested concept,” culture is understood, for the purposes of this chapter, in a dynamic and non-essentialist sense, as a valuable asset providing context and significance to people’s lives. Assuming that the State is not “culturally neutral” and that its institutions somehow reflect the established culture, issues of equality and demands for cultural recognition will necessarily arise. However, it is the duty of the State to respect and protect cultural identity. Even though cultural expertise may become relevant in several domains of the State, particular attention is given in this chapter to the role played by cultural arguments and cultural expertise in courts in Portugal. Cultural expertise is also very relevant for social intervention, and it is mobilized in the processes of cultural mediation. These processes have a low level of institutionalization in Portugal, since it is not routinely recognized in the implementation of public policies as an autonomous professional profile.