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1 – 10 of 17João Pedro Barros, João Reis, Nuno Melão and Adriane Cavalieri
The rapid advancement of new technologies necessitates the adaptation of existing resources to address the evolving demands of contemporary conflicts among nations. As exemplified…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid advancement of new technologies necessitates the adaptation of existing resources to address the evolving demands of contemporary conflicts among nations. As exemplified by the emergence of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), these technologies have become indispensable components of military drone operations. This study investigates the role of innovation models in driving Portuguese Innovation and Development, focusing specifically on military drones.
Design/methodology/approach
Through an examination of existing scientific and doctrinal literature, this research establishes a connection between theoretical concepts and the practical deployment of drones within the Portuguese ground forces. Employing a qualitative approach, this study follows a case study, with data collection following the principle of triangulation.
Findings
The findings of this research reveal several attributes crucial to drone utilization, such as optronic capability and drone range. These attributes are vital for ensuring high-quality, real-time imagery transmission and operational effectiveness in military activities.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the understanding of the implications of drone attributes for the Command, Control, Communications and Information Systems (C3IS) capabilities of the Portuguese ground forces. It highlights the importance of continued emphasis on drone development and innovation as a key priority for the Portuguese Army.
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Barbara de Lima Voss, David Bernard Carter and Bruno Meirelles Salotti
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…
Abstract
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.
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Eugénia Pedro, João Leitão and Helena Alves
The purpose of this paper is to determine the predominant classification of intellectual capital (IC), in terms of components, using the literature of reference on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the predominant classification of intellectual capital (IC), in terms of components, using the literature of reference on the relationship between IC and performance and considering multi-dimensional analysis axes (MAAs): organisational, regional and national.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) is presented focussing on empirical studies on IC published in the period 1960-2016. A protocol for action is defined and a research question is raised, gathering data from the databases of: Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. A social network analysis is also provided to determine the type of networks embracing groups, IC individual components and performance type.
Findings
Of the 777 papers included in the SLR, 189 deal with the relationship between IC and performance. The paper highlights the greater development of empirical studies starting from 2004; the organisational MAA is the most studied. The most frequently used groups of components in studies dealing with IC’s influence on performance corresponds to a triad of human capital; structural (organisational or process) capital; and relational (social or customer) capital, which determine positively the performance of organisations/regions/countries, but their influence is not linear and depends on various factors associated with the context and surrounding environment.
Practical implications
This study has wide-ranging implications for politicians/governments, managers and academics, providing empirical evidence about the relationships between the components of IC and performance, by MAAs, and a global vision and better understanding of how those IC components have developed and how they are related to performance.
Originality/value
Due to the high number of references covering a wide range of disciplines and the various dimensions (e.g. organisational, regional and national) that form IC, it becomes fundamental to carry out an SRL and systematise its MAAs to deepen knowledge about what has been discovered/developed in this domain, in terms of empirical studies, in order to situate the topic in a wider theoretical-practical context. The paper is exceptionally wide-ranging, covering the period 1960-2016. It is one of the first clarifying studies on systemisation of the literature on IC, by MAA, and an in-depth study of IC’s impact on the performance of organisations/regions and countries which may serve as a guideline for future studies using the taxonomy proposed.
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João Pedro Marques Lima, Sofia A. Costa and Ada Rocha
Excessive high caloric and nutritional intake has been associated with weight gain which is linked to an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and…
Abstract
Purpose
Excessive high caloric and nutritional intake has been associated with weight gain which is linked to an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and several types of cancers. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the nutritional intake pattern of the population in terms of energy, macro and micronutrients.
Design/methodology/approach
There were assessed 513 workers of the University of Porto (UP) randomly selected. The Food Processor Plus was used to convert foods into nutrients and, to assess nutritional intake adequacy. Data were compared to Dietary Reference Intakes and with recommended ranges by the World Health Organization.
Findings
The intake of most individuals was above recommendations for protein, carbohydrates and sodium. The average of energy intake observed in UP employees was lower than data available for Portuguese general population. The protein, carbohydrates, total fat and water intake, cholesterol, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fatty acids and sodium intake were found to be significantly higher for men. Significant differences were found for vitamin D and calcium between age ranges; Carbohydrates, sugar, monounsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, water and vitamin K was significantly different between teachers and non-teachers.
Originality/value
According to nutritional intake analysis, food consumption of this population was unbalanced, attending to high protein, carbohydrates and sodium intake.
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João J.M. Ferreira, Cristina I. Fernandes and Pedro Mota Veiga
The impacts of institutions on entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as the effects of technological development, have been subject to various research studies. While this…
Abstract
Purpose
The impacts of institutions on entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as the effects of technological development, have been subject to various research studies. While this theme inherently remains a focus for political decision-makers, there is very little knowledge on the combined role of institutions, entrepreneurial orientations and innovation capabilities on the technological development of countries. In this study, we examine the impacts of entrepreneurial orientation and the innovative capacity of countries through considering the moderating effect of technological development.
Design/methodology/approach
The data used in this study has been collected from various sources, including the World Economic Forum United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and Scimago. The study focuses on 86 countries that are either at stage 2 or stage 3 of development or in the transition from stage 2 to stage 3.
Findings
We have found that corporate governance, property rights and security institutions have a positive influence on a country’s entrepreneurial mindset and its ability to innovate. Additionally, we have noted that technological advancements also play a role in moderating this relationship. These findings have important implications for the theory, practice and public policies in this area.
Originality/value
This study emphasizes the substantial impact of institutional quality on the entrepreneurial mindset and innovation capabilities of businesses. It shows that perceiving institutions as more stable can have a positive effect on both entrepreneurial orientation and innovative capabilities, ultimately improving companies' competitiveness.
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Carlos César de Oliveira Lacerda, Ana Sílvia Rocha Ipiranga and Ulf Thoene
The city of Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará in the north-east of Brazil, presents a paradox as a present-day tourist destination, while also marked by features and…
Abstract
Purpose
The city of Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará in the north-east of Brazil, presents a paradox as a present-day tourist destination, while also marked by features and processes characteristic of cities in the Global South, such as high levels of social inequality with fragmented urban margins and vulnerabilities. This research problematizes the idea of “historical ruins” proposed by Walter Benjamin as a viable way to understand how the organization process of today's city margins can be “denaturalized” by the past. The objective of this research is to assess how the urban margins of the city were organized as a history of resistance.
Design/methodology/approach
In theoretical terms, this research links critical urban studies with critical approaches to organizational history (COH) based on Walter Benjamin's philosophical concepts of “ruins” and “progress”. The historical and archival methodology, consisting of 193 documents, suggests the existence of a philosophical–historical nexus that helps explain the spatial fragmentation of the city, and especially the urban margins in the western region of Fortaleza.
Findings
The Benjaminian notion of “historical ruins” has been exemplified by the Brazilian government practices confining migrants fleeing drought in internment camps on the margins of the city of Fortaleza in three waves beginning in 1877, 1915 and 1932 respectively. The effects of such confinement policies put into practice in the name of “progress” influenced the organization of large urban spaces on the city's margins, whereas on the other hand, the analyses advanced in this research reflect on alternatives to re-frame the history of the organization of the margins of Fortaleza through a set of practices of resistance.
Originality/value
Based on the concept of “denaturalization”, and through re-activation of the memory of a circumstantial past, the gaze of the “ruins”, as represented by the belief in “progress” addressed in official reports of government confinement policies, spaces of resistance have emerged where new possibilities for the future of the city can be imagined.
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Lourenco’s government launched in August its flagship Privatisation Programme (PROPRIV), with 195 companies and assets set to be either fully or partially sold. With a legal…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB246842
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
José Manuel Mendes, Alexandre Oliveira Tavares and Pedro Pinto Santos
The purpose of this paper is to present a new index of social vulnerability (SV), based on local level data [statistical blocks (SBs)]. This same methodology was applied before at…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a new index of social vulnerability (SV), based on local level data [statistical blocks (SBs)]. This same methodology was applied before at the municipal level, which is a level of analysis that under-evaluates local spots of high SV, by one side, and generalizes the coverage of support capacity equipment and infrastructure. The geographical level of detail of the input data allows to overcome those limitations and better inform infra-municipal risk practitioners and planners.
Design/methodology/approach
The assessment of SV in this paper adopts an inductive approach. The research context of this conceptual and methodological proposal derived from the need to operationalize the concept of SV as a planning tool. This approach required to distinguish between the components of criticality and support capability, as their assessment provides knowledge with distinct applications in risk management. The statistical procedure is based on principal components analysis, using the SB as the unit of analysis.
Findings
Support capability acts as a counter-weight of criticality. This understanding is well illustrated in the mapping of each component and the final score of SV. The methodological approach allowed to identify the drivers of criticality and support capability in each SB, aiding decision-makers and risk practitioners in finding the vulnerability forcers that require more attention (public or private social equipment, housing policies, emergency anticipatory measures, etc.).
Originality/value
An original approach to SV assessments is the consideration of the components of criticality and support capability. The results allow for the definition of adapted and specific strategies of risk mitigation and civil protection measures to distinct types of risk groups and by different stakeholders and risk practitioners. By predicting the impact and the recovery capacity of communities, the results have applicability in several fields of risk governance as, for example, risk communication and involvement, social intervention (health, education and housing), emergency response, contingency planning, early warning and spatial planning.
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