Micael Queiroga dos Santos, Xosé A. Rodríguez and Ana Marta-Costa
The purpose of this paper is to estimate and analyse the technical efficiency (TE) component of productivity for a sample of winegrowers from the Douro Demarcated Region in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to estimate and analyse the technical efficiency (TE) component of productivity for a sample of winegrowers from the Douro Demarcated Region in Portugal.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected through face-to-face surveys and includes a sample of 110 farmers’ vineyards with specific input-output information and other data about production systems during the year of 2017. The authors use a two-stage data envelopment analysis using bootstrap techniques to obtain TE scores in the farmers’ vineyards and to examine the determinants of its efficiency.
Findings
The results show that some farmers’ vineyards have a low efficiency level and that there are essential determinants of the production system, which can influence its efficiency. This suggests considerable opportunities for improvement of wine grape productivity through better use of available resources considering the state of technology.
Originality/value
This work has overcome the lack of data in the farmers’ vineyards, the lack of efficiency studies in the region and also allowed to evaluate the production systems and to assess their impact on efficiency.
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Marta Santos, Cláudia Pereira, Daniel Silva, Maria Antónia Cadilhe and Liliana Cunha
The purpose of this paper is to analyse a programme designed to welcome and train new employees, implemented in a chemical industry, privileging the transmission of know-how as a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse a programme designed to welcome and train new employees, implemented in a chemical industry, privileging the transmission of know-how as a dynamic process where learning is co-constructed in the course of the activity.
Design/methodology/approach
The design of the programme was based on the analysis of the work performed in real context by operators and supervisors. The data about the programme’s evaluation were collected by questionnaire, assessing the trainees’ global development and the impact of the training programme (after six months).
Findings
This paper involves designing, planning and implementing “4 × 4 Training”, a training programme for young trainees. Combining in-class training with an extensive component of on-the-job mentoring, the programme involved trainees, mentors and internal trainers, monitored by work psychologists. The results show both the trainees and the mentors evaluate the programme positively. The professional transmission stands out as an activity that is thought through and defined in group, assisted by a mentoring relationship of mutual learning.
Practical implications
When planning and developing intergenerational transmission processes, it is crucial to consider the organisational conditions, to involve from an early stage the key players of each work situation and to guarantee that the mentoring activity and the productive activity overlap coherently.
Originality/value
It is an innovative process to integrate trainees in the chemical industry in Portugal. The methodological approach and the findings provide a first framework that justifies the relevance of the transmission of know-how through a real work situation.
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Jorge Mota, António Moreira, Rui Costa, Silvana Serrão, Vera Pais-Magalhães and Carlos Costa
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the main firm-level performance indicators and group them in dimensions that support…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the main firm-level performance indicators and group them in dimensions that support decision-making in the wine industry.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this goal, an SLR approach was conducted in the Scopus database from 2009 to 2019. From a set of 607 articles, only 25 studies related to firm-level performance indicators were considered and, following an inductive thematic analysis and an interpretative synthesis, separated into different specific foci that include social, economic and environmental dimensions.
Findings
There is a limited number of papers identifying indicators regarding the firm-level performance of wine firms, and even fewer studies including indicators on an integrated approach to measure the different dimensions of firm performance. This paper documents that economic and environmental indicators cover 78.2% of all SLR indicators analyzed. As this group of indicators is limited to a set of sub-dimensions, this paper found that several groups of indicators are misrepresented, such as product portfolio or certifications related to marketing activities and indicators covering purchasing and supply chain activities, which play a crucial role in the competitiveness of the wine industry.
Practical implications
For practitioners, it discloses the most pertinent indicators they need to improve to craft their business strategies. This framework is of added value for policymakers to customize their support programs for specific producers to develop their competitive strategies. It could be deployed in teaching programs as a tool to address the importance of aligning different types of indicators to achieve firm-level performance in the wine industry.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature identifying a framework of analysis that includes indicators of four dimensions, namely, economic, social, territorial and environmental. This framework aims to relate performance measures to corporate strategy as a management control tool. The framework intends to improve the fit between firms’ activities and their competitive context and to be flexibly adapted to various products/firms in the wine industry.
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Ana Paula Mena Alberico, Glória Valeria da Veiga, Mirian Ribeiro Baião, Marta Maria Antonieta de Souza Santos, Sônia Buongermino de Souza and Sophia Cornbluth Szarfarc
This study describes the breast‐feeding profile as well as the consumption of iron source foods and vitamin C source foods for both anaemic and non‐anaemic children. A total of…
Abstract
This study describes the breast‐feeding profile as well as the consumption of iron source foods and vitamin C source foods for both anaemic and non‐anaemic children. A total of 500 infants attending two Municipal Primary Health‐Care Centres in Rio de Janeiro were assessed. The prevalence of anaemia was 57.6 per cent. A low probability of consumption of exclusive breast‐feeding at four months was found (9 per cent for anaemic and 12 per cent for non‐anaemic). Further findings showed that the early consumption of cow’s milk, as well as the low probability of consumption and late introduction of beans, liver and green vegetables in the child’s diet, were considered risk dietary factors for iron deficiency anaemia among the evaluated children.
The literature argues on ambiguous impacts of different types of the common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies on farm technical efficiency (TE). The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature argues on ambiguous impacts of different types of the common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies on farm technical efficiency (TE). The purpose of this paper is to estimate and analyse the TE and the impact of the CAP subsidies on the TE of wine farms in Hungary using the farm accountancy data network data set in the period 2013–2019.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use stochastic frontiers analysis (SFA) models to estimate the TE scores for the Hungarian wine farms with four wine farm-level inputs in terms of agricultural land, labour, capital and intermediate consumption. The TE scores are explained by the CAP subsidies and economic wine farm size. The different SFA models were applied with robustness tests to investigate the drivers of the TE values of wineries.
Findings
Like for Hungarian farms in general, the distribution of the wine farm structure is a dual with a greater number of smaller wine farms and a smaller number of bigger wine farms. The agricultural land, capital and intermediate consumption are significantly positively associated with the wine farm TE. With higher capital intensity wine farm TE increase. The results imply that the CAP subsidies decrease the TE of the Hungarian wine farms, whereas economic farm size increase.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first specific efficiency studies on the wine sector in the Central and Eastern European region and the first one for Hungary to evaluate the TE at wine farm level and to assess the impact of CAP subsidies and economic farm size on wine farm (in)efficiency to apply production technologies and use farm resources. This study is among the first that applied the fixed-effects stochastic frontier model at the wine farm level to measure the drivers of the TE scores.
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Aline Fernandes Barata, Tim Jones and Sue Brownill
After a technocratic period predominating in mobility literature and practice, the rhetoric of participation has been incorporated as a vital condition for the sustainable…
Abstract
After a technocratic period predominating in mobility literature and practice, the rhetoric of participation has been incorporated as a vital condition for the sustainable mobility agenda and, more recently, for achieving transport and mobility justice. Considering the social significance of mobility beyond simple movement and participation as a term that can accommodate a wide range of motivations and implications, this chapter explores the complex interplay of participation and mobility in the global south context. To this end, this study adopts the spaces for participation framework to investigate the multiple roles of participation in urban mobility. With a focus on the Brazilian context, this chapter uncovers the nature, dynamics, and reach of invited and claimed spaces for participation in mobility planning. Using Rio de Janeiro as the case study site, the chapter examines the invited spaces for participation enabled by the city's mobility plan and analyses whether marginalised populations engage with and/or create further spaces for participation. This was achieved through document analysis, online photo-elicitation interviews with residents of Favela Santa Marta as well as semi-structured interviews with municipal government professionals and representatives of non-government organisations involved in the development of Rio's mobility plan. The chapter discusses the interconnectedness or lack of, within invited and claimed spaces for participation and the multiplicity of meanings attributed to participation and mobility by different actors. The chapter closes with a reflection on what this means for participatory mobility planning in Brazil but which may apply to similar regions in the global south.
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Marta Helena de Freitas and Benedito Rodrigues dos Santos
The purpose of this paper is to address the relations between religiosity and mental health (MH) among the immigrants living in Brasília, as per the perceptions of MH service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the relations between religiosity and mental health (MH) among the immigrants living in Brasília, as per the perceptions of MH service professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
It is grounded in empirical qualitative research based on semi-structured interviews with 12 professionals – six psychiatrists and six psychologists working in MH services throughout Brasília. The experiences and perceptions of these professionals were analysed in the light of phenomenological assumptions, and temporally situated in the historical context of the construction of Brazil’s capital city.
Findings
Results show that these professionals recognize the importance of immigrant support services paying attention to issues of religiosity connected to those of MH, in spite of never having received training on the theme in their qualification course work. They are critical of the oppressive aspects of some religions, but recognize the predominance of positive effects of religiosity.
Research limitations/implications
Albeit exploratory by nature, and with a limited number of study subjects, the study opens the way for more in-depth investigations of this rarely addressed MH issue and recommends its application to greater numbers of professionals and other contexts.
Practical implications
The results can contribute to the MH policy decision-making processes for the immigrant population in Brasília and also for training the professionals working in providing care for this population.
Social implications
To contribute to the development of a new MH model in which professionals can adopt a more open posture in regard to the traditional pathologizing models used to address the question of religious phenomena.
Originality/value
Albeit exploratory in nature, this study makes a contribution by opening the way for the issue of religiosity and its impacts on MH to become the object of more in-depth investigations conducted from a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective, targeting greater numbers of MH professionals and extended to other internal and external migratory contexts.
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Ismael San Mauro Martin, Juanjo Nava Mateo, Jesús Ortiz Rincón, Marta Villanueva Nieto, Elena Ávila Díaz, Sara Sanz Rojo, Licia de la Calle, Yaiza Quevedo Santos, Paloma Elortegui Pascual, Víctor Paredes Barato, Sara López Oliva and Elena Garicano Vilar
The world’s aging population has led to a greater use of prescription and non-prescription medication by the elderly. Besides, older drinkers consume alcohol often regardless of…
Abstract
Purpose
The world’s aging population has led to a greater use of prescription and non-prescription medication by the elderly. Besides, older drinkers consume alcohol often regardless of the medication they consume. The purpose of this paper is to examine the intake of medication and alcohol simultaneously in a group of elderly in the community of Madrid, and the possible differences in consumption between men and women.
Design/methodology/approach
An observational cross-sectional study of 342 elderly in Madrid, aged 65–96 years was conducted, including the collection of anthropometric data (weight, height, waist circumference, BMI), information about the quantity of daily alcohol intake and medication taken from each subject.
Findings
A high percentage of the sample used medication, especially women. A smaller percentage of the sample consumed alcohol, being more frequent among men and decreasing with age. In addition, almost half of the sample (46.4 percent) combined medication intake with alcohol, especially men. High alcohol consumption was observed simultaneously in those subjects taking medication; in addition to the non-perception of the real risk to health. Statistically significant sex differences were observed, since men drank more, including when taking medication; although women may be more vulnerable to harm derived from alcohol.
Originality/value
This study contributed to estimate the risk to the public health of old people, and the integrity of their health, by observing the consumption of both medication and alcohol, given that medication taken in conjunction with alcohol can cause adverse side effects.
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Gabriela Gonçalves, Marta Reis, Cátia Sousa, Joana Santos, Alejandro Orgambídez-Ramos and Peter Scott
Negotiating effectively in multicultural contexts or others is not only a very important skill for all organizational elements but also crucial to inter-organizational relations…
Abstract
Purpose
Negotiating effectively in multicultural contexts or others is not only a very important skill for all organizational elements but also crucial to inter-organizational relations (Adler, 2008). If defined as a process that occurs when one party feels adversely affected by another (De Dreu, 1997). Conflict management styles can be analyzed as a function of personality variables. In this respect, cultural intelligence and self-monitoring appear to be relevant variables, as they are characterized by the demonstration of flexibility and interest in elements that are present in conflict management styles. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which variables such as cultural intelligence and self-monitoring can positively influence the ability to solve interpersonal conflicts more effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
This study, with a sample of 399 individuals, aimed to test a model that explores how cultural intelligence and self-monitoring are related as predictor variables in the styles of conflict resolution.
Findings
It was observed that cultural intelligence presents itself as a reasonable predictor of conflict management styles, whereas self-monitoring appeared as a dispositional and controversial measure in relation to those styles. Self-monitoring exhibited itself as an important predictor of conflict management, but on the other hand, it had an influence on the choice of the dominating style in conflict situations.
Practical implications
Understanding the predictors of conflict management style and, in particular, realizing the extent to which cultural intelligence promotes a more effective conflict management style can help in the development of selection processes and skill training programs. The development of these multicultural skills will contribute to individual, social and organizational well-being.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature of individual differences and conflict management, demonstrating that some individual differences that predict the styles of conflict management can lead to a certain ambiguity in understanding the behaviour that an individual may adopt in situations of conflict.
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José Alexandres Dos Santos, Rosamaria Moura-Leite, Matheus Wemerson Gomes Pereira and Marta Pagán
Brazil’s agribusiness sector is an acknowledged and relevant player in international markets. Companies operating in this industry have been closely observed by society with…
Abstract
Purpose
Brazil’s agribusiness sector is an acknowledged and relevant player in international markets. Companies operating in this industry have been closely observed by society with increasingly critical judgment relating to production systems and the impact of these companies. In this context, this study aims to assess the voluntary disclosure of social and environmental information of Brazilian agribusiness companies and test the determinant factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The research hypotheses are based on stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and results from social and environmental disclosure studies. Confirmatory factor analysis was adopted to build the dependent variables, and the Tobit model was used for hypotheses testing. The sample includes the 150 largest agribusiness companies in Brazil.
Findings
The results show that the disclosure measures of agribusiness companies differ by segment and that internationalization, negative media exposure and pollution are critical factors in increased voluntary social and environmental disclosure.
Practical implications
Knowledge about the determinants and quality of voluntary disclosure is key in driving social responsibility policies. In addition, they are useful to executives for the preparation of social responsibility and environmental reports.
Originality/value
The results of this study contribute to the literature on voluntary social and environmental disclosure by providing information on an important but poorly studied sector, namely, agribusiness in Brazil.