Miguel Oliveira, Teresa Proença and Marisa R. Ferreira
Rather recently, corporate volunteering (CV) has become a relevant topic of academic research. Nonetheless, there is still uncertainty about several aspects of the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
Rather recently, corporate volunteering (CV) has become a relevant topic of academic research. Nonetheless, there is still uncertainty about several aspects of the relationship between volunteerism and the corporate realm and research on the relationship between CV and employer attractiveness is scarce. This study aims to attempt to fill this gap by studying the influence that the perceived importance attributed by prospective applicants to the opportunity of engaging in CV programs may have on employer attractiveness while also pondering the existence of an indirect relationship between CV and employer attractiveness mediated by the individual cognition of corporate morality (CM).
Design/methodology/approach
To fulfill the objectives of this research, and test its hypothesized model, the authors opted to use a quantitative methodology via survey by questionnaire of Portuguese students who are close to entering the job-seeking process or are currently involved in it, either passively and actively. Data on 238 Portuguese students was collected mainly through social media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook and was analyzed with the IBM SPSS Statistics 25 software and the IBM SPSS AMOS extension, using a structural equation model to test the hypotheses and obtain insight into the relationships between the variables.
Findings
A theoretical model was elaborated based on the literature reviewed and was used to validate the existence of a positive direct relationship between CV and employer attractiveness, CV and CM and between CM and employer attractiveness. Finally, it was observed that CV could prompt an indirect effect on the socioethical perception of employer attractiveness, mainly due to the mediating mechanism of the individual cognition of CM.
Research limitations/implications
This study has some limitations that should be acknowledged and considered in future studies, namely, the diversity of the sample, as it was essentially formed by students enrolled in the University of Porto and studying mainly in the areas of social sciences, trade and law. It is also worth noting that a global analysis of the employer attractiveness attributes was not considered, focusing instead on the social and ethical spectrum of employer attractiveness. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that different individuals prioritize distinct attractiveness attributes.
Practical implications
Through the present study, it was understood that CV programs constitute a desired and pertinent tool that should be adopted by firms (employers) to establish a strong position in the job market. These findings are particularly useful for the area of human resources management, which is in charge of finding the most adequate applicants in the job market. Furthermore, for the variable of CM, the authors noticed that there is a theoretical lack of measurement instruments. Consequently, the measure advanced in this study represents an important theoretical and methodologic contribution to the literature.
Social implications
CV is a concept that is yet maturing within the Portuguese business environment. As such, this study delivers useful insights regarding Portuguese applicants’ growing interest around CV, their concerns about the social, ethical and humanitarian attributes of firms and their beliefs regarding the morality of firms’ social policies and actions. Hence, it allowed us to comprehend that by developing a structured CV program, an employer may be able to enhance other essential concepts for Portuguese prospective applicants, respectively, employer attractiveness and CM.
Originality/value
This study corroborates the premise that corporate community involvement activities, namely, CV, hold a positive effect in terms of perceived employer attractiveness. Moreover, it is consistent with the idea that CV programs foment a feeling of intimacy between individuals and firms, consequently creating a perception of morality as part of the firms’ intrinsic traits. Finally, it corroborates and extends for the case of prospective applicants the conclusion that individuals may be relatively more concerned with the motives behind firms’ corporate social responsibility practices than with the content of such practices.
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Bernardo Lourenço, Tiago Madeira, Paulo Dias, Vitor M. Ferreira Santos and Miguel Oliveira
2D laser rangefinders (LRFs) are commonly used sensors in the field of robotics, as they provide accurate range measurements with high angular resolution. These sensors can be…
Abstract
Purpose
2D laser rangefinders (LRFs) are commonly used sensors in the field of robotics, as they provide accurate range measurements with high angular resolution. These sensors can be coupled with mechanical units which, by granting an additional degree of freedom to the movement of the LRF, enable the 3D perception of a scene. To be successful, this reconstruction procedure requires to evaluate with high accuracy the extrinsic transformation between the LRF and the motorized system.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, a calibration procedure is proposed to evaluate this transformation. The method does not require a predefined marker (commonly used despite its numerous disadvantages), as it uses planar features in the point acquired clouds.
Findings
Qualitative inspections show that the proposed method reduces artifacts significantly, which typically appear in point clouds because of inaccurate calibrations. Furthermore, quantitative results and comparisons with a high-resolution 3D scanner demonstrate that the calibrated point cloud represents the geometries present in the scene with much higher accuracy than with the un-calibrated point cloud.
Practical implications
The last key point of this work is the comparison of two laser scanners: the lemonbot (authors’) and a commercial FARO scanner. Despite being almost ten times cheaper, the laser scanner was able to achieve similar results in terms of geometric accuracy.
Originality/value
This work describes a novel calibration technique that is easy to implement and is able to achieve accurate results. One of its key features is the use of planes to calibrate the extrinsic transformation.
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Luís Miguel Oliveira Machado, Daniel Martínez-Ávila and Maria da Graça de Melo Simões
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the literature on concept theory in library and information science (LIS) from an epistemological perspective, ascribing each paper to an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the literature on concept theory in library and information science (LIS) from an epistemological perspective, ascribing each paper to an epistemological family and discussing their relevance in the context of the knowledge organization (KO) domain.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a hermeneutic approach for the analysis of the texts that compose the corpus of study following contingency and categorical analyses. More specifically, the paper works with Bardin’s contingency analysis and follows Hjørland’s families of epistemologies for the categorization.
Findings
The analysis corroborates the observations made for the last ten years about the scarcity of studies on concept theory in LIS and KO. However, the study also reveals an epistemological turn on concept theory since 2009 that could be considered a departure from the rationalist views that dominated the field and a continuation of a broader paradigm shift in LIS and KO. All analyzed papers except two follow pragmatist or historicist approaches.
Originality/value
This paper follows-up and systematizes the contributions to the LIS and KO fields on concept theory mainly during the last decade. The epistemological analysis reveals the dominant views in this paradigm shift and the main authors and trends that are present in the LIS literature on concept theory.
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Bharat Taneja and Kumkum Bharti
This study aims to examine the research pattern and growth trends of published research on a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) from 2012 to 2019. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the research pattern and growth trends of published research on a unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) from 2012 to 2019. The study also examines the research scope of UTAUT2 for future researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has adopted a bibliometric approach followed by a structured literature review analysis to synthesize the research on UTAUT2 since 2012. In total, 163 documents were analyzed for type of studies, theories and frameworks, methodologies, author wise collaboration, organizations that contributed to the body of knowledge in the UTAUT2 research and journals that published studies in this domain. VOSviewer and Tableau were used for the data visualization, whereas TCCM, which means theory (T), context (C), characteristics (C) and methodology (M) framework is used to propose the future research directions.
Findings
The findings reveal research on UTAUT2 is growing. The structured literature analysis of the top 15 cited articles further analyzed the parsimony of new models in detail. In addition, the study highlights the inception by and promoters of UTAUT2 in a separate section. The data for this study was collected by searching the title, abstract and keywords of documents in the Scopus database.
Research limitations/implications
This study is based on research papers, published in the UTAUT2 research area, that have been extracted from the Scopus database by keywords only. Future studies can also perform a meta-analysis of various clusters generated by bibliometric analysis.
Practical implications
This study is useful for practitioners to devise strategies for increasing technology acceptance, adoption and utilization in the times to come.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the very few and early studies, which examined patterns and growth trends of the UTAUT2 studies with the TCCM framework, to suggest scope for future research studies.
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Lucas Prata Feres, Alex Wilhans Antonio Palludeto and Hugo Miguel Oliveira Rodrigues Dias
Drawing upon a political economy approach, this article aims to analyze the transformations in the labor market within the context of contemporary capitalism, focusing on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon a political economy approach, this article aims to analyze the transformations in the labor market within the context of contemporary capitalism, focusing on the phenomenon of financialization.
Design/methodology/approach
Financialization is defined as a distinct wealth pattern marked by a growing proportion of financial assets in capitalist wealth. Within financial markets, corporate performance is continuously assessed, in a process that disciplines management to achieve expected financial results, with consequences throughout corporate management.
Findings
We find that this phenomenon has implications for labor management, resulting in the intensification of labor processes and the adoption of insecure forms of employment, leading to the fractalization of work. These two mechanisms, added to the indebtedness of workers, constitute three elements for disciplining labor in contemporary capitalism.
Originality/value
We argue that these forms of discipline constitute a subsumption of labor to finance, resulting in an increase in labor exploitation. This formulation of the relationship between financialization and changes in the realm of labor also contributes to understanding the unrealizing potential of social free time in contemporary capitalism.
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This paper aims to show the main results of an implementation of a tool developed to assess the integrated elements originated from lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, based on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show the main results of an implementation of a tool developed to assess the integrated elements originated from lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, based on Programa Nacional da Qualidade – Brazilian National Quality Program (PNQ).
Design/methodology/approach
This is an applied and qualitative research, which used basic qualitative studies and descriptive techniques as research strategies. A five-point Likert scale was used for the evaluation of the elements and constructs. The instrument was applied in one manufacturing company located in the Southern region of Brazil.
Findings
The application of the instrument showed that the use of an instrument like that can be useful in the management of elements and constructs of companies that have the lean manufacturing and Six Sigma implemented. In the case of this company, among the nine constructs, three of them need more attention: strategy, culture and customer.
Research limitations/implications
Because it is a research by means of a case study, the results cannot be generalized and should be applied in other organizations. Thus, their results could be further explored and discussed.
Practical implications
The results point out relevant aspects related to the evaluation of integrated elements of Lean Sigma and the importance of a tool to manage them in order to reduce costs and others resources.
Originality/value
As the application of Lean Sigma is relatively recent and there are little data published about its utilization in a developing country, it is important to expand knowledge on this subject.
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Matthias Thürer, Moacir Godinho Filho, Mark Stevenson and Lawrence D. Fredendall
The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of small manufacturing companies in Brazil. The paper seeks to identify their competitive priorities based on their recent…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of small manufacturing companies in Brazil. The paper seeks to identify their competitive priorities based on their recent developments and their anticipated opportunities and challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an exploratory study based on semi‐structured telephone interviews. The interview guide contained around 30, mainly open‐ended questions.
Findings
The research both confirms and refutes previous research. It refutes the “traditional view” that small firms are driven by cost, quality, flexibility and delivery only; it supports recent research which has argued that there has been a shift in terms of what competitive priorities are being pursued. More specifically, innovativeness was identified as an important new competitive priority, but there was little evidence in support of other recently proposed priorities like security and sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
This study is restricted to one area of Brazil (São Carlos). Further research is therefore necessary to confirm the relevance of the findings to other small firms in other regions, e.g. through a large‐scale survey.
Originality/value
Much of the available literature focuses on large firms in developed economies, and it assumes operations strategy is built on four “traditional” broad competitive priorities. This study provides insight into the state of small manufacturers in an emerging economy. It identifies innovativeness as a fifth key priority and argues that firms must compete on a blend of outcomes; this adds to the complexity of managerial tasks.
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Marco Antonio Paula Pinheiro, Bruno Michel Roman Pais Seles, Paula De Camargo Fiorini, Daniel Jugend, Ana Beatriz Lopes de Sousa Jabbour, Hermes Moretti Ribeiro da Silva and Hengky Latan
The purpose of this paper is to identify and systematize journal articles that relate to new product development (NPD) within a circular economy (CE) and to present an integrative…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and systematize journal articles that relate to new product development (NPD) within a circular economy (CE) and to present an integrative framework.
Design/methodology/approach
It was conducted a qualitative research based on a systematic review of the literature.
Findings
As results, it is presented the identification of the main practices and actions of CE applied to NPD, as well as the drivers, barriers and the stakeholders involved in the integration between CE and NPD.
Originality/value
The main contributions of this research are: mapping the state-of-the-art on the topic and systematizing the existing knowledge; providing useful insights for product development professionals considering adopting CE practices and tools in their NPD processes; and presenting a unique, integrative framework to guide organizations’ actions.
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Pedro Miguel Oliveira and Maria Manuela Natário
The purpose of this paper is to show the relevance of territorial innovation systems approach for non-central regions’ development strategies. The research made allowed to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show the relevance of territorial innovation systems approach for non-central regions’ development strategies. The research made allowed to identify actions of collective efficiency to strengthen endogenous capacity for regional innovation, and also to detect some institutional weaknesses that inhibit the innovation dynamics in a particular rural region (Tagus Valley).
Design/methodology/approach
The research followed an interpretive case study, of explanatory type. Data collecting method comprised semi-structured face-to-face interviews with business agents and local government members, direct observation of innovation activities and documentary analysis. Statistical methods to analyse the firms’ innovation behaviour, as well as owners and managers’ perceptions, were also used in order to improve the trustworthiness of the research.
Findings
The results show that innovation is positively associated to a diverse set of institutional factors that shape a territorially embedded innovation system, in which the firms’ innovation activity is chiefly based on localized learning processes. Moreover, a path of smart and creative diversification area is detected, but there are substantial differences between firms belonging to agro-food supply chain. While food industries and wineries show very interesting levels of investment in innovation activities and external knowledge synergies, farmers/producers depend greatly from producers’ organizations.
Research limitations/implications
Given the absence of generalizability and some speculative argumentation, further research needs to be done, especially about the critical role of higher education institutions to promote innovation.
Practical implications
The paper provides empirical insights about the role of actors belonging to the governance layer inherent to the territorial innovation system in discussion.
Originality/value
The paper fulfils an identified need to systematize institutional factors able to affect non-central regions innovation.
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K.A.C.S. Kalu Arachchi, B.A.K.S. Perera, Dinithi Piyumra Raigama Acharige and Sajani Jayasuriya
The escalation in demand for buildings in tropical zones has risen resulting from global population growth. Moreover, the construction industry is under growing pressure to adapt…
Abstract
Purpose
The escalation in demand for buildings in tropical zones has risen resulting from global population growth. Moreover, the construction industry is under growing pressure to adapt sustainable practices. Hence, this research aims to investigate how Circular Economy (CE) principles can be converged with Tropical Design Strategies (TDS) to enhance sustainability within the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative approach was employed with three rounds of Delphi technique, following semi-structured expert interviews. Collected data were analysed through content analysis.
Findings
Four passive design strategies were explored as the most suitable strategies for building designs in the tropical regions. To amalgamate passive design strategies of Tropical Designs (TD) with the most practicable CE R principles, 23 number of methods were proposed to each passive design strategy. Furthermore, 11 enablers were revealed in converging TD with CE. Among them, green building design, advanced design software and bioclimatic designs are the enablers which are applicable for all the design strategies.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first kind of research which was done converging three concepts of CE, TD and sustainability. Moreover, this research defined various approaches on how to integrate CE R principles with each identified passive design strategy as an influential approach for ameliorating sustainability. This research contributes to the practice by proposing methods to building designers and architects on how to design buildings in tropical regions following CE principles while ensuring sustainability.