Maria Rosário Bastos, João Alveirinho Dias, Ana Cristina Dias, Silvia Dias Pereira, Nanci Vieira de Oliveira and Maria Antonieta Rodrigues
The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis between Aveiro's Lagoon (Portugal) and Sepetiba Bay (Brazil), in order to understand the similarities and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis between Aveiro's Lagoon (Portugal) and Sepetiba Bay (Brazil), in order to understand the similarities and differences between these two coastal zones, in terms of human occupation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is supported by works (papers and scientific projects being developed) produced in Portugal and Brazil, by researchers from different areas of expertise.
Findings
These two coastal zones have a similar geomorphologic evolution, due to the fact that both appeared because of a sandy spit, which started to grow and separated these areas from the sea, converting them into sheltered coasts. It was because they are protected that these two study cases early became targets for human occupation. The anthropic impacts in the systems were sustainable until the middle of the twentieth century. Since then, however, the economic development options, based first in industry and second in tourism exploration, have compromised the natural healthy balance.
Practical implications
This paper could be a contribution to a scientific support for political decisions on the coastal zone management (namely in these studied areas).
Social implications
The paper provides and increases the knowledge of the coastal zones’ evolution and occupation – from a multidisciplinary perspective – produced and made available to scientists, local politicians, students and local populations.
Originality/value
The paper provides a truly interdisciplinary approach, which allows a better understanding of the evolution of these two systems, discussing the causes and consequences of human activities in both coastal areas.
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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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Douglas Wegner, Marcelo Fernandes Pacheco Dias, Ana Cláudia Azevedo and Diego Antonio Bittencourt Marconatto
Although the governance and management of networks are deeply intertwined, there is a lack of empirical studies on how strategic networks (SNs) configure both realities for higher…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the governance and management of networks are deeply intertwined, there is a lack of empirical studies on how strategic networks (SNs) configure both realities for higher performance. This paper aims to analyze the array of governance and management sets adopted by high-performing SNs.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors bridge the research gap by using qualitative comparative analysis on the governance (decision-making process, formalization, specialization, incentives and control) and management (strategy, structure, processes and leadership) dimensions of 73 Brazilian SNs.
Findings
The authors found that high-performing SNs adopt one of two governance/management configurations. “Piloted SNs” rely on specialized working teams, have structured decision-making processes and avoid using incentives. Conversely, “atomized SNs” run on incentives and control while eschewing specialization and rigid decision-making procedures. The authors also found that both configurations adopt formal procedures and leverage all four management dimensions.
Originality/value
The study’s results offer pathways for SNs to increase their performance and attract new members, as well as insights into the theory of SN governance.
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Sílvia Monteiro, Leandro Almeida and Adela García-Aracil
This study addresses the specific topic of transition between higher education and the world of work, taking differences naturally inherent to the individual and to the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study addresses the specific topic of transition between higher education and the world of work, taking differences naturally inherent to the individual and to the surrounding micro and macro contexts. With a holistic approach, this paper aimed to provide a deeper understanding about the university-to-work transition process in a period of turbulence and continuous changes in the labour market.
Design/methodology/approach
The three research questions that guide this qualitative study are as follows: (1) What are the factors that facilitate the transition to the labour market? (2) What are the factors that constrain the transition to the labour market? (3) What are graduates' perceptions of their employability? To answer these questions, eleven graduates were interviewed about facilitators and barriers of the transition process and perceptions of employability. Data collected from the interviews were then related to categories previously defined from the literature review. Version 12.0 of the NVivo software was used to support the process of data analysis.
Findings
Overall, participants' discourse refer to a multidimensional and dynamic perspective of factors related with work transition and employability. The obtained results indicate that the lack of career agency during graduation and professional experiences, together with late career exploration processes, represent possible barriers of transition, especially in study fields with targeted job offers. Likewise, experiences promoting the development of competencies through supportive practice from teachers, mentors and colleagues are referred as facilitators of transition.
Practical implications
One of the most consistent outcomes of the interviews conducted concerns the importance of a stronger focus on developing practical experiences during higher education studies. This empirical study demonstrated how this type of experience can mitigate the impact of the transition from university to the labour market.
Originality/value
This empirical study demonstrated how work being integrated into learning in curricula can mitigate the impact of the transition from university to the labour market. It offers important insights about possible strategies that could be adopted to promote graduates' employability from a perspective of shared responsibility.
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Julia Fernanda Urbano Marinho, Marcella Chalella Mazzocato, Fabricio Luiz Tulini, Marluci Palazzolli Silva, Elaine Cristina Pereira de Martinis and Carmen Sílvia Fávaro-Trindade
The purpose of this study was the development and the nutritional, physical-chemical and sensorial characterization of probiotic and synbiotic sorbets elaborated with jussara pulp…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was the development and the nutritional, physical-chemical and sensorial characterization of probiotic and synbiotic sorbets elaborated with jussara pulp (Euterpe edulis), Lactobacillus spp. and polydextrose.
Design/methodology/approach
Five formulations of jussara sorbets (one control, two probiotics and two synbiotics) were produced and evaluated according to their centesimal composition, pH, soluble solids, instrumental color, overrun, apparent density, sensory acceptability and purchase intent.
Findings
All sorbets exhibited low calorific value, with no difference between them (p =0.96). The synbiotic samples (S3 and S5) showed the higher carbohydrate (30.4 and 30.2 per cent) and crude fiber content (0.4 and 0.5 per cent). Regarding to sensory acceptance, the probiotic samples (S2 and S4) presented greater global acceptability (averages acceptance 6.4 and 6.6, respectively) while the polydextrose samples (S3 and S5) showed low values (5.9 for both samples), although this prebiotic was able to increase the overrun to values above 40 per cent.
Practical implications
The functional jussara sorbets are a promising possibility for diversification of the probiotic foods already offered. The combination of its probiotic, prebiotic and bioactive properties can provide technological improvement and superior nutritional quality, with good sensorial acceptance. Likewise, jussara pulp showed nutritional properties favorable to its application in the food industry, which can help preserve its endangered palm tree.
Originality/value
The probiotics and synbiotics jussara sorbets showed to be adequate as a lactose-free and low-calorie functional product, with high nutritional, commercial and ecological value. Also, it was possible to notice that while the addition of probiotics improved the sensorial acceptance of jussara sorbets, polydextrose raised the technological quality by increasing its overrun.
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Ana Cláudia Azevedo, Rafael Morais Pereira, Camilo Angel Peña Ramirez and Ronaldo de Oliveira Santos Jhunior
This study aims to propose and validate a framework for analyzing management activities in regional strategic networks. It addresses the knowledge gap regarding network management…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose and validate a framework for analyzing management activities in regional strategic networks. It addresses the knowledge gap regarding network management and the lack of focus on specific activities and management modes employed by network actors.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology involves a literature review to identify essential network management functions, which academic experts and field specialists then evaluate. Based on their feedback, an instrument is refined to assess these activities’ strategic importance and frequency. Data is collected from 86 regional strategic network managers, meeting the required criteria for factor analysis. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation measures the “Network Management” construct and identifies underlying dimensions summarizing observed variables.
Findings
The analysis reveals two dimensions within the framework: one encompasses early-stage network development activities (ex ante activities), and the other includes activities associated with more advanced stages (ex post activities). This framework contributes methodologically to measuring and analyzing network management.
Research limitations/implications
This research addresses the need for robust conceptual frameworks in network governance, advancing the understanding of governance drivers and their impact on network outcomes by aligning network phenomena with performance.
Practical implications
The framework provides valuable insights for network managers, enhancing their understanding of management activities’ strategic importance and frequency. This knowledge can inform managerial decisions and improve network management practices.
Originality/value
This study introduces an original framework for analyzing network management activities in regional strategic networks, filling a significant research gap. Despite limitations like specificity to certain network types and subjective responses, the study maintains validity and reliability criteria. Future research opportunities involve applying the framework to different network contexts and conducting longitudinal studies to track network management evolution.
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Cuba’s 1959 Revolution brought about dramatic changes not only in that island‐nation but also in the USA. Cubans, and later Cuban‐Americans, have changed the face of Miami and…
Abstract
Cuba’s 1959 Revolution brought about dramatic changes not only in that island‐nation but also in the USA. Cubans, and later Cuban‐Americans, have changed the face of Miami and south Florida. The economic and social successes of Cuban‐Americans, the third largest Latino group in the USA, are prevalent in scholarly and popular literature. In this annotated bibliography, the author presents journal articles, chapters in books, books, and human rights reports, published between 1990 and 1998, as well as World Wide Web sites, that discuss the Cuban‐American experience. Articles from the popular literature are not included, nor are materials that deal primarily with Cuba or Cuba‐USA relations.
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Gabrielle Oliveira, Carolina Barbosa Lindquist, Estela Sato Shiratori and Leila Baptaglin
This study aims to show the complexities of engagement between students - Venezuelan and Brazilian - and their teachers. This qualitative ethnographic study documents the everyday…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to show the complexities of engagement between students - Venezuelan and Brazilian - and their teachers. This qualitative ethnographic study documents the everyday pedagogies and practices that take place in elementary schools with high levels of refugee and immigrant children. While Brazilian law ensures the basic right to public education, forbidding discrimination based on nationality or immigration status (Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação, 1996), the barriers remain. Through the frameworks of multicultural (USA) and intercultural (Brazil) education, this paper shows how Brazilian teachers and students of Venezuelan and Brazilian backgrounds engage, learn from one another and build welcoming spaces, but also how stereotypes are reinforced inside classrooms and schools.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study uses ethnography to understand how recent Venezuelan migratory flow influences Brazilian and Venezuelan children’s educational experiences in elementary education. Participants were Venezuelan (N = 57) and Brazilian (N = 76) children in two elementary schools in the city of Boa Vista. Data sources for the study are school observations in four elementary classrooms (1st and 2nd grade) and semi-structured interviews with caregivers, teachers, administrators and other educators. This paper also collected children’s drawings and writings and documents like curricula, strategic planning, guidelines, policies, grades, reports and any other textual or photographic material made available at the city level.
Findings
In the field of education, there is a critical need for understanding children’s education experiences. This paper focuses on the experiences of teachers and students in two elementary schools in Brazil. This paper focus on two findings: first that teachers promote the learning of Portuguese to show care toward their Venezuelan students. Second, children in the classroom show solidarity with one another and resist some of the more rigid Portuguese-only practices enacted by teachers. This work uses the frameworks of intercultural (more commonly used in Brazil) and multicultural education to inform the analysis.
Research limitations/implications
In this study, this paper puts these frameworks of interculturalism, multiculturalism, language use and solidarity into conversation to understand the dynamics of two elementary classrooms in the city of Boa Vista, Brazil. While this paper shows the shortcomings of a seemingly multicultural and multilanguage classroom, it also shows how children actively resist the rigidity of teaching and learning in elementary schooling.
Originality/value
This study is a response both to the increasing South–South migration trend in Latin America and its consequences on public education systems. Through multicultural and intercultural lenses, this research highlighted the complexity of interactions within multicultural classrooms by delving into a two-year ethnographic study conducted in Boa Vista, Brazil, focusing on Venezuelan and Brazilian children in two local elementary schools. This paper focused on two main observations this paper refers to as “Teaching Portuguese as a Way of Caring” and “Children's Solidarity Work.” Teachers primarily centered their instruction on teaching Portuguese to migrant children, believing it to lead to quicker integration in the classroom and beyond – thus as a way of caring for their migrant students.