User perception and influencing factors of technology in everyday life

An increasing amount of research is being developed in the area where technology and humans meet. The success or failure of technologies and the question whether technology helps humans to fulfill their goals or whether it hinders them is in most cases not a technical one. User Perception and Influencing Factors of Technology in Everyday Life addresses issues of human and technology interaction. The research in this work is interdisciplinary, ranging from more technical subjects such as computer science, engineering, and information systems, to non-technical descriptions of technology and human interaction from the point of view of sociology or philosophy. This book is perfect for academics, researchers, and professionals alike as it presents a set of theories that allow us to understand the interaction of technology and humans and to put it to practical use.

Motivations and management factors of volunteer work in nonprofit organisations: a literature review

The objective of this paper is to review and discuss the literature about volunteers’ motivations to donate their time to NPOs and the management factors that can influence volunteer work. Firstly, the paper illustrates and compares the different types of motivation followed by a presentation of a typology that organises the volunteers’ motivations into four types: (i) altruism, (ii) belonging, (iii) ego and social recognition and (iv) development and learning. Secondly we discuss the key management factors in volunteering: recruitment, training and rewarding. Finally, we present four gaps in the literature that justify the scope for further research: (i) omission of differences between motivations related to volunteers’ "Attraction" versus "Retention"; (ii) focus of the research on the USA, UK and Australia context; (iii) absence of comparative analyses that relate motivations by NPO types and (iv) comprehension of how management factors (recruitment, training and rewarding) influence volunteers’ satisfaction and retention.

Family and non-family businesses on internal factors of entrepreneurship

Small firms are a major player in development. Thus, entrepreneurship is frequently attached to these rms and it must be present in daily management of factors such as planning and cooperation. We intend to analyze these factors, comparing familiar and non-familiar businesses. This study was conducted in a Portuguese region in the north of Portugal - Vale do Sousa . The results allow us to conclude that even with some managerial di erences it was not possible to identify distinct patterns between them. The main goal of this paper is to open research lines on important issues to distinguish familiar from non-familiar businesses.

Participate (or not) in international trade fairs? Decision factors of Portuguese managers

Portugal is a small economy, with an open domestic market that needs competitive exporters to prosper. Trade fairs are an international promotion tool that can be used by firms when considering export development and expansion. This study identifies and evaluates the critical factors that influenced the decision making process of Portuguese SME’s (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) managers to participate (or not) in international trade fairs. The results indicate that the firm’s critical decisions factors to select an international trade fair were value for money and the stand (location, typology and size)

Determinant factors of turnover versus permanence of portuguese repatriates: an exploratory study

The study seeks to identify the determinant factors of the repatriate’s decision to remain or leave the company after repatriation, in a convenience sample of 40 Portuguese returnees working in companies based in Portugal. The main results were as follows: (1) there are seven factor categories: (a) salaries and benefits; (b) possibility of promotion, development, professional development; (c) organizational support (during and after the international mission) recognition of work; (d) economic and social atmosphere of the company, (e) good relationship with leadership; (f) convenience and/or personal / family well-being and; (g) external alternatives; (2) the main factors leading to permanence are (a) possibility of promotion, development and professional development and; (b) the existence of personal and family well-being / convenience; (3) the main factors leading to abandonment are (a) lack of organizational support and recognition of work performed; (b) lack of possibility of promotion, development and professional development and; (c) lack of personal / family well-being / convenience. Globally, the study suggests that the factors leading to permanence are very similar to those that lead to abandonment, although in reverse.

Factors of repatriates’ turnover: literature review

One of the important challenges for multinational organisations is to increase the ability to retain their repatriates. The literature review shows high turnover rates amongst repatriates in the first two years following return from the international assignment. This paper discusses organisation’s (in)ability to retain its repatriates. A diversity of predictable factors of repatriates’ turnover is identified, including factors related to the job, the organisation, qualification, career development, personality, social context and the market. The paper analysis organisational support practices designed to increase the power of retention and decrease the turnover. We concluded that research about retention versus turnover of repatriates is scarce, mainly regarding the role a formal repatriation and retention programme in facilitating the retention of these employees with acquired international knowledge and skills, that is, the role that organisational factors play in voluntary turnover decisions. Further research is suggested at the end of the article.

Learning to manage in knowledge based organizations: the role of portfolios

Paper presented at the 8th European Conference on Knowledge Management, Barcelona, 6-7 Sep. 2008 URL: http://www.academic-conferences.org/eckm/eckm2007/eckm07-home.htm

Friction losses of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids flowing in laminar regime in a helical coil

This study aimed to carry out experimental work to determine, for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, the friction factor (fc) with simultaneous heat transfer, at constant wall temperature as boundary condition, in fully developed laminar flow inside a vertical helical coil. The Newtonian fluids studied were aqueous solutions of glycerol, 25%, 36%, 43%, 59% and 78% (w/w). The non-Newtonian fluids were aqueous solutions of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), a polymer, with concentrations of 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.6% (w/w) and aqueous solutions of xanthan gum (XG), another polymer, with concentrations of 0.1% and 0.2% (w/w). According to the rheological study done, the polymer solutions had shear-thinning behavior and different values of viscoelasticity. The helical coil used has an internal diameter, curvature ratio, length and pitch, respectively: 0.00483 m, 0.0263, 5.0 m and 11.34 mm. It was concluded that the friction factors, with simultaneous heat transfer, for Newtonian fluids can be calculated using expressions from literature for isothermal flows. The friction factors for CMC and XG solutions are similar to those for Newtonian fluids when the Dean number, based in a generalized Reynolds number, is less than 80. For Dean numbers higher than 80, the friction factors of the CMC solutions are lower those of the XG solutions and of the Newtonian fluids. In this range the friction factors decrease with the increase of the viscometric component of the solution and increase for increasing elastic component. The change of behavior at Dean number 80, for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, is in accordance with the study of Ali [4]. There is a change of behavior at Dean number 80, for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, which is in according to previous studies. The data also showed that the use of the bulk temperature or of the film temperature to calculate the physical properties of the fluid has a residual effect in the friction factor values.

Business micro-location: factors, preferences and indicators to assess the influence factors

The paper presents a study on business micro-location behaviour as well as corresponding factors of influence, conducted in two metropolitan areas, Bucharest-Ilfov (Romania) and Greater Porto (Portugal). By business micro-location we refer to a specific site such as a building or facility, accommodating a business within a small, compact geographical area (e.g. metropolitan area). At this geographical scale, the macroeconomic layer factors were excluded, applicable when discern between regions or countries. The factors derived from location theory and previous empirical studies were surveyed, completing a cross-sectional analysis in order to find out the specific weights of the location factors and preferences, by region and by industry. Based on already established firms’ feedback on location, the specific weights were granted by each industry to the main location factors, types of areas, and types of accommodation facilities. The authors also suggested a model to integrate these results into a Geographical Information System (GIS).

Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory Short Form Among Divorced Adults

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a Portuguese version of the Short Form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-SF). Using an online convenience sample of Portuguese divorced adults (N = 482), we confirmed the oblique five-factor structure of the PTGI-SF by confirmatory factor analysis. The results demonstrated the measurement invariance across divorce initiator status groups. Total score and factors of PTGI-SF showed good internal consistency, with the exception of the New Possibilities factor, which revealed an acceptable reliability. The Portuguese PTGI-SF showed a satisfactory convergent validity. In terms of discriminant validity, posttraumatic growth assessed by the Portuguese PTGI-SF was a distinct factor from posttraumatic psychological adjustment. These preliminary findings suggest the cultural adaptation and also psychometric properties of the present Portuguese PTGI-SF to measure posttraumatic growth after personal crisis.

Factors that Influence Adherence to Exercise among Patients Attending a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the factors of adherence to physical activity in subjects attending a cardiac rehabilitation program, and subjects who have withdrawal this same program using the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change. Methods: We conducted an observational, cross sectional type study, with a sample of 33 individuals (15 currently participating in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and 18 who no more attended the same program), with the questionnaires being personally delivered or sent by mail. For data analysis, we used the computer program SPSS® version 16.0. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: There were no significant differences in the states of Change, Self-efficacy, Decisional Balance and Change Processes in both groups. We obtained a high Spearman correlation between States of Change and Self-efficacy (r2 = 0.778) and the Pros (r2 = 0.764) and Againsts (r2 = -0.744) in Decisional Balance. However, there were no significant evidence to affirm that States of Change and experiential processes of change (p = 0.465) andbehavioral (p = 0.300) had a correlation. A relationship was found, in terms of proportions between physical activity incorporated or not in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and age (p = 0.003), occupation (p = 0.010) and the entity paying the costs of program (p = 0.027). Conclusion: It was concluded that perceived self-efficacy and Pros and Againsts of the Decisional Balance are related to adherence to physical activity. Results also point out that age, profession and the entity paying the costs of the program influences the dropout of Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs.