Transformando organiza????es p??blicas: a tecnologia da informa????o como fator propulsor de mudan??as

A redefini????o do papel do Estado na sociedade e a conseq??ente transforma????o das Organiza????es P??blicas (OPs) implementadoras deste novo papel t??m sido t??picos-alvo constantes de discuss??o e a????o de governos, tanto em pa??ses desenvolvidos, quanto nos em desenvolvimento. Neste artigo ?? apresentada uma proposta metodol??gica para a transforma????o de OPs, utilizando-se de tecnologia da informa????o (TI) como fator propulsor deste processo de transforma????o. O arcabou??o metodol??gico proposto est??, basicamente, ancorado em duas for??as de mudan??a: uma for??a externa ?? OP ??? Institutional Accountability, e uma for??a interna ?? OP ??? Equipes de Trabalho, que, sinergicamente, encontram-se nos processos de trabalho executados pela OP transformada. As TIs que viabilizam e prov??em suporte ?? implementa????o das for??as externa e interna s??o, respectivamente: Sistema de Informa????o Executivo e Groupware.

Determinantes do desempenho institucional: um esbo??o te??rico

Este artigo tem como objetivo principal construir um ensaio te??rico que possibilite compreender as raz??es que determinam o desempenho satisfat??rio das institui????es do Estado, particularmente no Rio Grande do Sul. Ou seja, compreender os mecanismos que permitem aos governos locais realizar seus prop??sitos, como construir estradas, educar crian??as e promover o desenvolvimento de maneira satisfat??ria. Para tanto, a partir da revis??o da bibliografia especializada, constru??mos uma episteme que possibilite compreender o desempenho do Estado em suas implica????es institucionais formais (neo-institucionalismo) de North (2001), bem como suas implica????es com padr??es valorativos (capital social) de Putnam (2000). Assim, conclu??mos que institui????es e capital social sinergeticamente aliados podem contribuir para o desempenho satisfat??rio das institui????es do Estado.

A evasão discente no contexto da reestruturação universitária : o caso dos cursos de Administração e Ciências Contábeis da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi levantar os motivos que influenciam a evasão discente em quatro cursos de graduação da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. A reestruturação universitária proposta pelo REUNI - Programa de Apoio a Planos de Expansão das Universidades Federais serviu como contexto ao estudo, pois instituiu diretrizes para o combate à evasão no ensino superior. O modelo de evasão de cunho sociológico proposto por Tinto (1997) baseou as análises realizadas nesta pesquisa porque toma a instituição como responsável por ações capazes de criar um ambiente de aprendizado necessário à permanência do estudante. A pesquisa de campo quali-quantitativa foi realizada com os alunos evadidos e com os coordenadores dos cursos de Administração Diurno e Ciências Contábeis Noturno e dos novos cursos Administração Noturno e Ciências Contábeis Vespertino. Foram alcançados 95 alunos evadidos e os quatro coordenadores, sendo aplicado questionário semiaberto aos alunos evadidos e feitas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os coordenadores. Dados do sistema acadêmico (SIE/UFES) foram utilizados para o levantamento das variáveis. Os números fornecem evidências de que o resultado da aprendizagem traduzido pelo desempenho acadêmico torna-se um forte causador da evasão por abandono. O baixo coeficiente de rendimento relacionou-se ao desligamento por abandono na maioria dos casos. Em relação às formas de evasão, a desistência e o desligamento por abandono totalizaram 87,4% dos casos, com maior incidência de evasão no segundo e terceiro ano do curso. O ponto crítico da evasão parece confirmar-se do 2º ao 5º semestre e 62% dos casos de evasão que se situaram nesse lapso temporal apresentaram coeficiente de rendimento de 0,00 a 3,00. Os resultados evidenciaram os motivos que mais influenciaram os alunos a deixar o curso: i) a necessidade de trabalhar enquanto frequentava o curso, ii) a descoberta de novos interesses; iii) a incompatibilidade entre os horários do trabalho e do curso; iv) a escolha da carreira profissional ainda muito jovem e v) a falta de orientação aos alunos sobre normas, penalidades, planejamento do curso, periodização, etc. e deficiências na comunicação institucional.

Os ‘intrusos’ e os ‘outros’ quebrando o aquário e mudando os horizontes: as relações de raça e classe na implementação das cotas sociais no processo seletivo para cursos de graduação da UFES

A pesquisa desta tese investiga as mediações das categorias de raça e de classe social no processo de implementação do modelo de cotas sociais da Ufes para ingresso nos cursos de graduação, entre 2006 a 2012, como parte das ações afirmativas dessa universidade. Tal modelo, para incluir a população afro-brasileira no ensino superior do Espírito Santo, respeitou estritamente os critérios de renda e de origem escolar pública, não adotando o critério étnico-racial que contemplaria especificamente os negros e os indígenas. Diante disso, o autor busca sustentar a tese de que, considerando o padrão das relações raciais brasileiras produtor de assimetrias entre grupos com marcas raciais distintas, no caso de negros e brancos, as desigualdades raciais têm na operacionalização do racismo seu mote ofensivo e poderoso, ao mesmo tempo em que a classe social isolada é insuficiente na compreensão e superação do problema racial do Brasil. Portanto, na adoção de políticas de combate às desigualdades raciais no ensino superior, caberia também a utilização de medidas etnicamente referenciadas. Autores como Hall (2008) e Fraser (2006), ao trazerem a dimensão articulada e bifocal das injustiças simbólicas e das injustiças econômicas, permitem entender a complementaridade e as dinâmicas entre ambas, deslocando-se de determinismos classistas que invisibilizam o racismo como instrumento opressor nas relações sociais. Como objetivos específicos, considera: compreender o processo de construção do modelo de cotas da Ufes, para ingresso nos cursos de graduação implementado em 2008, sob a perspectiva do debate da relação entre raça e classe; examinar as políticas de ações afirmativas como respostas às demandas históricas dos afro-brasileiros no contexto da sociedade brasileira; avaliar a posição de professores e alunos de cursos de graduação da Ufes diante do ingresso de alunos cotistas, sobretudo afro-brasileiros e pobres; e investigar a relação das políticas classistas, no caso específico das cotas sociais, na superação das assimetrias raciais. Adota como procedimentos metodológicos a metodologia dialética de pesquisa considerando todas as contradições entre raça e classe no processo de implementação de ações afirmativas na Ufes. Como instrumentos de pesquisa, utiliza entrevistas de professores e alunos cotistas e não cotistas de cursos variados da universidade, assim como documentos referentes à temática. Os resultados apontam para uma “oxigenação” da universidade depois de uma entrada maior de negros e pobres, principalmente nos cursos mais elitizados, pois as cotas operam uma dimensão pedagógica de ampliar a diversidade social na academia, trazendo outras demandas, outras 10 afetividades, outras lógicas de mundo e concepções de sociedade para a única universidade pública do Espírito Santo. Indica que os mecanismos discriminatórios e estigmatizantes interpessoais e institucionais, vividos no contexto das cotas sociais e explícitos na pesquisa, não inviabilizam a importância das ações afirmativas, pois apontam para a universidade repensar e ressignificar seus currículos e ações pedagógicas homogeneizantes no sentido de ampliar a ideia de inclusão e de democratização de seus espaços. Reitera que a raça, em seu viés político e cultural, é operante de forma relacional e independente com a classe social no contexto da produção das assimetrias raciais brasileiras, de maneira que a ação de uma não nega a ação da outra, mesmo na relação entre ambas. Enfatiza a importância do entendimento e da materialidade das ações afirmativas como políticas de reconhecimento que combateriam as desigualdades simbólicas na Ufes. Aponta a relevância das políticas de assistência estudantil, conjugadas às cotas, como políticas de redistribuição econômica, que lidariam com as dificuldades ou ausências materiais dos discentes, principalmente dos cotistas. Conclui que as cotas étnico-raciais nas universidades brasileiras são instrumentos legítimos de luta pela educação, um direito social de oportunidade dos grupos historicamente apartados de princípios constituidores da emancipação, da cidadania, dos direitos humanos, da justiça social, da igualdade e da diferença.

Terrorism as war by other means: national security and state support for terrorism

The conventional approach in the discipline of International Relations is to treat terrorist organizations as "non-state" actors of international relations. However, this approach is problematic due to the fact that most terrorist organizations are backed or exploited by some states. In this article, I take issue with the non-stateness of terrorist organizations and seek to answer the question of why so many states, at times, support terrorist organizations. I argue that in the face of rising threats to national security in an age of devastating wars, modern nation states tend to provide support to foreign terrorist organizations that work against their present and imminent enemies. I elaborate on my argument studying three cases of state support for terrorism: Iranian support for Hamas, Syrian support for the PKK, and American support for the MEK. The analyses suggest that, for many states, terror is nothing but war by other means.

The Museum Of All: Institutional Communication Practices in a Participatory Networked World

The Museum Of All: Institutional Communication Practices in a Participatory Networked World

The Main Determinants of the Use of the Cost Accounting System in Portuguese Local Government

This paper explores the main determinants of the use of the cost accounting system (CAS) in Portuguese local government (PLG). Regression analysis is used to study the fit of a model of accounting changes in PLG, focused on cost accounting systems oriented to activities and outputs. Based on survey data gathered from PLG, we have found that the use of information in decision-making and external reporting is still a mirage. We obtain evidence about the influence of the internal organizational context (especially the lack of support and difficulties in the CAS implementation) in the use for internal purposes, while the institutional environment (like external pressures to implement the CAS) appears to be more deterministic of the external use. Results strengthen the function of external reporting to legitimate the organization’s activities to external stakeholders. On the other hand, some control variables (like political competition, usefulness and experience) also evidence some explanatory power in the model. Some mixed results were found that appeal to further research in the future. Our empirical results contribute to understand the importance of interconnecting the contingency and institutional approaches to gain a clear picture of cost accounting changes in the public sector.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHATRONIC SYSTEM FOR BEDRIDDEN PEOPLE SUPPORT

This work is developed in the context of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and has, as main purpose, the development of a mechatronic system that allows caring of bedridden patients with ongoing medical care terminal (MCT), by a single person. This system allows higher autonomy in domiciliary care, safety, comfort and hygiene of bedridden patients. It contributes to a large increase in their quality of life as well as the ease of monitoring by providers of continuous care, which, in many cases, may be the family itself. The product includes an embedded processing interface for acquiring physiological data to support online monitoring. The development of this project was focused on improving the quality of life, autonomy, participation in social life and reducing healthcare costs in the area AAL. The developed societies currently face severe demographic changes: the world is aging at an unprecedented rate. In 2000, about 420 million people, or about 7 percent of the world population were over 65 years old. In 2050, that number will be near 1500 million people, about 16 percent of the world population. This demographic trend will be accompanied by the increase of people with physical limitations. This will impose new challenges for traditional health systems, not only for Portugal but also for all European countries. There is an urgent need to find solutions to improve the lives of people in their preferred environment by increasing their autonomy, self-confidence and mobility. Therefore, in the case of household scenarios, the provision of effective health services is of fundamental importance to the welfare and economic development of each country. This ongoing project aims to develop a mechatronic system to meet the diverse needs, namely: improving life, health care, safety, comfort, and remote monitoring of bedridden person.

A Caregiver Support Platform within the Scope of an Ambient Assisted Living Ecosystem

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL) project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests.

The impact of the digital divide on the perceived interest of an e-Marketplace to support healthcare and social care services

In a Europe increasingly aging, it is now recognized the importance and potential of the service industry for ageing well based on information and communication technologies (ICT), as exemplified by the electronic market of social services and health care, the GuiMarket, proposed by the authors. However, this new range of services requires that individuals have advanced digital skills to fully participate in society. Based on the results of a survey made on a sample of 315 individuals, this paper discusses the importance granted GuiMarket and the intended frequency of use, concluding there is a close relationship between ICT access and use that respondents anticipate making of GuiMarket and alike services.

Use of performance information by local politicians: a field study in the Portuguese context.

This paper seeks to investigate the use of performance information by politicians and whether the institutional reforms on performance management (PM) have been operationalized by local politicians. Differences on the policy field and the organizational context have been analyzed. Our goal is contribute to knowledge on PM in the political sphere and understand the different responses of politicians to government change initiatives (mainly coercive pressures). Our findings show that local politicians support the notion that greater attention should be devoted to the use of performance information on the evaluation process. Nevertheless they are very skeptic in relation to effective execution of government reforms. There is an internal culture where agencies are embedded, strongly influenced by the high degree of politicisation among senior managers, that lead politicians to be more concerned about personal opinions and informal performance information rather than to use more sophisticated information (output and outcome measures). The institutional approach helps us to identify political responses to institutional pressures and understand the reasons for a reduced use in the Portuguese context.

The determinants of international equity and bond investment

The purpose of this research is fourfold. First, to investigate whether the determinants of international equity investment differ between investors with different degrees of information, experience and sophistication. For this purpose, the determinants of international equity investment of institutional and noninstitutional investors from 20 OECD countries, in the period 2001-2009, were analysed and compared. The results show that there are significant differences in the determinants of international equity investment between institutional and noninstitutional investors. Particularly, noninstitutional investors exhibit a more pronounced preference for equities of geographical nearby, contiguous and more transparent countries than institutional investors, suggesting that the effect of information costs and familiarity on international equity investment is stronger for less informed, experienced and sophisticated investors. Moreover, the preference for more developed equity markets and the contrarian behaviour are more severe for noninstitutional investors. Hence, the heterogeneity of institutional and noninstitutional investors in international equity investment is not negligible and therefore should be taken into account. Second, to investigate whether the determinants of international bond investment differ between investors with different degrees of information, experience and sophistication. For this purpose, the determinants of international bond investment of institutional and noninstitutional investors from 20 OECD countries, in the period 2001-2009, were analysed and compared. The results show that there are few significant differences in the determinants of international bond investment between institutional and noninstitutional investors. Particularly, the preference for bonds of more transparent countries and the return chasing behaviour are more pronounced for noninstitutional investors, whereas the preference for bonds with lower risk diversification potential is more pronounced for institutional investors. Hence, not only the results for international bond investment do not allow to support (or reject) the argument that information costs and familiarity are more important for less informed, experienced and sophisticated investors, but also they are contrary to the idea that financial variables, namely return and risk diversification, are more important for more informed, experienced and sophisticated investors. Third, to investigate whether the determinants of international equity investment differ from the determinants of international bond investment. For this purpose, the determinants of both international equity and bond investment of institutional and noninstitutional investors from 20 OECD countries, in the period 2001-2009, were analysed and compared. The results show that, although the effect of information costs on international equity investment tends to be stronger than on international bond investment, the differences between assets are not usually statistically significant, especially when the influence of financial variables is taken into account. Hence, it is not possible to conclude that international equity investment is much more information intensive than international bond investment, as suggested by Gehrig (1993) and Portes, Rey and Oh (2001), among others. Fourth, to investigate whether the flight to quality phenomenon is also observable in international investment and whether the flight to quality phenomenon is more pronounced for more sophisticated than for less sophisticated investors. For this purpose, a two-factor and three-factor ANOVA models, respectively, were applied to the international equity and bond investment of institutional and noninstitutional investors from 20 OECD countries in the period 2001-2009. The results suggest that the flight to quality phenomenon is also observable in international investment, as a change from business cycle of expansion to recession causes investors to significantly decrease the average weight invested in more risky assets (equities) and increase the average weight invested in less risky assets (bonds). The results also show that the variation on the average weight assigned to each type of asset, due to changes in business cycles, is significantly stronger for institutional investors than for noninstitutional investors, thereby suggesting that the flight to quality phenomenon is more pronounced for more sophisticated than for less sophisticated investors.

COGNITIVE LEGITIMACY, RESOURCE ACCESS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of developing legitimacy initiatives in order to create new business opportunities, satisfy shareholders, and obtain access to resources. Within this framework, cognitive legitimacy plays a key role. Through a case study of six Spanish public universities, the authors measure the relationship between cognitive legitimacy, access to resources, and organizational results. The results support the assertion that organizations with more cognitive legitimacy have greater access to resources and improved their results. This study contributes with muchneeded empirical research on cognitive legitimacy and demonstrates its usefulness as an explanative factor of organizational success.

What factors of satisfaction and motivation are affecting the development of the academic career in Portuguese higher education institutions?

An important constituent group and a key resource of higher education institutions (HEIs) is the faculty or academic staff. The centrality of the faculty role makes it a primary sculptor of institutional culture and has implications for the quality of the institution and therefore has a major role in achieving the objectives of the institution. Demand for academic staff in higher education has been increasing and may be expected to continue to increase. Moreover the performance of academic staff as teachers and researchers determines much of the student satisfaction and has an impact on student learning. There are many factors that serve to undermine the commitment of academics to their institutions and careers. Job satisfaction is important in revitalizing staff motivation and in keeping their enthusiasm alive. Well motivated academic staff can, with appropriate support, build a national and international reputation for themselves and the institution in the professional areas, in research and in publishing. This paper aims to identify the issues and their impacts on academic staff job satisfaction and motivation within Portuguese higher education institutions reporting an ongoing study financed by the European Union through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology.

The institutional configuration of sport policy in Brazil: organization, evolution and dilemmas

Brazil has become the center of the spotlight of the whole world recently, amongst many other reasons, one of them was because it was chosen to host a series of mega sporting events - Pan American Games in 2007, Confederations Football Cup in 2013, Fifa Football World Cup 2014 Games and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016. However, little is known about the country's administrative governmental structure focused on sport policy. The available studies focus their analysis on the sport policies content, but not on the arrangement of its structural decision-making. The main aim of this article is indeed to describe, based on official documentation, the evolution and the current arrangements of the government responsible for the administrative structure for the planning and implementation of sports policies in Brazil. Thus, we tried to list the main problems arising from the organization of the Brazilian sports' management. These problems are: (1) inappropriate institutional structure in terms of human resources and obstacles to participation by other social actors beyond the officials (parliament and members of the Ministry of Sports) in the sports policy; (2) disarticulation between public institutions generating redundancies and conflicts of jurisdiction due to the poor division of labor between bureaucracy agencies; and (3) inadequate planning proved by the lack of organization of some institutions, and by the lack of assessment and continuity of public policies over time. Therefore, we must emphasize those problems from above, and due to these administrative arrangements, Brazilian sports' policy has big challenges in the sport development in this country, which includes the creation of a national "system" for sports and a priority investment in sport education.