Digital Transformation of Municipal Services in Finland

Digitalization has been widely adopted by private organizations of all sizes. As customers we are starting to expect a certain level of digital services from businesses and these expectations are evolving to consider the public sector services as well. Moreover, the Finnish municipalities are under pressure to cut costs and make their operation more efficient. This research aims in exploring the field of municipal digitalization in Finland with three main questions to answer: what are the motivations for municipalities for digital service transformation, what the main benefits of this transformation are and what are the challenges for the transformation. The research starts with examining the characteristics of municipal operation and reviewing some of the relevant digital service opportunities. In the empirical part of the research, 11 professionals related to the municipal field were interviewed using a semi-structured interview design. These interviewees were chosen from three important groups for the change: the service provider, municipal administration and municipal employees. The data gained from the interviews was first summarized according to the main topics chosen from the literature and then reflected on the digital services opportunities presented in the research. The motivations discovered in both the service provider and the city of Porvoo interviews were: tightening resources combined with increasing expectations, transparent structuring of information, supporting the shift into mobile and providing new channels for customers to participate. The benefits discovered in all groups were: efficiency, customer experience, transparent structuring of information, reducing manual input and responding to customer needs in service development. The challenges perceived by multiple groups were: change resistance, innovating new with no best practices and defining the scope and new operation model. The results of this research suggest that even with some challenges along the way, digitalization is a likely future for the Finnish public sector. The business case for the transformation is becoming increasingly evident on both municipal- and governmental levels.

KANGAROO CARE: MATERNAL PERCEPTION OF THE EXPERIENCE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Objective: To investigate the maternal perception of the experience in the first phase of the Kangaroo Mother Care Method in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Methods: Descriptive, exploratory and qualitative study, conducted in the period from August to October 2014, with 10 mothers of newborn preterm (NP) infants, who were admitted to the Maternity School Assis Chateaubriand (MEAC) in Fortaleza, Brazil, and had received skin-to-skin contact through the Kangaroo Care Method during hospitalization in the NICU. Data was collected by semi-structured interview, directed by guiding questions. Content analysis was used for processing the data, being established four categories: “The bond and the attachment”, “Maternal competence”, “The fear of losing the baby” and “The importance of the multidisciplinary team”. Results: The Kangaroo Care Method is a safe and pleasurable practice for mothers and relatives, in addition to providing social and psychoaffective benefits, found in the imagery of the method institutionalization and in the mothers’ experience when properly supported. The meanings of the maternal feelings of apprehension as a result of the first physical contact with the hospitalized child can be evidenced. Regarding the evaluation of its clinical practice, this method has provided better development of the newborn infant and a reduction in hospital stay. Conclusion: The study shows relevance, since the evidence of the maternal perception of this method supports its establishment as a mandatory practice in maternity hospitals, in view of the benefits to the mother and the neonate.

IDEATIONAL REPRESENTATIONS OF EDENTULISM AND PROSTHETIC REHABILITATION FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE ELDERLY

Objetivo: Identificar as representações ideativas de idosos edêntulos uni ou bimaxilares acerca das perdas dentárias e da reabilitação protética oral. Métodos: Estudo qualitativo, realizado entre janeiro e março de 2011 com sete idosos residentes em uma Instituição Pública de Longa Permanência do Recife-PE, com 14 idosos em atendimento na Clínica de Prótese Dentária da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Coletaram-se os dados através de uma entrevista semiestruturada que passou por análise de conteúdo. Resultados: Os achados possibilitaram identificar que, para os idosos, os dentes contribuíam tanto para a saúde quanto como para facilitar interações sociais, enquanto o edentulismo foi associado a uma pluralidade de sentimentos negativos. Quanto à reabilitação protética, eles enfatizaram os prejuízos para a saúde devido a próteses mal adaptadas. Conclusão: Os idosos acreditam que o edentulismo e a reabilitação protética estão associados, principalmente, a um conceito mecanicista da profissão, amplamente difundido entre os profissionais que privilegiam mais a odontologia curativa em detrimento da prevenção. Nesse contexto, para que o envelhecimento possa ser considerado uma etapa da vida com as mesmas qualidades e dificuldades de qualquer outra, sugere-se aos gestores e aos próprios profissionais em saúde que se comprometam mais com uma prática odontológica humanizadora e preventiva, a fim de proverem os requisitos mínimos para um envelhecimento com dignidade.

Atividades de matemática e de ciências no horto de Amato Lusitano

Relatório de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Educação Pré- Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico.

From social action to business action - A qualitative research on the professionalization process of a blogger: Case P.s. I Love Fashion -blog

Blogging is one of the most common forms of social media today. Blogs have become a powerful media and bloggers are settled stakeholders to marketers. Commercialization of the blogosphere has enabled an increasing number of bloggers professionalize and blog as a full-time occupation. The purpose of this study is to understand the professionalization process of a blogger from an amateur blogger to a professional actor. The following sub-questions were used to further elaborate the topic: What have been the meaningful events and developments fostering professionalization? What are the prerequisites for popularity in blogging? Are there any key success factors to acknowledge in order being able to make business out of your blog? The theoretical framework of this study was formed based on the two chosen focus areas for professionalization; social drivers and business drivers. The theoretical framework is based on literature from fields of marketing and social sciences, as well as previous research on social media, blogging and professionalization. The study is a qualitative case-study and the research data was collected in a semi-structured interview. The case chosen to this study is a lifestyle-blog. The writer of the case blog has been able to develop her blog to become a full-time professional blogger. Based on the results, the professionalization process of a blogger is not a defined process, but instead comprised of coincidental events as well as considered advancements. Success in blogging is based on the bloggers own motivation and passion for writing and expressing oneself in the form of a blog, instead of a systematic construction of a successful career in blogging. Networking with other bloggers as well as affiliates was seen as an important success factor. Popularity in the blogosphere and a high number of followers enable professionalization, as marketers actively seek to collaborate with popular bloggers with strong personal brands. Bloggers with strong personal brands are especially attractive due to their opinion leadership in their reference group. A blogger can act professionally either as entrepreneur or blogging for a commercial webpage. According to the results of this study, it is beneficial for the blogger’s professional development as well as career progress, to act on different operating models

Acolhimento institucional de mães adolescentes na ilha Terceira : entendimento, práticas e estruturas

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências Sociais, 16 de Setembro de 2016, Universidade dos Açores.

The interpersonal and mental health implications of the coherence of coming out narratives for a sample of gay men in committed romantic relationships

The coming out process has been conceptualized as a developmental imperative for those who will eventually accept their same-sex attractions. It is widely accepted that homophobia, heterosexism, and homonegativity are cultural realities that may complicate this developmental process for gay men. The current study views coming out as an extra-developmental life task that is at best a stressful event, and at worst traumatic when coming out results in the rupture of salient relationships with parents, siblings, and/or close friends. To date, the minority stress model (Meyer, 1995; 2003) has been utilized as an organizing framework for how to empirically examine external stressors and mental health disparities for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals in the United States. The current study builds on this literature by focusing on the influence of how gay men make sense of and represent the coming out process in a semi-structured interview, more specifically, by examining the legacy of the coming out process on indicators of wellness. In a two-part process, this study first employs the framework well articulated in the adult attachment literature of coherence of narratives to explore both variation and implications of the coming out experience for a sample of gay men (n = 60) in romantic relationships (n = 30). In particular, this study employed constructs identified in the adult attachment literature, namely Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind, to code a Coming Out Interview (COI). In the present study current state of mind refers to the degree of coherent discourse produced about coming out experiences as relayed during the COI. Multilevel analyses tested the extent to which these COI dimensions, as revealed through an analysis of coming out narratives in the COI, were associated with relationship quality, including self-reported satisfaction and observed emotional tone in a standard laboratory interaction task and self-reported symptoms of psychopathology. In addition, multilevel analyses also assessed the Acceptance by primary relationship figures at the time of disclosure, as well as the degree of Outness at the time of the study. Results revealed that participant’s narratives on the COI varied with regard to Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind, suggesting that the AAI coding system provides a viable organizing framework for extracting meaning from coming out narratives as related to attachment relevant constructs. Multilevel modeling revealed construct validity of the attachment dimensions assessed via the COI; attachment (i.e., Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind) as assessed via the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was significantly correlated with the corresponding COI variables. These finding suggest both methodological and conceptual convergence between these two measures. However, with one exception, COI Preoccupied and Dismissing current state of mind did not predict relationship outcomes or self-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. However, further analyses revealed that the degree to which one is out to others moderated the relationship between COI Preoccupied and internalizing. Specifically, for those who were less out to others, there was a significant and positive relationship between Preoccupied current state of mind towards coming out and internalizing symptoms. In addition, the degree of perceived acceptance of sexual orientation by salient relationship figures at the time of disclosure emerged as a predictor of mental health. In particular, Acceptance was significantly negatively related to internalizing symptoms. Overall, the results offer preliminary support that gay men’s narratives do reflect variation as assessed by attachment dimensions and highlights the role of Acceptance by salient relationship figures at the time of disclosure. Still, for the most part, current state of mind towards coming out in this study was not associated with relationship quality and self-reported indicators of mental health. This finding may be a function of low statistical power given the modest sample size. However, the relationship between Preoccupied current state of mind and mental health (i.e., internalizing) appears to depend on degree of Outness. In addition, the response of primary relationships figures to coming out may be a relevant factor in shaping mental health outcomes for gay men. Limitations and suggestions for future research and clinical intervention are offered.

Gestão da cadeia de suprimento e vantagem competitiva: uma análise em setores industriais a partir da visão relacional

This work has as its main purpose to investigate the contribution of supply chain management in order to obtain competitive advantage by companies from the textile industry and from Ceará footwear industry, focusing its analysis mainly in the interorganizational relations (dyadic). For this, the theoretical referential contemplates different explanatory streams of the competitive advantage, detaching the relational perception of the resources theory, as well as, the main presuppositions of the supply chain management which culminates with the development of an analysis sample that runs the empirical study; the one which considers an expanded purpose of the supply chain which includes the government and the abetment institutions as institutional environment representatives. Besides supply chain management consideration as a competitive advantage source, the work also tried to identify other possible competitive advantage sources for the companies of the investigated sectors. It represents a study of multiple interpretive cases, having four cases as a total; meaning two cases in each one of the sectors, which used as a primary data collecting instrument a semi-structured interview schedule. Different methods were used for the data analysis, the content analysis and the constant comparison methods, the analytical procedure originated from the grounded theory research strategy, which were applied the Atlas/ti software recourse. Considering the theoretical referential and the used analysis sample, four basic categories of the work were defined, including its respective proprieties and dimensions: (1) characteristics concerning to the relationship with the supplier; (2) the company relations with the government; (3) the company relations with the abetment institutions and; (4) obtaining sources of competitive advantage. In general, the applied research in the footwear sector revealed that in the relationships of the researched companies related to its suppliers, there is a predominance of the partnership system and the main presuppositions of the supply chain management are applied which contributes for the acquisition of the relational competitive advantage; while in the textile sector, only some of these presuppositions are applied, with little contribution for the relational competitive advantage. The main resource which was accessed by the companies in both sectors through its relationships with the government and the abetment institutions are the tax incentives which, for the footwear companies, contribute for the acquisition of the temporary competitive advantage in relation to the contestants who do not own productive installations in the Northeast region, it also conducts to a competitive parity situation in relation to the contestants who own productive installations in the Northeast region and to the external market contestants; while for the companies of the textile sector, the tax incentives run the companies to a competitive parity situation in relation to its contestants. Furthermore, the investigated companies from the two sectors possess acquisition sources of the competitive advantage which collimate with different explanatory streams (industrial analysis, resources theory, Austrian school and the dynamic capabilities theory), although there is a predominance of the product innovation as a competitive advantage source in both sectors, due to the bond of these with the fashion tendencies

Experiences of care and adjustment to change in caregivers of children with autoimmune encephalitis: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Background: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) occurs in response to an antibody-mediated central nervous system disease and can lead to significant neurodisability. Prior research on family adjustment has described a reciprocal relationship between caregiver functioning, distress and clinical outcome in parents and children with encephalitis. There has been no previous research exploring the experiences of caregivers with a child with AE. Aims: To explore the perspectives of parents and/or caregivers with a child diagnosed with AE regarding (i) their own adjustment from hospital admission to post-discharge, and (ii) their experiences of care and service provision. Methods: A purposive sampling approach was used. Five parents of children with AE participated in a semi-structured interview exploring their experiences of caring for their child and service provision during acute care and post-discharge. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the transcripts. Main findings and conclusions: Four shared super-ordinate themes with related subthemes emerged: (a) uncertainty, (b) managing our recovery, (c) changes in my child, (d) experiences of service provision. Participants reported emotional distress, often underpinned by recurrent experiences of uncertainty, and ‘loss’ of the previous child, and mediated by coping strategies and social support. While an overall positive experience of inpatient services was reported, parents often perceived post-discharge services as lacking in co-ordination, communication and formal follow-up, resulting in unmet support needs. Implications and recommendations for services, practitioners and future research are discussed.

Contribuições da inserção musical para a qualidade de vida no trabalho em ambiente laboral fabril

The present thesis aimed at understanding how the insertion of music in the work environment contributes to achieving Quality of Work Life. - QWL, under the perspective of biopsychosocial and organizational well-being. As to music insertion we considered the theoretical-empirical perception about how music is inserted at work and its functions on such place. The context where the study was taken was the manufacturing area of a major textile company, located in Natal, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in which music is used during labor activities. The only study case was the research strategy adopted, with exploratory and descriptive purposes. The primary data were collected through the focus group technique, applied to the collaborator in the manufacturing sector. The semi-structured interview was done as a complementary tool, directed to the supervisor in that sector. Respecting the theoretical saturation criterion, we formed four focus groups, each one composed of eight members randomly selected, among the seventy-six collaborators in the sector. The data were analyzed qualitatively, through the content analysis technique, more specifically the category analysis. We identified twenty-eight QWL attributes. Six of them were found present in the four focus groups and in the interview. Among these ones, the attribute of Interpersonal Relationship at Work, contemplating the Psychological and Organizational dimensions, was the only one anticipated in four out of fifteen theoretical models here listed. The attribute Music at Work Environment could be inserted in the four QWL dimensions, highlighting the power and relevance of this attribute for the research participants. The way music has been inserted in the labor environment contributes to promoting well-being at work, which goes against theoretical conceptions, especially when it comes to musical genre. We identified nine functions of music at work, among which, Improving Work Conditions, Improving Interpersonal Relationship at Work and Favoring Motivation for Work had to be emphasized for being associated to three QWL attributes. In the total, we highlighted seven associations. The most affected QWL dimension through the insertion of music at work was the Psychological one, followed by the Organizational one. We conclude that music insertion provides biological, social and, above all, psychological and organizational well-being to the contributors, thus contributing to obtaining QWL at the labor environment researched. However, we should consider the context and proceed to periodical plans and adjustments in the way of music insertion so as to avoid health and well-being problems to those people at work

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia and psychosocial treatment: thematic analysis of stakeholders’ perspectives

Objectives. Recent literature indicates variance in psychosocial treatment preferences for negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Attempts at defining therapeutic aims and outcomes for negative symptoms to date have not included major stakeholder groups. The aim of the present study was to address this gap through qualitative methods. Design. Thematic Analysis was applied to qualitative semi-structured interview data to gather the opinions of people who experience negative symptoms, carers, and healthcare professionals. Participants were recruited from two mental health sites (inpatient/community) to increase generalisability of results. Ten people participated in the research. Methods. Semi-structured interview scripts were designed utilising evidence from the review in Chapter 1 of effective psychosocial intervention components for specific negative symptoms. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data. Results. A common theme across groups was the need for a personalised approach to intervention for negative symptoms. Other themes indicated different opinions in relation to treatment targets and the need for a sensitive and graded approach to all aspects of therapy. This approach needs to be supported across systemic levels of organisation with specific training needs for staff addressed. Conclusions. There is disparity in treatment preferences for negative symptoms across major stakeholders. The findings suggest an individualised approach to intervention of negative symptoms that is consistent with recovery. Implementation barriers and facilitators were identified and discussed. There remains a need to develop a better understanding of treatment preferences for patients.

Parents’ experiences during the transition from childhood to adolescence with Type 1 Diabetes: Parent-child relationships and support received during this time and clinical research portfolio

Background: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) management often worsens as children become adolescents. This can be a difficult time for parents as they hand over responsibility of diabetes management to their adolescent. Objectives: To look at the experiences of parents with a child with T1D as they move to adolescence and take more responsibility for their diabetes management. To find out about parents’ experience of support during this transition. Subjects: Three parents of adolescents with T1D. Participants were recruited from the NHS Highland Paediatric Diabetes Service. Methods: Participants took part in a one-to-one semi-structured interview with a researcher. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the interviews and find common themes across the interviews. Results: Participants experienced worry throughout their child’s transition to adolescence. They found it difficult to let their child take responsibility for their diabetes but acknowledged that their involvement caused tensions with their adolescent. Participants’ experience was that there were a number of practical adjustments to be made with a diagnosis of T1D and educating the network around their child was important. The participants reported that the diagnosis of T1D had an impact on the whole family and not just the child with the diagnosis. The parents felt well supported medically but said that the amount of time before their first clinic appointment felt too long. All participants had concerns about their adolescent moving to the adult diabetic service. Conclusions: Participants experienced worry relating to aspects of their adolescents T1D that they could not control, but were aware of the tensions caused by trying to keep elements of control. Areas of future research were identified.

Perceção dos enfermeiros sobre as competências de supervisão clínica

Introdução: A evolução da ciência e tecnologia, as mudanças no seio das organizações de saúde, as novas e emergentes filosofias de cuidados, exigem dos profissionais de saúde uma participação ativa na formação dos seus pares, tendo o processo de supervisão clínica uma importância relevante. Objetivos: Identificar a perceção dos enfermeiros tutores especialistas sobre as competências do supervisor clínico na área de saúde infantil e pediatria. Métodos: Estudo qualitativo exploratório descritivo, fenomenológico, numa amostra de dez enfermeiros tutores dos serviços da área de pediatria do Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, SESARAM. Recorremos à entrevista semiestruturada e áudio gravada. Efetuámos análise de conteúdo ao “corpus” de todas as entrevistas, com definição de subcategorias e indicadores. Resultados:. Emergiu a categoria competências do supervisor clínico e as subcategorias mais referenciadas foram as caraterísticas pessoais com 38% de unidade de registo e as competências profissionais (25,7%). Nos aspetos relevantes em saúde infantil e pediatria destacaram-se também as competências pessoais e profissionais com 40,4% cada. O principal fator facilitador da supervisão foi o ser um processo estruturado (21,6%), e o dificultador foi o deficit no relacionamento interpessoal (21,7%). No global houve mais unidades de registo relacionadas com os aspetos dificultadores. Conclusão: Conscientes das perceções dos supervisores numa área tão específica como é a área de saúde infantil e pediatria, pensamos que este estudo poderá contribuir para melhorar a qualidade do processo supervisivo na enfermagem. É necessário o esforço conjunto entre o supervisor e supervisionado, melhorando os processos mediados entre as instituições e os atores, onde proliferam a partilha de saberes, experiências e objetivos profissionais. Palavras-chave: Supervisor, Mentor, Supervisor clínico, Enfermagem, Supervisão.

Vivências do nascimento: Subjectividades da relação pessoa/espaço ambiental. Um estudo exploratório

A realização desta pesquisa visa, essencialmente, explorar a interacção que as pessoas desenvolvem com os espaços físicos e sociais, ou seja, com o espaço ambiental. Assim, e a partir do ponto de vista da Psicologia Ambiental enquanto disciplina que integra o quadro conceptual da Ecologia Humana, procurámos conhecer a simbologia da vivência do espaço ambiental num serviço de obstetrícia, no contexto do parto, tendo definido como objectivo para a nossa investigação: "Descrever as vivências de parturientes, no decurso do nascimento de seus filhos, em particular no que concerne à interacção da pessoa com o ambiente físico e social". O enquadramento do tema foi traçado a partir de abordagens da Psicologia Ambiental que procuram investigar a interacção entre a pessoa e o ambiente físico e social. Depositámos o nosso interesse na concepção teórica de Roger Barker e partimos para o conhecimento da referida interacção num cenário comportamental, que neste estudo é a sala de partos. Recolhemos a opinião de 12 mulheres, que se disponibilizaram para participar, através de uma entrevista parcialmente estruturada. Os discursos recolhidos foram analisados com vista à construção de categorias que nos permitissem conhecer a experiência das parturientes enquanto utilizadoras temporárias de um espaço institucional com características particulares como é uma sala de partos. A análise dos discursos das participantes acerca da experiência do nascimento dos seus filhos deixou patente a interacção com o espaço ambiental permitindo recolher alguma informação interessante proveniente da sua influência na vivência do nascimento. No final, o que emana do estudo realizado é a convicção de que as relações interpessoais ocupam um papel destacado no panorama de um cenário comportamental, o que nos remete para a importância da promoção duma conduta profissional mais esclarecida e humanizante. Foi também esse o objectivo com que procurámo explorar o fenómeno e deixar algumas pistas nesta área ainda pouco investigada. ABSTRACT; This research looks, essentially, to acknowledge people interaction in a given physical setting, from Human Ecology's point of view. Thus, and from the point of view of environmental psychology as a discipline that integrates the conceptual framework of Human Ecology, we became interested in understanding the environmental space experience symbology in the birth context, in an obstetrics service. We were interested to know the experience of women as protagonists in the birth of their children, and the interaction they developed with the environment during hospitalization in the delivery room. Thus, we define as an objective: "Describe the experiences of the parturients, during the birth of their children, particularly in what concerns to the interaction between person and physical and social environment". The framework of the theme was drawn from environmental psychology approaches that seek to investigate the interaction between the person and the physical and social environment. We have our interest in the theoretical design of Roger Barker and left for the knowledge of that interaction in a behavioral scenario, which, in this study, is the delivery room. We collected the views of 12 informants who agreed to participate, through a partially structured interview. The results analysis was obtained through the dismantling of speech and significance links assignment. Understanding the experience was achieved through the analysis of the categories identified retrospectively, according to the subject that originated the approach. The survey, as we designed it, revealed us, in the context of the environmental space interaction, woman's point of view, as a temporarily user of an institutional space with special characteristics. ln the end, what comes from this study is the belief that interpersonal relationships play a prominent role in the panorama of a behavioral scenario, conducting us to the importance of promoting a more informed and humanizing professional conduct. This was also our objective as we tried to explore the phenomenon, leaving some clues in this area still poorly investigated.

Results of a feasibility study: barriers and facilitators in implementing the Sherbrooke model in France.

International audience