Organisational and professional commitments: the influence in nurses´organizational citizenship behaviours

The way an employee behaves in his work can be influenced by the organisational and professional commitment. Nurses are professionals who are guided by organisational and professional goals and values. Among nurses, professional commitment may be an important antecedent of organisational citizenship behaviours. The study shows how organisational and professional commitment is related with nurses’ organisational citizenship behaviours. Data from a sample of 420 nurses working in two hospitals --- the Hospital of St. Marcos, Braga and the Hospital Centre of Alto Ave, Guimarães and Fafe units were collected. The main findings are as follows: (a) organisational commitment and professional commitment contribute to the explanation of nurses’ organisational citizenship behaviours, (b) affective organisational commitment, continuance organisational commitment --- personal sacrifice, affective professional commitment and continuance professional commitment explain 28.6% of variance of organisational citizenship behaviours. © 2013 Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave (IPCA). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Targeting lactate transport suppresses in vivo breast tumour growth

Background: Most cancers, including breast cancer, have high rates of glucose consumption, associated with lactate production, a process referred as “Warburg effect”. Acidification of the tumour microenvironment by lactate extrusion, performed by lactate transporters (MCTs), is associated with higher cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and increased cell survival. Previously, we have described MCT1 up-regulation in breast carcinoma samples and demonstrated the importance of in vitro MCT inhibition. In this study, we performed siRNA knockdown of MCT1 and MCT4 in basal-like breast cancer cells in both normoxia and hypoxia conditions to validate the potential of lactate transport inhibition in breast cancer treatment. Results: The effect of MCT knockdown was evaluated on lactate efflux, proliferation, cell biomass, migration and invasion and induction of tumour xenografts in nude mice. MCT knockdown led to a decrease in in vitro tumour cell aggressiveness, with decreased lactate transport, cell proliferation, migration and invasion and, importantly, to an inhibition of in vivo tumour formation and growth. Conclusions: This work supports MCTs as promising targets in cancer therapy, demonstrates the contribution of MCTs to cancer cell aggressiveness and, more importantly, shows, for the first time, the disruption of in vivo breast tumour growth by targeting lactate transport.

IDENTIFYING ETHICAL DILEMMAS OF TOC/CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

The way professionals deal with ethical dilemmas and the decisions they make may be guided by a personal and individual ideology, but these are also strongly influenced by their professional group and society. The focus in this paper is on situations as experienced by individuals in their day-to-day professional life. The data were collected with opened-end interviews. Respondents were asked to identify the ethical dilemmas they had been faced with during their professional life. Qualitative analysis shows that main dilemmas are about how to deal with “informal economy”, “false invoices” and “tax evasion”. This study aims to contribute to the discussion of ethical issues faced by TOC, thus promoting a large debate about the way TOC can help create a better society and consequently legitimating their existence as a professional organization of public interest.

O radiojornalismo em Portugal

A presente dissertação de mestrado incide sobre o radiojornalismo português. Para a concretizar foi feito um estudo comparativo entre as três rádios de carácter informativo de Portugal: Antena 1, Rádio Renascença e TSF. No sentido de melhor clarificar esta tese, são analisadas as grelhas de programação do programa da manhã destas estações. Está igualmente patente neste trabalho uma consideração sobre a história destas três emissoras e são evidenciados marcos que representam um verdadeiro e notório contributo para o jornalismo de rádio feito em Portugal. Para tal foi usada uma metodologia em que se fez um levantamento – a cada cinco anos - de todos os programas da manhã desde há trinta anos até hoje, no sentido de compreender as suas evoluções e comparar as diferenças das apostas de cada uma das rádios. As conclusões deste estudo apontam para o facto de as manhãs da rádio serem um período onde as notícias têm grande importância, bem como um período em que se tratam assuntos relativos à sociedade. Na Antena 1 e na TSF a inclusão de programas como “Antena Aberta” ou “Fórum TSF” faz com que a temática da sociedade, que engloba um grande número de temas e assuntos sejam a predominante. Na Rádio Renascença, apesar do seu cariz informativo, o entretenimento tem mais destaque. Uma observação notória foi também o evoluir da programação de 1985 a 2015, onde houve alterações consideráveis, tais como o aumento dos espaços dedicados a notícias e naturalmente assuntos sociais, dado que em 1985 não existia nenhum programa de opinião pública. Estes espaços foram sem dúvida, algo que marcou e fez uma mudança de paradigma no radiojornalismo português.

Linking customer satisfaction, quality, and strategic planning

By acknowledging and dissecting the interconnected roles of customer satisfaction, quality, and strategic planning, this paper provides an analytical framework for creating a customer-driven organization and culture. It shows how quality starts and ends with the customer. Companies that are achieving long-term continuous improvement in quality tailored to customer satisfaction possess lasting characteristics such as customer orientation, customer consciousness, and customer responsiveness. In doing so, they liberate the quality concept from the narrow product or service focus to encompass total conformance to customer requirements in spite of the existing functionalization and departmentalization of modern complex structures. In addition to these key components, a customer-driven organization demands building and nurturing a customer satisfaction culture and value system that makes quality improvement and heightened concern for customer satisfaction a permanent aspect of organizational life.

Resistência carnavalesca ao espetáculo global

Este artigo apresenta uma proposta de aplicação crítica pós-moderna do "espetáculo" de Debord e do "carnaval" de Bakhtin às encenações que têm acontecido nas ruas das cidades, nos campi de universidades e na Internet resistindo à nova economia globalizada. Na última década, a Administração Pública passou por uma virada pós-moderna, ficando presa às encenações conflitantes de um espetáculo corporativo orquestrado pela mídia e ao carnaval de resistência do discurso de globalização. Pretende-se neste artigo teorizar a interação do espetáculo e do carnaval como construções teatrais de poder e resistência empresarial e estatal. São analisados o crescimento do espetáculo da indústria de monitoramento, que atesta códigos corporativos de conduta em narrativas de progresso, e os carnavais anti-sweatshop1 e anti-globalização, que desempenham um roteiro de entrega no teatro de rua, nos shows de moda anti-sweatshop e no ativismo cibernético.

Focusing illusion in satisfaction with life among college students living in Brazil

Literature shows that there are significant associations between health and happiness. Various countries are considering, contemplating or formally incorporating the happiness variable into their public health policies. Moreover, the private sector has shown interest in the topic. Based on that This article examines the biases in the perception of satisfaction with life among young adults in two Brazilian cities. The study explores the associations between aspects of life and perception of happiness because public policies associated with happiness require an improved understanding of the subjectivity of the sense of well-being. A survey conducted among 368 college students enabled analysis through Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and linear regression. The results suggest that, although there were no significant differences in general satisfaction with life between the two cities, there were indications of focusing illusion in the perception of happiness caused by expectations arising from the feeling of personal insecurity in a metropolis.

Dependence relationship between the critical quality factors and social impact

This paper shows the results of the empirical study conducted in 186 tourist accommodation businesses in Spain certified under the "Q for Tourist Quality", own System Quality Management. It was raised with the purpose of analyzing the structure of the relationship between critical quality factors and results-social impact, how they operate and the level of their influence on obtaining these results within the company. Starting from a deep theoretical revision we propose a theoretical model together with the hypotheses to be tested, and we proceed to validation using the technique of Structural Equation Models. The results obtained show that companies wishing to improve their social impact should take into account that leadership is the most important factor to achieve it. Leadership indirectly affects the social impact through its influence on alliances and resources, quality policy/planning, personnel management and learning.

Network dynamics in scientific knowledge acquisition: an analysis in three public universities in the state of Bahia

This paper aims to cast some light on the dynamics of knowledge networks in developing countries by analyzing the scientific production of the largest university in the Northeast of Brazil and its influence on some of the remaining regional research institutions in the state of Bahia. Using a methodology test to be employed in a larger project, the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) (Federal University of Bahia), the Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Uneb) (State of Bahia University) and the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (Uesc)'s (Santa Cruz State University) scientific productions are discussed in one of their most traditionally expressive sectors in academic production - namely, the field of chemistry, using social network analysis of co-authorship networks to investigate the existence of small world phenomena and the importance of these phenomena in research performance in these three universities. The results already obtained through this research bring to light data of considerable interest concerning the scientific production in unconsolidated research universities. It shows the important participation of the UFBA network in the composition of the other two public universities research networks, indicating a possible occurrence of small world phenomena in the UFBA and Uesc networks, as well as the importance of individual researchers in consolidating research networks in peripheral universities. The article also hints that the methodology employed appears to be adequate insofar as scientific production may be used as a proxy for scientific knowledge.

Competitiveness of tourist destinations: the study of 65 key destinations for the development of regional tourism

Tourism has reached world importance in the economy. The competition in tourism has intensified between destinations, whether the destinations are cities, regions or countries. In this sense, the evaluation of the tourism competitiveness of these destinations may be helpful in planning and prioritizing actions that will benefit the industry. This article discusses the concept of competitiveness by the multidimensional view of performance, efficiency and unit analysis. Using the theoretical framework lifted, this article shows the 'Study on the competitiveness of the 65 destinations inducers of regional tourism development' prepared by the Tourism Ministry, the Brazilian Support Service to Micro and Small Enterprises (Sebrae) and Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), its assumptions that guided this study as well its methodological aspects. Based on this methodology, it was carried out a diagnosis of these 65 destinations selected by the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism to be inducers of tourism in their respective regions. The result of competitiveness reached by these 65 inductors destinations is presented in this article, providing a map of the level of competitiveness of tourism in Brazil.

A actualidade de Lacan

RESUMO: Esta conferência expõe o percurso e o ensino de Lacan nas suas datas e conceitos mais marcantes. Finalmente, mostra que a actualidade de Lacan torna inactual a ideia tradicional do que é a Psicanálise, sobretudo relativamente à abordagem do sintoma. ABSTRACT: his lecture explains the ways and the teaching of Lacan at stressful times and about stressful concepts. Finally it shows that Lacan’s actuality turns obsolete the traditional idea of what is psychoanalysis and above all the symptom approach.

O ensino e aprendizagem do gráfico da função quadrática com e sem auxílio do Software Winplot

RESUMO: A utilização adequada das TIC no ensino da Matemática, nos dias de hoje é considerada por alguns como justificada e inevitável, esperando que a sua utilização melhore o ensino e a aprendizagem da Matemática. Nesta investigação, pretende-se testar o Software Winplot), no ensino e aprendizagem do gráfico da função quadrática com alunos do 10ºano, da Escola do segundo ciclo do Ensino Secundário nº9099, de modo a verificar se melhora o ensino e na aprendizagem desta temática.Para a nossa investigação Seleccionámos dois grupos de alunos do 10º ano que funcionaram como grupo de controlo e grupo experimental; depois de ambos os grupos terem realizado dois pré-testes, o grupo experimental realizou as aprendizagens no laboratório de informática com auxílio do Software Winplot, ao longo de 8 semanas, durante o 2º trimestre do ano lectivo de 2009/2010. O grupo de controlo realizou as aprendizagens, ao mesmo tempo que o grupo experimental, na sala normal de aulas sem auxílio do Software Winplot.Ao compararmos os dois grupos, o teste T de pares para amostras independentes, mostra-nos que estatisticamente não há diferenças significativas entre os dois grupos, porque os níveis de significância são maiores que p=0,05, desta feita podemos dizer que o grupo experimental, não obteve melhores resultados que o grupo de controlo, logo o Software Winplot não resultou o efeito desejado nas aprendizagens com alunos da 10ºano da Escola do segundo ciclo do ensino Secundário nº9099, sita no município de Viana (Luanda/Angola). ABSTRACT:The appropriate use of ICTs in teaching mathematics, today is considered by somo to be justified and inevitable, hoping that their use will improve the teaching and learning of mathematics.In this investigation, we intend to test the Software Winplot, teaching and learning of the graph of quadratic functions with students of grade 10, attending the second cycle of secondary School nº9099 in order to verify that improves teaching and learning of this subject.For our research selected two groups of students in 10th grade who acted as the controlo group and experimental group, after both group had undergone two pre-test, the experimental group performed the learning in the computer lab with the aid of Software Winplot, over 8 weeks during the second quarter of the academic year 2009/2010. Thr control gropu performed the learning, while the experimental group, in rregular class room without help of the Software Winplot.Comparing the two groups, the t test for independent samples pairs, shows us that there is no statistically significant differences between the two groups, because the significance levels are greater than p=0,05, this time we can say that experimental group, not yielded better results than the control group, so the Software did not result the desired effect on the learning with students from 10th grade of the School of the second cycle of Secondary nº9099, located in Viana (Luanda/Angola).

Criatividade e estilos parentais em crianças do 4º ano de escolaridade

RESUMO: A História demonstra que a criatividade tem sido uma constante da actividade humana constituindo-se como o motor da vida de qualquer comunidade (Urban, 1996). Diversas pesquisas em Psicologia demonstram a importância da interacção parental e dos estilos educativos utilizados pelos pais no desenvolvimento das crianças (Darling, 1999). Os estilos parentais exercem uma influência importante na expressão da criatividade das crianças, tendo as famílias um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento dessas capacidades criativas (Wu, 2008). Esta investigação pretende estudar a relação entre a criatividade e os estilos parentais em crianças do 4º ano de escolaridade, esperando-se que crianças submetidas a um estilo parental autoritário apresentem níveis inferiores de criatividade. A amostra é constituída por 236 alunos com idades compreendidas entre os 8-12 anos. Na avaliação da criatividade foi utilizado o TCT-DP (Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production) de Urban e Jellen (1986) e na avaliação dos estilos parentais foi aplicado o API (Índice de Parentalidade Autorizado) de C. Jackson, L. Henriksen e V. Foshee (1998), adaptado para a população portuguesa por M. Gaspar e M. Alarcão em 2003. Foi ainda aplicado o questionário sócio-demográfico. Verificou-se que não existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os níveis de criatividade em função dos estilos parentais considerados, não confirmando a hipótese colocada. ABSTRACT: History shows that creativity has been a constant of human activity constituting itself as the engine of life of any community (Urban, 1996). Several studies in psychology show the importance of parental interaction and the educational practices used by parents on children's development (Darling, 1999). Parenting styles are considered to be an important influence on the expression of creativity of children, and the families have a fundamental role in the development of these creative abilities (Wu, 2008). This research aims to study the relationship between creativity and parenting styles in children of fourth grade, it is expected that children under an authoritarian parenting style have lower levels of creativity. The sample comprises 236 students aged between 8-12 years. In the assessment of creativity was used TCT-DP (Test for Creative Thinking - Drawing Production) by Urban and Jellen (1986) and in the assessment of parenting style was applied the API Index (Authoritative Parenting Index) of C. Jackson, L. Henriksen and V. Foshee (1998), adapted to portuguese sample by M. Gaspar and M. Alarcão in 2003. It was also applied the socio-demographic questionnaire. It wasn’t found any statistically significant differences between the levels of creativity considering the parenting styles studied, not confirming the hypothesis.

Estudo das diferenças de género nas cognições antecipatórias, estratégias de coping e depressão em adultos

RESUMO: A presente dissertação tem o objectivo de estudar a relação das diferenças de género nas cognições antecipatórias, estratégias de coping e depressão. Para o efeito, constituiu-se duas amostras, uma de indivíduos do género feminino (n=224) de 57,9% (com uma média de idades de 36,2 e um DP=10,5), e outra por indivíduos do género masculino (n=163), perfazendo uma percentagem de 42,1% (com uma média de idades de 41,1 e um DP=12,5). Foi elaborado um protocolo de investigação composto por: Questionário de dados sócio-demográficos, Questionário de Cognições Antecipatórias (QCA), de Figueira & Ramos, 1995, o Questionário de Modos de Lidar com os Acontecimentos (QMLA), de J. Pais Ribeiro, C. Santos, 2001 e o Inventário de Avaliação Clínica da Depressão (IACLIDE), de A, Vaz Serra, 1995. Os resultados demonstraram que não existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre géneros nas cognições antecipatórias (p=0,594). Em relação às estratégias de coping, os resultados foram estatisticamente significativos, com as mulheres a recorrerem mais à procura de suporte social (p=0,042) e à fuga-evitamento (p=0,006). O índice de depressão mostra, de forma estatisticamente significativa, que o género feminino apresenta valores mais elevados (p=0,038). A escala de depressão permitiu ainda verificar de forma estatisticamente significativa que as mulheres revelam mais dificuldades no desempenho das tarefas associadas a queixas biológicas e cognitivas (p=0,003), tal como nas dimensões biológica (p=0,002) e de desempenho da tarefa (p=0,007). A relação entre as três variáveis, permite concluir que o índice global da escala de depressão está relacionado positivamente com as Cognições Antecipatórias (p=,000), e nas estratégias de coping, as dimensões fuga-evitamento (p=,002), resolução planeada do problema (p=,000) e a reavaliação positiva (p=,034) também estão relacionadas com esta escala da depressão de forma estatisticamente significativa. ABSTRACT: This dissertation aims to study the relationship of gender differences in anticipatory cognitions, coping strategies and depression. For this purpose, it was constituted two samples, one for female gender (n = 224) 57.9% (with a mean age of 36.2 and a SD=10.5), and other of male gender (n = 163), giving a percentage of 42.1% (with an average age of 41.1 and a SD=12.5). It was prepared a research protocol composed of data questionnaire included social-demographic, Anticipatory Cognitions Questionnaire (QCA), Figueira & Ramos, 1995, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), J. Pais Ribeiro, C. Santos, 2001, and the Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Depression (IACLIDE) A, Vaz Serra, 1995. The results have shown no statistically significant differences between genders in anticipatory cognitions (p= 0.594). In the coping strategies, the results were statistically significant, with women looking to take more advantage of social support (p= 0.042) and escape-avoidance (p= 0.006). The rate of depression shows a statistically significant with females having higher values (p=0.038). The depression scale allowed us to verify statistically significant that women shows more difficulty in performing tasks associated with biological and cognitive complaints (p=0,003), as in the biological (p=0,002) and task performance (p=0,007). The relationship between the three variables, shows that the overall rate of depression scale is positively related to the Anticipatory Cognitions (p =, 000), and strategies for coping, escape-avoidance dimensions (p =, 002), resolution of the planned problem (p =, 000) and positive reappraisal (p =, 034) are also related to the scale of depression and were also statistically significant.

Institutional Development for Good Governance: the role of intermediary NGOs in Pará state, Amazonia

The paper analyses the roles of intermediary NGOs for linkages between government and rural communities in carrying out socio-environmental development programs as a mean of institutional development for good governance. In particular, the paper focuses on the Proambiente program that was carried out in Pará State, Amazonia, Brazil. This program was the first experience of a socio-environmental development program in Brazilian Amazonia that took into account local communities' demands to link environmental conservation and small-scale family-based rural production. Methodologically, the research was based on qualitative analysis and used semi-structured interviews for data collection. The paper shows that NGOs as intermediaries between government and rural communities is a significant mechanism to promote the strengthening of the power of local communities, to create bridges between federal government and local communities; and to stimulate participatory processes by engaging rural communities' culture and knowledge in socio-environmental development program as Proambiente.