31097 research outputs found
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User trust in AI and major tech companies in twelve countries
No full textArtificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly present in virtually all life domains, but the trustworthiness of these new technologies and the companies developing them has been a topic of heated public debate. We examined how basic psychological needs in technology use, AI self-efficacy, and positive attitudes toward AI are associated with trust in AI and in major tech companies. Data were collected in 2024 and include 11,259 participants from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania. We used linear regression for data analysis. We found that having positive attitudes toward AI and experiencing relatedness in technology use consistently predicted trust in AI and in major tech companies. However, technological autonomy, competence, and self-efficacy in AI use predicted trust only in specific countries. Our findings provide novel insights into the human factors that affect trust in AI and its developers, and as such, they are of relevance for successful AI development, integration, and use. Our study includes culturally diverse perspectives and thus contributes to the debate on establishing fair global AI practices and overcoming the ‘AI divide’.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Aligning active labor market policies with national growth strategies: A comparative study of Portugal and Spain
No full textBetween 2000 and 2019, Portugal and Spain adopted divergent youth-oriented active labor market policies (ALMPs) to address rising youth unemployment. Drawing on data from the LABREF database, National Reform Programmes, and key economic indicators, we show that Portugal targeted higher education graduates with internship and innovation schemes aligned with its transition to a knowledge-based economy. In contrast, Spain developed a dual vocational education and training system centered on apprenticeships to support its manufacturing sector. These contrasting approaches reflect distinct national growth strategies and demonstrate how governments shape ALMPs in line with broader economic objectives. The findings offer a comparative perspective on policy divergence in Southern Europe and highlight the role of growth strategies in explaining variation in activation policies, even among countries with similar institutional and macroeconomic conditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gender differences in board members’ perceptions of governance: A study of four European HE systems
No full textThis study focuses on gender differences in the boards of higher education institutions (HEIs), challenging the notion of inherent differences between men and women in board governance. The article provides a gendered analysis of the perceptions of men and women board members about board governance in Finland, Poland, Portugal and Sweden. Contrary to expectations of diverse perceptions, a survey across these countries’ higher education systems revealed that men and women on boards generally shared similar perspectives on board governance. Factors such as professional background, age, and country context proved more significant than gender. The study indicated nuanced differences between men and women board members, such as women exhibiting a more managerialist mindset and emphasizing sustainability. This research contributes to discussions about gender diversity in board governance, extending the exploration to the unique context of European HEIs. The findings provide insights of (gender) diversity and homogeneity of board members and discusses the possible reasons for the homogeneity. For decision-makers and practitioners these insights provide a starting point to shape gender diversity policies for HEIs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Between rivers and streets: An experience report on waterscapes in Cuiabá-MT, Brazil
No full textO acelerado processo de urbanização no Brasil, via de regra, caracterizou-se por dissonâncias entre o desenvolvimento urbano e a preservação socioambiental. Nesse contexto, as políticas desenvolvimentistas induziram diversas mudanças nos territórios e suas dinâmicas, como o caso da Região Centro-Oeste e a Amazônica, sobretudo a partir da segunda metade do século XX. Em Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, a modernização, a partir do paradigma de urbanização rodoviarista, associada aos interesses político-econômicos, produziram paisagens, muitas vezes, marcadas pela descaracterização ambiental e desconsideração das relações socionaturais preexistentes. Com o objetivo de aprofundar o debate sobre a paisagem e os tensionamentos entre urbanização e o meio ambiente, este artigo apresenta um relato de experiência de sala de aula realizada no curso de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso. A atividade teve como objeto de análise e intervenção dois córregos de Cuiabá, sendo desenvolvida leitura histórica-documental da morfologia urbana, bem como a caracterização das unidades de paisagem ao longo dos corpos d’água, com visita de campo e entrevistas com a população. Os diagnósticos demonstraram que as percepções dos moradores são variadas, conforme as experiências individuais, práticas culturais e as condições de insalubridade, poluição, precariedade habitacional e riscos que estão expostos. A partir disso, foram elaboradas propostas de intervenções - projetuais e de planejamento -, levando em consideração a paisagem e suas relações hidrossociais. Os resultados evidenciaram o potencial dessa metodologia, que pode subsidiar a tomada de decisão na gestão urbana, ampliando o diálogo entre teoria e prática na abordagem das questões socioambientais.The accelerated urbanization process in Brazil has generally been characterized by discrepancies between urban development and socio-environmental preservation. In this context, developmentalist policies have induced various changes in territories and their dynamics, as exemplified by the Central-West and the Amazon regions from the second half of the 20th century. In Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, modernization has often resulted in landscapes marked by environmental degradation and the disregard of preexisting socio-natural relationships. Aiming to deepen the debate on landscape and the tensions between urbanization and the environment, this article presents a classroom experience report from the Architecture and Urbanism program at the Federal University of Mato Grosso. The activity focused on the analysis and intervention of two streams in Cuiabá, involving a historical-documentary reading of urban morphology, as well as the characterization of landscape units along the bodies of water, complemented by field visits and interviews with the local population. The diagnoses revealed that residents’ perceptions vary according to individual experiences, cultural practices, and exposure to unsanitary conditions, pollution, precarious housing, and associated risks. Based on these findings, intervention proposals, both design-based and planning-oriented, were developed, considering the landscape and its hydro-social relationships. The results highlighted the potential of this methodology to support decision-making in urban management, enhancing the dialogue between theory and practice in addressing socio-environmental issues.publicad
Advancing e-business in sports and wellness: The role of synchronicity, coach reputation and home phygital environment on retention in online home fitness
No full textPurpose
Associating sports, wellness and digital technology, online home fitness (OHF) e-business models focus primarily on the recruitment of users and, subsequently, on the retention and expansion of their frequency of use. To date, few studies have explored the antecedents associated with retaining and expanding the frequency of use. The current study aims to explore this gap. Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theoretical framework and on the theory of the extended marketing mix for services, the research investigates as stimuli the role of type of class (synchronous or asynchronous) (process), coach reputation (people) and home phygital environment (phygital evidence) on patronage and frequency of use (response), mediated by perceived value (organism).
Design/methodology/approach
A survey comprising 286 valid responses examined the direct and indirect effects of the proposed stimuli on perceived value (hedonic, social and utilitarian) and their subsequent influence on patronage and frequency of use. SmartPLS Version 4.0 was used for the estimation of the structural equation modeling.
Findings
The findings indicate the duality of synchronicity in generating utility, with synchronous classes directly enhancing hedonic and social value, while also indirectly affecting patronage. Furthermore, phygital home environments significantly contribute to utilitarian value, and coach reputation is critical in fostering social value. Both are relevant to customer retention. While inspecting the mediating effects, the findings of the study demonstrate that the value of OHF extends beyond being a convenient and effective alternative to traditional training classes. To cope with continuous use, users of OHF must perceive fun, excitement (hedonic), a sense of belonging to the group and friendly (social) interactivity.
Originality/value
The present study makes a significant contribution to theory on an e-business model in sports and wellness by means of mapping the triggers that account for its growth and sustainability, focusing on exploring retention and expansion of their frequency of use by means of proposing and validating as stimuli: type of class (synchronous and asynchronous), home phygital environment and coach reputation.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Female football leadership styles: How leaders influence players’ perception of meaningful work
No full textPurpose
Applying the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this research aimed to investigate whether female football players’ satisfaction of basic psychological needs explains the impact of transformational and transactional leadership on their sense of meaningful work. Based on self-determination theory, a conceptual model was developed hypothesizing that transformational and transactional leadership styles would be positively associated with meaningful work through the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness.
Design/methodology/approach
To test these hypotheses, a three-wave quantitative study was conducted using online questionnaires (n = 299) administered to female football players. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model.
Findings
The findings indicated that transformational and transactional leadership styles influenced meaningful work through the satisfaction of autonomy and competence needs but not relatedness.
Originality/value
These results have implications for the development of managerial strategies aimed to guide team leaders and coaches on how to better fulfill their players psychological needs. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Oraculum: A model for self-adaptive system optimization in smart environments
No full textSmart environments require adaptive resource management to handle dynamic workloads and system variability. Traditional solutions, which often rely on static configurations or heuristic adjustments, may not maintain performance as conditions change. This work presents Oraculum, an adaptive model that integrates real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making. Unlike previous architectures that apply reactive or rule-based adaptations, Oraculum incorporates predictive reinforcement learning (TD3) to anticipate environmental changes and optimize reconfiguration decisions proactively. The model applies data-driven methods to adjust system configurations dynamically, improving both resource allocation and service quality. Experimental results demonstrate that Oraculum significantly reduces Mean Adaptation Time (MAT) compared to existing self-adaptive models while achieving an adaptation accuracy of 97%, overhead of 2%, and maintaining system stability at 98%. These findings highlight the advantages of predictive control in addressing the challenges of dynamic workloads and resource constraints in smart environments, offering a practical approach for maintaining consistent performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Mapping research achievements on urban air mobility: A systematic literature review
No full textUrban Air Mobility (UAM) is a promising component of future mobility systems. To ensure its smooth and viable implementation, it is crucial that authorities, organizations, public services and stakeholders in general consider not only economic aspects but also environmental, safety and socio-economic factors through a holistic approach. However, the current literature primarily focuses on specific subtopics of UAM individually, failing to address the topic in an integrated and comprehensive manner. This study aims to overcome this limitation by conducting a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on UAM, analyzing a database of 129 articles published between 2017 and 2023. Specifically, a bibliographic coupling analysis and a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) were performed. The results include a list of 150 indicators used to assess environmental, safety and socio-economic impacts of UAM, as well as the identification of four core thematic clusters: (1) UAM Technology and its Sustainability; (2) Environmental Assessment; (3) Traffic Management for the Airspace Industry; and (4) Passenger Transport and Demand Management. The findings of this research complement existing literature and contribute to the development of the field by shedding light on UAM’s key stakeholders, impacts and the indicators used to assess these impacts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Comparing personal and general beliefs in a just world and in an unjust world in relation to well-being
No full textThe current studies aimed to advance knowledge on the relationship between injustice perceptions and well-being by investigating whether Belief in Just (BJW) and in an Unjust World (BUJW) have different associations with people's well-being. In two studies (Study 1, N = 258; Study 2, N = 573), we examined whether well-being is associated differently with just and unjust world beliefs, and we further extended the study of these distinct associations to the differentiation between personal and general beliefs in a (un) just world. In both studies, we confirmed that a one-second-order factor model of BJW was positively associated with a latent variable of well-being. Furthermore, for the first time, we examined and confirmed that a one-second-order factor of BUJW—combining General BUJW and Personal BUJW—was also significantly associated with well-being. We further compared the differences between each of the personal and general BJW compared with the BUJW. We found that the factor associated with personal beliefs, either Personal BJW or Personal BUJW, instead of general beliefs, is the one consistently linked to well-being. The current studies pave the way for further studies on just and unjust world beliefs, considering the relevance of both just/unjust and personal/general frames.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Past, present and future of family firms and their sustainability developments: A text-mining approach
No full textPurpose
This paper examines a decade of research on the correlation between sustainability and family-owned businesses. It explores the critical aspects of sustainability and how they impact family ownership, pinpoints gaps in the existing literature and outlines potential research areas for the future.
Design/methodology/approach
This article examines the research on sustainability in family firms (FF) over the past decade by analysing 162 relevant articles from Web of Science and Scopus. Through a text-mining approach utilising latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), latent topics were extracted from the literature and thoroughly analysed.
Findings
The study identifies eight topics associated with family businesses and their sustainability efforts, offering insights into critical areas of research and the interactions between sustainability and family businesses.
Research limitations/implications
The study results are essential for FF and sustainability literature. They suggest eight topics related to sustainability practices, which are transversal to all companies and of interest to their stakeholders.
Practical implications
The current paper allows researchers to analyse the topics addressed in depth. Managers can obtain relevant information that may encourage them to invest in sustainability and reduce information asymmetry and regulators can improve current and future guidelines.
Social implications
Promoting FF’s consistent adoption of sustainable practices is imperative. Given their pivotal role in the business market, it is crucial to effectively communicate this commitment to the general public, regulators and investors. Underscoring the critical role of sustainability in attaining long-term success becomes essential for these firms.
Originality/value
The article stands out for its innovative approach. It focuses on family businesses and uses text-mining methods to analyse the literature on sustainability, thus filling a gap in existing research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio