Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Sustainable mobility choices: Exploring the impact of consumers' values, attitudes, perceived behavioural controland subjective norms on the likelihood to choose sustainablemobility options
No full textThis study explores consumers' behaviour regarding sustainable mobility options. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to examine the impact of bio-altruistic values, egoistic values, environmental attitudes, attitudes regarding sustainable mobility, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms on the likelihood of choosing sustainable mobility options. To collect the data, an online survey was applied to a sample of 645 Portuguese consumers, which included one single non-mandatory open-ended question to understand which factors could contribute to increase respondents' likelihood to choose more sustainable transport modes. As most studies in the mobility field are quantitative, combining both quantitative and qualitative data provided a greater in-depth analysis with richer findings. Firstly, findings revealed that attitudes towards sustainable mobility, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, and egoistic values influence the likelihood of choosing sustainable mobility options. However, environmental attitudes, altruistic and biospheric values do not impact this choice. Secondly, consumers highlight that the existence of a broad public transport network, safe bicycle lanes, and accessible prices would contribute to their likelihood of adopting more sustainable mobility behaviours. The content analysis of 402 answers allowed to discover new dimensions that influence sustainable mobility behaviour, such as safety, respect towards bicycle users, mindset adjustment, willpower, and especially physical efforts associated with long distances, bad weather, orography, and the difficulty to transport materials or other people. Based on both quantitative and qualitative findings, the paper provides key recommendations for politicians, urban planners, and transport organisations, that according to respondents, would contribute to increase their use of sustainable mobility
Managing design: Responsibilities, conduct and rights
No full textThe Design practice has influence not only on society, but also on the environment, economy and culture as well, being it formulates innovative solutions for specific problems. Even so, this science is not fully recognized by its true value and potential – neither in the public sector, nor in the private sector. Furthermore, Design Management is also a component that has an essential role in the proper performance of the projects and teams. Nevertheless, Portugal has no Order for the protection and organization of the professionals; the Responsibility, Conduct and Law as a rule are not present in the course teaching plans; and, sometimes, the legislation does not acknowledge the designers’ needs. Design was considered a discipline and began to have courses around 1975, making approximately 45 years of existence in Portugal (Gomes 2003). The area is an interdisciplinary practice and is present in several projects and companies. It is a comprehensive discipline, from Graphics with the perception of a brand, to Product Design with the conception of consumer pieces. The various branches of study within the Design hat have a great influence not only on society, but also on the planet, as it is present in everything (Papanek 1984). Furthermore, the number of trained designers and companies is growing in the country, according to data from the General Directorate of Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC). Even so, to date, there are no regulations or guidelines for the conduct of the area and, consequently, its professionals do not have protection or guidelines when exercising. As for the general objectives of the study, this article seeks to deepen and contribute to the investigation in the area of the responsibility of Design and the analysis of the laws, rights and conduct of the designer in the activity of the profession. In terms of specific objectives, in addition to a literature review, three data collecting moments were executed in order to understand the perception and experience of the students, professors and professionals about the topic in question. In regard to the Methodology, first an Online Questionnaire was conducted (129 participants) to collect general quantitative data, then a qualitative research with Individual Interviews (12 people interviewed) and lastly, another quantitative research with a Survey (19 answers) so that participants could validate all the data collected and potential solutions generated throughout the study. With this data, it will be possible to interpret existing problems, find out what changes need to be implemented and how to move forward with raising awareness of the issues. Therefore, it is intended to investigate the role of the Design manager during the responsible creative process, contribute to the recognition and importance of the responsibilities and rights of Design in Portugal and, finally, understand that the area is an important strategic tool and should plan means of support and organization for its professionals. While Design is a problem-solving activity, Design Management not only participates in the activity but also coordinates the Design process (Borja de Mozota 2003). As can be seen, Design has a great impact both on the economy, the public sector, and on business; Added to this, Best (2006) states that Design Management is another extremely important element to incorporate. Within an organization, Design Management is present in brand communication, products and services. Outside the organization, Design Management has the ability to respond to incremental pressure on organizations from the government and attitudes towards local management and global resources. With this, the essential question arises, if Design manages to have this influence on the lives of citizens and impact on society, it will be necessary to create changes in the dissemination and awareness of the area, updating the legislation, new plans or teaching methodologies and it will be necessary to investigate the organization of professionals? The world is constantly changing, social, historical and technological. Design has to keep up with these changes, it cannot ignore the sociocultural environment that surrounds it. (Monteiro 2004, p.27). Jet Gispen (2017), a researcher who developed toolkits on Ethics in Design for designers, says that Design has a great influence on the way people behave and live their lives. There is rarely a reflection on what a good solution entails, hence Gispen (2017) believes it is necessary for designers to understand the impact of their work and how they will incorporate it. In essence, the investigation has the objective to comprehend how designers should act in terms of social, professional, ethical and environmental responsibility, which legislations do they have at their disposal to protect themselves, which conducts exist to regulate the field and what changes are necessary to make in these settings. It is expected that with this study it’s possible to aid the advancement of the conceptualization of the necessary structures to support the Design’ professionals, so that their contribution has a greater reach and has more recognition by the society
Pre-and post-pandemic travel behaviour and intentions: Clustering portuguese generations
No full textThe paper examines generational travel behaviour and intentions of Portuguese tourists before and after the pandemic. The comparisons established a framework to understand what really has changed. The sample includes 490 Portuguese tourists. Our analysis revealed three clusters which are distinct in terms of generation belonging and distance travelled, among other variables. The results suggest that the willingness to travel is higher than previously, working as a kind of revenge to mitigate the isolation times. Strategical implications for practitioners are outlined
Movement, Play, and Games - An Essay about Youth Sports and Its Benefits for Human Development
No full textThe acknowledgment of the qualities and features of the world is made through the body, movement, and imagination. During their development, children learn new skills, complexify their thoughts, and become more autonomous. The progressive increase in motor repertoire in children reflects a more unified and solid self. Nowadays, there is a generalized restriction of the movement of children. It starts at home when parents establish rigid and/or phobic attachments with their children; it can be also observed at school which is more and more based on rigid learning rhythms and obsessive ideas about students’ performance, and finally in urban areas where free and outdoor play has considerably decreased during recent decades. The current lifestyles in Western societies resulted in a decrease in play among children. The culture influences the dominant types of psychopathology and, during childhood, mental suffering is often expressed with the increase (turmoil) or decrease (inhibition) of the body movement. Sports are underpinned by movement and play; they are a powerful tool in health promotion and an excellent way to assign meaning to movement. This work is an essay about the importance of play and youth sports in child development
Would you try it again? Dual effects of customer mindfulness on service recovery
No full textService failures have a negative impact on customer experience. Research in the field has looked for ways to reduce this negative impact, but little is known about the role of customer mindfulness in this context. Two quantitative scenario-based studies (ntotal=613) were conducted. Study 1 (experimental, between-subject design) showed that mindfulness moderates the relationship between attributions of benevolence and post-purchase intention (i.e., stronger effects for low mindful customers). Study 2 (follow-up, within-subject design) showed that the level of customer mindfulness is positively associated with a preference for explanation as a service recovery tactic. This research highlights the dual effects (positive vs. negative) of customer mindfulness in the context of service failure
The fashion industry needs microbiology: opportunities and challenges
No full textThe fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, representing a 2 trillion dollars and growing valuation. Fashion design practices have been perpetuating an industrial-focused approach, which relies mostly in the economic improvement through fast cycles of product development. Additionally, the fashion industry has also been closed to either multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary initiatives outside the scope of the artistic disciplines. Therefore, innovative approaches are needed to solve fashion industrial challenges. One of the most promising fields to tackle current environmental and technological problems in the fashion industry is microbiology. Through the emergent field of synthetic biology, the number of tools and approaches available is increasing and they can already be seen in niche applications. Despite the current advances and urgent need for change, there is still a long way until amore sustainable fashion industry is achieved
Education in the post-covid era: Educational strategies in smart and sustainable cities
No full textWith a global population of 7.8 billion people and limited natural
resources, humanity and society as a whole must learn to live in harmony. We must
always act responsibly,with the realization that whatever we do today may have longterm
consequences for people and the environment. ESD (Education for Sustainable
Development) encourages people to think and act in ways that lead to amore sustainable
future. As a result, the following issue arises: what are the educational practices
for schooling in the Covid-19 period in sustainable cities? To address this issue,
the following goal was set: to map the educational strategies of sustainable cities
for education in the Covid-19 era, based on a bibliometric review. A bibliometric
search in theWeb of Science databasewas done to this goal. The educational strategy,
according to the findings of the Covid-19 epidemic, is linked to the interdependencies
between business, nature, society, economy, and education. These interconnectors
may be found in the 17 SDGs, as well as a deeper environmental awareness, which
can be accomplished by active methodology, such as establishing an issue that can be solved in the classroom, and employing problem solving as active and dynamic education
World Assumptions Mediate Associations Between Polytrauma With Psychological Symptoms in Kenyan Adolescents
No full textWe analyzed the association between direct and indirect exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) with psychiatric and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms exploring the mediating role of world assumptions. A sample of 477 Kenyan adolescents completed self-report questionnaires. Serial multiple mediation models were tested. Worthiness of the self mediated the association between indirect exposure to ACE with PTSD and psychiatric symptoms in females. Worthiness of the self mediated the association between direct exposure with psychiatric symptoms, and benevolence of the world mediated the association between direct exposure with PTSD symptoms in males. More negative world assumptions might be seen as a possible psychological distress mechanism after exposure to ACE in African adolescents
A defense of friction—Or why ubiquitous computing should not recede to the background
No full textThe idea that friction is problematic and artefacts which draw attention to themselves are inefficient has significantly influenced how we think about ubiquitous computing. This paper shows that friction’s ambivalent nature as something that enables, and limits activity makes it an inescapable topic for design and an effective hermeneutical tool for approaching the relationship between complexity and privacy. We argue that by striving to make smart devices “self-effacing” and “seamless”, designers are bringing more underlying complexities and dangers for users. We contend the main challenge of designers is not avoiding or disguising frictions but helping users understand them and manage them. Finally, we argue that when balancing the unavoidable trade-offs between privacy and ease of use that seem to be intrinsic to ubiquitous computing, designers cannot continue to rely on legislation but adopt an ethical stance as a critical aspect of their practice
“So that Kyoto Will Always Remain Kyoto”: Reflections on the impact of outdoor advertising policies in Kyoto City
No full textRecent changes in the Kyoto City Landscape Plan, have allowed citizens
and mayor-certified organizations to proactively work together in creating more
sustainable landscapes. In the outdoor advertising context, the system remains geared
towards well-established restrictions and communication routes between administration
and advertisers. This paper reflects on the current state of communication
between the city, the community, and advertisers, speculating on the possibility of
creating a more integrated system by analyzing the trends in the “Kyoto Landscape
Awards” within the Outdoor Advertising category. The results point to tendencies in
the attribution of the awards towards the regeneration and preservation areas of the
city, bypassing new urban development and residential areas that constitute an opportunity
for innovation and creativity. An integrated system, furthering information
exchange and collaboration oriented, could allow the community to be more directly
involved in the process of creation and decision-making regarding the outdoor advertising
that invades their daily lives, which could, in turn, improve the urban experience
and encourage the sprouting of new meaningful places