Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Exhausted and not doing enough? The productivity paradox of contemporary academia
No full textProfessors today struggle with unreasonable workloads and a work management format antithetical to high quality research and teaching. Recent studies show that many professors suffer from high levels of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion, and several studies report high levels of burnout. The reasons for this situation are not yet fully understood. In this article, I discuss the current academic work management format as a key motive that hinders the well-being of professors and the quality of their work. To understand this issue, the article explores the concept of deep work in relation to academia. It examines the contrasting circumstances of deep work and the continual and disruptive mode of communication required by the hyperactive hive mind. Work based on instant digital communication tools takes a hidden toll on the ability of professors to manage their attention. Instant communications among academic staff members disrupts the deep work required for engagement in research and teaching. To obtain the best possible results from faculty, we should manage attention as a scarce and valuable resource. To do this requires redesigning the management of academic work, a project outside the remit of most academic professionals—or the professors subject to the demands of the hyperactive hive mentality
Directions for management in small and medium hotels and restaurants companies
No full textThe primary goal is to validate if there is a relationship between liquidity and economic profitability in hotels and restaurants sectors, in small and medium companies (SMCs). The question to be answered is whether the short-term view will not compromise the future results of those companies. After a literature review, hotels and restaurants financial ratios were analysed over 5 years. Data were also treated using linear regression, to understand if there is a relation between liquidity and economic profitability. All the financial information was obtained from the SABI database. According to the studied literature, it was not expected to have any relationship between liquidity and economic profitability. The study consists of the Portuguese context in the latest 5 years period before COVID-19, in the hotels and restaurants sector, and it does validate those previous studies. Indeed, findings show no relationship between both ratios. Findings show to hotels and restaurants managers that liquidity-based management does not necessarily lead to future economic profitability. Even if liquidity is necessary for accurate short-term management, it shall not be used to guide them in the decision-making process concerning economic profitability. The results obtained are of enormous importance to both practitioners and academics. Managers must understand that they must take into account the need for liquidity in a short-term vision, but they must also understand that this fact alone is not a guarantee of good profitability in a long-term vision. The results in the empirical study also help to reinforce the inexistence of a relationship between the liquidity ratio and the economic profitability ratio in the literature
User-centred usability evaluation of embodied communication agents to support older adults: A scoping review
No full textThis paper presents a scoping review of the literature on user-centred usability evaluation of Embodied Communication Agents (ECAs) embedded in digital solutions to support older adults. Twenty-nine studies were included in this scoping review. The included studies reported the implementation of digital solutions to promote: (i) secure and supportive environment; (ii) healthcare provision; (iii) healthy lifestyles; and (iv) social involvement and active participation. In terms of usability evaluation, it was not possible to identify a common understanding on the methods and instruments being used since there is high heterogeneity in terms of experimental design. Moreover, some methodological flaws were identified when analysing the experimental design of the included studies
The Impact of COVID-19
No full textThis research intends to measure the quality of life (QoL) perception, from the perspective of residents and tourists towards Coimbra, a city with an important World Heritage Site, as classified by UNESCO. In these times, preserving tangible and intangible heritage is so important for future memories. Identifying the QoL perceptions through the eyes of residents and tourists allows the improvement of the community well-being of the destination for both stakeholders. Starting from this assumption, this study aims to: (i) measure the tourists’ and residents’ perceptions on quality of life (QoL); (ii) analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on QoL perceptions, both from the tourists’ and residents’ perspective. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire was disseminated to residents and tourists in two different phases, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that in general, residents and tourists exhibited, in both periods, medium and high perceptions of QoL, with an exception made for the Urban Issues domain that decreased even more during the pandemic. Furthermore, the results show, for residents and tourists, that the perception of Urban Issues, Way of Life, Community Pride and Awareness, Economic Strength, and Recreation Amenities impact significantly and positively their Community Well-Being perception. New paths for academics and for practitioners are presented at the end, as well as limitations and evidence for future research
The relevance of communication design and the undeniable power of brands
No full textCommunication design can well be framed as the heartland of effective communication. Brands are the result of a communication design exercise and their impact on lifestyles, either in terms of behaviour change or adaptation, ways of communicating, or one’s own perception of the human condition and the world, is well established. On the other hand, research fulfils the purpose of questioning, understanding, and transforming the world. This text presents a set of articles that open different perspectives on how brands can engage with ground-breaking communication design and how they transform the world we live in
Classes of signs in pictograms: A case study
No full textThe present research seeks to understand how different types of pictograms can represent their objects in various ways, as well as having a variety of processes of interpretation in the face of the affection of signs. The solution proposed to this proposal ensues through a literature review regarding the classes of signs in Peircean semiotics. Taking into consideration that pictograms are visual signs, it is possible to understand that their intention is to represent a certain object for an interpreting mind as they seek to represent a certain concept collectively. This study is focused on the analysis of universal pictogram in six airport systems and six Olympic systems made by Rosa in which he obtained four methods of creating pictogram systems to ensure their formal coherence. With Rosa’s proposal and analysis, it is possible to deepen the philosophical knowledge about sign classification of pictograms, classifying them within the trichotomies of signs proposed by Peirce and later developed by Lucia Santaella and Winfried Nöth
User-oriented challenges of smart mobility: An analysis of focus group to identify user behaviour
No full textMobility in big cities has been pointed as the cause of growing unsatisfaction of citizens with a direct effect in their quality of life and overall sustainability of these places. Recently, due to new technological developments, cities are becoming “smart” and smart mobility has growing importance. However, little is known about smart mobility effectiveness and how it may positively affect sustainability in cities daily life. This study aims to understand the potential users’ behavioural intentions about their mobility choices and to identify which are the biggest perceived obstacles that may prevent them to take more sustainable mobility decisions. Six focus groups were run with students and young adults that were living in different districts of Lisbon intended to discover their expectations, problems and needs regarding mobility. A card-sorting task was used to measure their preference and satisfaction levels about a set of options. Fifteen topics of major demand and nineteen problems were identified. Results also confirm both positive and negative impacts on preference and satisfaction levels of users on current city life and smart possibilities of mobility. These results provide a useful basis for the ideation phase, as part of a design process that aims to find solutions able to motivate users towards more sustainable choices
Studying abroad: The role of consumer cosmopolitanism in the enrolment decisions
No full textPurpose – Cosmopolitans transcend their local boundaries by interacting and actively seeking other
cultures, and the applications of these characteristics to consumption behaviour is called consumer
cosmopolitanism. To outline inferences on what school leavers would experience, consider or do when
planning to study abroad, this paper aims to examine people who have experienced Erasmus
concerning the relationship between their level and type of consumer cosmopolitanism and the decisions
related to enrolling in the Erasmus programme, which include the decision itself, motivations, choice of
destination, pursuing cultural differences and search for different levels of globalisation.
Design/methodology/approach – After proposing a conceptual model, data were collected by
surveying undergraduate or postgraduate students. Then a set of multivariate analyses were developed
to validate the hypotheses.
Findings – Contrarily to what could be expected, results indicate that consumer cosmopolitanism
decreases the likelihood for students to enrol on the programme. Additionally, three types of consumer
cosmopolitanism were found: low, cultural and high cosmopolitans. According to results, low
cosmopolitans display lower likelihoods of enrolment than the other two types. This evidence supports
that intention to enrol is not always a good predictor of behaviour and that a gap is proven here as well.
This study also suggests that cosmopolitan consumers do not reveal a preference for countries with
similar/different cultures or levels of globalization to that of their own country, but, conversely,
experiencing a different culture remains one of the leading motivations for these consumers.
Originality/value – Although cosmopolitanism has been extensively studied in different research fields,
its link with the decisions on studying abroad has barely been explored
Recommendation agents? I don’t know any and I don’t trust them!
No full textTools that use artificial intelligence in order to improve consumer experiences and automate processes, such as recommendation agents (RAs) have been widely adopted by companies. However, the use of this type of technology can increase a user’s perception of a risk to data privacy. This article aims to go in more depth into what is known about the variables that impact this perception of risk related to RAs. By way of an exploratory stage with in-depth interviews followed by a survey, it was possible to identify how aspects such as a concern with data and the perceived risk in online shopping increase the sense of a risk to privacy. Consumers are generally unaware of how recommendation agents work, and it makes them unsure as to their usability and purpose. Consumer trust, however, mediates this relationship by mitigating the negative effects of risk perceptio
Portugal PDC Place: The social role of participatory design
No full textPortugal PDC Place brings together researchers, students, and professionals in the field of design and aims to carry out activities related to participatory design currently being developed in the country, both in academia and enterprise space. The main goal will be to share an overview of participatory design practices in Portugal, seeking to disseminate and promote this way of engaging with design. Although increasingly present in master's and doctoral research projects and professional practices, in Portugal participatory design is still emerging in these contexts. Portugal PDC Place will happen at both universities responsible for its organization: Lisbon School of Architecture, University of Lisbon, and IADE-Universidade Europeia becoming an event that intends to gather moments of thinking and talking about Participatory Design and to allow an overview of this methodology's reality in Portugal: past, present and future