Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Internet of things assisted monitoring using ultrasound-based gesture recognition contactless system
No full textIn the last decade, we have seen an increase in the use of digital technologies in our daily lives, including advanced systems such as mobile applications, smart digital kiosks for intelligent retailing, touch screens for ordering food, or simple implementations such as the ticket machines in the butchers. However, from the perspective of interaction design, those sensing systems suffer from several constraints and limitations such as, low usability and poor hygiene. For example, the elderly or the disabled normally have huge difficulties when interacting with these types of digital systems. Moreover, the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has made us rethink the way we interact with the digital devices. Hence, in this paper, we present a novel solution for digital interaction through a contactless model. This system can provide human gesture recognition and therefore it can be integrated into others to achieve contactless control. We have implemented a prototype based on cost efficient sensors to validate the idea's feasibility. Moreover, a sequence of real world experiments has also been conducted to evaluate its performance. This system is composed with 1) a 3d printed grid of ultrasound sensors to capture the distance information from a human body; 2) software to analyse the data for gesture predictions. This analysis results will be transformed into control commands to interact with the attached system. The experimental results have shown that the proposed system is capable of providing a contactless Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and also has a great opportunity to replace existing touching interaction manner with a remote control scheme
Is young athletes’ bullying behaviour different in team, combat, or individual sports?
No full textThis study aims at describing and comparing the prevalence of bullying behaviours and the perspective of victims, bystanders, and aggressors in team, individual, and combat sports. The survey involved 664 athletes of both genders (13–18 years old) from sports school and federated of several sports (team n= 451, individual n= 173, combat n= 40), who filled in the Prevention of Violence in Sport Questionnaire. The prevalence of bullying (victims, bullies, and bystanders) was 26.7% in team sports; 19.1% in individual sports, and 23.1% in combat. Through the Chi-square test, it was verified that there were no significant differences between different sports in what concerns the prevalence of bullying behaviours; neither was there a difference in the perspective of victims, bystanders, and aggressors. The percentage was bigger in victims (7.7%) and bystanders (17.4%) in combat sports, and aggressors (3.3%) in team sports. There are not aggressors in combat sports. Further studies are needed in order to achieve a deeper knowledge of the problem and plan strategies to prevent this sort of behaviour
Importance of value propositions in marketing: Research and challenges
No full textThe value proposition is a statement that over enhances a firm’s core strategy by promising improved products. It is therefore part of a company’s marketing strategy while providing either a business or marketing statement that launches the brand by communicating how the company operates its business. Likewise, it summarizes the reason why consumer should acquire a potentially more effective product than competitors’. The paper uses a literature review methodology based on a bibliographic search of SCOPUS database. It explores the conceptualization and application of value proposition in order to develop customer satisfaction and loyalty. This piece of literature concludes that create and communicate value promises constitute key challenges to companies, while current research is sparse with regard to supporting the communication of value propositions, which is context dependent. It also indicates that value-based marketing practice is a collaboration strategy that requires interaction between the actors involved, in particular the organization/marketers and consumers. Finally, the process could be ameliorated through big data and analytics tools that enable data collection and analysis, whereas the internet and social media might provide communication platforms to augment innovation and firm-consumer engagement
Mediterranean diet conceptual model and future trends of its use in Portugal
No full textThe aim of this study was to present a new model for the Mediterranean Diet definition and to identify
the major trends for the use of the Mediterranean Diet concept by 2028, in Portugal. A Delphi panel
was implemented with 28 experts with solid knowledge and understanding of the Mediterranean Diet
concept. The first round evaluated the degree of expert self-knowledge, which also contributed to the
final questionnaire building. It was answered in 2 successive rounds with 21 statements, divided into
2 dimensions: Mediterranean Diet concept and use. A Mediterranean Diet model definition was produced
with 73.8% of agreement. Culture, education, environment, health, food industry/distribution
and tourism were identified as the future trends of Mediterranean Diet use areas. The model presented
can be used as a pedagogical tool. For the first time, it was possible to explore the future
trends of Mediterranean Diet use, which can help with the initiatives to safeguard the Mediterranean
Diet concept
“It’s nice when they speak back to you in Chinese!” Insights into linguistic accommodation in language travel
No full textLinguistic accommodation is a topic as quotidian in tourism practice, as neglected in tourism literature. This research note brings some insights into the topic of linguistic accommodation in language travel. Language travellers tend to have atypical patterns of linguistic accommodation, since they struggle to accommodate linguistically to locals, instead of expecting locals to accommodate to them. The purpose of this research note is to contribute to the understanding of the frustrations in the process of linguistic accommodation among a group of language travellers. Using the lens of serious leisure, it addresses the question of what “conquering adversity” in linguistic accommodation means for these travellers. Although the struggle to accommodate may entail frustrations, it also leads to a sense of achievement. This study contributes to a better understanding of the link between linguistic accommodation, intercultural encounters, and tourism behaviour in the specific context of language travel
University students engagement with fake news: The portuguese case
No full textThe development of technological and communication platforms generates academic, political and social debates. In the field of Media Studies, there is a special concern with the younger generations, as studies document that they express particular behaviors due to the increased diffusion of digital consumption in their lives (Silveira & Amaral, 2018). In the field of media literacy, news literacy becomes even more relevant today due to the rise of fake news, which is one of the biggest challenges for digital journalism today, because it endangers the truth and instigates misinformation, which could have serious repercussions for society in general and for the youngest more susceptible generations, in particular. Based on these assumptions, this article comprehends and analyses the dynamics of reception of news and social media by university students studying in Portugal, specifically in the Faculty of Design, Technology and Communication – European Unievrsity of Lisbon (in the academic year 2018/2019), located in Lisbon. Through the development of a qualitative methodology, we set to find the participants particular uses of social media for news access and consumption. We intend to define these audiences preference profiles, identify practices, analyse their relationship with the media and find patterns in their use of technology to access information and fake news. The results allow us to conclude that these audiences get their news almost exclusively through online platforms. Some of them distinguish fake news due to format and content, while others share them unknowingly. They seem to rely more on newspaper and TV for reliable sources of information and think that most of fake news are found online. All seem to think that the proliferation of fake news is discrediting journalism and the media in general and both media and citizens should strive to make news literacy a reality for all
Combining e-commerce and blockchain technologies to solve problems and improve business results: A literature review
No full textThe internet and digital transformation have changed our relations with the market. These technologies have been developing continuously, creating opportunities for new business models, and e-commerce has grown overwhelmingly worldwide, changing the consumption process of a large part of the world's population. Companies are increasingly using blockchain technology to improve and create new global trading business models. Blockchain had its first application in cryptocurrencies, but it has quickly become a major solution in all sorts of activity sectors, providing increased security in commercial transactions. An important question is how the blockchain can leverage e-commerce in solving problems and improving business results. It was concluded that blockchain could leverage e-commerce in the four fundamental areas of (1) e-commerce financial transactions, (2) e-commerce supply chain management, (3) e-commerce forecasting and contractual relations, and (4) e-commerce transactions systems' trust and credibility
True colors: Consumers’ packaging choices depend on the color of retail environment
No full textColor is one of the most elementary techniques used in marketing and produces behavioral effects reflecting
purchase attitudes. However, packaging color has seldom been investigated in-context. Additionally, color
research mainly focuses on individual colors, instead of color combinations. Here, we aim to study the putative
effect that dominant retail environment colors might produce on attractiveness and product purchase intention,
when products use similar store colors, and when products use complementary colors to those of the store.
Moreover, we investigate if these choices are product dependent (e.g., do food and non-food products evoke the
same packaging color choices in a given retail color context). A total of 653 participants were recruited to
participate in two experimental studies disseminated through online platforms. Study 1 showed an interaction
between store and product color significantly affecting both product attractiveness and purchase intention.
Importantly, we found that the product category might modulate the complementary color-effect, in terms of
attractiveness and purchase intention. Study 2 revealed that product-type subtends sensorial experience or semantic derivation mechanisms for preferred color choices. Together these studies unveil a complex relation
between product type, context and color that possibly subtend different cognitive decision-making mechanisms.
As such, colors cannot be considered as standalone variables in consumer decision making strategies. Here, we
shed light into color perception and product strategy, thus helping marketers, retailers and designers to
communicate more efficiently and to define a successful brand strategy
A cultural mediation of meanings between consumer-goods, trends and the culturally constituted world
No full textCultural mediation is a process of conveying meanings in society and consumer-goods are their carrying vehicles. This essay addresses the movement of meanings between the culturally constituted world and cultural artefacts. It clarifies this process through the analysis of brands’ roles in conveying messages. Our methodological perspective approaches a semiotic reading, a trend analysis and a hermeneutical interpretation of a case study in light of the Movement of Meaning Model. The developed conceptual framework contributes to the understanding of the flow of meanings in culture from consumer goods to the culturally constituted world; the role of consumer goods as mediators; and to correlate consumer-goods with socio-cultural trends. The process shows relevant results for understanding cultural mediation; how meanings are articulated within society; and the role of brands when transporting meanings
Determinants of nascent entrepreneurship development
No full textThe current international economic crisis, at the moment of writing, will affect global economy and will demand entrepreneurial attitude to seize business opportunities. Nascent entrepreneurship emerged as an important concept in the boundary between entrepreneurship and organizational contexts. Literature on nascent entrepreneurship has only gained attention recently, thus remaining diverse and limited, particularly concerning their interplay with contexts and varying entrepreneurial processes. This study reviews those themes on nascent entrepreneurship and it enhances the way contextual challenges are addressed by nascent entrepreneurs, through diverse entrepreneurial leaning and entrepreneurial capability