Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Strategy and Human Resources Management in Non-Profit Organizations: Its Interaction with Open Innovation

Publication . Oliveira, Márcio; Sousa, Marlene; Silva, Rui Jorge Rodrigues da; Santos, Tânia

The socioeconomic changes that many countries have been experiencing in recent decades, caused by structural factors or by specific circumstances, where the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 is only the most recent example, have posed challenges to organizations, which present themselves more and more and in various forms as threatened by the possibility of fulfilling their mission. Public and private sectors increasingly present themselves as insufficient to respond effectively to day-to-day requests. This context of instability and the resulting impacts for non-profit organizations pose serious problems to the way in which governance is exercised and served as a motivation for carrying out a study that aimed to understand the influence of strategy and human resources on the governance of these organizations. A review of the literature on the variables under study made it possible to identify the sub-dimensions associated with each one of them and the respective indicators. Thus, for a quantitative study, it was possible to apply a questionnaire to 242 Holy Houses of Mercy in Portugal to understand the direct and indirect influences of strategic management and human resources management on the governance of these institutions. The results obtained show the existence of a positive relationship between the variables under analysis, confirming that not only do these variables influence, by themselves and directly, the governance of the institutions studied, but also the strategy influences human resources policies, which in turn have implications for the way the Holy Houses of Mercy deal with aspects associated with governance. It is concluded that, in general, for these organizations to be more effective in efforts to improve their governance processes, they must focus on strategic management and human resources management instruments.

2021-02Journal article

Open access

The Influence of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization (RIS3) on University-Industry Collaboration

Publication . Mascarenhas, Carla; Marques, Carla S.; Ferreira, João José de Matos; Galvão, Anderson

This study aims to understand better research and innovation strategies for smart specialization (RIS3) and assess how they influence university-industry (U-I) collaboration empirically. Primary data were collected from a focus group consisting of representatives of universities and government entities from Portugal and Spain. Secondary European Union (EU) data on the application of smart specialization measures and the innovation in these two countries were also included. The results reveal difficulties in implementing RIS3, resulting in decreased investment in research and innovation in all production sectors. Evidence also pointed to the negative impact of smart specialization measures on U-I collaboration and, consequently, on the respective knowledge transfer.

2021-03-03Journal article

Open access

The Influence of Embeddedness on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy: A Gender Perspective in the Agri-Food Sector

Publication . Santos, Gina; Marques, C.S.E.; Ferreira, João José de Matos

This study aims to identify the antecedents of entrepreneurial activity in the agri-food sector of the Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (TMAD), taking into account a gender perspective. Thus, we intend to assess whether the environment influences embeddedness, and whether embeddedness, individual entrepreneurial orientation, innovative behaviour and gender impact or influence the perceptions of feasibility and desirability as antecedents of entrepreneurial activity of entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector of the TMAD region. The measurement instrument was applied to 249 firms in the agri-food sector, created in the last 5 years. A model was conceptualised where the relationships between the constructs relating to embeddedness, IEO and EI were presented, and three control variables were subsequently added: the innovative behaviour, the environment and gender. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques, such as structural equation modelling, were used to assess the proposed conceptual model. Thus, considering the complexity of the model under study, we performed an analysis which considered personal factors or characteristics, such as innovative behaviour, gender and IEO, as these are characteristics of the individual and may be influenced or shaped by external factors such as the context, i.e., the environment and embeddedness.

2021-08-21Journal article

Open access

Marketing Differences Study Motivations between Luso and Brazil Students

Publication . Rodrigues, Ricardo Gouveia; Silva, Rui; Leal, Carmem; Mainardes, Emerson Wagner

Motivation to learn is one of the most relevant aspects of student success in the learning process. Measuring motivation is essential in all higher education institutions (HEI). It is also important for teachers to understand the best way to encourage and motivate their students to make enforces in their constant learning. This study’s general objective is to understand if there are differences in motivation to study Marketing curricular units between Portuguese (PT) and Brazilian (BR) students. We applied the Academic Motivation Scale to 156 students (82 PT and 74 BR) to measure their motivation and understand significant differences. The results showed that both groups of students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to study Marketing, although Brazilian students have higher motivation indices. This study contributes to the evolution of knowledge in higher education. It allows institutions to take short, medium and long-term measures on how to increase their students’ motivation levels. The use of the scale adapted to Marketing is also one of the contributions to future studies

2021Journal article

Open access