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- Diagnóstico do SI do INEM: fragilidades e mudanças em cursoPublication . Fernandes, Silvia BritoOs sistemas de informação constituem uma mais-valia na capacidade das instituições melhorarem sua actividade. Sendo o potencial dos sistemas móveis crescente, em especial na área da saúde, é diagnosticado o sistema de informação do INEM em algumas das suas fragilidades. Tratando-se de vidas humanas, que requerem rapidez e qualidade de atendimento em contexto e local específicos, é fundamental que as instituições de saúde implementem sistemas móveis e sensíveis ao contexto no sentido de suprimir falhas na prestação de cuidados desde o primeiro contacto ao atendimento do paciente. O artigo mostra uma arquitectura, facultada pelo técnico de desenvolvimento funcional da empresa Algardata em entrevista, orientada a serviços para ambientes dinâmicos. O objectivo é permitir que, sempre que o utente mude de local, sejam imediatamente descobertos os serviços que mais se ajustam às suas necessidades e determinar os recursos a afectar, incluindo a localização dos profissionais que se encontrem nas instalações.
- Business simulators and lecturer’s perception! The case of University of AlgarvePublication . Kikot, Tatiana; Costa, Gonçalo; Fernandes, Silvia BritoThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the usage of simulation/serious games in the University of Algarve (Portugal), because these novel learning environments are still on an early stage of adoption. Members of the Faculty of Economics (in a total 60 lecturers and their assistants) participated in this study through a mixed survey (closed and ask for agreement queries). The empirical evidences denote interesting results: (i) a response rate of 43 percent; (ii) these tools increase learning engagement; (iii) the lack of information and not sufficient alignment with the course unit hinders the uptake of these technologies within classrooms; (iv) lecturers have a positive perception and consider them as valuable for students’ better learning. Hence, this survey provides a good platform for future research and approaches how to promote a better exploration of simulation/serious games and their integration into course curriculum. To conclude, this paper will be divided into five sections: (i) research statement; (ii) research design (aims/objectives, research methodology and data collection/analysis); (iii) findings (lecturers’ profile, awareness, experiences and results summary); (iv) limitations and future work (methodological limitations and tools/ analysis upgrade); and, (v) conclusions.
- Ambientes colaborativos virtuais: potencial das redes sociais. O caso das empresas do AlgarvePublication . Belo, Ana; Castela, Guilherme; Fernandes, Silvia BritoO objetivo do presente artigo é analisar o potencial das redes sociais no desempenho das pequenas e médias empresas da região do Algarve, tendo sido efectuado um questionário para o efeito. O estudo empírico realizado revela que os dados recolhidos (de 70 empresas) possuem boas qualidades psico-métricas. Procedeu-se a uma análise categórica de componentes principais, a qual identificou duas principais tipologias de objectivos nas redes sociais: redes sociais para interacção produto-cliente e pesquisa ou conhecimento; e redes sociais com potencial para o marketing. Uma análise suplementar - análise hierárquica de clusters (com recurso ao método de agrupamento de Ward) - identificou três padrões de empresas consoante o seu grau de envolvimento em redes sociais: cluster Social Tec Grau 1; cluster Social Tec Grau 2 e cluster Social Tec Grau 3. Estas análises permitem validar uma metodologia sustentável para este tipo de avaliação.
- Determinants of entrepreneurship in small and medium entreprises in the defense sectorPublication . Almeida, H.; Briones-Peñalver, Antonio-Juan; Fernandes, Silvia BritoAs PME‘s de todo o mundo estão cada vez mais a organizar-se em consórcios, redes de cooperação, joint-ventures e alianças estratégicas permitindo não só reduzir a incerteza e turbulência dos mercados como também conjugar vantagens que as tornem mais empreendedoras. Torna-se importante considerar que os resultados destes relacionamentos são afectados por factores determinantes que podem inibir ou facilitar o Empreendedorismo. É nosso objectivo avaliar a relação entre alguns desses determinantes – Cooperação inter-empresas, Inovação de Métodos de Trabalho e Criatividade e Motivação – sobre o empreendedorismo em 236 PME‘s de Defesa Nacional. Fez-se uma análise Factorial Exploratória em componentes principais (rotação varimax) e Regressão Linear Múltipla. Os resultados mostram a relação directa dos determinantes avaliados e o Empreendedorismo. E, o efeito mediador parcial da Criatividade e Motivação entre a Inovação nos Métodos de Trabalho e o Empreendedorismo. Estas empresas podem esperar desenvolver novos Métodos de trabalho como uma elevada componente diferencial relativa à concorrência e utilização mais eficiente do conhecimento e das capacidades das pessoas que integram a equipa de trabalho de forma a aumentar a sua competitividade.
- Business intelligence and contribution of entrepreneurial information architecturePublication . Fernandes, Silvia BritoWe are witnessing the need for a quick and intelligent reaction from organizations to the level and speed of change in business processes. The arising problems can be: from wrong lasting information; systems not fully used or explored; slow reaction to change; etc. This requires two main confluent action methods: people to synchronize their visions, ideas and strategies in the whole organization; and, in that context, select the information that strictly answers to the performance factors at the right moment. The proposed methodology turns to the potential of approach to the entrepreneurial architecture as well as to the potential of the information system in order to integrate the data and resources needed for that performance. The modeling of an information architecture of the company and its business helps in the identification of critical information, the one which is according to the mission, prospects and business success factors.
- How small and medium enterprises are using social networks? Evidence from the Algarve regionPublication . Belo, Ana; Castela, Guilherme; Fernandes, Silvia BritoThe evolution of internet created new opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SME), among which are social networks. This work aims at analyzing the potential of these networks for the SME in Algarve, creating a questionnaire for the purpose. The empirical study revealed that some firms have already an integrated business strategy with social networks, as well as a group in the firm responsible for it. Most of their managers consider that social networks enhance performance, but few really measure these results. A categorical principal component analysis identified two dimensions of social networks’ use: social networks for product-client interaction and knowledge; and social networks with potential for marketing. A supplementary analysis (hierarchical clustering) identified three patterns of SME’s involvement in social networks: cluster Social Net Level 1, cluster Social Net Level 2 and cluster Social Net Level 3. These groups validated the results described above, indicating a sustainable methodological approach.
- Cooperation vs. firm-based innovation: A sectoral comparison in PortugalPublication . Cesário, M.; Fernandes, Silvia Brito; Barata, JoséIn today's knowledge-intensive economies, the enterprises can have a strong economic and social influence as "market protagonists". Facing today's economic instability they ought to provide a constant stream of innovations to clients. Researchers suggest that firms can reshape the market through their innovations, for which can contribute some external expert knowledge. The process of developing an innovation may imply three types of approach: make; buy or cooperate with other agents to acquire specific competences or knowledge. This last occurs when the firms' internal knowledge or skill-base is not sufficient or effective and is conveniently complemented with external sources. Firms' cooperation, among them or with clients or other stakeholders, and its potential for innovation is not new. In this paper, our aim is to identify the sectors more willing to engage in cooperation initiatives in order to accomplish innovation. Thus, this paper is structured as follows: Introduction; 1. Literature Review (Innovation and its assets; Disclosing the process of innovation; Open innovation; Cooperation for innovation); 2. Research Design (The CIS instrument; Sampling); 3. Results (The nature of the innovation process by sector: cooperation-based vs. firm-based; The scale and scope of cooperation); Concluding Remarks. Using descriptive statistics, the first step will be to identify the sectors more willing to engage in cooperation initiatives in order to accomplish innovation. Secondly, for those sectors a more detailed analysis on the scale and scope of cooperation is developed. For this study a secondary dataset was used from the CIS-2012 (DGEEC, 2014). The CIS, operation acronym in the Eurostat for Community Innovation Survey, is the main statistical survey (mandatory for EU member states) on innovation in companies. The universe contemplates Portuguese companies with 10 or more employees belonging to the NACE codes. The INITIAL sample consisted of 9423 companies. 6840 valid answers were considered.
- Information systems in healthcare: potential of mobile systems. The case of INEMPublication . Fernandes, Silvia Brito; Vieira, VitorThe information systems are an asset in the capacity of institutions to improve their business. As the potential of mobile systems is increasing, especially in healthcare, it is diagnosed the information system of INEM (National Institute for Medical Emergency) in some of its weaknesses and changes. In the case of human lives, which require speed and quality of care in a specific context and location, it is essential that healthcare institutions implement mobile and context-aware systems in order to prevent gaps in care since the first contact with the patient. This paper shows a system’s architecture, provided by the technical and functional development department of a company (Algardata) for context-oriented systems in dynamic environments. The aim is, whenever the patient changes his location, to immediately discover the services that best fit his needs and determine the resources required, including the position of professionals who are on duty nearby.
- How economic crisis is affecting firms? Building resilience capacity through innovationPublication . Fernandes, Silvia Brito; Liebenstein, AntonMore than ever firms will be required to develop strategies for coping with future shocks and stresses to our economic and social infrastructures. They will need to build the so called resilience capacity, which is an umbrella term for the planning and design strategies that help firms to develop the necessary capacity to meet challenges. The present paper, based on an assessment of works that explore recent European reports on innovation performance, discusses some underling effects of the economic crisis. This discussion reveals the main differentiating impacts of a major downturn on innovation behavior. Some of the conclusions acknowledge that firms will have to find new ways to reduce their risk-averse dependency and become more flexible. To become more resilient, firms will need to adopt planning and design strategies that allow them to develop the capacities to better respond and adapt to the emerging economic and social stresses. Developing these capacities will involve firms in a complex web of planning and development decisions that, in combination, must be designed to transform our current economic systems into much more flexible and dynamic ones. Small and medium enterprises are more exposed to high competitive pressures. Thus, they have to search for new business opportunities. The choice of sectors and the design of public procurement policies can provide new opportunities and it is very likely that those that manage to capture them will be the winners. With the polarization of innovation and knowledge creation across Europe, a few countries are responsible for the bulk of innovation and knowledge production. The technology gap provides a fundamental potentiality for lagging behind countries to catch-up. However, there is a general fragility as major effects of the crisis have shown. Therefore, a more articulated policy needs to be put in practice as suggested and more attention should be given to investment in knowledge diffusion and absorption depending on the specific national context. The fact that some structural characteristics of the national innovation system explain persistency of innovation in response to major exogenous shocks sheds some light on the behavior of firms during crisis. This represents a step forward in terms of understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between macro and micro-determinants of innovation.
- Implementation of business simulation games as learning tool: an example from University of AlgarvePublication . Kikot, Tatiana; Fernandes, Silvia Brito; Magalhães, Rui; Costa, GonçaloGame-based learning environments in education are a valuable asset, as well as their potential benefits are unquestionable (Guillén-Nieto & Aleson-Carbonell, 2012). Yet, recent studies concerning academic achievement have reported contradictory or ambiguous findings. It is also interesting that empirical studies devoted to Management courses are not abundant and focus on: single unit courses (e.g., Edelheim & Ueda, 2007), units with low levels of interdisciplinarity (e.g., Pasin & Giroux, 2011), non-longitudinal studies (e.g., Sørensen, 2011) or games usability (e.g., Blažič et al., 2012). Therefore, the leading Author produced the following research query: can GBL (Cesim Global Challenge) be a useful and productive tool to support Management students for effective learning towards complex contexts while enhances engagement? A case study approach will be used (University of Algarve).