Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies

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Publications

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy in Portugal: a cross-sectional study in higher education students

Publication . Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Lopes, Isabel Maria; Fernandes, António; Diniz, Francisco

This study aimed to determine the level of entrepreneurial self-efficacy in higher education students and to verify if there were differences statistically significant, taking into account the scientific area of the course attended by the student, in the five dimensions of the entrepreneurial self-efficacy scale, namely: Developing new products or new market opportunities; Developing critical human resources; Initiating investor relations; Building innovative environments; and Working under stress. A total of 795 students attending the 1st year at a Portuguese higher education institution, aged between 17 and 52 years old, participated in the study. The students registered a medium level of entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Statistically significant differences were found in entrepreneurial self-efficacy taking into account the students’ scientific area. It was the Technology and Management students who had the highest levels of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the students in the Education area who had the lowest levels. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy contributes to the generation of ideas and the creation of new businesses with success. Therefore, higher education institutions should be able to improve the entrepreneurial skills and increase the self-efficacy of their students.

2019Conference object

Open access

Autoeficácia empreendedora em Portugal: um estudo transversal em estudantes do ensino superior

Publication . Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Fernandes, António; Lopes, Isabel Maria

Este estudo teve como objetivos determinar o nível de autoeficácia empreendedora em estudantes do ensino superior e verificar se existiam diferenças, tendo em conta a área científica do curso frequentado pelo estudante, nas cinco dimensões da escala da autoeficácia empreendedora proposta por Moriano, Palací e Morales (2006), designadamente, 1) Desenvolver novos produtos ou novas oportunidades de mercado; 2) Desenvolvimento de recursos humanos críticos; 3) Iniciar relações com investidores; 4) Construir ambiente inovador e, 5) Trabalhar sob stress. Participaram nesta investigação 795 estudantes, do 1º ano, com idades compreendidas entre os 17 e os 52 anos. Os estudantes registaram um nível de autoeficácia empreendedora médio tendo sido encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas por área científica. Foram os estudantes da área das Tecnologias que apresentaram os níveis mais elevados de autoeficácia empreendedora e os estudantes da área da Educação os que registaram os níveis mais baixos. A autoeficácia empreendedora contribui para a geração de ideias e criação de novos negócios com sucesso. Por isso, as instituições de ensino superior deverão ser capazes de melhorar as competências empreendedoras e aumentar o nível de autoeficácia dos seus estudantes.

2019Conference object

Open access

Trends in honey purchase and consumption in Trás-os-Montes Region, Portugal

Publication . Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Fernandes, António; Cabo, Paula; Diniz, Francisco

Honey is considered the only food of animal origin that can be consumed without being processed. The literature presents several reasons associated with the consumption of honey, namely, it is a natural and healthy product; its dietary, nutritional and medicinal characteristics; the product quality; the region of origin; the information available on the product label, the brand's reputation; as well as, the variety, texture, taste, aroma, appearance, packaging and price. Thus, this research intends to identify determinant factors on which consumers base their purchasing decision. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was developed based on a non-probabilistic sample of 474 individuals, of whom 399 were honey consumers. Data collection took place from March to May 2016 and was based on a questionnaire [1], which was applied directly to consumers in the city of Bragança. Later, data was analysed with SPSS 23.0 software. The data analysis included a univariate descriptive analysis and a multivariate analysis that involved the estimation of a binary logistic regression in order to identify the determinant factors of honey purchase and consumption. The statistically significant parameters included taste, colour, origin and certification label, at a significance level of 1%. These characteristics explained 68.9% of the consumer's decision to purchase honey. It is noteworthy that the certification label was considered important by non-honey consumers, probably when they purchase the product to offer. While taste, colour and country of origin were important characteristics that honey consumers valued in the purchasing decision process.

2019Journal article

Open access

Perspetiva dos estudantes sobre o papel das Instituições de Ensino Superior Público na promoção do empreendedorismo

Publication . Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Fernandes, António; Cabo, Paula

Este trabalho pretende estudar o papel da escola na promoção do empreendedorismo sob a perspetiva dos estudantes de uma instituição pública portuguesa de ensino superior. Para tal, desenvolveu-se um estudo quantitativo, transversal e analítico baseado em dados recolhidos através de um questionário adaptado de General Entrepreneurship Monitor (2013) e aplicado diretamente a uma amostra acidental de 336 estudantes da instituição. Os dados foram analisados com recurso ao software SPSS 23.0, à estatística descritiva e aos testes de Mann-Whitney, Krukal-Wallis e Spearman ao nível de significância de 5%. Os estudantes exibiram deficiências ao nível das competências empreendedoras e desconhecimento da oferta institucional relativa ao fomento do empreendedorismo académico. A análise da correlação entre a avaliação dos incentivos ao empreendedorismo e perfil dos estudantes mostrou que, por um lado, são as alunas quem mais reivindica a realização de eventos sobre empreendedorismo. Por outro lado, são os estudantes da faixa etária superior (de 22 anos ou mais) os que mais exigem apoios institucionais. Por fim, verificou-se que à medida que o nível de formação, experiência profissional e experiência empreendedora dos estudantes aumenta, aumentam as suas reivindicações quanto aos apoios institucionais a disponibilizar-lhes.

2019Conference object

Open access

Impact of worker motivation and work environment on job happiness: case study of an organization that develops social support activities.

Publication . Ribeiro, Maria Isabel; Lopes, Isabel Maria; Fernandes, António; Diniz, Francisco

The last decades have witnessed an intensification of research on positive affective experiences in the workplace. Happiness in the workplace is paramount to improve productivity in any organization since happy people are naturally people who care about the quality of the work they develop and therefore, they are more productive and more efficient. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the factors motivation at work and work environment on happiness in the workplace. The study population involved collaborators from various professional categories from an institution for social solidarity, located in the municipal district of Bragança, Portugal. Among a total of 353 workers, 186 were selected randomly and a response rate of 52.7% was obtained. The results showed that motivation at work and work environment are both predictors of happiness at work. However, it is motivation at work that most contributes to happiness at work. Within this context, keeping work environments that promote positive and healthy relationships among professionals and investing in workers’ motivation and wellbeing improves their professional performance, thus contributing to the success of the organization.

2019Conference object

Open access