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Generation Z goes circular: Participation in business models
2015-05-21 - Casillas, José; Gomes, Sofia
The transition from linear to circular business models has been accelerated in recent years, valuing the role of companies but underestimating consumers’ contribution to this transformation. The objective of this study is to explore the willingness of Portuguese Generation Z consumers to participate in the circular economy (CE), with circular habits and the functional value perceived by these consumers of circular products being considered as drivers of this participation. To this end, this study used a quantitative methodology, having collected, by questionnaire, a sample made up of 578 young Portuguese Generation Z and applying the Partial Least Square (PLS) method to a formulated research model. The results reveal that consumers’ circular habits positively influence circular products’ functional value-price and functional value-quality. In turn, the perceived functional value positively influences consumers’ willingness to participate in CE, contrary to circular habits that were not statically significant in influencing this participation. However, circular habits positively influence consumers’ willingness to participate in CE when mediated by the perceived functional value of circular products. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the participation of Generation Z consumers in CE can be signalled through the functional value perceived by consumers of circular products within the scope of signalling theory. It contributes to narrowing the gap in the literature on effective consumer participation in circular business models and on the circular behavior of Generation Z consumers. Furthermore, it is the first study to use five circular habits simultaneously
Reading and writing development in inclusive settings: Teachers’ perception of the use of digital technology
2025-05-16 - Carvalhais, Lénia; Vagos, Paula; Cerejeira, Lídia Ferreira; Limpo, Teresa
Reading and writing are foundational skills throughout school grades that could be improved using digital technology, especially in inclusive contexts. The present study aimed to understand primary teachers’ use of technology and their self-efficacy perception in the use of digital technology in inclusive settings, considering their application of universal, selective, or additional measures. In total, 290 Portuguese primary school teachers (1st to 4th grades) aged 25 to 66 years old (M = 49.32, SD = 8.59), mostly female, filled in an online survey, comprising a sociodemographic sheet and four questionnaires related to digital technologies. The results show that most teachers apply measures within the inclusive education framework (n = 277). The sociodemographic and educational profiles of teachers who use or do not use those technologies were similar, as were teachers’ self-efficacy scores about using digital technologies, perception about the utility of those technologies, and use of them, overall and for reading and writing specifically. The more teachers consider themselves efficacious in using digital technologies and the more they hold a positive perception of those technologies, the more they report their use. These findings reinforce the influence of teachers’ internal factors, such as self-efficacy, on the use of digital technologies, independent of students’ specific difficulties.
A study conducted on the Tripadvisor reviews of thermal spas in Portugal and Spain. Analysis of the Service Model and User Satisfaction
2025-04-30 - Toro Sánchez, Fernando; Quintela, Joana; Liberato , Dália
The aim of this paper is a comparative study between different thermal spas located within the countries of Portugal and Spain in order to reveal the degree of compliance with the variables that make up the SERVQUAL service model, considering the reviews registered by users on the Tripadvisor platform as the basis for the study. This study takes the texts of the reviews, decomposes them into different sentences, and subsequently associates them with each of the variables contemplated within the study model so as to obtain a more accurate association between the data source and the aforementioned study model. Results were taken from Tripadvisor reviews of Portuguese (n1 = 622) and Spanish (n2 = 529) thermal spas, and using the study model, a correlation analysis (r) combined with an unsupervised cluster study was performed to assess the relationships among various factors. The results obtained in both analyses were compared between the two countries. The findings frame the level of equilibrium that can be seen in the service model variables of the different thermal spas analysed. In this way, similarities and differences are revealed between spa users in the two countries analysed in terms of the key variables. It will be of great interest to academics interested in the study because of the methodology applied on the basis of Machine Learning on the data source of the reviews, which generates valuable information for tour operators for direct application in the design and development of tourism activities.