[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é responder a seguinte pergunta: Quais são os fatores que influenciam o desempenho das firmas? Para isso, foi desenvolvido um modelo integrativo utilizando o conhecimento produzido pelas escolas consagradas posicionamento e resource-based. Esse modelo prega que o desempenho é influenciado pelos recursos da firma, pela estratégia que ela adota e pela estrutura da indústria onde ela está inserida. Por sua vez, esses três fatores são influenciados pelo ambiente que cerca a firma. Esse modelo, então, foi testado pelo método de modelagem de equações estruturais Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) com dados simulados. Juntamente com o modelo proposto, foram testados dois modelos consagrados na literatura. Um baseado nas teorias da escola posicionamento (adaptado de Hill & Deeds, 1996), e o outro baseado nas teorias da escola resource-based (adaptado de Schroeder et al., 2002). O teste do modelo proposto mostrou que o desempenho realmente é afetado pelos três fatores citados acima, porém os indicadores de fit mostraram que o modelo não representa bem os dados utilizados para testá-lo. Em contrapartida, os dois modelos consagrados na literatura tiveram indicadores de fit bem melhores, o que mostra que eles representam melhor os dados simulados usados para fazer o teste com a técnica estatística utilizada. / [en] This study will address the proposed research question: Which factors influence the performance of the firms? To answer that question, an integrative model was developed based on the knowledge produced by the consecrated positioning school and resource-based view. This model says that the firm resources, the strategy adopted by the firm and the industry structure are the factors that influence the performance. In addition, the tree factors cited above are influenced by the environment. This model was, then, tested by the structural equation modeling method Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) with simulated data. Altogether with the proposed model, two consecrated by literature models were tested. The first one is based on positioning school theories (adopted from Hill & Deeds, 1996) and the second one is based on resource-based view theories (adopted from Schroeder et al., 2002). The poposed model test demonstrated that, although performance is really affected by the tree factors cited above, the fit indicators showed that the model doesn´t represent very well the data used to test it. On the other hand, the two consecrated by literature models had much better fit indicators. It shows that they represent much better the simulated data used to test them with the statistical method used.

abstract: Exiting prostitution is a process whereby women gradually leave prostitution after a number of environmental, relational, and cognitive changes have taken place. Most women attempting to leave street prostitution reenter five or more times before successfully exiting, if they are able to at all. Prostitution-exiting programs are designed to alleviate barriers to exiting, but several studies indicate only about 20-25% of participants enrolled in such programs are successful. There is little quantitative knowledge on the prostitution exiting process and current literature lacks a testable theory of exiting. This mixed-methods study defined and operationalized key cognitive processes by applying the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP) to measure intentions to exit street-level prostitution. Intentions are thought to be a determinant of behavior and hypothesized as a function of attitudes, norms, and efficacy beliefs. The primary research objective was to measure and test a theory-driven hypothesis examining intentions to exit prostitution. To accomplish these aims, interviews were conducted with 16 men and women involved in prostitution to better capture the latent nuances of exiting (e.g., attitudinal changes, normative influence). These data informed the design of a quantitative instrument that was pilot-tested with a group of former prostitutes and reviewed by experts in the field. The quantitative phase focused on validating the instrument and testing the theory in a full latent variable structural equation model with a sample of 160 former and active prostitutes. Ultimately, the theory and instrument developed in this study will lay the foundation to test interventions for street prostituted women. Prior research has only been able to describe, but not explain or predict, the prostitution exiting process. This study fills a gap in literature by providing a quantitative examination of women's intentions to leave prostitution. The results contribute to our understanding of the cognitive changes that occur when a person leaves prostitution, and the validated instrument may be used as an intervention assessment or an exit prediction tool. Success in predicting an individual's passage through the exiting process could have important and far-reaching implications on recidivism policies or interventions for this vulnerable group of women. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Social Work 2013

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk of anal cancer as a result of anal HPV infection. Routine HPV vaccination is recommended for all MSM up through age 26; however, vaccine uptake among this population is low. The Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IM) was used to identify, describe, and explain psychosocial factors related to HPV vaccine decision-making for young MSM. A sequential mixed-methods approach consisting of semi-structured interviews, a quantitative survey, and a qualitative open-ended survey was used to address the following aims: (1) Determine salient outcome, normative, efficacy, and control beliefs related to HPV-vaccination among young MSM; (2) Identify information needs and trusted sources of information regarding HPV vaccination among young MSM; and (3) Develop and test a structural equation model guided by the Integrated Model of Behavioral Prediction. The purpose and objectives of this research address priorities outlined in the Institute of Medicine's report on health disparities among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Results highlight the lack of information and knowledge regarding HPV prevention in this population. The majority of respondents had heard of the HPV vaccine but generally perceived it as a women's health issue. Attitudes toward vaccination were generally positive, as was behavioral intention to get vaccinated within the next 12 moths. Salient behavioral beliefs described physical benefits such as lowering risk and promoting overall health. Psychological benefits were described as protecting sex partners and providing peace of mind. There was some concern regarding the risks of vaccination including contracting HPV from the vaccine, not knowing if it would be effective, and potential side effects. Normative influences on decision-making were minimal. Availability, cost, and convenience were among the most salient external control factors. Issues surrounding disclosure of sexual minority status influenced control factors including self-efficacy. Addressing the specific beliefs and concerns expressed by MSM can help to improve the effectiveness of health education interventions promoting vaccination. Empirical findings support the proposed behavioral model of vaccine decision-making.

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The consumption of meat and meat products has been cited as the most critical area to be addressed if we are to meet a sustainable future diet, regarding the impact on climate change and health. The numerous sustainability concerns that have been raised have stimulated calls to reduce the quantity of meat people in general eat, and have created an on-going global debate among policymakers, academics and practitioners. This research makes use of the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (IMBP) in order to isolate the key determinants of what drives the intentions of middle to upper-income South Africans to engage in a meat-reduced diet (MRD). A two-phase methodology was utilised, by firstly conducting an elicitation study to identify the salient beliefs present in the population, and secondly by conducting a population survey to quantify the cognitive foundation of this behaviour. The empirical results showed that the areas of cognition which most strongly predict whether one intends to engage in an MRD were instrumental attitude, experiential attitude and injunctive norms. This study makes three primary contributions. Firstly, a theoretical contribution, through providing insight into how behavioural themes and beliefs materialise into changes in meat-consumption. Secondly, marketing practitioners can benefit from the insight offered by IMBP, which is valuable as it helps to identify what behavioural shift is required to promote MRDs. Lastly, this study contributes to the methodology utilised when applying the IMBP by applying the model to dietary behaviour, which has received comparatively less attention in the past.

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Research has identified a number of putative risk factors that places adolescents at incrementally higher risk for involvement in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and sexual risk behaviors (SRBs). Such factors include personality characteristics such as sensation-seeking, cognitive factors such as positive expectancies and inhibition conflict as well as peer norm processes. The current study was guided by a conceptual perspective that support the notion that an integrative framework that includes multi-level factors has significant explanatory value for understanding processes associated with the co-occurrence of AOD use and sexual risk behavior outcomes. This study evaluated simultaneously the mediating role of AOD-sex related expectancies and inhibition conflict on antecedents of AOD use and SRBs including sexual sensation-seeking and peer norms for condom use. The sample was drawn from the Enhancing My Personal Options While Evaluating Risk (EMPOWER: Jonathan Tubman, PI), data set (N = 396; aged 12-18 years). Measures used in the study included Sexual Sensation-Seeking Scale, Inhibition Conflict for Condom Use, Risky Sex Scale. All relevant measures had well-documented psychometric properties. A global assessment of alcohol, drug use and sexual risk behaviors was used. Results demonstrated that AOD-sex related expectancies mediated the influence of sexual sensation-seeking on the co-occurrence of alcohol and other drug use and sexual risk behaviors. The evaluation of the integrative model also revealed that sexual sensation-seeking was positively associated with peer norms for condom use. Also, peer norms predicted inhibition conflict among this sample of multi-problem youth. This dissertation research identified mechanisms of risk and protection associated with the co-occurrence of AOD use and SRBs among a multi-problem sample of adolescents receiving treatment for alcohol or drug use and related problems. This study is informative for adolescent-serving programs that address those individual and contextual characteristics that enhance treatment efficacy and effectiveness among adolescents receiving substance use and related problems services.

[pt] A Pandemia de Covid-19 acelerou a transformação digital que já estava em curso, e não só mudou a forma de trabalho, como também a forma das empresas verem a computação em nuvem como solução para o trabalho remoto, redução de custos, ter flexibilidade e mobilidade. A indústria de serviços de TI, principalmente de implementação de infraestrutura em nuvem, teve que se adaptar a essa nova realidade, bem como lidar com a falta de mão de obra especializada, não só no mercado brasileiro, mas também no mercado mundial. Esse novo contexto trouxe oportunidades e desafios às empresas. A inovação se tornou cada vez mais importante para que as empresas consigam se reorganizar e se adaptar a esse cenário, a fim de atender às novas demandas que o mercado impõe e gerar uma vantagem competitiva. Este trabalho tem como objetivo realizar um estudo de caso, aplicando um modelo teórico integrativo, em uma empresa de pequeno a médio porte (até 20 milhões de reais de faturamento anual), que atua no mercado de serviços de TI, mais especificamente em serviços de implementação de infraestrutura em nuvem. Foram analisados os fatores externos - ambiente onde a empresa se situa e a estrutura da indústria - e os fatores internos - recursos, alianças estratégicas e capacidades - se combinam e interferem na inovação e no desempenho, para se alcançar vantagem competitiva sustentável. Uma importante implicação prática é que esse modelo teórico integrativo pode ser aplicado em outras empresas de serviços de TI, de tamanhos diferentes da empresa estudada. / [en] The Covid-19 Pandemic accelerated the digital transformation that was already underway, and not only changed the way of working, but also the way companies see cloud computing as a solution for remote work, reducing costs, having flexibility and mobility. The IT services industry, mainly in the implementation of cloud infrastructure, had to adapt to this new reality, as well as deal with the lack of skilled labor, not only in the Brazilian market, but also in the world market. This new context has brought opportunities and challenges to companies. Innovation has become increasingly important for companies to be able to reorganize and adapt to this scenario, in order to meet the new demands that the market imposes and generate a competitive advantage. This work aims to carry out a case study, applying an integrative theoretical model, in a small to medium-sized company (up to 20 million annual revenue), which operates in the IT services market, more specifically in implementation services. of cloud infrastructure. External factors were analyzed - environment where the company is located and the structure of the industry - and internal factors - resources, strategic alliances and capabilities - combine and interfere in innovation and performance, to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. An important practical implication is that this integrative theoretical model can be applied in other IT service companies, of different sizes from the company studied.

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