scholarly journals In search of optimal psychoactivation: stimulants as cognitive performance enhancers

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emil Bartosz Rozenek ◽  
Monika Górska ◽  
Karolina Wilczyńska ◽  
Napoleon Waszkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Cognitive Enhancement ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Behavioural Effects ◽  
Neurochemical Profile ◽  
Performance Enhancers ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Dose Dependent

AbstractAn increasing number of people, students in particular, seek substances that improve their cognitive functioning. The most popular group of pharmacological cognitive enhancers (PCEs) are stimulants. Available studies suggest a small beneficial effect of methylphenidate and amphetamine on memory, executive functions, and processing speed. However small, this effect can make the difference between success and failure. In recent years, research has focused on the additional beneficial effect on the emotional state, increased motivation, and placebo-induced cognitive enhancement. This paper briefly reviews the latest and most important research on the relationship between popular stimulants and cognitive enhancement. One cannot understand this relationship without understanding the Yerkes-Dodson law, which explains the relationship between the degree of arousal and performance. It suggests that the effect of stimulants is a dose-dependent continuum. This law has repeatedly been confirmed by studies in which an optimal level of psychoactivation for cognitive enhancement was obtained with low stimulant doses, whereas exceeding the effective dose resulted in cognitive deficits, psychomotor agitation, and addiction. A separate section has been devoted to modafinil, an increasingly popular stimulant that differs from the rest in neurochemical profile and behavioural effects.

Organizational Support for Professionalism, Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), and Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Noviana Norrohmat ◽  
Umar Nimran ◽  
Kusdi Raharjo ◽  
Hamidah Nayati Utami ◽  
Endang Siti Astuti
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Descriptive Survey ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this research is to determine the organizational support for professionalism that has never been done before. The research approach is to conceptualize the structure of the relationship of variables from a study. Verification research is to test the hypothesis through data collection in the field using two methods, namely descriptive survey and explanatory survey. The use of both methods aims to analyze the causality relationship between research variables in accordance with the hypothesis quantitatively. There is significant influence between the variables of organizational support to professional variables. However, different results are found on the influence of organizational support variables on OCB and performance that have no significant effect. There is also an indirect influence between organizational support variables on OCB and performance through intermediary intervening professionalism variables. The difference between this research and the previous research are the use of constructs and the measurement in the unit of analysis being used.

Financing Decisions and Performance of Italian SMEs in the Hotel Industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Botta
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Pecking Order ◽  
Optimal Capital Structure ◽  
Financing Decisions ◽  
Medium Enterprise ◽  
Optimal Capital ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigates the existence of an optimal capital structure for small and medium enterprise (SME) hotels through the analysis of the relationship between financing decisions and financial performance in a large sample of Italian hotel SMEs. The results show that hotel SMEs face an optimal capital structure that allows them to maximize returns to investors, while instead having both too little and too much debt reduces their financial performance. This notwithstanding, we show that hotel SMEs are not particularly concerned with optimizing their capital structure, and their funding behavior is deeply connected with the availability of internally available funds, a typical pecking order behavior, and they result extremely slow in converging toward their optimal level of leverage so that they could improve their performance by adopting a more sophisticated financial strategy.

scholarly journals Corporate reputation

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Pires ◽  
Guilherme Trez
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Social Implication ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Paper ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the different approaches to the corporate reputation construct, in order to identify a comprehensive definition that can be used for measurement purposes, gaps identified by previous literature identified. Design/methodology/approach This is a theoretical essay. The authors analyzed studies that involve the relationship between corporate reputation and organizational performance, and the attributes of national and international corporate reputation ratings. Findings The authors identified a more comprehensive definition for the reputation construct, and indicated courses for the construct’s measurement, by considering: the judgment by the stakeholders (internal, suppliers, clients and the financial market); periodical evaluations under different organizational perspectives; attention to theoretical assumptions, among other aspects. Research limitations/implications The study is a theoretical paper that presents that the research field has many definitions that cannot be used interchangeably. It indicated how the reputation construct should be operationalized for measurement purposes. This study presented a reflection on the relationship between corporate reputation and performance, showing that it is not a settled topic in the academy. Practical implications The study advances the understanding of the reputation construct measurement, considering the adopted definition and the discussion of the attributes of the main ratings on corporate reputation. The adoption of a measurement method that takes into account the definition used in this study and the features of the methodologies discussed will improve the corporate reputation assessment. Social implications Literature indicates that a good corporate reputation can affect organizational performance and the inverse relationship is also true. As a social implication, it is extremely relevant to improve the understanding the definition and measurement methods of this construct. Originality/value This study discusses one of the most important intangible resources for organizations, contributing to the understanding of the difference between the market value and the book value of public companies. Besides it should be considered that there is one lack of a definition directly related to the measurement of the reputation construct in the literature, a gap in which this study contributes.

scholarly journals Inventory management and performance of Brazilian firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Cardoso ◽  
Dannie Carr Quirós ◽  
Guilherme Santos Souza ◽  
Karem Cristina de Sousa Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Inventory Management ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Simple Linear Regression ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Trade Cycle ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Robustness Check

Objective: The inventory management faces a trade-off which affects firms in the relationship between whether maintaining high inventories and decreasing the probability of stock-outs or keeping inventory levels lower and applying the excess cash to other investments. Thus, this paper investigates the relationship between inventory management and performance. Method: The sample is comprised of non-financial Brazilian firms listed in the BM&FBovespa from 2010 to 2016, and due to inventory is not to be a relevant factor in the revenues of all the firms of the initial sample, it was applied a procedure to refine the sample through a simple linear regression to only comprise firms with a significant relationship between inventory and sales. To test the assumptions declared by the study, we used a quantitative approach based in a regression analysis. Results: The results indicate that the model which considers value added measurement of performance shows that there is no relationship between inventory and performance. However, a robustness check was done using the ROA to measure the performance and, in this scenario, there was a statistically inverted U-shaped relation between the profitability, the net trade cycle and its square. This means that a non-linear relationship between the variables were found, which follows the idea of an optimal level of inventory and performance. Contributions: To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that investigates an inflection point between inventory management and performance in Brazilian firms. The findings have relevant practical guidelines to the Brazilian firms and researchers in the analysis of the performance related to the net trade cycle, which it can be suggested that the Brazilian shareholders are not concerned about internal factors, as the inventory management, but if the firm is being managed profitable.

Gender makes the difference: the moderating role of gender on the relationship between management structure and performance in banking

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Stefanovic ◽  
Lidija Barjaktarovic
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Bank Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Executive Authority ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Executive Boards

Purpose This study aims to explore the factors moderating possibly indirect relationships between gender diversity and its effect on bank performance. The causality of this relationship remains unclear. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of all banks (n = 27) operating in Serbia. Findings The gender diversity-performance relationship is indirect. The gender diversity of executive boards positively impacts bank performance, over a threshold level. This is observed only in banks where gender diversity is extended to more than one level of executive authority. Research limitations/implications Gender diversity should be fostered, particularly in small and competitive markets. The gender diversity-performance link is based on gender-related social interactions, which are interdependent and should not be taken into account as isolated factors. Originality/value To the knowledge, this is the first study to provide insight into indirect, gender related, moderatory interactions effecting gender diversity – performance link, in banking.

scholarly journals The Technological Progress of the Fuel Consumption Rate for Passenger Vehicles in China: 2009–2016

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihu Zheng ◽  
Rujie Yu ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Yuhong Zou ◽  
Dongchang Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Consumption Rate ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Passenger Vehicles ◽  
Fuel Consumption Rate ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than

China has set stringent fuel consumption rate (FCR) targets to address the serious environmental and energy security problems caused by vehicles. Estimating the technological progress and tradeoffs between FCR and vehicle attributes is important for assessing the viability of meeting future targets. In this paper, we explored the relationship between vehicle FCR and other attributes using a regression model with data from 2009–2016. We also quantified the difference in the tradeoff between local and joint venture brands. The result showed that from 2009 to 2016, if power and curb mass were held constant, 2.3% and 2.9% annual technological progress should have been achieved for local and joint venture brands, respectively. The effectiveness of fuel-efficient technologies for joint venture brands is generally better than that of local brands. Impacts of other attributes on FCR were also assessed. The joint venture brands made more technological progress with FCR improvement than that of local brands. Even if 100% of technological progress (assume the technological progress in the future were the same as that of 2009–2016) investment were used to improve actual FCR after 2016, it would be difficult to meet 2020 target. Accelerating the adoption of fuel-efficient technologies, and controlling weight and performance, are both needed to achieve the 2020 and 2025 targets.

ANXIETY IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH (BASING ON THE MATERIALS OF THE LITERARY REVIEW)

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S.K. Kudaibergenova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Sports ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Law Enforcement Officers ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Psychophysiological State ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sports Activities

This article is devoted to a review of research on anxiety states in fundamental and applied writings. The issues of prevalence, etiological factors of anxiety, historical and modern perceptions about this emotional state are considered. Main symptoms and specificity of manifestations of various types of anxiety, as well as the influence of gender, age and personal characteristics of an individual on its manifestations are highlighted. The studies of anxiety reveal the relationship with the productivity and performance of professional / sports activities, communication and psychophysiological state of a person. Currently, anxiety is considered not only a negative emotional phenomenon, but also as a necessary condition for the normal functioning of the psyche at its optimal level. The ruminations of anxious experiences in the types of activities associated with special working conditions (athletes, law enforcement officers, defense officials) are revealed.

Effects of Internal and External Control of Reinforcement on Binary-Choice Probability Learning

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-260
Author(s):  
Marion Jacobs ◽  
Norman Tiber
Keyword(s):  
Probability Learning ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
External Control ◽  
Binary Choice ◽  
Choice Probability ◽  
Frequent Event ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the relationship between belief in one's ability to control reinforcements and performance in a binary-choice probability-learning situation under varying conditions of risk. The probability-learning task required S repeatedly to predict whether a red or green bulb would light up next. Red was programmed to occur 75% of the time. The sequence was random and not contingent upon Ss' responses. Rotter's Internal-External scale was used to select Ss who generally believed reinforcements were affected by their own behavior (internals) to compare with individuals who believed that most reinforcements were beyond personal control (externals). The conditions of risk were no-payoff, win or lose, win or break even, lose or break even, and reverse (lose for a correct guess and break even for an incorrect one). Performance on the reverse condition differed from all others, with Ss selecting the objectively more frequent event significantly less often. The difference resulted from the behavior of male externals and female internals, who predicted the less frequent event to avoid loss of chips. This is discussed within the framework of social learning theory.

Performing Translation

1993 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Littau
Keyword(s):  
Literary History ◽  
Linear Path ◽  
Meaning Production ◽  
Dramatic Text ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Literary Histories ◽  
The Relationship

Both actor and translator, and by extension translation and performance suffer the plight of second hand art. Disloyal to their original masters they commit adultery. Thus, translation and performance become the unfortunate bastards of literature. If translation is meant to overcome the difference between itself and its other, performance is accused of playing it out and playing up. Such is the attitude which both have shared in each of their respective literary histories. The emphasis here is on literary history, for it assumes the tyranny of the text, the sacredness of the word. The quest for the origin, the reconstruction of the original greatness will always follow the linear path to the bastardized version, towards its own inferiorization. Precisely because translation and performance share this secondary status, this paper will adopt the metaphor of translation and adapt it to describe the relationship between text and performance. Translation here will be taken as that process which underlies any meaning production; it will not be reduced to a merely linguistic motion, nor seen in the form of an obvious reduplication, but as a complex interrelation between two elements. We will thus examine the translatory processes between text and performance before exposing the most illegitimate member in this affair: the translated dramatic text.

The role of uncertainty in performance information disclosure

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 583-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Allegrini ◽  
Fabio Monteduro
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Environmental Uncertainty ◽  
Performance Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Processing Theory ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Enforcement Mechanisms ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the environmental uncertainty faced by public administrations and their likelihood of disclosing performance information, particularly at municipal level. Design/methodology/approach The existence of the relationship between environmental uncertainty and performance information disclosure is explored, drawing on organizational information processing theory. The paper describes an empirical quantitative investigation in a sample of 490 Italian municipalities. Findings Municipalities facing more uncertainty are more likely to disclose performance information. There is no unique set of factors that can explain the difference in the disclosure activity of Italian municipalities, but this activity appears to be contingent on the level of environmental uncertainty. Originality/value The paper explores the under-investigated field of factors influencing the disclosure of performance information by public administrations. It identifies uncertainty as one of the determinants of performance information disclosure. The findings suggest that the use of theories and variables not previously used in this type of study can improve understanding of the phenomenon. The study also suggests that public officials should consider adequate enforcement mechanisms to promote performance information disclosure, especially for organizations with lower incentives to improve information processing capabilities.

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