Evaluation use and involvement of internal stakeholders: The case of a new non-degree online program in Brazil

To what extent does the intense and direct involvement of internal stakeholders, such as program managers and staff members, play a significant role toward evaluation use? Stakeholder involvement is a key element in evaluation and evaluation use is considered within a broader sense that includes organizational knowledge, individual skills, and immediate program reviews. The background of this new non-degree online program is directly related to the Brazilian socioeconomic, cultural, and educational framework. Conclusions include 12 major claims related to program evaluation and an integrative approach involving Patton's and Stake's evaluation theories. Although delimited by the natural boundaries of a case study design, conclusions may benefit the strategic discussion of program evaluation in similar situations, at both professional and academic levels.     

The meaning of work and performance‐focused work attitudes among midlevel managers in the United States and Brazil

This survey‐based study investigated work meaning and performance‐focused work attitudes of some 315 midlevel managers in diverse industries in the United States and Brazil to determine similarities, differences, and relationships among absolute and relative meaning of work, work role identification, desired work outcomes, and job satisfaction, career fulfillment, and organizational commitment. The study found strong levels of absolute work centrality in both countries and similar rank orderings for nonwork‐related domains of life. Work role identification patterns differed, and so did the levels of intrinsic and extrinsic work values. A small number of demographic and work meaning dimensions predicted job satisfaction, career fulfillment, and organizational commitment, but this pattern was different for the samples from each country. The article concludes with a discussion of these patterns of similarities and differences for the research and application of performance theory and improvement in cross‐cultural settings.     

Dynamics of visual feedback in a laboratory simulation of a penalty kick

Sport scientists have devoted relatively little attention to soccer penalty kicks, despite their decisive role in important competitions such as the World Cup. Two possible kicker strategies have been described: ignoring the goalkeeper action (open loop) or trying to react to the goalkeeper action (closed loop). We used a paradigm simulating a penalty kick in the laboratory to investigate the dynamics of the closed-loop strategy in these controlled conditions. The probability of correctly responding to the simulated goalkeeper motion as a function of time available followed a logistic curve. Kickers on average reached perfect performance only if the goalkeeper committed him or herself to one side about 400 ms before ball contact and showed chance performance if the goalkeeper motion occurred less than 150 ms before ball contact. Interestingly, coincidence judgement--another aspect of the laboratory responses--appeared to be affected for a much longer time (> 500 ms) than was needed to correctly determine laterality. The present study is meant as groundwork for experiments in more ecological conditions applicable to kickers and goalkeepers.     

Lead in petrol

There is strong evidence that petrol-derived lead accumulates in the blood. That high doses of lead are very toxic has long been known, but the physical and mental effects of exposure to very low concentrations over a long period are still controversial. All governments are under strong pressure to restrict the permissible level of lead in petrol, but this poses problems for engine designers and entails penalties in oil conservation.