Motivations and Barriers to Internationalization and the Impact of Exports on Business Performance in the Portuguese Food Sector

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This study examines the impact of exports on the performance of Portuguese food sector firms, considering the mediating role of export intensity between internationalization motivations, barriers and business performance. Data were collected from 312 surveys and complemented with secondary data from Informa D&B. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression were employed.Proactive and market-driven motivations, as well as capacity-based motivations, drive internationalization. However, only capacity-based motivations are positively associated with firm performance. Market and political risks act as barriers to internationalization, exerting negative effects. Extra-EU exports contribute positively to performance, while intra-EU exports have a negative effect. The econometric model estimates that a 1% increase in export intensity is associated with a 7.2% increase in ROA (p < 0.05). Firms should strengthen internal capabilities and target extra-EU markets. This study identifies specific drivers and barriers to internationalization in the Portuguese food sector, highlighting intra vs extra EU export effects.

The Effect of Suggestive Cues in Influencing Human Perception

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Suggestion is the medium through information of a perspective is shared. The act suggestion, conveyed through verbal, visual, or sensory cues, alters an individual’s behaviour or actions, defined as social influence. This research focuses on how social influence and suggestive cues shape human perception and investigates how suggestive verbal input influence perception of visual anomalies in images. Participants were divided in two groups and were shown images and questioned, with one of the groups receiving a verbal suggestive cue. The results suggest that suggestive cues influenced perception in certain participants; however, patterns across gender and age could not be conclusively established, likely due to the limited sample size. Psychological reactance was also observed, with several participants resisting the cues or forming interpretations contrary to the suggestion. Locus of control (LOC)—the belief regarding the extent to which outcomes are determined by one’s own actions versus external forces—has been linked to individual differences in suggestibility. These preliminary findings suggest that suggestion can influence visual perception, but individual differences and task context may change this effect. The research findings contribute to understanding of how humans process suggestion and highlight the complexity of perception as shaped by social influence.

The Influence of Competence and Organizational Culture on Employee Performance with Self-Efficacy as an Intervening Variable A Study at the Human Resources and Health Division of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) DAOP 6 Yogyakarta

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This study aims to analyze the influence of competence and organizational culture on employee performance, with self-efficacy as an intervening variable among employees of the Human Resources and Health Division at PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) DAOP 6 Yogyakarta. A quantitative approach was employed, using a census sampling method involving 60 employees as respondents. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the Partial Least Square (PLS) method via SmartPLS 4.0. The results show that both competence and organizational culture have a direct positive influence on employee performance. Furthermore, self-efficacy plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between competence and employee performance, as well as between organizational culture and employee performance. These findings highlight the importance of enhancing employee self-efficacy, especially in critical divisions, to maximize their contribution to organizational goals. This research contributes theoretically by addressing the research gap on the mediating role of self-efficacy, and practically by providing insights for HR development strategies in state-owned enterprises.

The Effect of Health Education on Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Depression Among Eleventh-Grade Students at SMK Umi Kulsum Banjaran Bandung

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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of health education on students’ knowledge and attitudes toward depression among adolescents.

Theoretical Framework: The research is grounded in health behavior theories such as the Health Belief Model and mental health literacy frameworks, emphasizing the role of education in shaping awareness and behavioral responses to mental health issues.

Method: A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The sample consisted of 85 eleventh-grade students at SMK Umi Kulsum Banjaran Bandung, selected through total sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaires before and after a health education session on depression. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test.

Results and Discussion: The study revealed a statistically significant increase in students’ knowledge (p = 0.000) and attitudes (p = 0.001) regarding depression after the intervention. These results indicate that structured health education effectively enhances awareness and fosters a more positive attitude toward mental health issues in adolescents. Limitations include the absence of a control group and short-term evaluation.

Research Implications: The findings suggest that integrating mental health topics into school-based health education programs can improve mental health literacy among students, potentially leading to earlier recognition and intervention in cases of adolescent depression.

Originality/Value: This research contributes to the growing field of adolescent mental health promotion by demonstrating the practical impact of targeted educational interventions in vocational school settings.

Pseudocontractive Mappings: A Review of New Iteration Processes and Convergence Results

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Pseudocontractive mappings are a fundamental concept in nonlinear analysis, with wide-ranging applications in optimization, differential equations, and control theory. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent iteration processes for approximating fixed points of pseudocontractive mappings, highlighting theoretical advancements, convergence results, and numerical implementations. Various iterative schemes are examined in terms of their mathematical foundations, convergence properties, and computational effectiveness. The paper consolidates the existing literature, identifies open research problems, and outlines potential directions for future investigations.

Metaphorical Models of Marketing: Changing Türkiye’s Tourist Experience

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In this study, the role of metaphorical models is examined in the language of tourism marketing and cultural representation in Türkiye. Drawing on cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis, it also argues that the metaphors are more than simply poetic turns of phrase but have cognate status as frames, shaping visitors’ expectations, sense of cultural belonging, and emotional investment. In a country with such a deep history and wide-ranging traditions, metaphors should be powerful for bringing ideas down to earth for travelers. The article demonstrates how destination marketing uses figurative expression to communicate complex ideas about culture, like Cappadocia, which is known as a “natural gallery,” Türkiye as a “bridge between East and West,” and the Aegean coast as a “peaceful haven.” It’s all the ways that physical landscapes might map onto symbolic narratives. These metaphors grant brands the complicated identities that make travelers feel more real, prouder to be from their country, and emotionally involved. Multimodal metaphors in Turkish Airlines’ promo: images, music, and stories are conveying hospitality and nation. The paper also studies visitor complaints and evaluations, showing the operationalization of metaphorical framing in ordinary language and the way it affects perceived quality, culture, and service. Comparative perspectives show how Turkish tourist metaphors differ from those in Thailand and New Zealand, which emphasize spiritual warmth and adventure, and how much Türkiye relies on cultural wealth and history as symbolic capital. Translation is sometimes criticized because cultures mingle and metaphors may be lost or misinterpreted. The research argues that metaphorical models are crucial to Türkiye’s tourist identity, destination brand, and response to intercultural communication, marketing, and cultural representation discourses.

Effect of Nutrition on Children Academic Performance in Pre-Schools in Sironko District

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The study assessed the effect of nutrition on children academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko Town Council, Sironko District. The study was guided by the following specific objectives: to determine the effect of diet on children academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko District, establish the effect of frequency of feeding on children academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko District and to determine the effect of parental knowledge on nutrition on children academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko District. The study was carried out using a cross-sectional survey design where both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Simple random sampling was used to select 60 respondents from Sironko Town Council, Sironko District and convenient sampling was used to select 10 pre-schools that had school feeding programs. The study found out that 65.2% of the respondents acknowledged that the schools provided meals that were balanced and 34.8% of the respondents acknowledged that schools provided meals that were not balanced. 80% of the respondents also believed that nutrition has a significant effect on children academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko District. Results also indicated that nutrition-related factors have a profound and statistically significant effect on preschool children’s academic performance. For the first objective, children with a balanced diet performed far better (M = 3.60) than those without (M = 1.66), t (215) = 25.07, p < 0.001, with a very large effect size (d = 3.99). This confirms that diet is a enhances learners academic performance in pre-schools in Sironko District.

Exploring the influences of English songs on EFL juniors’ listening skill development at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

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This study mainly investigated the influences of English songs on EFL juniors’ listening skill development at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. The study aimed to determine whether English songs would enhance students’ listening comprehension, the benefits of English songs on their listening skill improvement, learning experiences with English songs, and some challenges of English songs on the listening skill development. The study used quantitative and qualitative methods through the questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The results showed that students’ listening skills had improved significantly. Through English songs, students were able to improve many other abilities, including better vocabulary recognition, better understanding of different accents, and improved comprehension of spoken English in a more natural way. The study found that English songs were an effective supplementary tool in EFL listening instruction and recommended that they should be incorporated into curriculum to help university-level learners have more enjoyable and authentic language learning experiences.

The Relationship of Knowledge About Covid-19 with the Behavior of Preventing the Danger of Covid-19 on Traders at The Oesapa Market, Kupang City

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Background: The World Health Organization or WHO announced that, on December 31, 2019 there was a cluster case of pneumonia with an unknown etiology or cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Until February 11, 2020, WHO officially announced the name of this new virus, namely Covid-19 or coronavirus disease 2019. To reduce the spread of Covid-19, it is very necessary to have good knowledge about Covid-19. Knowledge about Covid-19 is very important during a pandemic like this, so when our knowledge is good, preventive behavior against the dangers of Covid-19 is also good and thus will reduce the number of additional Covid-19 patients. Good Covid-19 prevention behavior is an action that a person takes to prevent the danger of contracting Covid-19 such as wearing a mask, washing hands, keeping a distance, staying away from crowds, and reducing mobility.

Research Objectives: Analyzing the relationship between knowledge about Covid- 19 and the behavior of preventing the danger of Covid-19 on traders at the Oesapa Market, Kupang City..

Research Method: This research used descriptive analytic research with cross sectional. Sampling using the technique of acidental sample and obtained 40 research subjects.

Results: From the test results using the Contingency C test, there is no relationship between knowledge about Covid-19 and the behavior of preventing the danger of Covid-19, namely with a p value =0.291.

Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between knowledge about Covid- 19 and the behavior of preventing the danger of Covid-19 on traders at the Oesapa Market, Kupang City.

The Effect of Knee Injury and Sedentary Behavior on the Incidence of Knee Osteoarthritis at Muhammadiyah Metro General Hospital

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Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common degenerative joint diseases found in adults and the elderly. This disease causes pain, stiffness, limited movement, and impacts the quality of life of sufferers. The risk factors for osteoarthritis are multifactorial, but among the modifiable factors, a history of knee injury and sedentary behavior are of particular concern because they have been shown to contribute to the onset of osteoarthritis. This study aims to determine the relationship between a history of knee injury and sedentary behavior with the incidence of knee osteoarthritis at Muhammadiyah Metro General Hospital. The study design is an observational analysis with a case-control approach. The sample consisted of 152 respondents, comprising 76 cases (patients with knee osteoarthritis) and 76 controls (patients without knee osteoarthritis). Data were collected through interviews using structured questionnaires and medical record reviews. Bivariate analysis was performed using the Chi-square test with odds ratio (OR) calculations and 95% confidence intervals. A total of 38.2% of respondents had a history of knee injury and 12.5% had sedentary behavior. The test results showed a significant relationship between a history of knee injury and the incidence of knee osteoarthritis (p = 0.000; OR = 6.089; 95% CI: 2.913–12.729). In addition, sedentary behavior was also significantly associated with the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis (p = 0.000; OR = 23.276; 95% CI: 3.019–179.476). This study shows that a history of knee injury and sedentary behavior are significant risk factors for the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis in patients at Muhammadiyah Metro General Hospital.