Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to analyse the implementation of the marketing concept within both the internal (internal market) and external environments in the context of the local public sector. It also aims to examine the impact of market orientation (MO) on employees' job-related attitudes ( job satisfaction and organisational commitment (OC)) and organisational performance (OP). Design/methodology/approach -Researchers take a methodological approach by using a survey method. Structural equation modelling is employed to analyse the data collected from a sample of municipality executive board members in order to test the causal relationships proposed in the research model. Findings -The results of this empirical study demonstrate that internal marketing implementation has an important effect in fostering market-oriented behaviours of local public organisations. The effect of MO on both job-related attitudes and OP was also empirically supported. However, the paper's findings do not support the hypotheses that increased levels of job satisfaction and OC enhance OP. Practical implications -Local public sector managers should recognise the importance of allocating resources to ensure the gathering and dissemination of and responsiveness to market information in both internal and external environments: this will likely enhance job satisfaction, OC and OP. Originality/value -Despite claims that the implementation of marketing in the internal environment is vital for external marketing success, this relationship has not yet been extensively discussed in the literature. The paper's results provide quantitative evidence to support this relationship. Also, this paper offers additional research on the role of market-oriented behaviours on job satisfaction, OC and OP, presenting interesting challenges for further research among practitioners and academics.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is continuously affecting the lives of all people. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy in terms of morbidity, mortality, and perinatal maternal and fetal outcomes is essential to propose strategies for prevention and infection control. Here, we conducted a systematic review to investigate pregnant women infected with COVID-19 in terms of signs and symptoms, type of delivery, comorbidities, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and the possibility of vertical transmission. A search on Embase and PubMed databases was performed on 31 October 2020. Observational studies and case reports on pregnant women infected with COVID-19 were included without language restrictions. The 70 selected studies included a total of 1457 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. The most common signs and symptoms were fever, cough, and nausea. The most frequent comorbidities were obesity, hypertensive disorders, and gestational diabetes. Among maternal and fetal outcomes, premature birth (n = 64), maternal death (n = 15), intrauterine fetal death or neonatal death (n = 16), cases of intrauterine fetal distress (n = 28), miscarriage (n = 7), decreased fetal movements (n = 19), and severe neonatal asphyxia (n = 5) were the most frequent. Thirty-nine newborns tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA was detected in the placenta (n = 13) and breast milk (n = 6). This review indicates that COVID-19 during pregnancy can result in maternal, fetal, and neonatal complications. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 viral exposure of neonates during pregnancy and delivery cannot be ruled out. Thus, we highlight the need for long-term follow-up of newborns from mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 to establish the full implications of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these children.

Purpose -This study aims to build on and extend the literature of market orientation by examining the impact of sub-dimensions of both internal and external market orientation on financial and non-financial performance in the local public sector context. Design/methodology/approach -In line with previous studies on market orientation, a quantitative research design was adopted. The data collection was performed through a mail survey of a sample of local Portuguese public organisations (municipality executive board members). Structural equation modelling was used as a means to analyse the hypothesised relationships. Findings -Six out of 12 hypotheses are supported. Concerning the sub-components of external market orientation, the study finds that the dissemination and responsiveness of external information impacts strongly on non-financial performance. In turn, external information generation and responsiveness impacts positively on financial performance. With respect to internal market orientation, results revealed a lower impact of different sub-dimensions on performance. Specifically, the only dimension that impacts positively on organisational performance (financial and non-financial) is internal information generation. This reinforces the view that there is a need to strengthen internal information dissemination and responsiveness to enhance organisational performance. Originality/value -This paper offers original and unique findings and to the best of the authors' knowledge this research is one of the few studies addressing the role of internal and external sub-dimensions of market orientation on performance in the local public sector. The findings of this study add weight to the recent emphasis on disaggregate approaches to (internal and external) market orientation-performance link.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of spirituality and emotional intelligence in understanding creativity, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, perceived behavioural control (PBC) and entrepreneurial intention of students of a Portuguese higher education institution. A conceptual model is proposed representing direct and indirect relationships among these constructs. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted in the form of a survey questionnaire applied to a sample of 345 university students. To test the hypothesised relationships between the constructs, the authors used the path analysis technique. Findings Results show that personal attitudes towards entrepreneurship and PBC have a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention, and mediate the effect of emotional intelligence on entrepreneurial intention. Emotional intelligence has a direct positive effect on creativity. The results reveal no or a tenuous influence of spirituality in the various concepts studied. Practical implications It is expected that the model can serve as a support for facilitating and promoting entrepreneurship in higher education environments. It could be of valuable use to furthering our understanding of the role of individual/psychological characteristics, motivational and attitudinal factors in fostering entrepreneurial intention of university students. Originality/value Some studies suggest that psychological factors play an essential role in developing alternative models to the entrepreneurial process. However, the studies that directly explore how individual differences in emotional intelligence, spirituality and creativity relate to entrepreneurial intention are relatively few.

Obesity leads to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, especially in increased sympathetic modulation and decreased vagal tone, and some anthropometric, metabolic, and lifestyle variables may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Objective. To analyze the association between cardiovascular autonomic modulation and biochemical and anthropometric markers, food intake, and physical activity level in severely obese individuals. Methodology. The present study is a cutout of a randomized clinical trial “Effect of nutritional intervention and olive oil in severe obesity” (DieTBra Trial), where the baseline data were analyzed. Anthropometric data, biochemical exams, heart rate variability (HRV), accelerometry, and 24 h recall (R24H) of obese patients (body mass index BMI ≥35 kg/m2) were collected. Results. 64 obese patients were analyzed, with a mean age of 39.10 ± 7.74 years (27 to 58 years). By HRV analysis, in the frequency domain, the obese had a higher predominance of sympathetic autonomic modulation (low frequency (LF) 56.44 ± 20.31 nu) and lower parasympathetic modulation (high frequency (HF) 42.52 ± 19.18 nu). A negative association was observed between the variables Homeostasis Evaluation Model (HOMA-IR) and HF (p=0.049). In the physical activity analysis, there was a negative association between moderate to vigorous physical activity and the sympathetic component (p=0.043), and for sedentary time (ST), there was a negative association with HF (p=0.049) and LF/HF (p=0.036) and a positive association with LF (p=0.014). For multiple linear regression, waist circumference (WC) and HOMA-IR values were negatively associated with HF (β = −0.685, p=0.010; β = −14.989, p=0.010; respectively). HOMA-IR (β = 0.141, p=0.003) and the percentage of lipids ingested (β = −0.030, p=0.043) were negatively associated with LF/HF. Conclusion. Among the cardiovascular risk variables studied, insulin resistance and central adiposity showed the greatest influence on cardiac autonomic modulation of obese, increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.