Veritati
Institutional Repository of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Recent Submissions
Adapting the sustainability balanced scorecard : enhancing accountability for social enterprises contributing to SDG 14
Publication . Auffarth, Patrick; Azevedo, Carlos
Social enterprises focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 14 face challenges in aligning strategic goals with environmental objectives while maintaining accountability to stakeholders. These challenges, compounded by resource constraints and complex measurement demands, underscore the need for a tailored framework. This research explores how the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) can be adapted to improve accountability in social enterprises and examines the role of customized Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in achieving this goal. A qualitative methodology was employed, using semi-structured interviews with 3 social enterprise founders and 4 four SDG 14 professionals. This approach enabled an in-depth exploration of how the SBSC framework and KPIs can be customized to address specific organizational and contextual needs. Key findings indicate that the SBSC’s allows for effective integration of sustainability into strategic processes, with the SBSC-4 model emerging as a preferred configuration for avoiding silos. Challenges such as resource limitations and measurement complexities highlight the importance of gradual implementation and stakeholder engagement. Customized KPIs, combining quantitative and qualitative metrics, were found to enhance accountability by linking actions to measurable outcomes and aligning with stakeholder priorities. The study concludes that an adapted SBSC framework and tailored KPIs can improve accountability, foster transparency, and enable social enterprises to effectively align with SDG 14. These findings underscore the potential for adaptive frameworks to address sustainability challenges and enhance the contribution of social enterprises to marine conservation efforts.
From blame to accountability : evaluating responsibility-taking language and class-action lawsuits in data breach crises through stakeholder theory
Publication . Braun, Maximilian Antonio; Ilseven, Ekin
Organizations today operate in a landscape of heightened stakeholder scrutiny and regulatory complexity. Crises compel organizations to demonstrate accountability, with responsibility-taking narratives playing a critical role in rebuilding trust. This thesis investigates how evolving regulatory frameworks, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), shape organizational responsibility narratives and influence stakeholder-imposed punitive actions, thereby offering empirical evidence for how organizations depend on their consumers. Leveraging an empirical quantitative analysis, this study analyzes pre- and post-CCPA data breach notifications from the California Attorney General’s database and class-action lawsuit records from ClassAction.org. Linguistic analysis quantifies responsibility-taking and deflective language in breach notifications, while a Difference in Differences methodology evaluates regulatory impact. The relationship between crisis severity and class-action lawsuits is examined through matched data from the two databases, exploring the interplay of narratives and legal outcomes. Results show a significant increase in responsibility-taking language and a decrease in deflective communication post-CCPA. However, breaches involving highly sensitive data reduced responsibility-taking narratives, highlighting the moderating role of severity. Despite these shifts, no consistent evidence was found that responsibility-taking alone reduced the likelihood of lawsuits or that severity had a clear moderating role. This study reveals how regulatory frameworks influence corporate crisis communication, shaping responsibility-taking narratives. While these narratives support trust rebuilding and mitigate reputational damage, their effectiveness in reducing punitive actions remains inconsistent. The findings emphasize the need for organizations to adopt context-specific strategies, integrating narrative adjustments with comprehensive crisis management to meet stakeholder expectations and address legal risks effectively.
The role of failure and reinvention in building brand loyalty : luxury fashion industry
Publication . Sousa, Catarina Figueira da Silva; Pestana, Catarina
The importance of stories about failure and reinvention in luxury fashion brands challenges the traditional notions of perfection, offering a new way of understanding how consumer loyalty is built in this exclusive industry. Traditionally, luxury brands emphasized narratives of perfection and exclusivity, however, this study explores whether incorporating stories of resilience and authenticity will create stronger emotional connections with consumers. It investigates whether sharing moments of overcoming challenges, such as reputational crises or public scandals (e.g., social media controversies), increases trust and brand loyalty or whether it risks undermining the aspirational image of luxury. Through a qualitative approach, this research analyzes insights from marketing professionals, consumers, and an influencer through in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that transparent and authentic storytelling during crises can strengthen brand identity, build trust, and foster emotional connections. However, poorly handled narratives may harm a brand's exclusivity and reputation. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning narratives about failure and reinvention with the core brand values to maintain authenticity and the aspirational image of luxury.
Could market efficiency explain the disappearance of the “end of month” effect?
Publication . Gil, Henrique de Oliveira; Schliephake, Eva
This study investigates the disappearance of the end of month effect in the period from 2006 to 2023. Previously, from 1987 to 2005 the end of month effect was present in both CRSP value weighted and equal weighted indexes as proven by McConell and Xu (2008) which presents a challenge to Efficient Market Hypothesis introduced by Eugene Fama (1970), however in recent years the effect has vanished. An increase of market efficiency hypothesis is studied here using an event study methodology to evaluate abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns across the two periods. While some findings suggest that an increase in market efficiency may have influenced the disappearance of the effect, the evidence does not conclusively support a significant improvement in market efficiency between the two periods.
Entrepreneurship and tax policy under review : insights from Portugal
Publication . Abreu, Maria Teresa Martinho Leitão Tavares de; Rajsingh, Peter
In a country where 99.9% of businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 96% are micro-enterprises, Portugal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is a cornerstone of its economy. However, with a tax system ranked 35th out of 38 in the 2024 International Tax Competitiveness Index there seems to be significant barriers to entrepreneurial activity. This thesis investigates how tax policy influences entrepreneurship, focusing on the demographic characterization of Portugal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the impact of tax policy on strategic business decisions, and the behavioural dynamics related to compliance, tax planning, and potential evasion. Through a mixed-methods approach, including 12 expert interviews and a survey of 153 entrepreneurs, the findings reveal critical insights. An overwhelming 81% of respondents identified tax policy as a barrier to starting a business, while trust in tax authorities scored a low mean of 4.24 out of 10. The perceived complexity of the tax system (mean = 7.85) further emerged as a key obstacle, disproportionately affecting SMEs and startups. Regarding compliance, 65.4% of respondents admitted to engaging in unconventional methods to minimize tax liabilities. This study also framed tax planning as a dynamic capability. This study ultimately aims to inform the development of a more competitive tax system in Portugal, addressing the Research Question: How is tax policy a factor influencing entrepreneurial activity in Portugal?