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- A perspectiva construtivista na avaliação de processos de intervenção e de formaçãoPublication . Azevedo, José; Valverde, Camilo
- Born 'Exporting' in Regional Clusters: Preliminary empirical EvidencePublication . Sopas, LeonorOnly in the last decade did International Business research start to address a long ignored issue: why a growing number of firms are international from the moment of birth or in the very first years of activity (Ray, 1989; Mc Dougall, Shane and Oviatt, 1994; McDougall and Oviatt, 1996; Oviatt and McDougall, 1997; Westhead, Wright and Ucbasaran, 1998; Burgel and Murray, 1998). In the case of International New Venturesii (INV) from small countries the major research question is how is early internationalisation possible rather than why. Even the less sophisticated mode of entry into foreign markets, exports, usually requires a minimal knowledge of foreign languages and external trade techniques. Plus, exporting firms will generally be in a disadvantageous position in relation to local competitors that benefit from better information about buyers’ tastes and preferences and potentially enjoy higher credibility near local customers. These are likely to be especially important advantages when products sold are customised, technically complex, and require frequent contacts between the buyer and the supplier. Another emerging issue in international business research has to do with the role of location (namely location within regional clusters) in internationalisation strategies (Dunning, 1997; Oviatt and MacDougall, 1997; Enright, 1998; Anderson, 1999). Therefore, this paper focus on INV located within a cluster, that is, on ‘interdependent’ INVsiii. As far as internationalisation 2 modes of entry are concerned exports and Exporting New Ventures (ENVs) are analysed. More specifically research is based on case studies of companies located in the plastic moulds cluster of Marinha Grande, Portugal. While collecting information about this cluster a series of short articles about member firms of Cefamol - Portuguese Association for the Mould Industry - published in its quarterly magazine ‘O Molde’ between 1988 and 1999 were gathered (Cefamol, 1988-99). Geographic concentration around the area of Marinha Grande, a pattern of start-up through spin–offs, strong and early export orientation and the supporting role of relations with customers (including several large MNCs from different industries and countries), suppliers and peers seem to be common features of these 37 reports. A series of question on the role of location within clusters in early export strategies emerged from a thorough review and analysis of these reports: How do mould makers from Marinha Grande manage to start exporting so early after foundation?; How does location within a cluster influence early exports?; What is the role played by customers, suppliers and other firms in the process?; How does location within a cluster influence relations with other local firms and relations with customer firms located outside the cluster? This paper presents the preliminary results from an on-going research project and is organized as follows. In the first section a short review of the existing literature on INVs is presented. Since ‘interdependent’ ENVs introduce the concept of location into the research on international entrepreneurship, a brief survey of cluster theory and its potential contribution to the explanation of INVs is also made. The main goal of this summary of literature is to guide the design of the research project (Eisenhardt, 1989, Yin, 1994). Therefore, the research design and the method for information collection and analysis are presented in the methodological section that follows. After a short introduction of the basic characteristics of 3 mould production, preliminary findings are disclosed. In the concluding section implications of major findings are discussed and questions for future research are identified.
- The Portuguese moulds and plastic clustersPublication . Sopas, Leonor
- Organic farming take off in PortugalPublication . Mendes, Américo M. S. Carvalho; Cunha, Manuel Ricardo; Ribeiro, Ricardo Miguel; Sottomayor, Miguel; Campos, Raquel; Costa, LeonardoOrganic farming is booming in Portugal. CAP subsidies are the main reason beyond this boom. Converted farms are still a small proportion of the country’s total farms. They are mostly extensive (low input) Mediterranean farms located in the mainland interior and less developed regions. Large farms and highly educated farmers are the ones converting. Olive oil is the main organic production. The market for organic products in Portugal is segmented and distribution channels are narrow. In general, people are not aware of organic products and/or lack the money to pay the required price premium. However, a segment of highly educated consumers with above average income do exist. Two private bodies provide certification for organic products under the supervision of the Government. Several national and regional Associations provide technical support, training and education to farmers but they face many barriers. The lack of public environmental education and the lack of research on the sector constitute other important institutional barriers to the Portuguese organic sector development.
- Tight versus lose specifications in service operationsPublication . Pinto, Sofia; Johnston, RobertIn this exploratory paper we contend that a service specification is an important mechanism which is needed to plan and control the design and delivery of a service. Despite this importance it is surprising that there is limited coverage of the nature of specifications in both the manufacturing and service operations literatures. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the key differences between a service specification in a mass service and in a professional service. The underlying hypothesis is that mass services will have a tight specification and professional services a loose specification. Based on interviews with senior managers in a UK and a Portuguese bank we found, contrary to expectations, that both mass and professional services made use of tight specifications. Professional services created their customisation from the tightly specified base using skilled staff at the interaction with the customer. We would also seek to challenge the view that mass and professional service processes are distinct, as they both appear to have mass-type tendencies with standardised and tightly controlled cores, and that professional services differ simply through the addition of a degree of customisation.
- Born Exporting in the Mould cluster of Marinha GrandePublication . Sopas, LeonorEmpirical evidence on the start-up of two plastic moulds exporters located in Marinha Grande, Portugal, illustrates the process through which location within a cluster contribute to explain how start-ups manage to be “born” exporters. Relations within a cluster tend to be frequent and long lasting, encouraging information flows and trust. These play an important role in detecting opportunities and in accessing resources. Furthermore, outward oriented clusters attract foreign buyers and facilitate unplanned contacts.
- Comparison of markets for organic food in six EU statesPublication . Sottomayor, MiguelRecent research confirms that the decision to convert is now highly influenced by financial incentives arising from EU regulations but the exact mix of incentives depends on prevailing government policies and access to premium markets so that the organic sector in most countries is now referred to as either government-led or market-driven. The objective of the paper is to compare development of the sector along these two polarities but set within the context of 'common elements of interest’ within new agrifood methodologies––time, space, power, and meaning (Cooke, Uranga and Etxebarria 1998; Morgan and Murdoch 2000). The paper presents preliminary findings relating to six EU States––UK, Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Portugal and Italy––and through the application of ‘worlds of production’ to market outlets and suggested discourses that define these outlets, the analysis aims to inform the further study of farmer marketing decisions and practices.