Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2018-03-09"
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- User acceptance of Smart Home products : a business model for a smart home e-commerce ShopPublication . Kreyenkamp, Nicolas Mathias; Lino, Rute Sofia Barbosa XavierThe present dissertation analyzes if new digital products, namely Smart Home products can prevail in the market and in particular to validate a competitive business model in the emerging mass market; Smart Home World is a new e-commerce shop focused on creating transparency in a very young fragmented market by providing simple and transparent product comparisons as well as expert product test reviews and other functionalities. The dissertation is based on literature of prospective as well as actual consumer perceptions of Smart Home products. On the basis of the theoretical findings, hypotheses are conducted which show what would make users accept Smart Home products, concerning their perceived benefits, values and sacrifices as well as to validate the business idea of Smart Home World. The hypotheses are tested by a quantitative survey and statistically evaluated. The primary aim of the conducted analysis is to integrate a business plan in order to help the brand to define its scope of activity, current state and future strategy. By clearly defining its scope of activity it was possible to organize the product portfolio of Smart Home World: energy saving, lightning control and security devices were highlighted as the primary products. The data concerning demand and supply revealed a possible target group, males between 25 and 59 but also the high costs required to establish such a retail shop. The subsequent discussion of the results show theoretical and practical implications as well as limitations as to why consumers accept such a new technological innovation.
- Business plan for an online booking pet related services marketplace : PetsityPublication . Lüttmer, Johannes; Lino, Rute Sofia Barbosa XavierThis master thesis was submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the Master in Management at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. The first research question was aimed to understand how the pet service market is organized. Therefore, an in-depth industry and competition analysis was conducted which showed that there are several companies in the private sitting market for dogs but none gathering dog hotels on an online booking platform. The second question analysed the different customer segments of Petsity as well as what those customers are looking for within the product. A survey was answered by 174 respondents in Germany. It showed that most people are willing to book pet-sitting, dog-schools as well as dog-hotels online. The multiple regression analysis showed that man within the age group of 25-29 have a significant impact on the online booking likelihood for private pet-sitting. After analysing the conducted market research and the results from the survey further services were assessed to be added to the platform. The last question was aimed to understand whether Petsity can generate profits and create value for the shareholders. After assessing the market and the revenue streams, a financial analysis was conducted which showed that the venture can be EBITDA positive after its 3rd year of operations.
- New business opportunities : the Startup Guide Digital PlatformPublication . Weissensteiner, Anna; Lino, Rute Sofia Barbosa XavierThe world of labour is changing and startup ecosystems are growing. More and more companies are building new and innovative businesses thereby following new methods of product development. The digital era has risen and offers more and more opportunities for business development and value creation. This dissertation aims to display the business opportunity for a digital platform that is being developed by a startup operating in the field of publishing. The core product is the "Startup Guide" book, which provide an overview of the startup scene for each city in which it is published. Focusing on the three parts of value creation, target customers and competition, this dissertation will provide insights in each of the fields in order to identify the business opportunity for the digital platform, where to get together each stakeholder in startups ecosystem (entrepreneurs, investors and service providers). The findings for the question of value are based on interviews and user testing, that made an essential part of the approach of product development. In order to identify the target customers, an internal customer analysis was made and supported by a SWOT and a PEST analysis. The competition was assessed according to the main principles that websites and platform should follow and therefore, four of Startup Guide's current main competitors were chosen and evaluated by a group of target users. The results have shown, that two of the competitors have a well-developed product that is similar to the Startup Guide Platform, however taking this into account, Startup Guide has great potential to improve and outperform its competition.
- Hospital branding as a strategy for differentiation : does Hospital Branding Leverages Hospital Units in the Portuguese Market?Publication . Gomes, Ana Beatriz Toscano Lourinho; Padre Eterno, Maria Inês dos Santos MendonçaHospital Branding has grown in the Portuguese healthcare market as a strategy to create a unified image to consumers, as well as executing common practices among hospitals to ensure a certain level of quality expected by patients. This dissertation aimed to understand if Hospital Branding could be used as a differentiation strategy in a way that it could leverage the private hospitals’ performance in the Portuguese market. For this, tree research questions were developed by proposing that hospital branding provided private hospitals with better resource allocation skills, further tools to promote patient satisfaction and improved hospital positioning, when compared with unbranded hospitals. To analyze this, a 2-group sample was defined, with both branded and unbranded Portuguese private hospitals, and a set of hypotheses was created, supporting all research questions, and tested through association’s and differences’ tests. After analysis, not all hypotheses were accepted and, consequently, not all research questions were fully supported. Evidence showed that hospital branding did provide private hospitals with a higher chance of offering more resources to patients, with a higher clinical excellence and safety than unbranded hospitals. Branded hospitals were expected to be more innovative regarding used technologies and more likely to present a transparent culture with patients.
- Mushroom farming : a new business model and economic approachPublication . Jacquemin, Natan Guy P.; Lino, Rute Sofia Barbosa XavierOur current economic model is a disaster for our planet. Linearities and inequalities cannot continue to be the motor of growth (Meadows, 2006). Extracting without regenerating, transforming without fully exploiting and throwing without reusing are dominant practices when looking at a typical product life cycle. Innovation and entrepreneurial spirit is needed to transform problems into opportunities. To do so, a fresh look should be welcomed. This is what this dissertation is about; studying the feasibility of bringing a new way of doing business while solving environmental and social issues to the market. The new way of doing business shift the focus from shareholder value to system value, the problems solved are food waste, climate change, social inclusion, and the market are mushroom consumers. Several frameworks and initiatives are analysed drawing the boundaries between a systemic business model and a linear business model. Further details about farming mushrooms on coffee ground are then presented, putting theory into practice. Ideas such as using what is locally available, reducing risk through multiple cashflows, generating system value and looking at nature as the master of all, are guiding principles in this thesis.
- Retail Clinics in Portugal: Go/No-go? : a comprehensive research on consumers’ perspectivePublication . Cardoso, Bárbara do Carmo Santos; Padre Eterno, Maria Inês dos Santos MendonçaThese days, the healthcare sector is continuously changing. Therefore, new concepts were born such as retail clinics, which appears due to retailers’ decision of expanding their strategy into this industry. These are new models of primary care delivery and preventive healthcare, aiming to offer a convenient, fast but committed to quality, and competitive service to everyone. Even though Portugal was advised by OECD to reduce costs in healthcare by shifting care out of hospitals, little has changed yet. Thus, given the success of retail clinics abroad and the lack of published Portuguese research on the topic, this dissertation aims to assess the viability of implementing this concept in Portugal, by investigating its consumer acceptance. To achieve that, it was conducted a cross-sectional descriptive-exploratory research using in-depth interviews and an online questionnaire. The results show that there is an overwhelming consumer acceptance. Moreover, the target consumers of retail clinics in Portugal are characterized by non-conservative people from 18 until 44 years old, who tailor their opinions based on facts, on the efficiency and convenience of the services offered rather than on reputation. These consumers are already accustomed to using private healthcare services, however, some also attend public institutions. Finally, there is demand for retail clinics in Portugal. Though, it is recommended to start small by gradually presenting retail clinics incorporated in pharmacies with just primary care services and with the clinical analyses due to the risk of implementing a new concept.
- Projeto : Meu Porto SeguroPublication . Catarino, Inês Ramalho Ortigão; Vieira, Isabel Maria Paula Amado de FreitasO presente texto apresenta o projeto de investigação-ação ao qual foi atribuído o título de “Meu Porto Seguro”, subordinado ao tema “Conviver com a demência – a segurança das pessoas idosas e o papel da comunidade”. A ideia do projeto consiste em sensibilizar a comunidade para a questão da demência, envolvendo comerciantes e outros agentes locais assim como a população da cidade de Portimão, nesta ação. Este projeto tem como propósito informar e formar os comerciantes locais da cidade de Portimão face à demência, contribuindo assim para a existência de estabelecimentos no seio da comunidade destinados a acolher com segurança e dignidade pessoas que sofrem desta doença.