Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2018-10-24"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- The challenges associated with implementing new ways of working : a case study on communities of practice in the automotive industryPublication . Scheriau, Alexander; Conti, Raffaele; Ramus, TommasoThe purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study aims to explore what factors affect the deliberate creation of communities of practice (CoPs). Second, this study seeks to evaluate whether CoPs are applicable as a means of stimulating collaboration and knowledge sharing in the research and development (R&D) department of a large German automotive group. The methodology used in this research was a department-wide online survey, followed by semi-structured interviews with seven disciplinary leaders and nine employees of the R&D department under study. Results show that organizational characteristics, such as the lack of a shared mindset towards the importance of collaboration, the lack of suitable information and communication technology, and the lack of resources are likely to hinder CoP participation, even though employees are basically intrinsically motivated to participate in new ways of working. The privacy and data policies of the company under study imposed several restrictions about how and what data may be collected. Analysis of the data derived from interviews was inevitably constrained by the researcher’s interpretation. In line with existing research, this study suggests that CoPs cannot simply be called into existence. Due to their characteristics and potential strong contrast to traditional ways of working, CoPs may face legitimacy problems. Thorough preparatory work is necessary to create an environment conducive to the intentional establishment or spontaneous emergence of CoPs. This study provides a contribution to existing literature and business practice by providing insights into the factors that hinder/facilitate the establishment of CoPs within large organizations.
- Risk-managed portfoliosPublication . Basic, Amir; Faias, José Afonso de Carvalho TavaresRisk-managed portfolios that conditions exposure based on past realized volatility increases Sharpe ratios and yields high alphas that persists even after transaction costs. I find this for the market, value, momentum, profitability, investment, return on equity, and betting-against-beta. I offer a strategy that practically eliminates exposure to crashes and that can be easily implemented in real-time. As the strategy takes less risk during recessions it rules out classical risk-based explanations and challenges modelling of time-varying expected returns.
- Circular economy in the fashion industry : turning waste into resourcesPublication . Boscacci, Eleonora; Ramus, TommasoO objetivo desta tese consiste em investigar como as empresas de moda podem redefinir os processos produtivos delas, ao fim de aplicar a Economia Circular para reduzir a produção de resíduos. Um enquadramento teórico mostra as características mais relevantes da Responsabilidade Social das Empresas e as razões subjacentes a necessidade de um business com base na circularidade. Seis exemplos de empresas virtuosas no cenário italiano, diversas em tamanho, legado e âmbito de aplicação, mas que partilham um interesse comum na sustentabilidade, revelam como superar o sistema linear tradicional em todas as partes da cadeia de valor. Os atores industriais fornecem um esquema claro de como a Economia Circular pode ser integrada nos modelos de gestão e consegue desafiar o sistema industrial atual. O comportamento irresponsável retratado pelas empresas focadas unicamente em incrementar as vendas e em cortar as despesas, e os consumidores que desperdiçam os recursos estão a causar consequências graves pelo ambiente e pela sociedade. Mais do que algumas tentativas foram feitas para ultrapassar o sistema linear e alcançar atividades totalmente sustentáveis, mas os investimentos necessários em matéria de dinheiro, tempo ou estruturas organizativas não estão ao alcance de todos. Por causa do crescimento demográfico previsto, uma gestão hábil do desperdício será imprescindível para evitar a acumulação dos resíduos e recuperar inputs valiosos. Mediante a aplicação de uma visão a longo prazo para novos processos produtivos, o atual nível de riqueza e bem-estar poderá ser mantido. O que é preciso criar para resolver a escassez de recursos é uma rede de empresas sustentáveis – fornecedores, produtores e comerciantes – que podem aplicar eficazmente a Economia Circular a todos os níveis da cadeia do valor.
- Catch the Moment(um) : more evidence of market inefficiencyPublication . Spina, Francesco; Faias, José Afonso de Carvalho TavaresI implement the 52-week high momentum strategy GH (George and Hwang, 2004) in international stock markets by Liu et al. (2011) with an extended sample of multiple countries. I find that the strategy yields positive momentum profits in 17 of the 18 markets studied, of which 12 are statistically significant. I examine the existence of the 52-week high momentum strategy profits independently from the traditional Jegadeesh and Titman JT (1993) momentum and vice versa. The results show that both strategies still generate profits conditional to the other. This and all other results confirm the findings of Liu et al. (2011). Moreover, I analyse the persistence of “winner” and “loser” portfolios for the 52-week high investing. I find these characteristics to be persistent over time. Also, I propose two novel self-financing strategies: one consists in a “combo” strategy between GH and JT momentum strategies exploiting the finding of independency, and the other is a new investment strategy by running momentum a second time on momentum strategies of all countries aiming diversification. The former strategy produces an average Sharpe Ratio of 0.84 among all countries, resulting in the best performing strategy of this research. The latter instead yields a Sharpe Ratio of 0.52, showing that the positive effect driven from the diversification is weaker than the reduction in average return.
- Overcoming organisational tensions : strategic actions taken by social enterprisesPublication . Pegado, Nuno Miguel Coimbra Teixeira; Bicho, Marta Liliana NunesThis dissertation looks to explain the response of social enterprise in the face of organisational tensions from the implemented of strategic actions, mainly through company culture, organisational structure, and hiring process. Organisational tensions emerge through an organisation’s commitment to contradictory structures, cultures, practices and processes. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the strategic decisions taken by social enterprises operating in Portugal and explain how they allow them to deal with the internal tensions. To that purpose, a qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to managers of social enterprise, and support through analysis of secondary data. The research concluded that the strategic actions helped the enterprises by ensuring a consistent level of internal communication, through the construction of a holographic company culture, and a hiring process that identified potential employees with a commitment to social causes. However, the findings proved that research into the field of social enterprises is still required to further support these finds. This dissertation was only able to explain the influence of these actions on a surface level, with more research needed to be able to justify the true implications. Nonetheless, this dissertation has made contributions to the field of social enterprises that can serve as a reference point for further research.