Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2022-10-20"
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- Digital technologies : a panacea or a double-edged sword? Understanding the consequences of artificial intelligence for individuals, firms and societyPublication . Schoppe, Lea Luise; Bohnsack, ReneThroughout human history, the acceleration of digital technologies is certainly unprecedented. No previous innovation has caused such a profound and widespread alteration of our modern living habits in a comparatively short time frame. Although the advancements of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) facilitate economic growth and are oftentimes labeled as a panacea for solving the world’s most urgent problems, more than one-third of the world’s population remains with no access to the digital world and is thus exposed to a serious risk of falling even further behind. Modern technologies have several shortcomings beyond the challenges related to equal access and utilization opportunities, as we frequently fail to correctly anticipate the unintended consequences of their use, not only for the individual users, but for our planet, humanity, and communities. To understand these implications, this thesis analyzes existing frameworks and concept from the literature at the intersection of digitalization and sustainability. Drawing upon the identified scientific foundation and collected data, diverse use cases of AI and their desired implications are identified to subsequently juxtapose these implications with the unintended consequences on the micro-, meso- and macro-level. Based on each use case, the respective consequences in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are illuminated, thereby closing a previously identified gap in research. The results of this work are based on scientific literature and an extensive case study and thematic analysis on AI grounded on 61 Financial Times articles published between 2017 and 2022.
- The impact of animal welfare on willingness-to-pay for meat : mediation of expected meat quality and moderation of meat type and animal empathyPublication . Francisco, Daniela Sofia de Brito; Romeiro, PauloThroughout the last decades, consumers have become more aware and concerned about the impact of what they buy on their health and society. Authors have pointed out the meat market as being part of this change, partially due to consumers’ demand for higher welfare of the farm animals originating the meat consumed. The aim of this dissertation is thus to understand how animal welfare (AW) may affect the willingness to pay (WTP) for meat, namely through the introduction of an existing AW label on meat packages. Furthermore, it will be investigated how certain factors – meat type (MT) (chicken vs pork), animal empathy and expected meat quality (EMQ) – may influence this relationship, either by moderating or mediating it. The implemented methodology consisted of two surveys – a preliminary one, that failed to find relevant similarities between the perception of AW of the different levels in the label, and the main survey, from which conclusions were drawn. These include that, on average, consumers associate meat with no label to a medium(C)/good(B) level of welfare, that they are more willing to pay for a 1-level increase in welfare when AW is low (D), that EMQ has a positive mediating effect on WTP, and that MT and AE are both non-significant moderators. It was also concluded that the introduction of such a label would only be beneficial for some companies, depending on their current levels of welfare, strategy and costs. In the end, implications and limitations are described, and future research is suggested.
- The effect on brand equity of changes in fashion industry attributes : a comparison between slow and fast fashionPublication . Weber, Raquel Figueira; Romeiro, PauloThe key objective and intent of this thesis is to understand to what extent pro-environmental attitudes, willingness to pay, and the increased need for instant gratification can impact the fashion industry, more specifically fast and slow fashion’s brand equity. In order to answer this research question, an online questionnaire was conducted mainly targeted at Portuguese people. The results show that pro-environmental attitudes are clearly present in consumers' minds, however, willingness to pay seems to be the most influential factor for consumers when deciding whether to shop at slow fashion or fast fashion brands. The results show that both industries should take pricing and sustainability practices into great consideration when planning marketing strategies in order to further enhance performance and brand equity.
- Politicians on the board : a driving force for Corporate Social Responsibility performance of german DAX 30 firms?Publication . Wider-Eberspächer, Carlotta; El Nayal, OmarThis paper aims to explore the following question: Do political directors on supervisory boards affect the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of firms? Based on identity theory, this paper predicts that politicians incorporate their political identity and social interests into their role as directors and consequently increase the CSR performance of the firm. Furthermore, this study explores whether gender diversity on the board of directors and the power of CEOs intensify this relationship. The empirical setting includes all 41 firms listed in the German DAX 30 between 2009 und 2020. In order to analyze the panel data set regression analyses are conducted. The results of the study indicate a non-significant result on the influence of political directors on CSR performance in the sample. A potential reason could be the often extremely high number of board members in German DAX 30 firms and the comparatively low influence of each individual or the low regional linkages of firms with politicians of this scale. Furthermore, additional post hoc analyses suggest that there are significant positive correlations between conservative as well as national politicians on CSR performance. This effect weakens under the influence of the moderating factors gender diversity and CEO power. Thus, these results indicate that the differentiation of political orientation, jurisdiction scope and other characteristics can contribute decisively to the understanding of the effect of political directors on CSR performance.
- A gestão da restauração em tempos de crisePublication . Duarte, Carolina Ramalho da Costa; Silva, João Manuel Lourenço Confraria Jorge e; Lavouras, Matilde
- ESG : impacto da perceção dos consumidores no mercado segurador : o caso FidelidadePublication . Neto, Diogo Miguel Félix; Celeste, Pedro Manuel Amador RodriguesCada vez mais, os consumidores exigem empresas com negócios responsáveis e sustentáveis, estando os termos Responsabilidade Social Corporativa, Sustentabilidade e ESG na ordem do dia no mundo empresarial. Assiste-se por parte das empresas à sua incorporação, desenvolvendo estratégias de forma a integrar as preocupações mais atuais aos níveis sociais, ambientais e de governação nas suas atividades e operações. Para além das empresas puderem ajudar a mitigar estas preocupações, os investimentos nestas áreas podem trazer-lhes diversos benefícios. Este estudo pretende analisar qual a perceção dos consumidores sobre estes temas e a importância que têm para os mesmos, aplicando-se a um caso prático sobre a seguradora Fidelidade. Com base num inquérito preparado para este fim, cujas respostas eram anónimas, pretendeu-se medir a perceção atual que os consumidores têm sobre a Fidelidade e estudar as formas de aumentar a sua perceção a futuro.
- Premium fuels in the Portuguese retail market : determinants of consumer preference and willingness to payPublication . Pinto, João Carlos Marques Albuquerque; Moreira, Sérgio Paulo de JesusSince the implementation of the simple fuel law in April 2015 where all fuel retail operators were required to sell Simple Fuels (SF) (Liquid Fuels according to the basic refining specification and without additional additives) at fuel retail stations that demand for Premium Fuels (PMF) has progressively increased, as well as the average price differential between SF and PMF. The main objective of this dissertation is to expand the current understanding of which factors affect the choices of Portuguese drivers for PMF and their Willingness to Pay (WP). An online survey was conducted. Results show that consumer choices for PMF are quality oriented and that quality is evaluated through the brand credibility, although consumers consider the Oil Companies (OC) PMF more credible than the Hypermarket Chains. Not only is brand credibility a predictor of frequency of purchase, but it also influences WTP, nevertheless it depends on the context in which the choice is made, since consumers prefer OC branded PMF and are willing to pay a higher price for their PMF. Frequency of purchase and WTP are also strongly related to knowledge of PMF, moreover consumers who have higher knowledge of PMF are willing to pay up to 5 cents/L more. Consumer knowledge of PMF has a moderating effect between quality consciousness and frequency of PMF purchase. Sociodemographic data do not influence either frequency of purchase or WTP. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
- The impact of data security breaches on earnings managementPublication . Babo, Ana Beatriz Barbosa Macedo; Monaco, Eleonora; Ribeiro, Ricardo Miguel Martins da CostaNowadays, the increasing volume of big data and the time spent by all everyone online increased the risk to incur in cybersecurity incidents. This phenomenon is affecting both investors and firms, thus it is relevant to understand how the latter are behaving to respond to this risk. Although these events are usually caused by deficiencies in internal controls and supervision, the truth is that corporate management has been concerned about how these security breaches can impact a company performance. The manipulation of financial results could represent a motivation to camouflage undesirable outcomes, financial losses and to report a legitimate image of the firm's results, to investors and to other stakeholders. Thus, to test whether the company affected by data breaches implemented earnings management policies, we analysed a sample of US public companies. The main idea is to understand whether the entities which suffered damages caused by a data breach incident take the opportunity to manipulate the financial results at least to recover damages. Further, we examine how investor’s attention affects the impact of data security breaches on earnings management. Results of the empirical analysis demonstrate that data security breaches do not affect earnings management and investor’s attention does not affect the impact of a data breach accident on earnings management.
- The impact of robotic process automation on On-Demand Grocery Delivery companiesPublication . Brunner, Alexander Miguel; Rajsingh, Peter V.This study examines the potential impact of Robotic Process Automation on On-Demand Grocery Delivery companies. Robotic Process Automation is a technology that performs if-then-else statements in order automate simple and repetitive tasks that are usually done by humans. On-Demand Grocery delivery companies mainly emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic and offer their customers the delivery of groceries to their homes within 10 to 30 minutes. Initially focusing on extreme growth and expansion their focus is now switching more towards profitability. Through a qualitative research based on 9 interviews with both RPA and On-Demand Grocery experts, as well as secondary data in form of academic articles and reports, this study aims to answer if RPA can help these companies. This study reveals that the level of digitization within these On-Demand Grocery Delivery companies is relatively low and therefore RPA in general can have a positive impact. This is true among different KPIs and in different business units of a On-Demand Grocery Delivery company. Nonetheless, the study also shows that the opinions between the two expert groups differ widely, both in terms of the impact on the KPIs as well as the impact on the different business units. Also, there are several aspects of On-Demand Grocery Delivery companies and their current processes that might complicate the implementation of RPA.
- Sustainable initiatives in the luxury industryPublication . Frerebeau, Camille; Vieites, YanPurpose – The goal of this study is (a) to examine how sustainable initiatives influence perceptions about luxury brands and products and (b) to assess the relative effectiveness of different types of initiatives. Design / Methodology – We employed an experimental approach and examined the data using quantitative analysis. The study evaluated if and how customers' willingness to pay for sustainable items varied across different types of sustainable initiatives, after being randomly exposed to one of five scenarios. Findings – The results of the study suggest that sustainable initiatives vary widely in their effectiveness, none of the conditions affected the consumers’ willingness to pay, except for the condition involving recycled materials from other luxury ateliersin which participants indicated a higher willingness to pay. Research limitations – This study was based on a hypothetical scenario, so participants were not spending their own money. Further, since the luxury brand chosen in the experiment is well known, it may have resulted in a ceiling effect in participants' judgments. Then, we were unable to document, when the use of recycled material from other luxury brands have a positive effect, why it occurs in the first place. Practical Implications – This study can assist brands more successfully promote sustainable practices in the luxury industry. Furthermore, this work helps to improve knowledge of how people view recycled products and may help to reduce future demand for virgin materials.
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