Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-01-24"
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- Portuguese SMEs and the SDG Agenda : a contribution on how to deliver implementationPublication . Cavaco, Teresa Lúcio Guimarães da Palma; Cruz, Nuno Moreira daIntegrating the UN Agenda 2030 and the respective SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) into the business core strategy has been a relevant topic of discussion and differentiation opportunity for firms that could potentially result in improvements towards the many different spheres (economic, social, environmental, etc.) these goals encompass. However, while the clock is ticking, it doesn’t look so easy for businesses to do the right thing. There are some successful cases and through the responses from a survey conducted by the “Observatório ODS nas Empresas Portuguesas” and the crossing of prior academic literature, this study aims to examine the characteristics and behaviors adopted by the SMEs that are leading this run in Portugal with the final hope of getting some lights for the other companies in need. After testing the main characteristics and barriers, results show that even the Portuguese companies that most succeeded in the implementation of the SDGs still don’t have consolidated processes and are implementing a stepbystep approach. In order to mitigate that, based on the good case practices collected, a more solid path was constructed for the SDGs’ implementation in Small and Medium Enterprises in Portugal.
- Wind of change : from dirty fuel to the world´s most sustainable energy company : a case study on the business transformation of ØrstedPublication . Huchler, Lukas Andreas; Cruz, Nuno Moreira daWe live in a rapidly changing world that holds more and more crises. The energy industry is also particularly affected by these, which poses the question of how companies can respond to these changing conditions to stay competitive and profitable in the long run. The Danish energy giant Ørsted faced a difficult decision a few years ago. Should the traditional fossil fuel company give in to the rising political and societal pressure to become more sustainable, or should it rely on its core competencies in coal, oil and gas? This case study examines Ørsted’s sustainable business transformation and its path to becoming the world’s most sustainable company. It analyzes what resources were needed to change Ørsted’s strategy radically and what the success factors of this change were. The theoretical framework to analyze the transformation is threefold. Firstly, the concept of Strategic Change and Fit is introduced to analyze Ørsted’s change process. Secondly, the reasons for Ørsted’s rapid and successful adaptation are examined using the Dynamic Capabilities theory. Lastly, Corporate Sustainability as the strategic core concept is applied as it has guided Ørsted’s process towards a holistically sustainable energy company that secured economic sustainability in the long run. This case study can teach students and managers a reallife example of a successful (and sustainable) strategy change and the advantages of adapting and reinventing towards sustainability in fastchanging environments.
- The adoption of sustainable practices on personal luxury goods : impact on purchase motivations and intention, emotions, and self-identityPublication . Fernandes, Valentina Sofia de Ornelas Gouveia; Vale, Rita Coelho doWith the growth of the luxury industry in recent years, especially the personal goods segment, and with environmental concerns and sustainability increasingly influencing consumers, it is crucial to understand the role of this industry in the spotlight of sustainability. For this reason, this investigation aims to understand what perceptions, feelings, and purchase intentions current and potential consumers will have about these sustainable luxury products. To do this, based on the literature, information was gathered from individuals by (1) developing a questionnaire to assess consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards different sustainable strategies, and (2) conduction interviews to deepen the knowledge regarding consumer’s emotions regarding sustainable luxury products. This way, it was possible to assess people's perspectives and understanding of the new sustainable production methods that have been implemented. The results of this investigation reveal that, in general, individuals are considerably concerned about the current state of the environment and that despite their positive purchase intentions for this type of sustainable goods, perceptions about them are not unanimous and deserve further look. Thus, this study provides relevant academic and managerial contributions, as it indicates which sustainable strategies are most familiar to individuals, how they judge and evaluate them, and which of them generates higher purchase intentions, granting a deeper knowledge about the potential consumers in this market segment.
- Um olhar especializado sobre a pessoa com doença crónica em situação críticaPublication . Fajardo, Joana Isabel Gabriel; Fernandes, Filipa Alexandra VeludoO Enfermeiro especialista na área de especialização em Enfermagem Médico Cirúrgica tem que possuir competências científicas, éticas, relacionais e técnicas no cuidado à Pessoa em Situação Crítica. Este relatório tem como objetivo relatar um percurso como um fio condutor, possibilitando a qualquer momento a visualização concreta do realizado, no desenvolvimento e afirmação de competências especializadas em Enfermagem Médico Cirúrgica. Foi desenvolvido no contexto de Estágio no Serviço de Urgência e na Clínica de Hemodiálise, integrados no Curso de Mestrado de Enfermagem área de especialização de Enfermagem Médico-cirúrgica na área de enfermagem à pessoa em situação crítica, a decorrer na Escola de Enfermagem de Lisboa do Instituto Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Católica Portuguesa. No que se refere à organização o seguinte trabalho está dividido em duas partes. Na primeira parte é feita uma breve abordagem da enfermagem avançada e da importância das teorias na prática dos enfermeiros. Posteriormente é realizada uma síntese de evidência “A pessoa com doença crónica em situação crítica: Uma Scoping review”. Na segunda do relatório são descritas e afirmadas as competências inerentes ao enfermeiro especialista. O fenómeno em estudo é a pessoa com doença crónica em situação crítica sendo transversal em todos os contextos de estágio realizados. A esperança média de vida tem aumentado nos últimos anos e consequentemente o número de pessoas com doença crónica também (Certo et al., 2016), nascendo a premissa orientadora para o fenómeno em estudo. A segunda parte do trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar o percurso desenvolvido e as competências inerentes ao enfermeiro especialista em médico-cirúrgico, na pessoa em situação crítica, através de objetivos, reflexões críticas com mobilização de conhecimentos das mais diversas áreas do conhecimento. O pensamento em Enfermagem é sustentado na Teoria das Transições de Afaf Meleis.
- Unibanco : initiatives to increase Gen Z’s registrations for an online debit card accountPublication . Coenen, Lisa; Xavier, RuteThe digital banking ecosystem is growing and dominated by a few market players. In Portugal, this holds as well, with Revolut and moey as frontrunners (Statista, 2022). This research identifies initiatives on how Unibanco, a Portuguese online bank, can increase its target customer base, Gen Z, with its online debit card account offering. The study analyzes three main areas that are essential to improve product offering and communication, and hence increase the conversion of Gen Z customers: 1. The sociodemographic characteristics of Gen Z; 2. Essential service value dimensions of Gen Z when choosing an online debit card provider that increase the likelihood to register; 3. The preferred banking functionalities of Gen Z when choosing an online debit card provider that increases the likelihood of registering. The hypotheses are formulated based on secondary research employing academic literature. Next, the primary research is based on 245 valid online survey responses from Gen Z Portuguese residents. Findings show that the target group of Unibanco are low-income students interested in activities like traveling, sports, and music. Besides validating that Gen Z places high importance on the six service value dimensions as outlined in this paper, the dimensions of security, transparency, reliability, and ease of use significantly increase Gen Z’s likelihood to register as a customer. Additionally, the study supports that Gen Z values all recommended product functionalities, except crypto trading. More particularly, the functionalities of fraud detection and reward systems positively influence Gen Z's likelihood of registering as an online debit card customer.
- SDG performance : a study on the difference between large Portuguese Companies’ own assessment and consumers’ perceptionPublication . Köber, Fedor Alexander; Cruz, Nuno Moreira daThe 2030 Agenda of the United Nations has formulated the Sustainable Development Goals, which cover all areas of a sustainable world. In addition to the member states, companies also frequently incorporate these goals. The integration of Sustainable Development Goals is a central part of sustainable management. This thesis examines the self-assessment and integration of sustainability development goals by large Portuguese companies and the perception of this integration by consumers. The central goal is to identify possible differences. For this purpose, self-perceptions of 60 major Portuguese companies and consumer perceptions are collected. The Obsevatorio ODS project group at the Center for Responsible business has already accumulated data regarding companies’ self-perception. In addition, quantitative study collects data on consumers’ perceptions of these companies. The data of the company’s self assessment is compared to the perception of the consumers. Self-perception has divided the companies into four clusters. The clusters assess the quality of integration. Consumers also assign the same companies to the clusters. It was found that the perceptions of the two parties do not correlate. This means that the (self-)assessment of Sustainable Development Goals performance differs significantly between companies and consumers. Furthermore, it can be stated that the underlying discrepancy in perceptions can be on the part of both companies and consumers. Communication measures are not the cause of distortion. Nevertheless, consumers expect SDG integration from companies because they want to consume sustainably.
- The job family model applied to Teixeira Duarte compared to the U.K. : a comparative studyPublication . Harmening, Florentine Walburga Anna Stephanie; Xavier, RuteThis thesis examines the framework “Job Family Model” and its application to the Portuguese company Teixeira Duarte (T.D.). The company started structuring its employees accordingly. The framework is used to manage competencies. T.D. is currently trying to compare their level of competency against competing countries such as the U.K. Furthermore, the company is trying to investigate a communication strategy to announce the findings to its employees. Examining results from a comparative analysis that was constructed from data given by T.D. and data from the platform www.GoConstruct.org, demonstrates the superiority of T.D. The research suggests that T.D. employs workers with a more advanced background. Most of the employee’s skill set is more elaborate, although not more advanced. This entails that although the worker must fulfil a longer list of skill requirements, they don’t necessarily need to be more difficult. However, there are two jobs in which Teixeira Duarte lacks employee qualifications compared to GoConstruct: Electrician and Contract Director. Announcing those findings should flow in two ways. As for communicating the performance of T.D., a posting on their intranet is enough. However, communicating the job roles that need further skill improvement should be dealt with in a delicate and conscious way. Throughout the analysis, there are a few recommendations the company should follow. T.D. could for one individualize each job, T.D. should expand certain requirements on the job roles, also especially the educational and experience requirements are exceptional. Those should not change. Finally, the findings from the analysis should be appropriately communicated.
- A brand or a makeup artist? Effect of brand identity on consumer behavior : the study of Bobbi Brown brandPublication . Peças, Maria de Assis Rosado da Fonseca Ponte; Vale, Rita Coelho doIn today's highly competitive and oversaturated market, companies are constantly striving to distinguish themselves and make an impact on consumers’ mind. Research has shown that brands with a strong and clear brand identity are more likely to succeed in connecting with consumers. The present study aims to investigate how founder characteristics can affect brand identity and influence consumer behavior towards brands, as well as the impact of consumer nationality on this relationship. The research is conducted through a case study of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics (BBC) and Jones Road Beauty (JRB), two makeup brands founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown (BB). Through a combination of a mixed-approach methodology (including an interview with Bobbi Brown, a survey and a focus groups), the research sought to contribute to the understanding of brand identity in the cosmetics industry, providing practical guidance for new companies looking to capitalize on their brand identity. Findings suggest that cosmetic brands should carefully consider the founder's story as it impacts consumer behavior through brand identity, and tailor their marketing strategies to the target segment. Additionally, when internationalizing a makeup brand, it is important to study the new market's behavior, as nationality was found to play a significant role in consumer behavior in the industry. Cosmetic consumers were found to be very loyal to they preferred brad making it critical for companies to make a strong impression on consumers from the outset of their decision-making process.
- Business adaptive strategies in crisis : the case of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccinePublication . South, Benjamin Jacob; Cardeal, NunoThis dissertation examines the adaptive strategies that Pfizer Inc. deployed in 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic to develop its COVID19 vaccine in less than a year; the dissertation provides a means for bachelors and masters business students to connect business strategy management theory to a realworld business case. Along with the case, instructors have a theoretical discussion section and teaching note to teach a comprehensive lesson on business adaptive strategies in crisis. Evidence was collected from dozens of sources (from Pfizer, journals, newspapers, press statements, etc.) to construct this dissertation case and theoretical section. The case primarily focuses on how Pfizer parallelized a normally sequential vaccine development process in conjunction with BioNTech. Pfizer took two essential parts of vaccine development: (1) research and development and (2) large scale manufacturing and performed them at the same. Management strategy theory in vertical integration, strategic responses to crisis, resourcebased view, and dynamic capabilities helps match a theoretical view to Pfizer’s strategy to develop a vaccine during the COVID19 pandemic. Thanks to Pfizer’s innovative and agile strategy to the COVID19 pandemic situation, the company was prepared to properly deploy their internal capabilities and resources to establish a new vaccine platform that had never been scaled for commercial sale. The company relied upon its strong control over its supply chain and spent extra resources to bring the COVID19 vaccine first to the market.
- Iniciativas de transformação digital na administração pública : a implementação do e-fatura pela direção nacional da das receitas do Estado de Cabo Verde e os impactos dessa iniciativa na relação com o sector privado nacionalPublication . Mascarenhas, Margarida Irene Santos; Celeste, Pedro Manuel Amador RodriguesInnovating permanently is, undoubtedly, crucial for the survival of organizations, whether public or private. Over the years, public organizations have also been innovating their “business model”, to be able to meet the changing demands of users, influenced by the evolution of knowledge, technologies, political changes and governance models, creating new needs and expectations in individuals, who become more demanding with public organizations, with regard to the so-called public value. Following the current trend of innovating using digital technology, public administrations have undergone profound changes and Cape Verde is no exception. With a Digital Transformation Agenda, the Government of Cape Verde hopes to impact not only private companies, but also public entities. Thus, this work proposes to know the process of implementing the electronic invoice, the E-Factura, in Cape Verde, led by the National Directorate of State Revenue, and to understand the expectations of the national private sector in relation to this innovation. To this end, a survey was carried out among Cape Verdean businessmen, representatives of the main business associations, in addition to representatives of the DNRE linked to the process of designing, developing, and implementing the E-Fatura (EF).