Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-06-26"
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- Cell-based meat : hype or industry disruptor?Publication . Heemsoth, André; Rajsingh, PeterChurchill (1931) said, “we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium” (para. 12). Global demand for protein is colliding with sustainability imperatives, making meat produced in vitro an emerging reality. This work investigates cell-based meat (CBM), grown from stem cells within nutrient-rich media, as a food solution and potential disruptor of the conventional meat industry. A mixed methods approach employed quantitative and qualitative approaches with a consumer survey, expert interviews, and review of the literature. Consumers demonstrated considerable acceptance towards CBM perceiving it as safe, healthy, and natural. However, misgivings persisted about the technology. Prior familiarity and emotional engagement with CBM emerged as determinants of acceptance. Consumers also exhibited strong willingness to pay a premium for CBM. Experts noted various hurdles faced by CBM, inter alia its technological immaturity, lack of mainstream acceptance, and ambiguous regulatory environments. Overall, CBM’s potential to emerge as a short or mid-term disruptor in the meat industry appeared improbable. Instead, we predicted that CBM will remain a niche product in the foreseeable future.
- The impact of environmental strategies on esg scores : a study on high-emission industriesPublication . Gaida, Martin; Lancastre, FilipaThe research thesis “The impact of environmental strategies on ESG scores: A study on high-emission industries” studies the link between environmental strategies and ESG scores. Using a sample of 110 publicly listed companies from high-emission industries and building on a framework by Walls (2011) for encoding environmental strategies based on annual reports and sustainability statements, this research aims to understand how the level of proactiveness of the environmental strategy of each company influences its ESG score. Although no evidence is found that a proactive environmental strategy is linked to overall high ESG scores, evidence for a positive relationship between the Environmental (E) component of ESG scores and proactive environmental strategies is presented.
- Fashion in the Metaverse : dressed for successPublication . Moura, Mariana Pereira de; Rajsingh, PeterInterest in the Metaverse has been rising, with the fashion industry surprisingly becoming one of the first to adopt digitalization and virtual reality using new business models. However, considering that the Metaverse is still at an early stage, it is challenging to define directions and opportunities. This dissertation aims to understand how the fashion industry can benefit from the Metaverse and what should be considered when implementing this technology trend. This includes strategic guidelines for fashion brands to approach the Metaverse based on characteristics such as brand size, target, and goals. With input from ten experts and a survey, it was possible to identify the most important aspects influencing fashion companies in the Metaverse and different opportunities to create value for customers. These include customer experience and engagement, new sources of revenues, and the potential to become a new retail channel in the coming years, subject to limitations associated with consumer adoption and Metaverse technologies.
- Willingness to pay in a differentiated private-label settingPublication . Matos, Maria Teresa Viegas Aleixo de; Romeiro, PauloPrivate-label has been emerging as a trend in consumer-packaged goods throughout the years. This is the outcome of the increasing demand for products with similar characteristics to the national brands at lower prices. As a consequence, retailers are facing a more competitive environment and therefore need to improve their positioning by offering a more complete product portfolio, targeting different consumer needs. This dissertation studies the impact of the three-tiered private-label portfolio strategy, consisting of economy, standard and premium stock-keeping units (SKUs), on consumer’s willingness to pay. Moreover, the mediator role of both perceived quality and brand image is analyzed through a serial mediation model. The experimental study is focused on the olive oil product category of Continente, a Portuguese food retailer. Respondents were exposed to one of the three SKUs and asked questions regarding perceived quality, brand image and willingness to pay. The findings of this research indicate no direct effect of the private-label tier on consumers’ willingness to pay. Nonetheless, perceived quality is identified as a complete mediator of the relationship between these two variables. On a complementary note, brand image does not have a significant impact on the dependent variable, willingness to pay.
- AI vs. Human : a comparative study of visual and textual advertising effects on purchase intentionPublication . Mielczarek, Natalie Maria; Romeiro, PauloArtificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming an important part of our lives, and its recent technological advancements show no signs of deceleration. Nonetheless, as AI continues to develop at a rapid pace, it is becoming imperative to research and classify its potential impacts. This research examines the ability of AI to create effective advertisements in comparison to those created by humans within the smartphone industry. It further aims to analyze possible dissimilarities in the effect of advertisements created by AI and humans on purchase intention and brand preference under the consideration of distinct content forms within the hierarchyof effects framework. After quantitively choosing brands as well as developing and validating the created stimuli in a focus group and interviews, the main experimental survey with eight distinct stimuli groups yielded supporting results. The findings of the research show that AIgenerated advertisements can indeed be compared to humancreated advertisements in their effect on purchase intention and brand preference. Moreover, all forms of content output created by AI show no significant difference in their effectiveness compared to humancreated advertisements. Ultimately, the study suggests that AI might even be able to develop more effective advertisements than humans as technology continues to accelerate. Overall, this research provides important insights into the applicability of AI in everyday work life within the marketing industry, which can help marketers realize how AI impacts the purchase intentions of consumers and how it can be employed to mitigate possible difficulties within the traditional creative process.
- Evolving with artificial intelligence : the changing landscape of strategic marketing empirical inductive analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on strategic marketingPublication . Schletter, Anna Maria; Lancastre, FilipaThis thesis delves into the rapidly evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in strategic marketing. It identifies and investigates the transformative potential of AI, its current limitations, the necessary human skills, and challenges that accompany its adoption. Through 16 in-depth, qualitative interviews, several key findings were derived. AI is acknowledged as a powerful tool in strategic marketing, however, there are inherent limitations, such as the lack of real-time contextual awareness, that hinder its full utilization in strategic marketing. Further, AI's dual impact on marketing operations and creativity is highlighted. It streamlines routine tasks and is freeing marketers to engage more in creative work and strategic thinking. Despite the efficiency of AI in data analysis and task automation, the results of this study suggest it cannot replace the human ability to understand and connect emotionally with customers. This insight emphasizes the importance of the human touch in marketing, with AI serving as a supportive tool rather than a replacement. The future of strategic marketing, therefore, lies not in choosing between humans and AI but in integrating the strengths of both for maximum benefit. Technological constraints and change management are identified as key challenges in AI implementation where transparent top-down communication and quality data are crucial for successful AI integration. This research further underscores the urgent need for AI-focused education for marketing professionals to bridge the knowledge gap and facilitate effective AI adoption. It finally highlights the ethical and regulatory challenges associated with AI deployment, including data privacy, bias, and accountability.
- The effects of emotional intelligence and cultural dimensions on career decision-making difficulties : a sample from Mexico and EuropePublication . Tringali, Stefano; Mendonça, Cristina Soares PachecoEvery day, every moment, we make decisions that shape our lives entirely. But not all of them are of equal importance. Among many, the career decision is one of the most crucial and tricky, especially for young people that are going to experience for the first time such a fastmoving world of work. Difficulties involved in career decision-making process can be related to both external factors, such as culture, and internal factors, such as emotions. To better understand the influence of cultural dimensions and Emotional Intelligence (EI) in Career Decision Difficulties (CDD), this thesis involved experimental research with a heterogeneous sample of Mexican and European students. Results from bivariate correlations and mediations revealed a strong inverse relationship between three of the four main properties of EI and CDD. Furthermore, the mediation of cultural dimensions on CDD through EI was just partially supported, and no significant relations were found within culture and CDD. The results of this study have implications for multicultural organisations wishing to support the career development of their employees. Training in EI skills will lead to less indecisiveness in career decision-making and therefore more focused and committed people. Since some hypotheses were not fully supported due to some limitations, future research is suggested to improve the present findings.
- Smart shoppers : studying the relationship between Perceived Quality and Willingness to Pay in Fast and Slow FashionPublication . Rosa, Maria Rodrigues; Romeiro, PauloFashion is, undeniably, one of the largest and most lucrative industries with growing expectations. Despite its general acceptance and the success, recently it has been heavily scrutinized regarding its practices and criticized accordingly. From the exploitation of natural resources, poor working conditions and environmental footprint to intellectual property issues, to name a few. This has led companies to rethink and adopt more sustainable practices, which consumers are becoming increasingly aware of and demanding. However, there seems to be quite a gap in the literature between consumers’ perceptions of slow and fast fashion and their purchasing behavior. This dissertation therefore examines four brands, with different levels of perceived quality and from different fashion models, and their effect on willingness to pay. The results show that these dimensions influence consumers’ willingness to pay. Moreover, the mediating effect of brand image and the moderating effect of being a smart shopper were analyzed. Perceived quality was found to have an impact on brand image, although brand image did not have a direct significant effect on WTP and therefore, not suitable as a mediator. Finally, smart shopper dimensions were better understood in the context of fashion, but also not eligible as moderator. The present study adds to the existing literature of the fashion and smart shopper with theoretical and managerial implications that help better understand consumer behavior towards the fashion industry.
- Personality matters : predicting the acceptance of generative artificial intelligence through personality traits and job insecurityPublication . Tassone, Debora; Mendonça, Cristina Soares PachecoGenerative artificial intelligence (GAI) has the potential to fundamentally change humans’ lives, organizations, and industries by being able to create new content, expanding AI’s capabilities to areas of production that were previously exclusively human. To ensure a successful implementation, human acceptance of GAI is crucial. This thesis aims to find out if personality traits predict acceptance of GAI in the workplace. As GAI may be used to automate processes and replace humans, this thesis also investigates the influence of job insecurity on the acceptance of GAI and the influence of personality traits on job insecurity. This thesis’ quantitative study revealed that highly neurotic participants perceive GAI as less useful and less easy to use, compared to participants who are low in neuroticism. Moreover, participants perceived job insecurity considering the potential applications of GAI as rather low. Considering the low perceived job insecurity and rather high number of participants who did not use GAI frequently, participants might lack awareness and knowledge of application possibilities. These findings contribute to existing research on the relevance of personality traits in predicting the acceptance of intelligent technologies and provide guidance for recruitment and training of employees for positions where the use of GAI is crucial.
- Retirement: to survive or to adapt? Validation of the rationale of an intervention programPublication . Pinto, Joana CarneiroObjective This study presents the results of an internal validation of a successful transition and adaptation preparation for a post-career career program for senior adults. Method A total of 10 judges, with in-depth knowledge in the field of vocational guidance and career development, were asked to decide about the congruence between a set of activities and the dimensions and the development tasks that constitute the rationale of the program. Results Out of the total of 11 activities that make up the core of the program, eight were unanimously considered to be adequate for the intervention’s objectives, that is, in direct relation to the theoretical rationale, namely the dimensions and relevant development tasks. Conclusion The results obtained demonstrate a good acceptance of the program by the judges to whom it was presented.
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