Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2023-10-23"
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- The “Buy Now Pay Later’’ phenomenon in the payments industryPublication . Yesil, Laser; Rajsingh, Peter V.This dissertation concerns the role of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and its impact on the payment industry, merchants, banks, and customers. Furthermore, an objective of this thesis was to provide Deutsche Bank AG with recommendations for their BNPL product and deliver them information that could help them with the product. To do this, the thesis was split into three parts. These were the Literature Review based on the current status of BNPL research, expert interviews and a consumer survey. Our results found that BNPL is becoming more important in the payment sector and for consumers. Research also showed that BNPL has many benefits both for consumers and merchants. Nevertheless, there are also problems. These include, for example, indebtedness and negative credit ratings for customers and write-offs of receivables for BNPL providers. Furthermore, fees for merchants are high. Based on these findings, this dissertation was able to make recommendations to Deutsche Bank AG for sustainable BNPL management. The bank should focus on its advantages and distinguish its role as a BNPL provider from those of the fintechs.
- Green consumption in Portugal : exploring the profile of green cosmetics' consumersPublication . Soares, Ana Miguel Ribeiro Mortágua; Coelho, Sandra Cristina LimaThe imperative for sustainable development has intensified in recent times leading to an increasing consumer demand for environmentally friendly cosmetics. This Master's Thesis explored the profile of green cosmetics consumers in the Portuguese market using the Theory of Consumption Values. It also identified barriers to the use of green cosmetics and investigated strategies to promote their purchase. This research employed an exploratory approach with methodological triangulation. A focus group (8 participants) and an online questionnaire (326 participants) were conducted. The study findings revealed the GC’ consumer in the Portuguese market gives priority to consumption values in the following order: functional - quality value; epistemic value; conditional value; emotional value; and functional - price value. Notably, social value emerges as the consumption value with the lowest level of importance. Consumers, in general, demonstrate environmental concern and values. Additionally, the study identified five distinct consumer segments based on the relative importance of consumption values, environmental concern level, and strength of environmental values. The focus group discussion shed light on various factors contributing to consumer reluctance in using GC. Participants identified factors such as insufficient environmental and financial literacy, perceived high prices, low societal value attributed to these products, lack of government support and incentives, inadequate and limited advertising efforts, certain product characteristics, and limited availability of scientific articles about this topic. Regarding strategies to enhance the consumption of GC, participants emphasized the importance of media engagement, involvement of authority figures, including governmental entities and effective brand communication through online platforms and outdoor advertising. This study aimed to enhance understanding of green consumption behaviour and segmentation, providing insights for industry stakeholders and recommendations for public authorities. However, the non-representative sample limits the generalizability of the findings, emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation.
- Combinations of spent grains as sources of valuable compounds with highly valuable functional and microbial propertiesPublication . Kumar, Mukul; Anisha, Anisha; Kaushik, Deepika; Kaur, Jasjit; Shubham, Shubham; Rusu, Alexandru Vasile; Rocha, João Miguel; Trif, MonicaThe potential of spent grains as a source of valuable compounds with various properties has gained attention. They are the by-product of the brewing process, typically resulting from the beer-making process. Five different mixed combinations of spent grains of barley, wheat, rice, maize and finger-millet were formulated and further analyzed and compared. Barley and wheat (BW), barley and rice (BR), barley and maize (BM), and barley and finger-millets (BF) were mixed in a ratio of 1:1 (w/w) and ground into a fine powder to study their techno-functional, phytochemical and in vitro properties. The techno-functional, phytochemical and in vitro properties of barley and maize (BM) were found to be the best choice, making it a promising candidate for applications in value-added products. The WAI (water absorption index) of BM (5.03 g/g) was the highest compared to BB (3.20 g/g), BF (3.56 g/g), BR (4.10 g/g) and BW (4.33 g/g), whereas the WSI (water solubility index) and OAC (oil absorption capacity) of BM (7.06% and 1.90 g/g, respectively) were lower than BW (7.60% and 2.24 g/g, respectively), BR (8.20% and 2.30 g/g, respectively), BF (9.67% and 2.57 g/g, respectively) and BB (10.47% and 2.70 g/g, respectively). A higher percentage of inhibition of DPPH (44.14%) and high phenolic and flavonoid contents (72.39 mg GAE/gm and 66.03 mg QE/gm, respectively) were observed in BM. It also showed higher in vitro properties like amylase and lipase inhibition assay (89.05% and 62.34%, respectively) than the other combinations. The present study provides valuable information about the differences between spent grain varieties and their combinations, with potential applications in various industries.
- O comércio justo em Amarante : como funciona e quem são os seus consumidores?Publication . Paiva, Leonardo José Marques; Coelho, Sandra Cristina LimaEste trabalho debruça-se sobre o movimento de Comércio Justo (CJ). Esta investigação teve como objetivo principal compreender o modo de funcionamento do Comércio Justo (CJ) na cidade de Amarante, assim como conhecer os seus consumidores e as razões que os levam a consumir produtos desta forma de comércio. Em termos metodológicos, optou-se por uma metodologia de investigação mista. No respeita ao método qualitativo, de modo a investigar o modus operandi da primeira importadora e distribuidora portuguesa de produtos de CJ, realizou-se uma entrevista exploratória ao presidente da Cooperativa Equação. Por outro lado, recorreu-se ao método quantitativo, através da aplicação de um inquérito por questionário a 96 consumidores da Casa da Juventude de Amarante (CJA), de modo a determinar o seu conhecimento sobre o movimento e outros fatores do processo de compra. Como principais resultados da investigação, concluiu-se que o movimento de CJ na cidade de Amarante é promovido pela Cooperativa Equação, sendo que o seu modus operandi apresenta-se alinhado com princípios e valores do movimento. Também se concluiu que consumidores amarantinos se encontram familiarizados com os produtos de CJ e são, na sua maioria, do sexo feminino, com menos de 60 anos, com elevado nível de escolaridade e com significativo volume de capital económico. A motivação, a satisfação e a intenção de compra dos consumidores são os fatores psicológicos que evidenciam uma maior influência no processo de compra de produtos de Comércio Justo na CJA, bem como fatores sociodemográficos, como a idade, o género a escolaridade e a renda anual.
- Art investments in wealth management : possible applications of DLTPublication . Trappen, Cedrik Philipp; Rajsingh, Peter V.During volatile investment markets, investors look for alternative asset classes to outperform or hedge risks. Simultaneously, notable artworks like Gustav Klimt's "A Lady with a Fan" are attaining unprecedented valuations. An increasing number of wealth managers in the German market are now considering advisory services for art investment and management. This dissertation examines whether (1) demand among high and ultra-high-net-worth individuals for art investments is increasing, whether (2) the art market offers optimization potential for investor portfolios, (3) what potential Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) offers for investing and managing art. The application of management theory aims to contextualize the strategic trajectories of wealth managers and their assimilation of innovative concepts like DLT. Complemented by secondary research, semi-structured expert interviews provide deeper insights into DLT, art, and wealth management. Quantitative analysis further enhances the research, comparing art's performance to conventional asset classes like the stock market, gold, and private markets like private equity or venture capital. Porter's Five Forces Analysis and Scenario Planning provide information on the current market and competitive situation, which leads to the assumption that the art market and therefore the investment opportunities will also increase. Conversely, the qualitative as well as quantitative analysis provides only limited evidence of the potential of art as well as the adaptation of DLT. Although the adaptation of DLT in the art industry is still limited and art as an asset class is rather unlikely to outperform, various approaches are offered to achieve Competitive Advantage with a holistic offering in wealth management.
- A new grounding problem for presentismPublication . Marques, EltonThe presentist — if she wants her thesis to be consistent with venerable logical–semantic principles, namely, bivalence and excluded middle — must provide a convincing answer to the grounding problem. Given the idea — already present in classical antiquity — that truth supervenes on being, the grounding problem is used by the eternalist to accuse the presentist of not being in a position to offer an adequate ground for truths that concern the past or future. To address this problem, many thinkers evoke metaphysical doctrines regarding abstract object — a truth about Socrates does not include Socrates himself but only his essence or haecceity. Others seek present grounds for future or past truths — nomic presentism — while still others deny the semantic traditions in question or deny that truth supervenes on being. In this article, I present a new grounding problem to the presentist. Under the assumption that time is infinite, I claim that the presentist does not have at her disposal the foundations for truths that concern infinitely distant objects in the future. Moreover, I present a similar argument to refute 'temporalism', the thesis that at least some truths are temporally indexed. To conclude the argumentative phase, I evaluate the traditional presentist perspective that was advanced in some of the above responses to the typical versions of the problem. The objective is to show that the usual answers cannot address the new grounding problem. Accordingly, I conclude that eternalism is better positioned to provide a ground for some truths if time is infinite.
- Restituição e reparação à luz do artigo 206.º do Código Penal : regime jurídico, compatibilização com os princípios do Processo Penal e a influência do pensamento restaurativoPublication . Ferreira, Marília Marques; Marques, Pedro Maia Garcia
- Implementation of Basel accords in IndiaPublication . Bhatotia, Nikhil; Parada, PedroThe purpose of this master thesis is to understand how successfully Basel 3 was implemented in India. The literature highlights the historic issue of how markets became global but regulation and supervision for banks still remained local. This created the problem of a level playing field and required an intervention for standardized international banking regulations. Which led to the formation of the BASEL accords. The study explores how the the Basel accords evolved over the years to make the banking system more resilient and stable. This study looks at the implementation process of these accords in India to add to the existing literature. Thematic analysis is used to understand themes from the 12 semistructured interviews. To check the robustness of the process the study explores 3 major themes to check Was the implementation successful. 1) Comparison of perceived benefits vs actual situation, 2) Addressing older risks while also talking about how to mitigate new risks and 3) The economic impact. This would give the reader a comprehensive outlook of how successfully the Basel implementation was in India.
- Intervenções e tratamentos médicos no direito penal : o direito ao consentimento livre e esclarecidoPublication . Moura, Ana Rita Rodrigues de Oliveira e; Silva, Germano Marques da
- Pursuing sustainability : the prospects of global fashion corporation : an in-depth analysis of Patagonia and H&MPublication . Santos, Filipa Catarina Roque; Parada, PedroIn an era where fashion crosses continents and cultures, the global fashion business gives space for creativity, innovation, and self-expression. Beyond the fascinating and attractive exterior, the fashion industry is a worldwide environmental and social threat. As it tries to stay up with trends, it causes environmental damage and labor abuse. While global fashion companies have taken steps toward more sustainable business models, they are often targeted by greenwashing accusations and scandals in their supply chain. By investigating the intricacies of these global operations, this study reveals the difficult challenges and promising solutions, in order to uncover the authentic essence of sustainability within the fashion industry. From the analytical exploration of the sustainability efforts of two global fashion companies, Patagonia and H&M, it was possible to acknowledge the degree of polarization in the industry. Qualitative research was used to acquire valuable insights and possible approaches through in in-depth interviews with experts. These initiatives include collaborative efforts within and across industries, a focus on circularity, priority on recycled materials and waste, transparent supply chains, and the crucial shift toward sustainable production practices. All of which offer actionable pathways for fashion companies in the direction of greater sustainability and ethical responsibility.