CLSBE - Dissertações de Mestrado / Master Dissertations
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Browsing CLSBE - Dissertações de Mestrado / Master Dissertations by Field of Science and Technology (FOS) "Ciências Sociais : Economia e Gestão"
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- Operationalizing psychic distance : International Market Selection based on a knowledge perspective : the case of Miitik, a Portuguese beachwear companyPublication . Melo, Miguel de Albuquerque e; Lino, Rute Sofia Barbosa XavierBack in the days, Internationalization was a process exclusive to companies of great dimension. It requires a rather high amount of resources, reason why it was difficult and expensive for smaller companies to achieve. However, as the years went by, communication channels have improved and the world has become closer as information costs decreased. Given this, nowadays not only big multinationals but also Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) have increased its operations abroad. If in the past internationalizing was considered an option, but some support that it has become a necessity given the high market concentration across many industries. Nevertheless, although it is advantageous to expand operations, it doesn’t mean it has become an easy process. In fact, SME’s still face several obstacles that must be considered and tackled. As an example of the previous lines, I found Miitik. Miitik is a retailing beachwear start-up based in Portugal. The company started its operations 4 years ago and currently operates only in Portugal. Although it has sold some products abroad, it is not representative at all in the total sales. At the moment, the beachwear industry in Portugal is rather saturated both by big multinationals and also by other small actors, as Miitik. Due to this, Miitik has been struggling to achieve its financial goals. One of the options would be to internationalize, however the company is lacking resources and some insights about with countries to chase. This thesis has the aim to support Miitik with its International Market Selection.
- The business case for social innovation : how can a firm foster innovation in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility to gain a competitive advantage?Publication . Fernandes, Madalena Gomes Sanches; Leglise, LaureSustainability has long been an increased necessary variable to integrate in a firm’s value proposition. Either by meeting customer needs or to address stakeholder’s desires (Searcy, 2012), the topic of sustainability has been revealing to be, not only a way which firms can use to improve their image, but also as a healthier option to contest rivalry. Aligning the business with ethical values and sustainable actions has been demonstrating undeniable evidence that it can improve a firm’s competitiveness by itself. (Porter and Kramer, 2002) The problem is if either the firm can implement it in an effective way or not; and if so, are the resources well allocated and being used in an efficient way? This paper addresses the way firms can innovate on those sustainable actions and develop unique ethical resources to gain their competitive advantage. Delta Cafés, a Portuguese coffee producer and distributor, will be the root to analyze a successful case study on how a firm should compete with those resources; examples of this will be provided further ahead. Delta has long been a reference in Portugal in terms of CSR implementation, since it has always been a decisive factor in their business decisions. They continuously innovate in their social responsible actions alongside their products. This is done in order to help sustaining a competitive advantage and it becomes quite visible, since Delta has been the market leader for many years in a row.