17043 research outputs found
Sort by
Efficiency and convergence analysis in a women’s clothing retail store chain: evidence from Portugal
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate retailing efficiency in a 26-store women clothing
retail chain and to decompose it in several measures in order to contribute to the performance
improvement of this retail service firm, as well as to compare the efficiency of the different decision
making units.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses the following measures to estimate efficiency:
sigma convergence analysis; efficiency analysis; technical efficiency (TE) analysis; pure technical
efficiency (PTE) analysis and scale efficiency (SE) analysis for a set of 26 stores of a women retail
service brand operating in Portugal. A cross-section input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to analyse quarterly data sets from 2010 to 2013.
Findings – The results show that costs with personnel are slightly increasing when analysed using
the sigma convergence method, although there are some geographical differences. Moreover,
it is possible to witness that the retail store chain’s TE diminishes as the operations outputs do not
grow as fast as input savings. On the other hand, there are no SE problems as the levels of SE are
larger than pure efficiency levels.
Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of the study stems from the fact that the
analysis is based on a simple retail chain, which makes it a single case study. Therefore, the
generalisation of the conclusions for other firms or for other periods of analysis should be made
cautiously.
Practical implications – It is shown that some stores have a good TE and other stores have some
SE advantage. As such, it is possible to select some stores as benchmarks to deploy internal efficiency throughout the retail chain.
Originality/value – The contribution of this paper is based on the application of the sigma conversion and DEA techniques to evaluate efficiency in retail service store.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Internationalization in the hotel industry and modes of entry
No full textinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Does theory really fit real life situations?: a case study on the internationalization process of a technological service-based firm
No full textThis chapter analyzes the strategic international formulation of a SME technological service-based
firm to perceive the internationalization theory that best suits the company throughout its history. The literature review of the most studied internationalization patterns—Uppsala Model, Born Globals, Born Again Globals, and Born Regionals—allowed comparison of the main characteristics of each theory vis-à-vis the firm’s internationalization. A synthesis table summarizes the main characteristics of the internationalization process of each model and presents a clearer view of the particularities of each.
Analysis of the primary data and interviews provided by the company’s CEO made it possible to compare the internationalization process adopted by the company with those characteristics, facilitating the process of identifying the strategy followed. The present case study took into account the theoretical model with the greatest similarity of characteristics with the path followed by the firm, as well as its learning and future plans.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Beyond differentiation
No full textAlthough the relationship between competitive strategy and export performance has been addressed previously in the literature, the moderating effect of the competitive intensity of this relationship is little explored, especially in emerging economies. This study aims to address the moderating effect of competitive intensity in the relationship between differentiation competitive strategy and the export performance of Mozambican small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs). The study involves the analysis of 250 questionnaires directed to Managers of Mozambican SMEs, using structural equation modeling and Partial Least Squares (PLS/SEM) algorithm (SmartPLS 3.0). The findings show that differentiation
strategy has a positive influence on export performance. However, competitive intensity has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between differentiation competitive strategy and export performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
New product development and the challenges of internationalization
No full textThe internationalization of firms has reached levels never seen before. As a consequence and in order to face the new competitive challenges of globalized markets, industrial small and medium-sized enterprises must be able to adapt to new organizational approaches, to innovate and to further develop their networks. Based on a case study, this chapter reviews the literature on internationalization and networks and addresses a less researched topic of supplier-clients relationships in the value chain referring to the importance of the networks, resources and collaborative new product development on the internationalization process of firms. The case reports a successful ex-small technical textile company that leveraged its competitive strategy based on technology-based paths and is thriving in both domestic and international markets.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A discussion on transnationality and globalness of HEI internationalization
No full textNew types of companies have emerged, known as “Born Globals” (BGs), transitioning and internationalizing early and rapidly. They have attracted scholarly interest because their involvement in international sales from the moment of inception contradicts the more traditional perspectives on internationalization.
This chapter explores a gap in the literature on BG micro-enterprises’ behavior on their internationalization trajectory. It analyzes the case of a micro-company based in Aveiro, Portugal that follows a passive internationalization path to embrace a BG’s typical behavior. The behavior of this micro-company is examined to illustrate how a BG can find new opportunities abroad and take advantage of them, the main entry modes and marketing strategies adopted in the early and rapid internationalization process, the importance of networking and growth strategies, and the role of the CEO in the internationalization process. This chapter adds value by explaining how a micro-enterprise manages to overcome its passive behavior and evolve into a BG company.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The application of artificial intelligence in recommendation systems reinforced through assurance of learning in personalized environments of e-Learning
No full textLearning environments unquestionably enable learners to develop their pedagogical and scientific processes efficiently and effectively. Thus, con-sidering the impossibility of not having conditions of autonomy over the routine underlying the studies and, consequently, not having guarantees of the learning carried out makes the learners experience gaps in the domain of materials ade-quate to their actual needs. The paper's objective is to present the relevance of the applicability of Artificial Intelligence in Recommendation Systems, reinforced through the Assurance of Learning, oriented towards adaptive-personalized prac-tice in corporate e-learning contexts. The research methodology underlying the work fell on Design Science Research, as it is considered adequate to support the research, given the need to carry out the design phases, development, construc-tion, evaluation, validation of the artefact and, finally, communication of the re-sults. The main underlying results instigate the development of an Adaptive-Per-sonalized Learning framework for corporate e-learning, provided with models (methods and algorithms) of Artificial Intelligence and guided using the Assur-ance of (the) Learning process. It becomes central that learners can enjoy ade-quate academic development. In this sense, the framework has an implicit struc-ture that promotes the definition of personalized attributes, which involves rec-ommendations and customizations of content per profile, including training con-tent that will be suggested and learning activity content that will be continuously monitored, given the specific needs of learners.N/
Abrir novos horizontes: das questões internacionais às questões transnacionais. Onde fica a universidade?
No full textApresentado no II SIMPÓSIO INTERNACIONAL de Educação, Direitos Humanos, Cultura, Ciência e Tecnologia – 2025, Núcleo de Internacionalização (NINTER) do Centro Universitário da Vitória de Santo Antão (UNIVISA), Pernambuco, 22 de abril de 2025.Vivemos tempos de desafios sociais, internacionais, ambientais, humanos e globais. Tempo de crises e tempos de crise; e é na crise que começam a emergir novas promessas.
Insisto em considerar os desafios de modo multidimensional, e para dar um reparo, não são apenas internacionais, com a redefinições de fronteiras nacionais e internacionais, mas também globais, com emergências de novos tipos de interações globais, locais e transnacionais, todo numa síntese que ainda não nos aparece bem nítida.
Tempo de crise. Novos desafios sociais com múltiplas dimensões - humanas, tecnológicas, económicas, educacionais e ambientais. Destacam-se as desigualdades sócio-económicas, políticas, de educação e de saúde. Todas apresentam diferentes níveis: o local, o nacional, o regional e o global. Muitos problemas atuais não podem ser considerados num vácuo, são interligados, são transnacionais, são globais.
Mas a crise é também a esperança de criar um mundo novo, resolver problemas e assentar novas sociabilidades. A esperança implica ultrapassar simplismos e integrar o nosso conhecimento e a prática da tecnologia para que esta seja benéfica para a humanidade sem falsas esperanças.
Depois de discutir a crise, os desafios em termos sociais, ambientais e económicos, passarei a tratar dos passos a dar para sair da crise, nomeadamente renovando dinamismos na sociedade e aprofundando governanças a múltiplos níveis. Um dos aspetos destacados nesta comunicação é o da educação e, dentro desta, do ensino e investigação superiores.N/
Leadership styles and innovation management: what is the role of human capital?
No full textLeadership styles and human capital are important drivers of innovation processes. The way the leader interacts with the organization members can pre-empt or leverage innovation processes
as leaders influence, empower and motivate other individuals in the achievement of their goals. Human capital is an important driver of innovation and competitiveness, as it will shape the uniqueness of the company as well as the process to obtain skills, capabilities, knowledge and
expertise. As such, the main objectives of the paper are to analyze the impact of leadership styles on
the innovation process and also to address the moderation effect of the human capital on the previous relation. Four leadership styles—autocratic, transactional, democratic, and transformational—were considered to measure their impacts on the innovation process, considering the alternative types of innovations. The 2018 Community Innovation Survey (CIS) database was used, encompassing Portuguese data, covering the 2016–2018 period, with a sample of 13702 firms. In regard to the empirical part, first, an exploratory analysis was run to better understand the connection between the leadership styles and the innovative strategies followed by an econometric estimation encompassing 28 logit models to disentangle the specific impacts of each leader on each innovation type. Evidence proves that autocratic and transactional leadership styles have a negative impact on innovation and transformational and democratic leadership impact innovation positively. Furthermore, human capital was found to moderate the relationship between leadership styles and the innovation process; i.e., under the same leadership style, the presence of additional skills leverages innovative propensity.
The paper brings relevant insights for both managers and policymakers, highlighting that innovation will be accelerated if firms implement more participatory (democratic and transformational) leadership styles and also if they invest in competences to promote knowledge internalization and share. All in all, participatory leadership combined with the internal skills is proved to be an efficient combination for innovation to take place; as such, policy instruments must promote the coexistence of these two factors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
El movimiento catolico en España, 1889-1936
No full textRecensão crítica à obra de Feliciano Montero García - "El Movimiento Católico en España, 1889-1936". Alcalá de Henares: Universidad de Alcalá, 2017. 239 p. ISBN: 9788416978359info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio