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The purpose of this paper is to address misconceptions about the design of experiments (DoE) usefulness, avoid bad practices and foster processes’ efficiency and products’ quality in a timely and cost-effective manner with this tool.

To revisit and discuss the hindrances to DoE usage as well as bad practices in using this tool supported on the selective literature from Web of Science and Scopus indexed journals.

A set of recommendations and guidelines to mitigate DoE hindrances and avoid common errors or wrong decisions at the planning, running and data analysis phases of DoE are provided.

Errors or wrong decisions in planning, running and analyzing data from statistically designed experiments are always possible so the expected results from DoE usage are not always 100 percent guaranteed.

Novice and intermediate DoE users have another perspective for developing and improving their “test and learn” capability and be successful with DoE. To appropriately plan and run statistically designed experiments not only save the user of DoE from incorrect decisions and depreciation of their technical competencies as they can optimize processes’ efficiency and products’ quality (reliability, durability, performance, robustness, etc.) in a structured, faster and cheaper way at the design and manufacturing stages.

DoE usefulness will be increasingly recognized in industry and academy and, as consequence, better products can be made available for consumers, business performance can improve, and the link between industry and academy can be strengthened.

A supplemental perspective on how to succeed with DoE and foster its usage among managers, engineers and other technical staff is presented.

In an increasingly competitive global market, firms try to conquer a special place in customers’ minds and – when possible – in their hearts and spirits in order to succeed. Hence, through a competitive strategy based on differentiation, companies tend to focus their efforts in creating the right value proposition for consumers. They also establish upstream and/or downstream partnerships based on win–win relationships for the parties that constitute their value chain. The particular characteristics of ethnic products influence these strategies and the brand crossover. How can the ethnic-national identity of a product be employed successfully – regarding its liabilities and assets – in international sales? This case study¹ focuses on Nata Pura, a rather young Portuguese firm that has built its internationalization strategy based on exporting a traditional product pastel de nata using innovative solutions, which include the development of partnerships to produce and promote this as an organic pastry made with high-quality-adapted ingredients. Earlier, the traditional product was mainly sold and distributed within Portuguese Diaspora. Nata Pura company markets and distributes the re-invented product, originally a traditional Portuguese food product, and bridges cultural and administrative distances by combining the traditional with global tendencies and tastes.

The purpose of this paper is to focus the application of design of experiments (DOE) using industrial equipments, reinforcing idea that non‐statistical aspects in planning and conducting experiments are so important as formal design and analysis.

Two case studies are presented to illustrate typical industrial applications and difficulties. Supported on these case studies and literature, this paper presents guidelines to planning, conducting and analysis involving technical and organizational aspects.

Solving problems in industry, including in companies recognized as competent in the respective industrial sector, is not just a question of applying the right technique. Ceramic industry case study illustrates how important are non‐statistical issues in DOE application. Paint industry case study illustrates the strong relationship of the results with incorporating presented guidelines into practice. Moreover, both case studies consolidating a fundamental advantage of DOE: experimentation provides more knowledge about products, processes and technologies, even in unsuccessful case studies.

Unsuccessful cases studies are very useful for identifying pitfalls and others limitations. This paper highlight difficulties aroused from non‐statistical aspects, although it is possible to find unsuccessful case studies due to statistical issues also. So, papers illustrating inadequate application of statistical techniques are welcome.

Successful DOE implementation depends on statistical and non‐statistical aspects. Although none of them shall be neglected, technical skills and technological knowledge about processes and products, management understanding of potential possibilities of statistical techniques and statistical fundamentals and knowledge about techniques of DOE must be ensuring to successful case studies in industrial setting.

This paper highlights non‐statistical aspects instead of the statistical ones. Tob overcome difficulties structured guidelines were designed to support DOE application in industrial setting.

This paper aims to analyze the adjustment experience of Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal.

This exploratory study is based on the qualitative analysis of 12 semi-structured, open-ended interviews to Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal. Expatriates varied in terms of international experience, stage of career and industry. All expatriates had at least one-year working experience in Portugal. The coding process followed a reflexive approach between data and existing theory.

The process of adjustment of Chinese expatriate managers to the Portuguese context is arranged in five dimensions: perception: expatriates tend to perceive the differences between China and Portugal as not significant; guanxi replication: similarities between the two countries raised the question of whether the guanxi model could be replicated; resistance: although the two countries are perceived as close, there are significant differences, namely, in terms of some cultural aspects, the legal framework and the level of acceptance of the guanxi; adaptation: given these resistances, it is necessary for expatriates to change some practices that are commonly used in the Chinese context; and identity construction: Chinese expatriates are particularly concerned by their identity as foreigners and of the corresponding need to adjust.

This exploratory study revealed that guanxi should not be seen as a purely cultural product grounded in the Confucian tradition but instead should be taken as a business strategy that depends on the existence of specific factors, such as the relevance and quality of interpersonal relationships in a business context.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the behaviours described by expatriates (“what expatriates say they do”) when they are pressed for adjustment and, at the same time, they feel ethically challenged.

The authors interviewed 52 expatriates from the European Union working in Sub-Saharan Africa who were immersed in what was considered by them to be an ethically challenging context or situation while they were in the process of adjusting to their international assignment. The authors conducted a reflexive qualitative analysis between the data and existing literature.

The authors found that the feeling of moral discomfort that causes the perception of an ethical challenge is triggered by an event that contrasts with the expatriates’ notion of morals. After feeling ethically challenged, expatriates engage in a sensemaking process that is hinged in an “intended future identity”.

The authors contribute to the literature by stressing the ethical dimension of adjustment. The authors complement the normative approaches to ethical decision making in international contexts. The research identifies a set of events that are considered as ethical challenges by business expatriates.

The research opens the possibility to anticipate and manage potential conflicts, thus minimizing the probability of expatriation failure. Early knowledge about an expatriate's intended future identity can provide relevant information concerning the probable type of adjustment problems s/he will face.

The research combines two hitherto separate streams of literature – expatriate adjustment and ethical decision making in international contexts – to open the possibility of ethical adjustment. This is supported by a sensemaking process that is also grounded in future intentions, and not only in past experiences and present signals.

This paper aims to explain how FC Porto became an important agent on the contribution for the development of tourism in the city of Porto.

The paper is based on information drawn from official sources and relevant data from Futebol Clube do Porto.

Through the football matches and since the migration of the club’s headquarters to the eastern district of the city, during the mid-1950s, FC Porto proved to be responsible for bringing attention and public to the city of Porto and then to an area where progress was missing.

The FC Porto Museum has been able to capture strong interest and satisfaction from visitors less connected to the phenomenon of sports, attracted by the theme of a museum of a sports club that speaks the language of the city, the region and the country.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a multidimensional innovation index (MII) framework for measuring and benchmarking multidimensional innovation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and groups of SMEs.

A counting dual cut-off method is employed. First, output and input innovation profiles and composite scores of individual SMEs are computed. Second, a set of four composite innovation indices are generated characterizing the group of SMEs under analysis: MIIo and MIIi measure multidimensional output and input innovation, respectively; while MIIr and MIIa assess the ratio and average of MIIo and MIIi, respectively. To test the MII framework, a survey was conducted among SMEs of the metalworking industry in Portugal.

In 2012, about 28.9 percent (42.2 percent) SMEs of the Portuguese metalworking industry were determined to be multidimensional output (input) innovative. The average percentage of dimensions for which output (input) innovative SMEs were innovative was 65.0 percent (66.0 percent). Thus, the industry MII vector was (MIIo; MIIi; MIIr; MIIa)=(0.188, 0.279, 0.674; 0.233). Significant differences were found across the industry, individual SMEs’ multidimensional output and input innovation scores, enabling the identification of groups of SMEs, which can be characterized and compared by computing the corresponding and specific MII vectors.

The research has limitations because of the small size of the sample and the benchmarking possibilities it provides.

The novelty of the MII framework lies in the counting dual cut-off method employed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the most common individual entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) beliefs profiles associated with high entrepreneurial intentions (EI) and how these differ when belonging to an entrepreneurial venture team (EVTeam).

After a general test of the ESE theory using a structural equations modeling, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used, on a multi-dimensional ESE scale, to find empirical evidence supporting the existence of different individual ESE profiles, equally associated with high EI individuals. Dividing the sample based on the existence or not of an EVTeam (EVTeam), differences for each group are identified and possible implications are discussed.

This research corroborates ESE as an important antecedent of EI and, from a more in-depth analysis, it also suggests that the highest levels of EI are compatible with different ESE profiles, some of which may be related to having established an EVTeam, or not.

These findings may be useful for entrepreneurs and educators to reflect upon the needed competencies for an EVTeam and the research design might also be useful for policy makers to identify cultural, educational, and institutional shortcomings of the entrepreneurial context. A greater focus should be placed in developing ESE of potential entrepreneurs for the specific entrepreneurial activities for which the lack of perceived capabilities hinders entrepreneurial behavior and success.

This research may be useful for entrepreneurs and educators to reflect upon the needed competencies for an EVTeam. The research design might also be useful for policy makers to identify cultural, educational, and institutional shortcomings of the entrepreneurial context.

This research tests ESE theory in Angola – a country from the African continent from which there is limited empirical evidence – and by exploring the existence of different ESE profiles, with a method that allows for conjunctural causation, new insights and empirical support for future research are provided relative to the complex ESE-EI relationship.