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1 – 10 of 89Pedro Torres, Pedro Silva and Mário Augusto
The effects of ownership concentration on firm performance usually considers two conflicting perspectives: monitoring and expropriation hypotheses. Past studies have produced mix…
Abstract
Purpose
The effects of ownership concentration on firm performance usually considers two conflicting perspectives: monitoring and expropriation hypotheses. Past studies have produced mix findings. This study aims to shed light on this relationship by focusing on a specific measure of firm performance, firm growth. The moderating effect of industry growth in the aforementioned relationship is also considered, which advances knowledge on the role of moderators.
Design/methodology/approach
This study resorts to data from a sample of 21,476 Portuguese firms, which is examined using hierarchical linear modelling. This approach is adequate because the data has a hierarchical structure: the firms are nested within industries.
Findings
The results show that equity ownership concentration has a positive effect on firms’ growth and that industry growth amplifies this relationship. Ownership concentration can spur effective monitoring, thereby alleviating principal–agent conflicts of interest and speeding up decision-making, enabling timely competitive actions that promote growth.
Research limitations/implications
The research conceives ownership structure in two groups. However, equity ownership concentration often acquires more complex shapes. In addition, the data used is from a single country.
Practical implications
The results show that firms pursuing growing strategies and operating in growing industries benefit from equity concentration.
Originality/value
Different from past studies, this study focuses on firm growth performance and considers the moderating effect of industry growth.
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Pedro Silva, António Carrizo Moreira, Sílvia Almeida and Victor Moutinho
In a society that encourages consumption, attributes such as exclusivity and social recognition are important in what is intended to be restricted to a certain exclusive segment…
Abstract
Purpose
In a society that encourages consumption, attributes such as exclusivity and social recognition are important in what is intended to be restricted to a certain exclusive segment. Luxury is something that is more desirable than necessary. This study develops and tests a model that analyses the brand loyalty–risk relationship in the luxury watch market.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the proposed research model, a sample of 306 international consumers and enthusiasts of luxury brand watches was collected. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results show that perceived quality has a negative indirect influence on brand risk and brand trust has a strong direct negative effect on brand risk. However, the findings also show that in the luxury market, the greater the affection for the brand, the greater the risk perceived by consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The study was conducted in a single market, luxury watches and the sample includes both enthusiasts and consumers of the luxury brands.
Practical implications
Managers should be aware of the double-edged role of brand affect on brand risk. The quality of a brand and the trust in its promise decrease the risk to the consumer.
Originality/value
This pioneering study is one of the first to approach an underexplored topic as is the case of the risk associated with a brand in the context of the luxury goods market. Moreover, it relies on an international sample composed of consumers from several countries.
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Sergio de la Rosa, Pedro F. Mayuet, Cátia S. Silva, Álvaro M. Sampaio and Lucía Rodríguez-Parada
This papers aims to study lattice structures in terms of geometric variables, manufacturing variables and material-based variants and their correlation with compressive behaviour…
Abstract
Purpose
This papers aims to study lattice structures in terms of geometric variables, manufacturing variables and material-based variants and their correlation with compressive behaviour for their application in a methodology for the design and development of personalized elastic therapeutic products.
Design/methodology/approach
Lattice samples were designed and manufactured using extrusion-based additive manufacturing technologies. Mechanical tests were carried out on lattice samples for elasticity characterization purposes. The relationships between sample stiffness and key geometric and manufacturing variables were subsequently used in the case study on the design of a pressure cushion model for validation purposes. Differentiated areas were established according to patient’s pressure map to subsequently make a correlation between the patient’s pressure needs and lattice samples stiffness.
Findings
A substantial and wide variation in lattice compressive behaviour was found depending on the key study variables. The proposed methodology made it possible to efficiently identify and adjust the pressure of the different areas of the product to adapt them to the elastic needs of the patient. In this sense, the characterization lattice samples turned out to provide an effective and flexible response to the pressure requirements.
Originality/value
This study provides a generalized foundation of lattice structural design and adjustable stiffness in application of pressure cushions, which can be equally applied to other designs with similar purposes. The relevance and contribution of this work lie in the proposed methodology for the design of personalized therapeutic products based on the use of individual lattice structures that function as independent customizable cells.
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Fábio Matoseiro Dinis, Raquel Rodrigues and João Pedro da Silva Poças Martins
Despite the technological paradigm shift presented to the architecture, engineering, construction and operations sector (AECO), the full-fledged acceptance of the building…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the technological paradigm shift presented to the architecture, engineering, construction and operations sector (AECO), the full-fledged acceptance of the building information modelling (BIM) methodology has been slower than initially anticipated. Indeed, this study aims to acknowledge the need for increasing supportive technologies enabling the use of BIM, attending to available human resources, their requirements and their tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
A complete case study is described, including the development process centred on design science research methodology followed by the usability assessment procedure validated by construction projects facility management operational staff.
Findings
Results show that participants could interact with BIM using openBIM processes and file formats naturally, as most participants reached an efficiency level close to that expected for users already familiar with the interface (i.e. high-efficiency values). These results are consistent with the reported perceived satisfaction and analysis of participants’ discourses through 62 semi-structured interviews.
Originality/value
The contributions of the present study are twofold: a proposal for a virtual reality openBIM framework is presented, particularly for the semantic enrichment of BIM models, and a methodology for evaluating the usability of this type of system in the AECO sector.
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Oluwaseun Akindele, Saheed Ajayi, Adekunle S. Oyegoke, Hafiz A. Alaka and Temitope Omotayo
Notwithstanding the Geographical Information System (GIS) being a fast-emerging green area of a digital revolution, the available studies focus on different subject areas of…
Abstract
Purpose
Notwithstanding the Geographical Information System (GIS) being a fast-emerging green area of a digital revolution, the available studies focus on different subject areas of application in the construction industry, with no study that clarifies its knowledge strands. Hence, this systematic review analyses GIS core area of application, its system integration patterns, challenges and future directions in the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review approach was employed, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A total of 60 articles published between 2011 and 2022 were identified, thoroughly reviewed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
The analysis revealed spatial planning and design, construction-task tracking, defect detection and safety monitoring as its four main application-based areas. The findings showed that the adoption of GIS technology is rapidly expanding and being utilised more in building projects to visual-track construction activities. The review discovered an integrated pattern involving data flow from a device and window-form application to GIS, the pathways to data exchange between platforms to platforms, where ArcGIS is the most used software. Furthermore, the study highlighted the lack of interoperability between heterogeneous systems as the crux impediment to adopting GIS in the built environment.
Originality/value
The research provides a deep insight into possible areas where GIS is adopted in the construction industry, identifying areas of extensive and limited application coverage over a decade. Besides, it demystifies possible pathways for future integration opportunities of GIS with other emerging technologies within the construction industry.
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Helder Sebastião, Nuno Silva, Pedro Torres and Pedro Godinho
This work uses survey data from the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (Comissão de Mercado de Valores Mobiliários – CMVM) to examine financial literacy and literacy bias…
Abstract
Purpose
This work uses survey data from the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (Comissão de Mercado de Valores Mobiliários – CMVM) to examine financial literacy and literacy bias. The main objective of this study is to shed light on this issue by identifying the individual characteristics that are associated with financial literacy, namely overconfidence and underconfidence, which in turn might help explain individuals' financial decisions. The study distinguishes two groups, i.e. students and nonstudents, and considers several characteristics that are usually employed in this stream of research.
Design/methodology/approach
The data are based on a survey conducted by a partnership between the CMVM and a consortium of Portuguese universities. This paper has a three-fold aim. First, it studies the main individual features associated with objective financial literacy. Second, it analyzes the relationship between those variables and the bias between self-perceived and objective literacy, distinguishing overconfidence and underconfidence. Third, and most originally, this framework was also used to examine the differences between students and nonstudents. Those aims are pursued using cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions, except for the study of the literacy bias, for which the authors use an ordered probit.
Findings
Literacy is higher in individuals of the male gender who are older, have higher incomes, live in metropolitan areas, are highly educated, have a field of study related to finance and have high self-perceived literacy. Younger people are more overconfident. Unconditionally, women are less overconfident than men, but conditionally, they overestimate their knowledge. People holding securities and with a field of study related to finance are more overconfident. The gender effect is mainly driven by students, and the impact of a field of study and of holding securities on overconfidence decreases and increases, respectively, for students. The results highlight the importance of financial education.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the way that the questionnaire was made available, there is no guarantee that the sample is representative of the Portuguese general population, or, for that matter, representative of the typical Portuguese retail investors or households. Also, there is no guarantee that the same individual did not answer the questionnaire more than once, although this is highly improbable. The link to the online questionnaire was only transmitted within e-mail databases owned by the CMVM and Portuguese universities, so the authors cannot guarantee its unbiasedness.
Practical implications
The authors' results may help the National Plan for Financial Education (the acronym in Portuguese is PNFF) fine-tune the required actions towards different target groups and, most importantly, highlight that different groups may require different approaches aiming to narrow the gap between objective and perceived literacy. The first step should be creating procedures to provide feedback on the objective and perceived literacy of those who enroll in financial formation programs.
Social implications
The study distinguishes two groups, students and nonstudents, providing additional insights that might guide policymakers on how to structure financial education to enhance individual financial behavior. This is especially important in a country such as Portugal which has the lowest objective financial literacy in the Eurozone.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the financial literacy literature, in particular to the stream of research that focuses on psychological biases, by shedding light on the factors associated with both individual overconfidence and underconfidence. Differentiating between students and nonstudents provides additional insights, which might guide policymakers on how to structure financial education to enhance individual financial behavior.
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Romildo Silva, Rui Pedro Marques and Helena Inácio
The purpose of this study is to identify the possible efficiency gains in using tokenization for the execution of public expenditure on governmental investments.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the possible efficiency gains in using tokenization for the execution of public expenditure on governmental investments.
Design/methodology/approach
Through design science research methodology, the exploratory research produced a tokenized prototype in the blockchain, through the Ernst and Young OpsChain traceability solution, allowing automated processes in the stages of public expense. A focus group composed of auditors from the public sector evaluated the possibility of improving the quality of information available in the audited entities, where the tokens created represent and register the actions of public agents in the blockchain Polygon.
Findings
The consensus of the experts in the focus group indicated that the use of tokenization could improve the quality of the information, since the possibility of recording the activities of public agents in the metadata of the tokens at each stage of the execution of the expenditure allows the audited entities the advantages of the information recorded on the blockchain, according to the following ranking: first the immutability of audited data, followed by reliability, transparency, accessibility and efficiency of data structures.
Originality/value
This research makes an empirical contribution to the real use of tokenization in blockchain technology to the public sector through a value chain in which tokens were created and moved between the wallets of public agents to represent, register and track the operations regarding public expense execution.
Details
Keywords
Victor Silva Corrêa, Marina de Almeida Cruz, Vânia Maria Jorge Nassif, Pedro Lucas de Resende Melo and Rosileine Mendonça de Lima
Embeddedness has gained prominence in entrepreneurship studies. However, the notion that the embeddedness metaphor relates to “market” structures prevails in studies in the area…
Abstract
Purpose
Embeddedness has gained prominence in entrepreneurship studies. However, the notion that the embeddedness metaphor relates to “market” structures prevails in studies in the area. Entrepreneurship scholars still know little about whether entrepreneurs are eventually embedded in other structures whose relationships go beyond the restricted dimension of the interested actor’s assumption. This study aims to propose investigating the social structures in which a specific type of entrepreneurship, the religious one, is embedded.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was qualitative, using interviews as an evidence collection instrument. A total of 17 entrepreneur-pastors responsible for business churches in Brazil and eight parishioners took part in the study.
Findings
Religious entrepreneurs are embedded in market structures, corroborating a perspective that associates embeddedness with the utilitarian notion. At the same time, entrepreneurs are embedded in two other social structures: reciprocity and redistribution.
Practical implications
This article emphasizes the relevance of going beyond the predominant perspective associated with the utilitarian and rationalized understanding of embeddedness in relationship networks.
Originality/value
This study makes essential contributions. Initially, it attests to the utilitarian perspective of Granovetter’s embeddedness while suggesting incorporating two other dimensions into the metaphor. By highlighting this, this article stresses the need to reinterpret the metaphor of embeddedness and how entrepreneurship scholars use it. Further, by emphasizing the need to consider embeddedness in networks beyond its still utilitarian perspective, this paper highlights unexplored opportunities for entrepreneurship scholars.
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Pedro Senna, Lino Guimarães Marujo, Ana Carla de Souza Gomes dos Santos, Amanda Chousa Ferreira and Luís Alfredo Aragão da Silva
In the last few years, environmental issues have become a matter of survival. In this sense, e-waste management is among the major problems since it may be a way of mitigating…
Abstract
Purpose
In the last few years, environmental issues have become a matter of survival. In this sense, e-waste management is among the major problems since it may be a way of mitigating mineral depletion. In this context, the literature lacks e-waste supply chain studies that systematically map supply chain challenges and risks concerning material recovery.
Design/methodology/approach
Given this context, the authors' paper conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to build a framework to identify the constructs of e-waste supply chain risk management.
Findings
The paper revealed the theoretical relationship between important variables to achieve e-waste supply chain risk management via a circular economy (CE) framework. These variables include reverse logistics (RL), closed-loop supply chains (CLSC), supply chain risk management, supply chain resilience and smart cities.
Originality/value
The literature contributions of this paper are as follows: (1) a complete list of the risks of the e-waste supply chains, (2) the techniques being used to identify, assess and mitigate e-waste supply chain risks and (3) the constructs that form the theoretical framework of e-waste supply chain risk management. In addition, the authors' results address important literature gaps identified by researchers and serve as a guide to implementation.
Details
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Ana Carla de Souza Gomes dos Santos, Augusto da Cunha Reis, Cristina Gomes de Souza, Igor Leão Santos, Letícia Ali Figueiredo Ferreira and Pedro Senna
Lean healthcare (LHC) applies lean philosophy in the healthcare sector to promote a culture of continuous improvement through the elimination of non-value-added activities…
Abstract
Purpose
Lean healthcare (LHC) applies lean philosophy in the healthcare sector to promote a culture of continuous improvement through the elimination of non-value-added activities. Studies on the subject can be classified as conceptual (theoretical) or analytical (applied). Therefore, this research compares bibliometric indicators between conceptual and analytical articles on LHC.
Design/methodology/approach
For data collection, the PRISMA Protocol was employed, and 488 articles published from 2009 to 2021, indexed in the Scopus and WoS databases, were retrieved.
Findings
This study reveals how conceptual and analytical LHC studies are organized in terms of the most relevant journals, articles, institutions, countries, the total number of citations, collaboration networks (co-authorship, international collaboration network and institutional collaboration network) and main co-words.
Originality/value
Only four papers conducting bibliometric analysis on LHC studies were identified in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. In addition, none of these papers compared conceptual and analytical bibliometric indicators to reveal the evolution, organization and trends of each category. Therefore, this work is not only the first to make this comparison but also the first to analyze the collaboration between authors, institutions and countries in relation to studies on LHC. The analyses performed in this work allow one new possible understanding, by researchers and health professionals, of the literature behavior in this field of study.
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