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In the last two decades, Supply Chain Management (SCM) continues to gain popularity among companies and has been broadly studied by academic researchers. However, with the development of the digital economy, a new paradigm has emerged in this arena: virtual supply chain management (e-SCM). Thus, this paper establishes a new model, considering the results of virtual SCM adoption on e-business performance, which has been tested in European companies. For that purpose, we used a structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The way that organizations explore the Internet has been the focus of a substantial body of scientific studies and non-academic reflection. The main goal of this study is to analyze the potential of the internet as a mode of internationalization and the factors that influence the results of the adoption of this mean to access foreign markets. For this purpose, we examine the determinants of the level of international sales made via internet estimating an ordered probit model. The results show that the importance of previous experience in using the internet and developing international activity, together with the level of internet marketing budget , the level of investment on internet sophistication, the firm dimension, the business age and the type pf activity are variables that determine the results obtain in the international sales trough the internet. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

E-Business is a phenomenon that has progressed over the past decades at record speed, with considerable promise and hype. It has been embraced with varying degrees of enthusiasm and impact by both large firms and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). Parallel with its development, E-Business has attracted research interests, seen in a plethora of new modules, programmes, models and tools. Knowledge Management (KM) is one tool that seams to gain a more relevant role, especially as managing knowledge has become increasingly important to all companies. Appropriate KM practices within organisations can be seen as one of the prerequisites to the enhancement of continuous performance improvement in the interne-based context. Thus, our aim is to develop a conceptual framework related to KM practices in a virtual context and to identify the nature of the relationship existing in those knowledge-driven elements and performance achievements. This paper aims to bridge the gap between the KM and e-business performance-related literatures from the viewpoint of European firms by establishing a model tested in European companies. For this purpose, we used a structural equation modelling analysis. The results show that KM has a positive impact on the maximization of e-business performance and that some elements individually have a positive influence on e-business performance. As limitations of the study, we consider the need for more research into this field and the inclusion of news elements such as technological readiness and management support to KM initiatives. The present study advances knowledge on the nature of the relative importance of different components of Internet-based KM as drivers of e-business performance and reinforces its importance as an integrated e-business tool. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais O comportamento do consumidor tem sido objecto de estudo não só de académicos da área de marketing, mas também de profissionais de outras ciências que se focalizam na compreensão do comportamento humano. A importância de analisar o comportamento do indivíduo no Centro Comercial prende-se com o facto de a diversidade de serviços e características próprias do centro comercial, despertar junto dos consumidores uma multiplicidade de motivações. O objectivo deste artigo foi de analisar a motivação ao consumo dos indivíduos e as variáveis que podem exercer influência sobre os padrões comportamentais de consumo. Os dados foram adquiridos através de inquéritos, obtendo-se uma amostra com 240 respondentes. Com vista à agregação dos indivíduos com base nos padrões comportamentais que reflectem a motivação ao consumo, foram aplicadas duas técnicas de análise estatística multivariada. Através da análise factorial obtiveram-se cinco factores: lazer, restauração, características únicas do centro comercial, dimensão social e utilitários. Posteriormente, utilizando o método K-means Cluster, procedeu-se à partição da amostra com base nos factores gerados e obtiveram-se 3 grupos distintos com base nos seus padrões de comportamento, e a que se designou de Consumidor Indiferente, Consumidor Ágape e Consumidor Distracção. Pela análise de variância, concluiu-se que as variáveis sexo, concelho de residência e satisfação com o Centro Comercial não permitem aferir a existência de diferenças significativas entre os 3 clusters. Dado que a componente nível de satisfação nada permite concluir acerca dos diferentes padrões de comportamento do consumidor, a hipótese formulada na investigação, “o nível de satisfação dos consumidores difere de grupo para grupo”, foi rejeitada para a amostra estudada. As restantes variáveis, idade, habilitações literárias, frequência ao Centro Comercial e os motivos de deslocação ao Centro Comercial exercem influência sobre os padrões comportamentais dos consumidores. Os resultados são úteis para que os responsáveis pelas empresas possam tomar medidas de gestão e definir estratégias de marketing. ABSTRACT: The consumer’s behavior has been studied not only by marketing academics, but also by professionals of other sciences that focus on understanding the study of human behavior. The importance of analyzing consumer’s behavior in shopping mall is the fact that the diversity of services and the main characteristics of the shopping mall, activate different motivations on the consumer. The aim of this article was to analyse individual’s shopping motivation and the variables which influence the consumption behavioural patterns. Data were collected through surveys, resulting in 240 usable responses. Individuals were grouped on the basis of behavioural patterns which reflected their consumption’s motivation, multivariate statistical analysis were applied. The variables which influence the consumption’s behavior were, through factor analysis, reduced to five factors for analysis simplification: leisure, catering, unique characteristics of shopping mall, social and utilities. The matrix components of spin identified for each component which variables were associated. Presently, the K-means cluster was used to split the sample, based on leisure areas, restaurants, and specific features of the Shopping Centre (schedule and parking), facilities and social dimension. Therefore, three distinct groups were created and described as Consumer Indifferent, Consumer Feed and Consumer Distraction. Using the analysis of variance, it was concluded that the variables sex, county of residence and satisfaction with the Shopping Centre do not explain the different consumer behavior types. Since the component level of satisfaction does not explain the different patterns of consumer behavior, the research hypothesis, “the level of consumer satisfaction differs from group to group”, was rejected for the studied sample. The remaining variables age, qualifications, shopping frequency of trips and reasons for trips influence the behavioural patterns of consumers. The results are useful for those responsible for companies in relation to the adoption of appropriate managing measures and to the development of marketing strategies.