Understanding the effects of explicit association between two brands on consumer’s brand knowledge : Vichy Dercos case-study

Dercos is the market leader in the Portuguese pharmacy hair care market, with a market share of 25% in 2015. However, Dercos is faced with two major challenges: first, to remain relevant in its increasingly competitive channel and second, to increase the pharmacy channel size, by reaching other channel’s customers. To achieve this, L’Oréal considers deepening Dercos’ relationship with a successful beauty brand – Vichy – which could on one hand increase its visibility, but on the other, dilute customer trust in the clinical and efficacy-driven image of the brand. Through the analysis of Vichy’s branding dilemma, this thesis provides an outlook on the Portuguese Hair Care market in the pharmacy circuit. In the Literature Review Section it provides an overview on the topics of brand equity, brand knowledge, brand extensions, brand elements and consumer behavior regarding cosmetic products. The dilemma is then presented in a Case Study and Teaching Note, and complemented by a Market Research study including two Focus Groups and an Online Survey, aimed at presenting closure to the dilemma. The study done found that a deeper association between Vichy and Dercos is beneficial as it would result in broader attribute associations and willingness to buy or try for Vichy Dercos, when compared with the original Dercos concept.A Dercos é a líder de mercado no segmento farmacêutico de produtos capilares em Portugal, com uma quota de mercado de 25% em 2015. Porém, a Dercos depara-se com dois desafios: primeiro, o de permanecer relevante no seu canal e segundo, o de aumentar o tamanho do canal farmácia, através da conquista de mais clientes. Para conseguir isso, a L’Oréal considera aprofundar a relação de Dercos com uma conceituada marca de beleza – Vichy – para aumentar a sua visibilidade, arriscando diluir a confiança do consumidor na imagem clínica de eficácia de Dercos. Através da análise de um dilema da marca Vichy, esta tese fornece uma análise do mercado farmacêutico português de produtos capilares. Na Revisão Literária é proporcionada uma visão dos tópicos de brand equity, brand knowledge, extensões e elementos de marcas e comportamento do consumidor. O dilema é depois apresentado no Caso de Estudo e Nota de Ensino, complementado por um Estudo de Mercado com dois Focus Groups e um Questionário Online, de forma a apresentar uma conclusão. O estudo realizado concluiu que uma associação mais profunda entre as marcas Vichy e Dercos seria benéfica, resultando em mais associações e numa maior disposição em comprar ou experimentar Vichy Dercos, em relação ao conceito original

Organisational flexibility in an emergent economy

The management literature has claimed that the complexity of business contexts has made firms confront hypercompetitive( D'Aveni, 1994) or high-velocity environments (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1997). Behind such claims lies a new interest in the dynamics of adaptation and in particular in a firm's flexibility as a way of adjusting under conditions of uncertainty (Volberda, 1999). This study takes up the challenge of exploring the dynamics of organisational adaptation under the conditions of environmental volatility that characterised Argentina over the period 1989-1999. The empirical focus of the thesis is the study of the determinants of organisational flexibility in four family-owned companies: two flexible and two less flexible from the edible oil industry (i. e., a deregulated industry) and pharmaceutical industry (i. e., an industry in the process of deregulation). By means of an innovative analysis (which includes longitudinal analysis, coding analysis, statistical analysis and the use of original display charts) we were able to show what determines whether an organisation is flexible. The findings of our case study were interrogated and interpreted by developing theoretical ideas from three areas of literature between which historically there has been no interface. These are the literatures on organisational flexibility, organisational innovativeness and institutional embeddedness. In our empirical results we identified five determinants of organisational flexibility as a set of organisational and managerial capabilities that enabled some firms to adapt quickly in a highly competitive environment (i. e., heterogeneity of the dominant coalition, centralisation and formalisation of decision-making, low macroculture embeddedness, environmental scanning, and a strong organisational identity). The study also sheds light on the process of transformation and adaptation of family firms - an area that has not yet been the subject of extensive empirical inquiry (Aronoff and Ward, 1997)

Understanding Drugs Markets

Drawing on anthropology, historical sociology and social-epidemiology, this multidisciplinary book investigates how pharmaceuticals are produced, distributed, prescribed, (and) consumed, and regulated in order to construct a comprehensive understanding of the issues that drive (medicine) pharmaceutical markets in the Global South today. 　 Based on primary research conducted in Benin and Ghana, and additional data collected in Cambodia and the Ivory Coast, this volume uses artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) against malaria as a central case study. It highlights the influence of the countries colonial and post-colonial history on their models for state regulation, production, and distribution, explores the determining role transnational actors as well as industries from the North but also and increasingly from the South play in influencing local pharmaceutical markets and looks at the behaviour of health care professionals and individuals. Stepping back, the authors then unpick the pharmaceuticalization process and the multiple regulations at stake by looking at the workings of, and linkages between, (biomedical health) pharmaceutical systems, (representatives of companies) industries, actors in private distribution, and consumer practices. 　 Providing a thorough comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different pharmaceutical systems, it is an important contribution to the literature on pharmaceutalization and the governance of medication. It is of interest to students, researchers and policy-makers interested in medical anthropology, the sociology of health and illness, global health, healthcare management and pharmacy. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429329517, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

Understanding Drugs Markets

Drawing on anthropology, historical sociology and social-epidemiology, this multidisciplinary book investigates how pharmaceuticals are produced, distributed, prescribed, (and) consumed, and regulated in order to construct a comprehensive understanding of the issues that drive (medicine) pharmaceutical markets in the Global South today. 　 Based on primary research conducted in Benin and Ghana, and additional data collected in Cambodia and the Ivory Coast, this volume uses artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) against malaria as a central case study. It highlights the influence of the countries colonial and post-colonial history on their models for state regulation, production, and distribution, explores the determining role transnational actors as well as industries from the North but also and increasingly from the South play in influencing local pharmaceutical markets and looks at the behaviour of health care professionals and individuals. Stepping back, the authors then unpick the pharmaceuticalization process and the multiple regulations at stake by looking at the workings of, and linkages between, (biomedical health) pharmaceutical systems, (representatives of companies) industries, actors in private distribution, and consumer practices. 　 Providing a thorough comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different pharmaceutical systems, it is an important contribution to the literature on pharmaceutalization and the governance of medication. It is of interest to students, researchers and policy-makers interested in medical anthropology, the sociology of health and illness, global health, healthcare management and pharmacy. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429329517, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license

The distinct evaluation of information in a new managerial function of information – decision

The function defined as information-decision can be considered today the central function of management; we believe that the option for a compromise of the type: prognosis of product or service, organization, information - decision, stimulation and control better responds to the new managerial conditions. Any decision primarily means correct information, in order to be able to choose. Surprisingly, from the old Greek term entropis to the actual managerial information it is not such a long way and stages of the new function of information-decision emphasise the continuous interdependences between information and decision, as well as a large number of characteristic features as a result of a necessary compromise in contemporary management.information-decision, entropy, redundancy, managerial information and decision

Exploring 3D printing : reflections on four futures of an emerging technology

3D printing as a disruptive additive manufacturing technique requires sufficient navigation around the uncertainty on its possible, probable and preferable socio-technological impacts on society. As a result, it is imperative to design anticipatory systems in order to acquire foresight with respect to the different roadmaps which the technology’s development could assume as it evolves over time. Consequently, the thesis attempts to answers two research questions. The first being "What is the present state of the art of 3D printing in society?". It further attempts to provide answers to the second question which is "What are the opportunities and threats for society in 2030 from 3D printing?". The answers to these questions are presented firstly by articulating discussions on the state of the art as well as the present developments shaping the roles and the future potentials of 3D printing prior to advancing into critical discussions and analyses of the future of the technology in 2030. With respect to the anticipatory efforts required to counter the shocks which might erupt from 3D printing in society, this master’s thesis combines the use of interpretivism as a methodology of choice and the PESTEC table in efforts to carry out a detailed analysis of the inter-relationships between trends, megatrends, driving forces, weak-signals and possible wild-cards which might shape the future of 3D printing. Conclusively, the results of this master’s thesis are presented as an aggregated list of identified future images categorized according to the PESTEC dimensions and four narrative future images for 3D printing in 2030 namely continuous growth, collapse, discipline society and transformation society