Internet-driven customer centric : an exploratory analysis

Firm’s are becoming everyday more focus on customer orientation, leading to the need use of new techniques or combine use of existent ones. Both Customer Relationship Management and Knowledge Management are increasingly relevant in the corporate agendas as well as been broadly studied by academic researchers and with the development of the digital economy it’s necessary to have a larger understanding of their role in e-business performance. Thus, our aims are to determine whether the implementation of virtual CRM and KM is linked to e-business performance and to identify the nature of the relationship existing in the combine use of these tools. Thus, this paper establishes a new model of the practices and results of the both tools which has been tested in European companies. For that purpose, we used a structural equation modelling analysis. The results show that both virtual CRM and KM have a positive impact on the maximization of e-business performance and that their combine use has also a positive impact 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. This paper contributes to the research on this topic with new evidence in a broad sample.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing the drivers of virtual knowledge management impact in European Firm’s performance : an exploratory analysis

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/publishedVersio

Knowledge management : critical perspectives on e-business activities

This article is both a review and an agenda-setting piece. It argues that knowledge management suffers from conceptual and definitional ambiguity, oversimplification of its development processes, and methodological limitations. Nevertheless, there is a consensus in business and academia that knowledge is a key component of success and allows firms to achieve and sustains competitive advantages. In a digital era, these advantages arise from the potential of data and information that can be gathered, processed, shared, and used to improve e-business activities. Thus, this research bridges the gap in the assessment of knowledge management and e-business relationship, by applying an SEM to a large database sample of KM activities performed by European firms.N/

Internet sales as a new mode of internationalization

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/publishedVersio

Social media and tourism : a wishful relationship

For decades hospitality firms were used to domain the communication process. Thematic social network sites such as TripAdvisor became very important tools for travelers when deciding which hotels to book, and what restaurants and tourist attractions to visit, been a visible part of tourism communication evolution. Evidence suggests that e-WOM serves as a primary information source when tourists choose destinations, hotels, and other experiences. The role and use of social media in tourists’ decision making has been widely discuss in tourism and hospitality research, especially in the research phase of the tourist’ travel planning process. With the wide adoption of social media the influence of customers’ word-of-mouth increased and influences not only the research phase, but the repetition and overall customers’ experiences. To answer these questions a model assessing e-wom was developed and data was gathering from TripAdvisor regarding customer’s opinion in restaurant experiences. The results found establish the bases for understanding tourists’ engagement level and profiles.N/

A influência dos adolescentes no processo de compra de viagens de lazer

A interação e influência das crianças e dos adultos nos processos de decisão de compra familiares têm sido alvo de inúmeros trabalhos académicos. As evidências empíricas apontam para uma decisão partilhada, quer na fase de reconhecimento do problema, quer nas últimas etapas do processo de decisão. Neste artigo a tónica é colocada na influência e nas táticas negociais empregues pelos adolescentes nesse processo familiar, que não tem sido alvo de grande atenção, apesar da reconhecida importância deste segmento, tanto pelos investigadores como pelas empresas. Assim, procura-se com este trabalho aferir as perceções e as táticas empregues pelos adolescentes e pelos seus progenitores com relação a dois tipos de produtos: viagens de lazer e cereais para pequenos-almoços. A escolha de dois tipos de produtos com tipologias e complexidade diferente permite retirar ilações quanto aos padrões empregues e à influência das caraterísticas demográficas no comportamento familiar de decisão de compra.ABSTRACT: Family decision-making research has frequently examined the roles of adults and children on purchase decisions. Empirical results show a propensity toward a joint decision process in problem recognition and the final decision stages. This article argues that teenagers’ influence on a family’ buying decisions suffers from a certain conceptual and definitional ambiguity, and oversimplification regarding the different modes of influence. Nevertheless, there is a consensus in business and academia that kids in general have an increasing influence in the decision making process of families. Thus, the objectives of this research are to measure teenagers’ and parents' perceptions regarding tactics used by both, especially pester power, in the context of the decision-making process for a family’s travelling choice and for breakfast cereals. The research aims to assess the differences driven by demographic characteristics

Wages and Job Satisfaction in Portugal

The interest in the analysis of job satisfaction has increased among economists. Indeed, reported levels of satisfaction have been seen as a good predictor of individual behaviour such as job turnover, productivity and absenteeism. Because of this, several studies have tried to identify the determinants of job satisfaction. This paper is concerned with job satisfaction in Portugal. For this purpose, we use the first six waves of the European Household Panel Data (ECHP). The panel nature of the data allows us to use a random effects estimator in order to control for unobservable individual heterogeneity. The results indicate that wages matter for job satisfaction but do not tell the whole story. In particular, having a good health status, a permanent contract and working the public sector influences positively the level satisfaction. We also find a great heterogeneity in satisfaction by regions, even in a small country as Portugal. These findings are valid for overall job satisfaction as well as for satisfaction with specific job domains such as pay, security, type of work and hours worked. Key words: job satisfaction, wages, regions, unobserved heterogeneity JEL Code: J28

Grufalões, cuquedos e outros bichões... A criança e a ilustração do fantástico

O poster tem por objectivo apresentar a vivência de um projecto que emergiu a partir de histórias contadas pela educadora, recontadas e ilustradas pelas crianças. O trabalho foi desenvolvido numa sala de um Jardim-de-infância da rede pública. O projecto desenvolveu-se a partir da leitura de obras literárias de potencial recepção infantil (Azevedo, 2006: 12). Seleccionaram-se obras que evidenciassem uma inequívoca preocupação estético-literária e que propiciassem às crianças uma visão múltipla e aberta do mundo e da vida (Cerrillo, 2001: 88). Foram percorridos diferentes caminhos de leitura. Em todos eles se privilegiou a ilustração, trabalhando com as crianças possibilidades de representação icónica do imaginário e dos estados anímicos. Efectivamente, os desenhos das crianças (tal como os seus textos) “constituem produções preciosas para o exame do imaginário infantil” (Macedo e Silva, 2009: 17). Nestes percursos, as crianças manifestaram a tendência para a corporização do imaginário pelo desenho, evidenciando a personificação/humanização quer do fantástico quer das entidades percepcionadas no mundo empírico. O projecto desenvolveu, pois, essa peculiar capacidade infantil de ver com um outro olhar – um olhar inaugural – e alargou a compreensão que cada criança vai construindo do mundo bem como a compreensão do seu ser-no-mundo, a partir da representação imagética

Memory, invisibility and meaning on the objects

In 2006, Naoto Fukasawaand Jasper Morrison creates the Super Normal exhibition, in which ordinary objects are exposed questioning the increasingly elitist role of design and suggesting an alternative vision. The choice of objects not only expressed their individual views, but also the approach of all the authors exposed, serving as a basis for the expansion of the concept of Super Normalfor a concept of normality. More comprehensive, built based on the concepts of each author mentioned, the idea of normalisolates the reactions to special, systematizes them on criteria of time and space, and seeks to absorb the work of many other authors and critics who discuss the product of similar points of view.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

As redes sociais e a Web 2.0 nas Bibliotecas Públicas do Distrito de Aveiro

Assistimos atualmente a alterações em todos os domínios, mesmo os mais essenciais, da nossa sociedade. Estas transformações, que se verificam na nossa sociedade, geralmente designada Sociedade da Informação, obrigam a refletir sobre as estratégias aplicadas também pelas Bibliotecas, na difusão das suas coleções e mesmo na prestação dos seus serviços. Em poucos anos, as redes sociais conheceram uma enorme difusão, impondo-se como novo canal de comunicação, uma vez que possibilitam uma interação entre os seus utilizadores, quase em tempo real. Este trabalho apresenta parte de um estudo das redes sociais enquanto instrumento de divulgação e promoção das Bibliotecas públicas no Distrito de Aveiro e pretende averiguar até que ponto estas ferramentas da Web 2.0 são utilizadas e quais os resultados obtidos. Para esta investigação foi enviado um inquérito às diretoras das já mencionadas bibliotecas. A recolha de dados efetuada procura caracterizar as bibliotecas em estudo e verificar qual a sua presença digital, identificando adicionalmente quais as redes sociais que mais utilizam e o tipo de feedback recebido