Quality evaluation in healthcare services based on the customer-provider relationship.

This paper identifies important changes in the Portuguese healthcare industry such as the ownership of healthcare providers, meaning that profit-oriented organisations are currently entering into an industry, which was traditionally dominated by public services. At the same time customers are changing their attitudes towards healthcare becoming much more concerned and demanding with health services. These changes are driving Portuguese healthcare private and public organisations to develop more marketing-oriented services. This paper recognises the importance of quality evaluation of healthcare services as a means to increase levels of customer satisfaction and organisational efficiency. Although evaluating healthcare services raises different questions from other services because of their complexity, ambiguity and heterogeneity, the paper develops a framework to healthcare evaluation based on the relationship between customers (patients, their relatives and citizens) and providers (managers, doctors, other technical staff, non-technical staff) having in mind four quality items (customer service orientation, financial performance, logistical functionality, and level of staff competence).Healthcare, customer service, quality evaluation, performance

Ensino Superior e a Realidade Empresarial: em busca do adequado interposicionamento

O grande "divórcio" que tem caracterizado o interrelacionamento entre ensino superior e a realidade do jogo económico tem - salvo honrosas e escassíssimas excepções - resistido tenazmente quer a críticas quer às variadas tentativas dos "conselheiros matrimoniais" mais empenhados. Se, por um lado, a realidade empresarial se queixa do grande desajuste entre a formação com que os alunos saem das nossas escolas de ensino superior e as reais necessidades das empresas e demais organizações, por outro assiste-se à lamentação das escolas em relação à falta de interesse com que empresários e outros responsáveis encaram a sua participação - supostamente activa - nos conselhos consultivos e, de um modo geral, sempre que são chamados a sugerir, colaborar, ou seja, a contribuir para o almejado ajustamento de posicionamentos

International diversification and performance improvement in Portuguese SMEs : The mediating role of international learning

International operations, with its multiplicity of objectives, can be seen as a diversification strategy, sometimes even as a strategic option taken as an effective alternative to product diversification. This work, focusing on a sample of SMEs of Portuguese manufacturing industries, analyzes the mediating role of experiential knowledge arising from the international learning, on the relationship between the international diversification strategies and performance. Data used were collected in 390 companies through an online questionnaire. Data analysis suggests the existence of this mediating effect, stressing therefore its importance as a potential source of competitive advantage. These results provide guidelines for managers and generate directions for future research

INTERNATIONAL DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGIES AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONAL AND EXOGENOUS ANTECEDENTS

International operations, with its multiplicity of objectives, can be seen as a diversification strategy, sometimes even as a strategic option taken as an effective alternative to product diversification. Focusing on a sample of SMEs of Portuguese manufacturing industries, this study analyzes the international diversification strategies and their organizational and exogenous antecedents. Specifically, entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic capabilities of the firm are two factors of organizational nature, while the environmental uncertainty arising from the diversity of the different markets is studied as an exogenous antecedent. Data collected in 390 companies through an online questionnaire, its processing and analysis through the use of a structural equations model suggest the existence of different types of influence of the antecedents, according to companies’ options in various dimensions of the international diversification strategies. These results provide guidelines for managers and generate directions for future research

VITIVINICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY: SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS

The rational use of resources is currently a widely discussed topic in any organization, although it takes on greater importance in those of productive scope. Measures of different levels − strategic, tactical or operational − are increasingly being implemented, so it is pertinent to analyze their effect on the distinct dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. Any strategic process must go through those that are considered the four crucial stages: analysis, formulation, implementation and control. The perfect knowledge of the environment and its emerging needs and concerns along with an in-depth survey of the internal situation of the organizations will allow us to achieve truly differentiating levels of excellence. This research, carried out in a wine-producing organization – Adega Cooperativa de Mangualde – identifies its crucial activities, the main strategic, tactical and operational actions that have been implemented in the last eight years, fits them into the above-mentioned dimensions of sustainability and determines its relative weights. Particular emphasis is placed on grapes suppliers − the capital holders −, as regards their mode of production and its impact on biodiversity and the environment. Raising public awareness of this issue is of great importance and people should be encouraged to alter their behaviour by changing some attitudes in everyday life. This awareness to achieve sustainable development becomes even more important insofar as it is a cooperative institution with a management model of well-defined specific characteristics

Evaluation of extensions of luxury brands:the case of fragrances in Portugal

Fragrances are part of the market of personal luxury goods, which represents the second most important segment of the luxury industry. Luxury brands have been implementing new marketing strategies, such as the use of brand extensions. This strategy has become fundamental to the business model of many luxury brand. This research has the intention to understand the influences that have determined the consumption of fragrances, inferring about the symbolic meaning of its purchase. Additionally, it tries to evaluate whether fragrances are a success, as an extension of a luxury brand. This study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of in-depth interviews with consumers of fragrances. Findings indicate that fragrances are a fundamental product, used in a daily basis, which shows some distinctive personal characteristics from their consumers. Additionally, fragrances used as an extension of a luxury brand are seen as a success, especially to the brand.N/

Evaluation of brand extensions:the case of fragrances

Purpose: To explore the intentions and the influences that determine the consumption of fragrances, inferring about the symbolic meaning of its purchase. Additionally, it tries to evaluate whether fragrances are a success, as an extension of a luxury brand. Fragrances are part of the market of personal luxury goods, which represents the second most important segment of the luxury industry. Luxury brands have been implementing new marketing strategies, such as the use of brand extensions. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of in-depth interviews with consumers of fragrances. This involved interviews with 15 regular consumers of fragrances in a luxury fashion store in the region of Lisbon. Findings: This research indicates that fragrances are a fundamental product, used in a daily basis, which allows the consumers to show some distinctive personal characteristics. Respondents see the fragrances used as an extension of a luxury brand as a success, particularly to the brand, which could be a sign of an improved level of investments in the future, in this type of strategy, from the owners of the luxury brands. Originality/value: An empirical understanding of the importance of extensions in the strategic marketing of luxury brands could be an effective support to luxury brand management.N/

Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Resíduos de Vestuário Usado para Portugal: SIGVETU

Tendo como premissa a alteração dos padrões de vida da sociedade, desde meados do século passado os quais promoveram novos estilos de vida e novos padrões de consumo, nomeadamente no âmbito dos Têxteis e Vestuários, esta dissertação de mestrado investiga as medidas e boas práticas implementadas em Portugal, e no Mundo, para a valorização dos resíduos pósconsumo, descartados ou de vestuário usado. A metodologia utilizada teve como alicerce uma pesquisa e revisão bibliográfica que permitiu conhecer e compreender o estado da arte e identificar as questões mais pertinentes para o estabelecimento da problemática em estudo, o tratamento do resíduo de vestuário usado em Portugal. Numa primeira fase, foram realizadas 18 entrevistas através de guião, construído para o efeito e aplicado a uma amostra por conveniência constituída pelas entidades consideradas de relevância no sector têxtil e da reciclagem. Posteriormente foi construído um segundo questionário, o qual, foi aplicado a uma amostra aleatória de 175 empresas, e alvo de tratamento estatístico adequado para validação do modelo do Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Resíduos de Vestuário Usado para Portugal. Com base no trabalho desenvolvido o presente estudo apresenta uma proposta de Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Resíduos de Vestuário Usado para Portugal, à semelhança do que já existe para outras fileiras de resíduos e visa sensibilizar e contribuir para a necessidade de que o desenvolvimento seja alavancado em bases de sustentabilidade. Desenvolvimento não é sinónimo de destruição e carece de cidadania empresarial e individual, enquanto comportamentos de responsabilidade colectiva

Inovação e desempenho de equipamentos médicos : estudo qualitativo em hospitais portugueses

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências Empresariais (ramo de conhecimento em Marketing e Gestão Estratégica)A importância do sector da saúde tem aumentado à medida que as pessoas atribuem mais valor à sua qualidade de vida e os seus gastos com a saúde têm crescido de forma consistente. Os equipamentos médicos são um dos componentes dos serviços de saúde que mais têm contribuído para a melhoria do diagnóstico e da terapêutica de várias doenças. Os equipamentos médicos com características de inovação radical, que se focam no diagnóstico e tratamento de doenças específicas e, muitas vezes, raras, são o objecto desta investigação. Nos hospitais que possuem este tipo de equipamentos convivem múltiplos actores com poderes e influências diferentes. Não há tradição em Portugal na avaliação do desempenho deste tipo de equipamentos, pelo facto de serem escassos e de difícil comparação, apesar de representarem uma importância crescente, quer pela oferta alargada de serviços que possibilitam, quer pelo risco associado à sua aquisição. O processo de avaliação que conduz à aquisição deste tipo de aparelhos é suportado sobretudo na evidência clínica, embora em países mais desenvolvidos se tenha evoluído para uma avaliação mais criteriosa e multidisciplinar. A análise de cinco hospitais portugueses que adquiriram equipamentos com características de inovação radical nos últimos três anos permite avaliar de que forma se processa o desempenho dos referidos aparelhos. A avaliação dos diferentes casos observados seguiu uma metodologia qualitativa que se fundamentou na visão diversificada fornecida pelos vários actores dos serviços e por uma observação directa dos equipamentos durante a investigação. Os diferentes aparelhos analisados trouxeram vantagens significativas para os doentes e para a gestão de operações dos vários serviços, assim como registam um volume crescente do número de exames realizados.Health service is becoming more important, particularly because people attribute an increased importance to its quality of life and also it is a constant source of growth in spending of families and governments. Medical equipments are an important part of a health service and contribute to a better diagnosis and therapeutics of several illnesses. The object of this thesis is medical equipment with radical innovation characteristics, with a clear focus in rare diseases. This type of equipment exist in hospitals, where coexist many actors, with different powers and influences. There is not a tradition in Portugal, in order to evaluate the performance of this kind of equipment; nevertheless it represents a growing share of the services provided to patients and also it is connected with a higher level of business risk. In Portugal, the evaluation process of this type of equipment is based mainly in clinical evidence; even tough in some developed countries the evaluation is based in specific criteria and it is multidisciplinary. The analysis of five different Portuguese hospitals, which have purchased the selected medical equipment in the last three years, allows us the possibility to evaluate how the performance of the equipment is developing. The evaluation of the various equipments has followed a qualitative methodology, particularly based on the different views of the stakeholders and trough the direct observation of the department. The observed equipments brought additional benefits to the patients and to the operation management of the departments. Additionally, we have observed a consistent increase in the number of diagnosis and treatments made by the medical equipments.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT