Innovation at Polisport: Discoverding the drivers and impact on performance at a Portuguese SME

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Business model analysis of Mobitto: How to solve the chicken and egg problem of a multi-sided platform?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Mobile payment

Este estudo visa perceber quais os principais determinantes da adopção e recomendação da tecnologia de pagamentos móveis. Para atingir este objectivo, foi desenvolvido um modelo de pesquisa que combinou os modelos de adopção unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) e diffusions on innovations (DOI), juntamente com a variável perceived technology security (PTS). Foi realizado um questionário online, tendo sido obtidas 301 respostas válidas. Os dados recolhidos foram analisados utilizando a técnica de structured equation modeling (SEM), de forma a testar empiricamente o modelo e pesquisa. As principais conclusões retiradas são que os principais factores, com efeitos directos e indirectos, para a adopção e recomendação da tecnologia de pagamentos móveis são compatibility, perceived technology security, performance expectations, innovativeness e social influence. As conclusões deste estudo fornecem informações úteis às partes interessadas na tecnologia de pagamentos móveis.

Post-merger innovative performance in the renewable energy sector

Due to global warming and shrinking fossil fuel resources, politics as well as society urge for a reduction of green house gas (GHG) emissions. This leads to a re-orientation towards a renewable energy sector. In this context, innovation and new technologies are key success factors. Moreover, the renewable energy sector has entered a consolidation stage, where corporate investors and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) gain in importance. Although both M&A and innovation in the renewable energy sector are important corporate strategies, the link between those two aspects has not been examined before. The present thesis examines the research question how M&A influence the acquirer’s post-merger innovative performance in the renewable energy sector. Based on a framework of relevant literature, three hypotheses are defined. First, the relation between non-technology oriented M&A and post-merger innovative performance is discussed. Second, the impact of absolute acquired knowledge on postmerger innovativeness is examined. Third, the target-acquirer relatedness is discussed. A panel data set of 117 firms collected over a period of six years has been analyzed via a random effects negative binomial regression model and a time lag of one year. The results support a non-significant, negative impact of non-technology M&A on postmerger innovative performance. The applied model did not support a positive and significant impact of absolute acquired knowledge on post-merger innovative performance. Lastly, the results suggest a reverse relation than postulated by Hypothesis 3. Targets from the same industry significantly and negatively influence the acquirers’ innovativeness.