Essay on secular stagnation

In this paper we show that a closed economy, with a balanced budget and unable to increase public spending, can avoid or leave a persistent slump through adequate and timely combination of monetary and fiscal policy based on distortionary taxation. We use a three generations OLG New Keynesian model in which a permanent slump is possible without any self-correcting force to full-employment. Complementing recent work on Secular Stagnation using lump-sum taxation and government spending as fiscal instruments, our contribution is to use distortionary taxes over labor, consumption and capital, in a balanced budget environment with constant (or decreasing) government spending.

Three essays on the term structure of interest rates

A PhD Dissertation, presented as part of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the NOVA - School of Business and Economics

Everis’ Internationalization strategy to the Nordic market

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

Three essays on economics of predictability of stock returns

A PhD Dissertation, presented as part of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the NOVA - School of Business and Economics

Firmago S.A. - 2016: A deadline for succession

This paper, “Firmago S.A. - 2016: a deadline for succession”, is a case-based essay on a family business. It aims to provide the necessary tools for readers to best decide upon who should be chosen for the continuity of the family business after July 2016. Along with the case study the reader will have the opportunity to identify two main problems: blurred boundaries and the nonexistence of succession planning. In order to elaborate this case study I conducted several meetings with João Cabral, the current CEO of Firmago, who helped me understand the company’s background and the complexity of the family’s relationships. In order to fulfill the CEO’s requirement, all the real names and surnames of those from Firmago were replaced by fake names.

Are basic schools more effective than secondary schools?

The present essay focuses on the effectiveness of Portuguese public schools’ provision of 7th, 8th and 9th grades, using data from the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science for 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12. At least two school types offer these grades: Basic and Secondary. Based on previous findings, a production function is estimated for 9th grade students in the regular academic track, including a variable that indicates the specific school type attended by each student. After concluding that Basic Schools add more value, some explanations are presented as well as recommendations and possible further research.

The role of objects in creative collaborations

Objects matter when professionals collaborate to create new products. Chapter 1 explains the intention of this work, to apply theories on objects in the empirical context of fashion design. Chapter 2 addresses the question of how creative professionals learn about and use strategy tools to turn their artistic fame into a commercial success. For Chapter 3 I collected ethnographic data on the development of a seasonal collection from the idea to the presentation at Fashion Week. The result is a deep insight into the collaborative processes and material objects used when a stable team of designers works with several outside experts. Chapter 4 applies the knowledge of the role of objects in fashion design gained during the ethnography in the context of online co-creation and crowd sourced fashion items. The synthesis of the empirical studies allows me to present the conceptual leap in Chapter 5. In the theoretical essay I review the findings on the role of objects in collaborations in relation to practice theory, present the new concept of the comprehensive object and conclude by stating the possibilities for future research.

The global shopper & brands communication at airports

This project aims to illuminate two perspectives on travel retail. On the one hand, it describes the main character of the shopping scenario at airports, namely the Global Shopper. It covers the entire profile of the referred character, the main nationalities that represent him and the current shopping trends of the passenger. Also estimates of the booming nationalities and the future purchasing trends are accurately presented. On the other hand, the travel retail market is analyzed from the airport brands’ perspective. It is described what is currently done in terms of brands communication in the top ten airports around the world and the expected future market retail trends. To accurately explore the Global Shopper behavior and purchasing preferences, a market research was conducted with a sample of 128 respondents, male and female, from different nationalities, age groups, occupation and education backgrounds. The essay tests hypothesis regarding the relevance of several variables in the purchasing process of the Global Shopper in order to understand the most pleasant way to approach consumers in travel retail. The main variables studied concern the reasons to shop at airports, to whom the passenger shops, the preferred category and brand of purchase, feelings while shopping abroad, impulsive buying behavior, brand loyalty, the use of mobile devices in the shopping process, brands communication at airports, pre-ordering online and the attitude towards self-service stores. Some findings were in accordance with expectations, while others were a surprise and may produce valuable recommendations for future travel retail practices. 4 The main relevant results concern two areas, namely pre-ordering online and self-service stores. Results showed a certain stress about not having enough time to choose between the various offerings in travel retail, as well as difficulty in dealing with crowed stores. However, pre-ordering online was not common, which would be an initiative that could solve the discomfort at airport’s stores. Moreover, self-service would promote efficiency in stores allowing passengers to save time if they already know how to go through the shopping process by themselves. Another possible recommendation concerns differentiating the strategy in travel retail for the two genders. Some differences were found in the categories bought by male and female, as well as to how brands should shape their approach concerning the demands of each gender.