Biosecurity and Emerging Plant Health Problems in Turf Production and Maintenance

Recent research has supported the view that the distributions of many pests and diseases have extended towards higher latitudes over the last 50 years. Probably driven by a combination of climate change and trade, this extension to the ranges of hundreds of plant pathogens may have serious implications not only for agriculture, horticulture and forestry, but also for turf production &maintenance. Here we review our data relating to the current status of three emerging pest and disease problems across North West Europe (rapid blight, Labyrinthula sp. , the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne minor and the pacific stem gall nematode, Anguina pacificae ) and discuss the factors which may be involved in their spread and increasing impact on the turf industry. With turf production and maintenance becoming an increasingly international business, we ask if biosecurity and the promotion of plant health in turf production fields and associated sport facilities should be a greater priority for the industry. We also examine if a lack of effective biosecurity measures in the materials supply chain has led to increased plant health problems.

Pro-internationalisation policies and outward foreign direct investment

This thesis addresses the impacts of public policies on outward foreign direct investment, seeking to contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between pro-internationalisation policies and firm behaviour. Home country measures associated with these policies are explored in terms of use and awareness, as determinants of foreign direct investment, as drivers of policy objectives, in terms of perceived importance and impact in different scenarios of internationalisation. Using a comprehensive database of 441 Portuguese firms, being those that had participated at least in one of the 11 types of public support between 1994 and 2009. The empirical papers presented here reveal a moderating effect of firm capabilities and internationalisation conditions on policy objectives. In fact, firms’ resources and capabilities frame the awareness and use of home country support measures, the existence of public policy determinants of foreign direct investment, the decision to carry out more aggressive modes of entry and the choice of more demanding environments, the impact of policy objectives, and the perceived importance of incentives. In practical terms, the findings of this thesis points that firms’ resources and capabilities are negatively associated with the use of public support, contrasting with awareness, which is found to increase with firms’ resources and capabilities. This insight sheds light on a potential problem of incentives allocation. Our results support the established theorizing about the co-evolution of government and firms' policies, home country measures being found as determinants of foreign direct investment. It is also shown that prointernationalization policies reinforce the firms’ resources and capabilities, which seems to have a positive impact on international growth. An evaluation of public policy, from the foreign direct investor's lens, supports the argument that firms involved in more demanding projects tend to attribute more importance to public supports. Behind the specific and concrete contributions identified in each of the empirical papers, as a whole this thesis makes methodological contributions by introducing the evaluation of impacts of public policies to the field of international business through the firm perspective; these contributions are achieved by taking the pro-internationalisation policies of a small open economy to better understand the impacts of public policies, and by shedding light on co-evolution between resource and institutional-based views.

Environmental Implications of Hotel Growth in China: Integrating Sustainability with Hotel Development

China has embarked on the largest program of new hotel construction the world has ever seen. Even though the nation’s growth rate has eased somewhat in the past year, China’s hotel development continues at a pace that would see at least three new 150+ room hotels open every day for the next 25 years.1 Even if the industry does not continue to expand at this rate, China’s hotel growth carries substantial consequences in terms of increases in energy and water consumption, and an expanding carbon footprint. In this paper, we outline the dimensions of this issue, and we urge hotel developers to heed the national government’s push for greater sustainability.

Impact of the financial crisis on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and concentration in the global banking industry

The global banking industry has seen dramatic changes in the past 40 years. Most recently, the financial liberalization of emerging markets and the global financial crisis have significantly impacted the market share of banks worldwide. This article investigates the impact of the 2007–2008 financial crisis on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the banking sector and emphasizes the role of emerging-market banks in the postcrisis consolidation trend. Using M&A data and concentration data over the period 2000–2013, our analysis indicates that the financial crisis had a significant impact on worldwide M&As, especially on the direction of the transactions. Emerging-market banks appear to be major acquirers in the postcrisis period, targeting both neighboring countries and developed economies in Europe. We also observe an increase in bank concentration in developed markets most hit by the financial crisis, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, whereas bank concentration decreased in emerging markets.

Long-term performance of mergers and acquisitions in ASEAN countries

The study looks at mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in ASEAN countries and examines the post-M&A performance using data from 2001 to 2012. The industry-adjusted operating performance tends to decline in the 3 years following an M&A. Yet, the results suggest that M&As completed during the financial crisis are more profitable than those implemented before and/or after the crisis. We argue that this is mainly due to the synergies created between the firms’ resources during the crisis which augur well for firms’ economic performance. We find that, during the crisis, certain characteristics of the firms like the relative size of the target, cross-border nature of deals, acquirer's cash reserves and friendly nature of deals are important determinants of long-term post-M&A operating performance. However, for M&As during the crisis, there appears to be no relationship between performance and firms’ characteristics linked to M&A activity such as payment method, industry relatedness and percentage of target's share acquired.

The motives and performance of cross-border acquirers from emerging economies: Comparison between Chinese and Indian firms

During the recent decade, the world has witnessed the rapid growth of MNEs from emerging economies. Their increasing participation in cross-border mergers and acquisitions has raised great attention in the extant literature. This study evaluates the value creation from these cross-border transactions from two representative emerging countries, namely China and India, and determines factors that result in the different performance of these international acquisition activities. Cross-border acquisitions conducted by these countries’ companies indeed lead to significant shareholder wealth creation. Furthermore, Indian shareholders are more likely to benefit from deals in small cultural distance countries, while Chinese investors gain from the cross-border expansion of manufacturing companies. Location also affects the performance of cross-border acquisitions, with acquisitions into developed countries generating higher returns to shareholders. Our sample consists of 203 Indian and 63 Chinese cross-border deals over the period 2000–2010 and our results hold after controlling for various deal-level and firm-level characteristics.

Estratégia de internacionalização das empresas competências na exportação e enquadramento no direito aduaneiro

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionalização

Deslocalização de empresas num contexto de globalização: estudo de caso de uma empresa portuguesa

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionalização Orientador: Professor Doutor José de Freitas Santos

O processo de Internacionalização na ótica da gestão estratégica. Análise de performance Grupo EDP

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Contabilidade e Finanças, sob orientação de Doutora Cláudia Pereira

Empreendedorismo internacional: plano de negócios de criação da GIBS

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto, para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionalização Orientador: Doutor Orlando Manuel Martins Marques de Lima Rua Coorientadora: Mestre Anabela Paula Alferes Ferreira Ribeiro

Influence of entrepreneurial orientation in export performance

This study aims at investigating the influence that entrepreneurial orientation has on export performance of Portuguese footwear small and mediumenterprises (SMEs). Therefore, a quantitative methodological approach was used, conducting a descriptive, exploratory and transversal empirical study, having applied a questionnaire to a sample of Portuguese companies exporting footwear. The research results suggest that entrepreneurial orientation enhances export performance in the analysed SMEs, particularly innovation and proactiveness, through the amount of funds invested, human resources dedicated to this activity, number of new products or services introduced in the market and frequent change in product lines or services and materialization of a long-term perspective, which is accompanied by innovative activities or new businesses. Therefore, the findings sustain the necessity to invest in entrepreneurial orientation as a strategic determinant, which contributes to the growth of small firms in foreignmarkets. Finally, the main limitation of this study is related to the sample size, since it was difficult to find companies willing to collaborate with this kind of research.

An organizational culture approach to performance in information technology micro-firms

This study aims to analyze and compare micro-firms’ organizational culture related to organizational performance. A case study methodology was used based on four firms, competitors among themselves in the Information Technology business, focusing on the years between 2008-2013. Findings pointed out many similarities to larger firms, but some specificities of micro-firms were found and propositions were defined: clan culture predominance is related to best performing micro-firms; the configuration of several culture types seemed to be the most suitable for obtaining good organizational results, provided that they do not focus only on hierarchy and market types of culture; the market culture predominance perception by employees is associated with low job satisfaction; and, after a certain time in business, micro-firms, as do larger companies, seek to standardize and control processes. Recognizing that organizational culture is considered important to firms’ results, this study sheds some light on that important factor for micro-firms.

(Non) - Demand driven servitization: strategic implications for suppliers from incorporating their customers up front

Double Degree. A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Master’s Degree in Management from NOVA – School of Business and Economics and a Masters Degree in International Business, Strategy and Innovation from Maastricht University