Eulalia Santos, Vasco Tavares, Fernando Oliveira Tavares and Vanessa Ratten
Risk is part of corporate activity and a consequence of the businesses' demands, the market and the changes in companies and their surroundings. The way that risk is managed is…
Abstract
Purpose
Risk is part of corporate activity and a consequence of the businesses' demands, the market and the changes in companies and their surroundings. The way that risk is managed is different between family and non-family businesses. The paper aims to compare the different risk types experienced in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic among family and non-family businesses and to analyze whether operational, legal, strategic and image risks influence financial risks.
Design/methodology/approach
The nature of the study is quantitative and based on a questionnaire survey that analyses the perception of risks by 1,090 family businesses and 557 non-family businesses.
Findings
The results show the existence of statistically significant differences in the perception of financial and legal risks between family and non-family businesses, where the former being the businesses that give more importance to these risks. The perception of operational, legal, strategic and image risks have a positive influence on the perception of financial risk in family and non-family businesses.
Originality/value
The results obtained in the study are important because they allow an understanding about the differences in risk management between family and non-family businesses, which can lead to greater corporate sustainability and increased financial performance.
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Eulália Maria Mota Santos, Vasco Capela Tavares, Vanessa Ratten and Fernando Oliveira Tavares
The purpose of this study is to identify the profile of the Portuguese regarding the perception of financial literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the profile of the Portuguese regarding the perception of financial literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The utilized methodology is based on a questionnaire survey that assesses the perception of financial literacy. The sample is composed of 830 Portuguese individuals over 18 years old.
Findings
The results show that the financial literacy scale presents a tri-factor structure with adequate validity and reliability levels. The three obtained factors are designated 1-2-year financial planning and goals, long-term saving and taste for numeric calculations.
Originality/value
The originality in this study is shown in the application of the cluster analysis, which demonstrates the formation of three clusters that present different perceptions of financial literacy, classifying the Portuguese into a cluster of high financial literacy and taste for numeric calculation, a cluster of low financial literacy and a cluster of financial planning and saving but without the taste for numeric calculation.
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Fernando Tavares, Eulália Santos, Ana Diogo and Vanessa Ratten
The purpose of this article is to analyze the experiences experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, based on an experimental marketing perspective and to validate a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to analyze the experiences experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, based on an experimental marketing perspective and to validate a scale of experiences for the quarantine context.
Design/methodology/approach
The life of a human being is a sum of the experiences that occur in their daily life, from experiences at home, to experiences at work, shopping, holidays and, essentially, with other human beings. However, experiences during the quarantine period became limited to experiences at home. For this, we used a questionnaire survey that analyzes the experiences experienced by individuals. The sample consists of 726 individuals who were in Portugal during the quarantine and confinement period.
Findings
The results show that the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis produced a structure with four factors that the authors called Sense and Feel, Pandemic Feel, Pandemic Think and Act. The experiences are manifested with greater intensity in the factors Pandemic Think and Sense and Feel. The scale of experiences used showed to have convergent and discriminant validity and adequate internal consistency. It is expected that the present study will contribute to increase scientific knowledge in the behavioral area and in the area of positive psychology in the context of pandemic and confinement situations.
Originality/value
The results achieved become useful for health and marketing professionals, which allow them to define appropriate strategies to better serve the population in order to improve people's health, well-being and quality of life.
Eulália Santos, Fernando Oliveira Tavares and Margarida Freitas Foliveira
Christmas is the most consumed event of the year, always full of traditions, namely family ones, which are very significant. In this way, it is intended to find out the importance…
Abstract
Purpose
Christmas is the most consumed event of the year, always full of traditions, namely family ones, which are very significant. In this way, it is intended to find out the importance of traditions at Christmas time and analyze their implications for family businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is quantitative in nature, based on a questionnaire survey carried out with 551 Portuguese individuals, over 18 years of age, where different issues related to Christmas traditions and family are addressed.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the Christmas traditions scale is made up of four factors: family traditions on Christmas Eve, aspects related to the Christmas spirit, changes in Christmas traditions with the COVID-19 pandemic and traditions of participating in events with family at Christmas. Cod and octopus dishes are the most popular dishes on Christmas Eve. In relation to sweets/desserts, king cake, rabanadas, vermicelli, children's bread and sponge cake are the most common on Christmas Eve.
Originality/value
The study helps to understand Portuguese Christmas traditions, providing knowledge that allows defining strategies for family businesses, improving the experience and relationship with consumers at a special time of year. It is hoped that the trends in Christmas traditions in this study will contribute to unveiling the Christmas spirit, also serve as a marketing image and create curiosity and motivation on the part of other cultures to visit Portugal during this festive season, in order to experience Christmas traditions.
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Margarida Freitas Oliveira, Eulália Santos and Vanessa Ratten
Errors are inevitable, resulting from the human condition itself, system failures and the interaction of both. It is essential to know how to deal with their occurrence, managing…
Abstract
Purpose
Errors are inevitable, resulting from the human condition itself, system failures and the interaction of both. It is essential to know how to deal with their occurrence, managing them. However, the negative tone associated with them makes it difficult for most organizations to talk about mistakes clearly and transparently, for fear of being harmed, preventing their detection, treatment and recovery. Consequently, errors are not managed, remaining accumulated in the system, turning into successive failures. Organizations need to recognize the inevitability of errors, making the system robust, through leadership and an organizational culture of error management. This study aims to understand the role of these influencing variables in an error management approach.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors applied the methodology of a quantitative nature based on a questionnaire survey that analyses error management, leadership and the organizational culture of error management of 380 workers in Portuguese companies.
Findings
The results demonstrate that leadership directly influences error management and indirectly through the organizational culture of error management, giving this last variable a mediating role.
Originality/value
The study covers companies from different sectors of activity on a topic that is little explored in Portugal, but part of the daily life of organizations, which should deserve greater attention from directors and managers, as they assume a privileged position to promote and develop error management mechanisms. Error management must be the daily work of leaders. This study contributes to theoretical knowledge and business practice on error management.
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Eulalia Santos, Vanessa Ratten, Ana Diogo and Fernando Tavares
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly around the world and Portugal is no exception. Positive and negative effects are extremely important in individual's life experiences and…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly around the world and Portugal is no exception. Positive and negative effects are extremely important in individual's life experiences and in particular in the context of the quarantine, in which it is important to maintain the balance between favorable and unfavorable situations. The purpose of this paper is to study in depth the intensity of the affect during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal and to validate a scale of positive and negative affect in the context of quarantine and confinement.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology used is of a quantitative nature, based on a questionnaire survey to measure the intensity of the affects and to analyze some sociodemographic variables. The sample consists of 726 individuals of age 18 years or older, who were in Portugal during the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Findings
The results show that respondents were concerned, anxious, well-disposed and impatient. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis applied to affects produced a latent structure with two factors: negative affect and positive affect. The affect scale has adequate convergent and discriminant validity and good internal consistency, with negative affect being experienced by individuals with greater intensity compared to positive affect.
Originality/value
It is hoped that this study contributes to an increase in the scientific knowledge in the field of the affects in the context of delicate situations such as the pandemic COVID-19 so that health professionals can intervene to improve individual’s well-being. This is an important way to provide better health policy that considers in more depth individual wellbeing and emotions during times of crisis. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also stated that highlight the importance of understanding emotional states of individuals during crisis events.
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Fernando Tavares, Eulália Santos, Ana Diogo and Vanessa Ratten
Human beings spend about a third of their day working, so it is very important that they are integrated into a good community work environment. When the setting is teleworking in…
Abstract
Purpose
Human beings spend about a third of their day working, so it is very important that they are integrated into a good community work environment. When the setting is teleworking in a family and housing context, it is important to keep a good environment and also a good physical, psychological and ergonomic aspects to attain job performance. The purpose of this paper is to characterize teleworking carried out in Portuguese communities in the context of the state of emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey questionnaire was used, which analyzed general information about teleworking and the individual’s adaptation process and the difficulties they faced during the teleworking period. The sample consists of 359 individuals aged 18 years or over, who were teleworking in their homes and in a family environment.
Findings
The results show that adapting to teleworking was easy or very easy and that it happened very quickly. The main difficulties encountered by the individuals were the lack of professional interaction/communication with coworkers, the lack of resources related to support infrastructures, such as the internet or a printer, and the reconciliation of teleworking with family life/household chores/dedication to children and time/schedule management.
Originality/value
This study hopes to contribute to the increase of the scientific knowledge in the teleworking field and to allow companies to rethink the teleworking strategies to optimize resources and costs and to improve the organization’s productivity without harming the quality of life and well-being of their workers.
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Fernando Tavares, Eulália Santos and Vasco Tavares
This work aims to characterize the risks companies deal with in the context of a pandemic, and to ascertain which risk type is most present in Portuguese organizations. It is also…
Abstract
Purpose
This work aims to characterize the risks companies deal with in the context of a pandemic, and to ascertain which risk type is most present in Portuguese organizations. It is also intended to verify whether there are differences in the various risk types between companies that had or did not have a plan or strategy to act in a pandemic, such as the one caused by COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative methodology was used, based on the application of a questionnaire survey targeting the Portuguese companies. The sample is composed of 1,647 Portuguese companies, which were queried through a questionnaire survey that analyses different risk types. Then, the software R was used to treat the results.
Findings
The results show that companies are exposed and vulnerable to uncertain events, and five risk types were formed: legal, image, financial, strategic and operational. There is a bigger concern about the management of financial risks.
Practical implications
Academics and companies can become more aware and master the concept of risk and its different branches, which consequently favours the adoption of strategies to better manage and plan risk.
Originality/value
The literature on international businesses and their risks assumes that all crises are the same. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, besides causing a recession, obliges people and companies to adapt to a new scenario. Risks become more important to companies, in a way that had not been academically studied.
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Rui Vicente Martins, Eulália Santos, Teresa Eugénio and Ana Morais
Business politics and social and economic policies in the past decades brought us to the inevitability of change. Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a vital role in this change…
Abstract
Purpose
Business politics and social and economic policies in the past decades brought us to the inevitability of change. Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a vital role in this change as it is a tool for international business management in a global world. The relationship between FDI and sustainability in sub-Saharan countries with lower incomes has not yet been sufficiently studied, so this study aims to bring some more conclusions to the discussion. Thus, the main objective is to understand if FDI effectively influences the so-called triple bottom line (TBL) pillars of sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
With data from the World Bank regarding 20 sub-Saharan countries gathered between 2010 and 2018, this study analysed 34 indicators composing 11 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Afterwards, the authors grouped them by the TBL pillars and evaluated the influence of FDI inflows on their scores using panel data models.
Findings
The results show a positive and significant correlation between the TBL pillars, with the highest correlation being between the environmental and economic pillars. On the other hand, FDI has no significant influence on the TBL pillars.
Practical implications
This study could improve foreign investment legislation/regulation in sub-Saharan African countries, potentially impacting the sustainability these investments should generate.
Social implications
This study contributes to understanding how FDI implies sustainability. The results suggest that governments, non-governmental organisations and other competent entities need to adjust their actions in these countries so that foreign companies sustainably exploit the resources.
Originality/value
This study brings to the current arena an emerging theme: FDI and sustainability in African countries, particularly in sub-Saharan countries. This subject in developing countries is still under-researched.