Mário Augusto

Job Characteristics and the Creativity of Frontline Service Employees

This study investigates the main and interactive effects of job characteristics on the creativity of frontline service employees. Past research investigates the link between job complexity, an index measure of job characteristics, and employee creativity. This study follows a component-wise approach in studying the influence of each job characteristic on the creativity of employees. The approach overcomes a number of limitations such as the sole reliance on the intrinsic motivation rationale. In addition, we conduct this research in services, whereas past research has focused primarily on other settings. The study tests a model with 460 employees from a service setting and shows that consideration of the effects of each job characteristic has an explanatory power beyond that of job complexity. Furthermore, the results show that job characteristics interact with each other to affect creativity. Finally, the results also indicate that the component-wise approach is useful for managers for prioritizing efforts. In particular, the results indicate that to promote creative behaviors, service managers should consider increasing employee job autonomy, variety, feedback, and identity. However, the interactions between job characteristics also reveal that to build an environment that stimulates creative performance, it is important to find the right balance between job characteristics.

Benchmarking in a multiple criteria performance context: An application and a conceptual framework

Abstract This article presents a conceptual benchmarking framework which applies a multiple criteria approach to assess performance. In the process, a multiple criteria procedure is used to assess the performance of three hundred and ninety two (392) Portuguese firms. Based on the results of this procedure, a conceptual framework is devised to facilitate addressing relevant benchmarking implications. The framework is designed to provide a conceptual linkage between the performance measurement methodology and the organizational benchmarking system.

An application of a multi‐criteria approach to assessing the performance of Portugal's economic sectors

Purpose – To propose a multi‐criteria approach for ranking the performance of the economic sectors of the Portuguese economy and to identify the most attractive sectors.Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐criteria approach using ELECTRE III and SRF software for eliciting the weights of criteria is used to solve the ranking problem statement.Findings – The sector non‐metallic mineral products was ranked in first place in relation to all the rankings; the wholesale trade and retailing trade sectors were ranked in second place in relation to all the rankings; the sector wood, cork and furniture was ranked often in second place; the electronic and electrical industry sectors was ranked in third place; the agriculture and fishing sector was ranked in the tail‐end of the ranking; the agro‐industry sector and the transportation and distribution sector consistently were ranked in the lowest positions, just before the agriculture and fishing sector.Research limitations/implications – Other evaluation criteria ca...

Organisational performance and innovation in the context of a total quality management philosophy: an empirical investigation

The literature emphasises the need to integrate innovation initiatives under the umbrella of the total quality management (TQM) philosophy. Such integration is instrumental towards achieving and sustaining a superior organisational performance. Using a sample of 229 Portuguese manufacturing organisations, factor and regression analyses procedures were used to assess the impact on organisational performance of innovation for small and large organisations in the Portuguese TQM business context. The results of this study point to the significance of the size of the organisation, and product and process innovations for organisational performance. Organisational innovation was not found to have a significant impact on organisational performance. These results might be attributed to specific ownership, which is associated with process and product innovation. Based on the results of this study, it is concluded that small organisations might want to consider directing their innovation investments towards management aspects such as processes and products. In this context, top-down organisational innovation might take more time and effort.

Organizational Factors Associated with Job Characteristics: Evidence from Frontline Service Employees

Job design is an effective manner for influencing the conduct of employees. However, research has not yet considered how job characteristics are associated with other organizational factors to promote employee attitudes and behaviors in a more sustainable way. The authors develop a structural model that addresses this gap with data from services. The results provide broad support for the proposed model, indicating that, perceptions of a customer‐oriented culture, autonomy, and behavior‐based evaluation systems are associated with task variety, identity, and supervisory support.

Assessing the competitive effectiveness of hospitals: The role of quality improvement initiatives

The dynamic relationships relevant to the competitive environment and competitive business methods utilised are examined for a sample of 107 hospitals with different operational characteristics. The data collected was analysed utilising a structural equation modeling approach. The results of the analysis clearly show that the effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives is associated with operational benefits. These operational benefits, in turn, were found to be associated with strategic organisational benefits. The path to these benefits appears to be motivated by environmental changes.

A structural equation modelling approach to assessing the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives in service organisations: a systematic perspective

This study examines the strategic and operational outcomes of effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives in different service operational environments. Using a sample of 354 service organisations, this study utilises a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach to investigate the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives. The results show clear strategic and operational benefits of effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives. The study concludes that the quality improvement efforts of service organisations should be viewed from a system-wide perspective. This systematic orientation leads to benefits which are not always achievable based on a piece-meal implementation orientation.

Determining the causal relationships that affect consumer-based brand equity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the causal relationships among the dimensions that explain consumer-based brand equity, and to determine the importance of each dimension in the assessment of overall brand equity. Design/methodology/approach – A research instrument proposed by Yoo and Donthu was applied to undergraduate students of the University of Coimbra. Two leading brands in the Portuguese beer market were used in the study. Respondents were randomly assigned to one brand and were asked to rate all items on seven Likert-type scales. Based on Aaker’s conceptual framework, a structural equation model (SEM) was designed to analyse the proposed relationships. Findings – A causal order between brand equity dimensions was established. The results suggest that the positive effects of perceived quality and brand awareness on overall brand equity are mediated by brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications – Although the exclusion of brand associations’ dimensions in the SEM improves the ...

Financial risk exposures and risk management: evidence from european nonfinancial firms

Estudos recentes tem procurado demonstrar que as empresas que utilizam instrumentos derivados com a finalidade de cobrir o risco apresentam valores de mercado superiores. Implicita nessa questao esta a suposicao de que as empresas utilizam os instrumentos derivados exclusivamente com o proposito de gerir a sua exposicao ao risco. No âmbito das empresas nao financeiras, verifica-se a existencia de vasta literatura que analisa as alteracoes do valor da empresa impulsionadas por alteracoes nos precos dos ativos financeiros. E consensual que a exposicao aos riscos financeiros emerge por via das atividades operacionais da empresa e que pode ser reduzida mediante a implementacao de estrategias de gestao do risco financeiro. Assim, consideraram-se as rendibilidades mensais de 304 empresas europeias cotadas na Euronext no periodo de 2006-2008, de forma a analisar se as praticas de gestao do risco estao associadas a menores niveis de risco. Adotou-se a metodologia em dois estagios proposta por Jorion (1990) e Allayannis e Ofek (2001), de forma a investigar, primeiro, a relacao existente entre o valor da empresa e a exposicao aos riscos financeiros, e, posteriormente, o impacto das atividades operacionais da empresa e da utilizacao de instrumentos de cobertura de risco no nivel de exposicao ao risco. No entanto, nao se desconsidera a hipotese de que a magnitude da exposicao possa afetar a decisao de implementar estrategias de cobertura de risco. Essa hipotese de simultaneidade entre a exposicao ao risco e a decisao de implementar estrategias de cobertura de risco e investigada por meio da metodologia Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR). Entre as principais conclusoes, destacamos: 1. existe evidencia de que as empresas da amostra exibem niveis de exposicao ao risco superiores, quando comparadas com resultados de estudos anteriores; 2. a gestao do risco influencia, de fato, o nivel de exposicao ao risco financeiro. Finalmente, os resultados confirmam a existencia de simultaneidade entre o nivel de exposicao ao risco e a decisao de empreender actividades de gestao do risco, mas apenas no que respeita a exposicao ao risco de taxa de câmbio e ao risco de variacao de preco das mercadorias.Estudios recientes sobre la gestion de riesgos han intentado demostrar que las empresas que promueven el uso de derivados como mecanismo de cobertura de riesgos tienen mayores valores de mercado. Implicita es la suposicion de que las empresas utilizan los derivados solamente con el proposito de gestionar su exposicion al riesgo. Alguna literatura concerniente a las empresas no financieras sugieren que las fluctuaciones en los precios de los activos financieros afectan el valor de la empresa. Ademas, es consensual que la exposicion a los riesgos financieros erige de las actividades operacionales de la empresa y que se puede reducir mediante la aplicacion de estrategias de gestion del riesgo financiero. Tenemos en cuenta los resultados mensuales de 304 empresas europeas cotizadas en el mercado Euronext en el periodo 2006-2008, para examinar si las practicas de gestion de riesgos estan asociadas con menores niveles de riesgo. Utilizamos la metodologia en dos etapas propuesta por Jorion (1990) y Allayannis y Ofek (2001), para investigar, en primer lugar, la relacion entre el valor y la exposicion a los riesgos financieros y, en ultima instancia, el impacto de las actividades operativas de la empresa y de lo uso de instrumentos de cobertura en el nivel de la exposicion. No obstante, consideramos la hipotesis de que la magnitud de la exposicion puede afectar tambien la decision de implementar estrategias de cobertura de riesgos. Esta hipotesis de simultaneidad entre la exposicion al riesgo y la decision de implementar estrategias de cobertura es investigada por el metodo Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR). En los resultados destacamos: en primer lugar, evidencia de que las empresas de la muestra revelan porcentajes mas altos de exposicion al riesgo en comparacion con estudios empiricos anteriores; observamos, tambien, que la gestion de riesgos esta significativamente asociada con la exposicion al los riesgos financieros. Por ultimo, los resultados confirman la existencia de simultaneidad entre el nivel de exposicion al riesgo y la decision de implementar estrategias de cobertura de riesgos, pero solo en relacion a la exposicion al riesgo de cambio y al riesgo de fluctuacion de los precios de las mercadorias.

Dividend policy and capital structure: an empirical application in the Portuguese corporate context

This study provides new evidence for the interdependency between capital structure and dividend policies, considering investment as a decision variable and taking into account a number of corporate attributes that may have the potential to influence these decisions. The methodology used in this study recognises that each financial decision is a function of those which remain and all such decisions are affected by a group of the firm’s attributes. The methodology used allows the quantification of direct, indirect, and total effects among the attributes of the firms and the financial decisions. This offers new insights into some of the contradictory results found in previously published research. Using a sample of 623 Portuguese companies, this study finds evidence that the interactions of financial decisions are dependent on the firms’ attributes. It also shows, explicitly, the direct, indirect and total effects of the different attributes of the company on those decisions.