Browsing by Author "Tavares, F."
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- ArQoS®: System to monitor QoS/QoE in VoIPPublication . S. Cardeal; Neves, Filipe; Soares, S.; Tavares, F.; Assunção, PedroThe evolution of telecommunications technology from circuit to packet switching, in which the Internet is the great paradigm, offers nowadays more flexibility in services and higher efficiency in the transport infrastructure that was not experienced before. As consequence, several new services have emerged. Among them, Voice over IP (VoIP) is, indubitably, one of the most popular, mainly because it allows anyone to make low cost voice calls, making it a very attractive service. This is perhaps one of the main factors responsible for the fast development of VoIP technology. However, IP networks were not designed for services with real time requirements and factors like delay, jitter, codec distortions and packet loss lead to degradations that directly influence de VoIP user experience. The quality experienced by these users is highly dependent on network conditions and also on the subjective experience perceived by them. Thus, new challenges have brought with this evolution of telecommunications networks. In order to meet the assigned Service Level Agreement (SLA's), service providers around the world need to monitor and guarantee the agreed Quality of Service (QoS) to its customers. Consequently, an emergent way to measure QoS arises in the field of the telecommunications sector: the Quality of Experience (QoE) assessment and monitor that takes into account that subjective experience. Thus, a new challenging need arises: the development of systems and methods for assessing quality of experience, such that, network operators and service providers can actually know how users evaluate the quality of the service provided to them. In this paper, a system for assessing QoS/QoE is described: the ArQoS®. This is an integrated system provided by Portugal Telecom Inovação (PTIn) which implements QoE assessment methods to assess the networks performance and their telecommunications services. Beyond the existing methods already supported by the system, a novel QoE monitor for VoIP services was recently integrated as a result of fundamental research carried out at PTIn Labs. The ArQoS® is a probing system based on different types of probes, actually comprising two systems operating in two different modes: the active system (intrusive mode) and the passive system (non-intrusive mode).
- Comparative Analysis of the Importance of Determining Factors in the Choice and Sale of ApartmentsPublication . Santos, E.; Tavares, F.; Tavares, V.; Ratten, V.The motivation to compare the importance that buyers and sellers give to the diverse characteristics of apartments is its pertinency to grasping the housing market. The objective of this article is to compare the determining factors in the choice and sale of apartments among the potential buyers and sellers. During a sale, the realtors exhibit the dwellings’ positive characteristics, the so-called amenities. The homebuyers must analyse the deal in a rational and well-weighed way, striving to know its characteristics to reduce the information asymmetry. The study focuses on two distinct samples, with the common goal of transacting housing. One of the samples is composed of individuals who are looking for apartments, and the other one of individuals who are selling apartments, both being collected in mainland Portugal. It was verified that there are statistically significant differences between buyers and sellers. Buyers give more importance to certain rooms and the inexistence of negative externalities near their future residence. Sellers emphasise positive externalities and parking spots. This study is expected to contribute to the increase in scientific knowledge on the housing market and to the decrease of the information asymmetry between sellers and buyers. Knowing the importance that buyers and sellers give to the main different factors in the Portuguese real estate market constitutes an advancement of knowledge in this area.
- Craft entrepreneurial ecosystemsPublication . Ratten, Vanessa; Santos, E.; Tavares, F.; Tavares, V.; Ratten, V.Research focusing on an industry view of entrepreneurial ecosystems is limited. The aim of this chapter is to examine the configuration of craft entrepreneurial ecosystems. Specifically, this chapter combines the craft industry and entrepreneurial ecosystem literatures to produce a holistic discussion of craft entrepreneurial ecosystems. The findings provide new insights into the collaboration and competition that exists amongst craft makers based on their entrepreneurial behaviour. This means connecting the increased interest on handmade and authentic products to cultural needs of consumers. The findings also underlie the importance of heritage and history interactions in establishing an effect entrepreneurial strategy.
- Determining Factors in the Choice of Apartments in Portugal: A Confirmatory Factor AnalysisPublication . Tavares, F.; Santos, E.; Tavares, V.; Ratten, V.Buying housing is often the biggest transaction in the families’ lives. Therefore, this is an important reason to know and to study the determining factors of that purchase. This chapter aims to analyze which factors contribute to the choice of apartments in Portugal the most. To carry out this study, a quantitative methodology based on a questionnaire survey which analyzes both the determining factors in the choice of apartments and the sociodemographic profile was used. The sample is composed of 646 individuals who were looking for an apartment in different regions of mainland Portugal. The results show that the determining factors scale in the choice of apartments presents largely adequate levels of validity and reliability, being composed of four factors: negative externalities, positive externalities, businesses located on the ground floor, and rational interest in proximity to public services. The results also identify that the positive externalities contribute significantly to the apartment’s choice. In Portugal, there is no study with this depth about this subject. The validation of an assessment scale of determining factors in the choice of apartments in the Portuguese real estate market is ground-breaking. This study is expected to contribute to the expansion of scientific knowledge in this theme and to help real estate developers meet their customers’ preferences.
- Exploratory Analysis of the Christmas Symbology ImportancePublication . Santos, E.; Tavares, F.; Tavares, V.; Ratten, V.The purpose of this investigation is to study the Christmas symbology importance and its relationship with consumerism in the Christmas season. An exploratory study is carried out, and it is based on a questionnaire survey consisting of three parts: estimated consumption in the Christmas season, the importance of the Christmas symbology and some sociodemographic variables. The sample in this study is composed of 1086 Portuguese individuals, who are over 18 years old. The results show that the variable Christmas symbology presents good reliability and a structure with three factors: Christmas season Ornaments, Prosperity and Abundance, and Nativity and History of Jesus. The Christmas tree, the Christmas lights and the nativity of Jesus are the symbols to which people grant higher levels of importance. The greater the importance given to Christmas symbols, the greater the estimated consumption value in the Christmas season, while the factor Nativity and History of Jesus is the one which contributes the most to consumerism. This chapter develops a comprehensive study that is expected to contribute to understand the Christmas symbology importance for the Portuguese population and its relationship with consumerism. This chapter explores an area in which there are few studies, because it is not only about the Christmas symbology importance but also about its relationship with consumerism in the Christmas season. The different symbols which characterize this season are filled with stories and meaning, giving the people’s lives importance. Therefore, this study is both groundbreaking and relevant for the Portuguese population.
- How is risk different in family and non-family businesses? - a comparative statistical analysis during the COVID-19 pandemicPublication . Santos, E.; Ratten, Vanessa; Tavares, F.; Ratten, V.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.
- Impact of motivations to buy and offer gifts in consumerism at ChristmasPublication . Santos, E.; Diogo, A.; Ratten, V.; Tavares, F.This article aims to analyze a conceptual model composed of the variables motivation to buy, motivation to offer gifts and compulsive consumerism at Christmas time. In order to achieve the proposed objective, a quantitative methodology based on a questionnaire survey was used. The sample consists of 1086 Portuguese individuals, over 18 years old. To evaluate the model, structural equation modeling with partial least squares was used. The results show that the motivations to buy and to offer gifts positively influence compulsive consumerism at Christmas time, and that the motivation to buy positively influences the motivation to offer gifts at Christmas time. The model also demonstrates that the motivation to offer gifts plays a mediating role in the relationship between the motivation to buy and compulsive consumerism. In Portugal there are no known studies on the motivations for offering gifts at Christmas. The present study can help academics, researchers and professionals (managers of consumer goods companies, commercial managers and advertising campaign managers) to better understand the motivations for buying and offering gifts, and the compulsive consumerism of the Portuguese population at Christmas time.
- Percepção do consumismo dos portugueses na época de NatalPublication . Santos, E.; Tavares, F.A presente investigação tem como objetivo analisar o consumo estimado pelos portugueses na época de Natal. O Natal transporta em si uma contradição, por ser considerado um feriado religioso mas também uma das ocasiões mais consumistas e lucrativas para o mundo cristão. Utilizou-se uma metodologia quantitativa baseada num questionário, onde os inquiridos, para além de responderem a um conjunto de questões de índole sociodemográfica, indicaram com quem passariam a festividade. Indicaram também o valor a gastar em presentes para oferecer e em bens de consumo na época de Natal. A amostra é constituída por 1.077 indivíduos portugueses, maiores de 18 anos. Os resultados demonstram que esses indivíduos estimam gastar mais em presentes para oferecer do que em bens de consumo. Verifica-se também que o consumo estimado para essa época do ano aumenta com a idade, com o número de elementos do agregado familiar, com o nível de escolaridade e com o rendimento mensal do agregado familiar. Os indivíduos que estimam gastar mais na época de Natal são: homens; os que têm religião; os que possuem familiar direto com menos de 16 anos; e os que são casados ou vivem em união de fato. O estudo ajuda a perceber as motivações do consumo na época natalina e a sua importância no desenvolvimento econômico. Espera-se que este estudo venha a contribuir para desvendar o espírito de Natal e expor o simbolismo presente nas variadas manifestações sociais e culturais da sociedade.
- A reflection on explanatory factors for COVID -19: A comparative study between countriesPublication . Santos, E.; Oliveira, M. F.; Ratten, V.; Tavares, F.; Tavares, V.The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest problem facing the world nowadays. Each country in the world has its own characteristics, which means that its governments, at different rhythms, adopt identical measures to combat this new virus. This article aims to perform a comparative study between countries with a population similar to the Portuguese in number of inhabitants and to find out which factors may explain the numbers registered with the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the countries that carried out more population tests have higher values in tourism, secu rity, innovation, competitiveness, and GDP per capita indicators. There is a significant and positive relationship between temperature and the daily cases of COVID-19 infections. The results found contribute to a greater knowledge of the behavior of this disease according to the characteristics of each country, making it useful for international business managers to compare and contrast different country environ mental conditions in order to define alternative strategies to overcome this great period of disturbance more quickly.
- Risk categorization in Portuguese organizations in times of the COVID-19 pandemic - an exploratory statistical analysisPublication . Tavares, F.; Santos, E.; Tavares, V.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.