CEF.UP – ECO Seminar

Tuesday – April 1^st 2025, at 13:00h | Room 305

Should Egress Fees Be Eliminated? An Analysis of Cloud Services and Beyond

Andrea Mantovani – TBS – Toulouse Business School (France), Toulouse School of Economics (France) and University of Bologna (Italy)

Abstract:

“As cloud computing continues to expand, it has drawn significant attention from policymakers due to concerns over market concentration and potentially controversial practices employed by dominant providers. In this paper, we examine the impact of egress fees, which are imposed on users when switching providers. Using a simple two-period duopoly model, we analyze their effects on firms and society. Our findings reveal that cloud providers have strong incentives to implement egress fees, particularly under short-term contracts and in competition with smaller fringe providers. In such scenarios, users are notably disadvantaged by the presence of egress fees. While banning or efficiently capping these fees could enhance consumer surplus, it may also prompt cloud providers to increase switching costs for users, especially if these costs are relatively inexpensive to impose.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – April 1^st, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“Rethinking the Service Profit Chain: A Revised Framework for the Digital Era”

Jens Hogreve – Ingolstadt School of Management, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Germany)

Abstract:

“Over the past 25 years, the service–profit chain (SPC) has become a key framework for service managers and researchers. This talk will reflect on and synthesize published research to clarify what is well understood about the SPC and what remains less explored. Based on an in-depth discussion of the field, the talk will present a revised SPC and highlight multiple areas for further research, including internal service quality as a system of human resource management practices, the roles of employee and customer well-being as additional mediators, different targets of employee and customer loyalty, key contingencies, and the potential for non-linear and feedback effects. The talk will conclude by reimagining the SPC in light of digital and artificial intelligence–driven transformations, followed by a discussion of ongoing research on AI at the service frontline.”

CEF.UP – FIN Seminar

Thursday – April 3^rd, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. | Room 305| Online

Bank Syndicates and Liquidity Provision

João Santos  – Federal Reserve Bank of New York (U.S.A.), NOVA School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Abstract:

“We provide a model where credit lines syndicates commit to provide liquidity. Our model yields predictions about the syndicate, pricing and the special role of the lead bank. Consistent with our model, we find that syndicate members with a relationship with the borrower make larger investments and are less likely to exit the syndicate. Lead banks offer a discount particularly on commitment fees to borrowers they have relationships with. Consistent with their unique role, lead banks are more likely increase their investments following the failure of syndicate members, although not enough to fully offset the lost commitment.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – April 8^th, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“Transformative Service Research and Well-Being at the Intersection of Consumers with Organizational Frontlines”

Steven Rayburn – Texas State University (U.S.A.)

In this session, Dr. Rayburn will explore the origins of the Transformative Service Research initiative as well as some of the ongoing developments focused on the emergence of the Organizational Frontlines Research as a key focal area within Service Research. The intersection of Transformative Service Research, the Organizational Frontline, and Individual Wellbeing will be explored drawing, on examples from Dr. Rayburn’s consumer and employee research. During this session, he will discuss his focus on consumer and employee wellbeing as a key outcome. Specifically, from the consumer perspective he will discuss Service Captivity, a concept he developed in his dissertation to help researchers understand consumers’ loss of voice, choice, and power in service interactions. This discussion will highlight service design elements integral to diminishing consumer perceptions of service captivity. Dr. Rayburn will also discuss employee prosocial motivation and impact, employees’ desire and ability to positively contribute to the wellbeing of others. This discussion will expose the positive tripartite impact on the employee, organization, and customers that is present when prosocial motivation is facilitated.

CEF.UP – FIN Seminar

Thursday – April 24^th, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. | Room 305| Online

“Voting Rationales“

Silvina Rubio  – University of Bristol (England, United Kingdom)

Abstract:

“Why do institutional investors vote the way they vote? Using a novel dataset on institutional investors’ voting rationales, we provide direct evidence on the motivation for institutions’ votes in director elections. The main reasons for opposition are lack of independence and diversity. Concerns raised in rationales reflect firms’ governance weaknesses: companies with low board gender diversity receive more rationales on diversity, with similar results for independence, tenure, busyness, and CEO duality. Companies listen and change board composition in the direction stated in voting rationales. Results suggest many institutions make independent voting decisions with merits, and firms address investors’ concerns.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – April 29^th, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“”Are we good? Or do we need to keep going?”: Unravelling auditors’ evidence sufficiency determinations”

Lisa Baudot – HEC Paris (France)

Abstract:

“Determining when sufficient appropriate evidence has been gathered is a critical aspect of audit judgment, with public regulators frequently citing insufficient evidence as a key deficiency in audits. Drawing on interviews with 45 auditors across firms of varying sizes and using a theoretical framework that integrates both the structured and affective dimensions of professional judgements, our study explores how auditors approach evidence sufficiency determinations. Our analysis reveals the dynamic, cyclical decision-making process auditors employ while assessing evidence sufficiency. Initially, auditors rely on established guidelines, which provide a structured approach. When these guidelines prove insufficient or mismatch the specific scenario, discomfort prompts auditors to engage in deeper evaluation. This might include revising evidence thresholds, adapting rules for evidence comparison, or forming mental models to better understand the situation alongside the collective inputs gathered throughout the process. This iterative process can either resolve the initial discomfort or lead auditors to accept some residual discomfort. As auditors navigate a variety of stopping rules and feelings of (dis) comfort, they continuously recalibrate their sufficiency determinations based on prior experiences, establishing a feedback loop that informs perceptions of comfort, and the evidence required to attain it.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 6^th, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“Evolution and current topics in Purpose-Driven Branding”

Francisco Guzmán – University of North Texas (U.S.A.)

Zoe Lee – Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University (Wales, United Kingdom)

Consumers increasingly expect brands to have a social purpose. Brand purpose has been defined as a branding strategy that unites a brand’s core values with a higher cause/purpose, making it a part of brand’s identity and positioning in the long-term, to raise awareness, build emotional bonds with consumers, and positively impact a societal need. In this seminar, the evolution of the concept, as well as current topics, will be discussed. Guest speakers will also present their ongoing research projects within this emerging field.

CEF.UP – ECO/FIN Seminar

Tuesday – May 13^th 2025, at 13:00h | Room 305

“Economic Policy Uncertainty and Consumer Perceptions: The Danish Case”

Michael Bergman –  University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Abstract:
“This paper develops a newspaper based measure of economic policy uncertainty for Denmark using the method suggested by Baker et.al. (2016). We apply this measure to study the interrelationships between uncertainty, consumer confidence and a composite leading indicator. We find that uncertainty significantly affects household expectations about their own financial situation 12 months ahead, households become more pessimistic when uncertainty increases. The leading indicator is negatively related to uncertainty but exert less influence on consumer confidence than on uncertainty. EU economic policy uncertainty also significantly affects household expectations. Using disaggregated data on consumer confidence we find that males are on average more optimistic about the future developments of the economy and their own financial situation than females but they respond stronger to changes in uncertainty. Unemployed tend to be more optimistic than workers (a large share of the unemployed are young and young people tend to be more optimistic than older generations) but respond to uncertainty negatively. Middle income households and less skilled workers respond significantly to increases in uncertainty.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 13^th, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“Semantic network analysis in consumer and marketing research: application areas in phygital contexts”

Philipp Jaufenthaler – Faculty of Business and Management, Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck (Austria)

Large-scale text-based data presents significant methodological challenges due to its complexity and volume, necessitating advanced approaches for analysis and interpretation. In this seminar, we will talk about semantic network analysis (SemNA) as an innovative solution and discuss its potential for consumer and marketing research. By integrating quantitative measures, such as co-occurrence patterns of semantic units, with qualitative interpretation of semantic networks, SemNA offers a promising quant-qual framework. This approach not only structures and visualizes data but also enables interpretive exploration and theorization, bridging methodological gaps and uncovering actionable insights. Please bring your laptop.

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar

Tuesday – May 27^th , 2025 | 18:30h- 20:00h | Room 631

MEET THE EDITORS

This seminar is an opportunity to meet and talk with the editors of selected journals, all of them affiliated with FEP – School of Economics and Management of the University of Porto.

Editors will answer questions about the journals, discuss the submission and review processes, and provide attendees with advice on how to increase the likelihood of publication.

• João Oliveira (Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management)
• Luísa Pinto (Journal of Global Mobility)
• Amélia Brandão (International Journal of Consumer Studies)
• Dalila Fontes (Journal of Combinatorial Optimization)

Moderator: Teresa Fernandes (Journal of Strategic Marketing)

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – June 17^th, 2025 | 18:30h – 20:00h | Room 631 | Online

“Brand Activism: Igniting marketing’s social spirit, or lighting the fuse of the culture war?”

Ken Peattie – Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University (Wales, United Kingdom)

Abstract:

“A culture war pitting socially conservative and socially progressive factions against each other is an increasingly visible feature of the marketing environment within many countries. Brand activist campaigns are mostly adopted by companies seeking to express their values and their solidarity with progressive social causes and/or to resonate with younger consumer audiences for whom such causes are important. Such strategies pose risks to brands and their managers, and a misjudged incursion into a culture war battle can result in a backlash from both critics and supporters. Becoming “fake news” targets, accusations of inauthenticity, and being targeted with punitive measures by policymakers in retaliation for taking a stand are among the brand activism risks companies face. This seminar explores these issues and considers what responsible marketing might look like for companies in the midst of a culture war.”