CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 30^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Culture creation and change”

Soo Min Toh – University of Toronto Mississauga (joint work with Yeun Joon Kim and Sooyun Baik)

Abstract:

“This review presents comprehensive analyses of extant research on culture creation and change. We use the framework of culture creation and change ( Kim & Toh, 2019), which consists of three unique perspectives, to understand past research on the antecedents of cultures. The basis of the functionality perspective is that environmental changes shape cultures, and thus, the created cultures enable an organization to address the demands of its environments effectively. In contrast, the leadership perspective argues that leaders have disproportional influence on cultures, and when exercising such influence, they are often unsuccessful at creating functional cultures. The leadership perspective comprises two subperspectives—the leader-trait and cultural transfer perspectives. The leader-trait perspective argues that when creating cultures, leaders often overlook the functionality of cultures but rely heavily on their traits. The cultural transfer perspective suggests that leaders often recreate the cultures that they have experienced in the past. Building on this framework, we review 74 studies in 68 articles across multiple disciplines to widen our understanding of culture creation and change. We then present agendas for future research guided by a four-stage model and a theory of coordinated actions for creating functional cultures. Finally, we discuss methodological limitations in past studies and offer possible solutions.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 23^rd , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“The Power of New Digital Ads and Consumer Response”

Prabirendra Chatterjee – Cardiff Business School

In this seminar Professor Prabirendra Chatterjee will present his latest research on how hidden features of new digital ads, such as Instagram posts, help marketers attract new generation of consumers.

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 16^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Forecasting and trading cryptocurrencies with machine learning under changing market conditions”

Pedro Godinho  –  University of Coimbra, School of Economics and researcher at CeBER – Center for Business and Economics Research (joint work with Hélder Sebastião)

Abstract:

“This study examines the predictability of three major cryptocurrencies—bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin—and the profitability of trading strategies devised upon machine learning techniques (e.g., linear models, random forests, and support vector machines). The models are validated in a period characterized by unprecedented turmoil and tested in a period of bear markets, allowing the assessment of whether the predictions are good even when the market direction changes between the validation and test periods. The classification and regression methods use attributes from trading and network activity for the period from August 15, 2015 to March 03, 2019, with the test sample beginning on April 13, 2018. For the test period, five out of 18 individual models have success rates of less than 50%. The trading strategies are built on model assembling. The ensemble assuming that five models produce identical signals (Ensemble 5) achieves the best performance for ethereum and litecoin, with annualized Sharpe ratios of 80.17% and 91.35% and annualized returns (after proportional round-trip trading costs of 0.5%) of 9.62% and 5.73%, respectively. These positive results support the claim that machine learning provides robust techniques for exploring the predictability of cryptocurrencies and for devising profitable trading strategies in these markets, even under adverse market conditions.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – May 2^nd , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Masstige Model, Theory and Measure for brand management and marketing”

Justin Paul – Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Consumer Studies and University of Puerto Rico, USA and the University of Reading, UK (joint work with A. Kumar and S. Starčević)

Abstract:

“The term ‘Masstige’ stands for mass prestige. Masstige marketing is a strategic phenomenon with the goal of market penetration and brand management in the era of globalisation. The main purpose of this paper is to contribute towards the development of the masstige marketing theory to explain the brand management phenomenon of high value/premium/moderately highly priced (but attainable) brands with a new theoretical model – focused on product, promotion and place strategies, keeping prices constant. Besides, we assess and contrast the effectiveness of marketing strategy of foreign and domestic car brands in the USA using Masstige Mean Index (MMI) developed by Paul (2015). This study is based on the survey data of owners of Japanese and American car brands. It was found that brands can create higher mass prestige value in a foreign country if they follow masstige marketing strategy. The study shows how MMI may facilitate masstige score estimates, allowing comparisons and aiding brands in devising strategies.”

CEF.UP – MaR Webinar

Tuesday – April 11^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Online

“Sustainability accounting and transparency issues”

Muhammad Azizul Islam  – University of Aberdeen Business School

Abstract:

“Civil liberties enable the media, social movements, and other stakeholders to expect companies to be more transparent and forthcoming with relevant social and environmental information. Drawing on social movement theory in general, and the notion of civil liberty in particular, we analyse the availability of social and environmental information of 300 financial companies from 50 countries over a nine-year period, to investigate the influence of country-level civil liberties on the availability of social and environmental information.
We find that companies headquartered in countries with high levels of civil liberties make more social and environmental information publicly available than companies headquartered in countries with low levels of civil liberties. Furthermore, an improvement in civil liberties in countries with lower civil liberties has a bigger impact on changes in the availability of social and environmental information.
Our research is relevant for the ongoing concerns of social and environmental transparency initiatives by governments, NGOs, and civil rights organisations. Policy implications for countries with lower civil liberties (typical developing nations) are that if they wish to encourage more transparent corporate information, they need to strengthen their country-level civil liberties.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – March 28^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Risk-conscious optimisation models”

Celma de Oliveira Ribeiro –  Escola Politécnica da Universidade de S. Paulo

This seminar will focus on Prof Ribeiro’s latest research on risk-conscious optimisation models to support bioenergy investments in the Brazilian sugarcane industry.

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – March 21^st , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“The stereotype of accountants”

Delfina Gomes –  Universidade do Minho

This seminar will focus on the findings of two papers:

Leão, F., Gomes, D., & Carnegie, G. (2019). The portrayal of early accountants in nineteenth-century Portuguese literature. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 32(2), 658-688.

Leão, F., & Gomes, D. (2022). The stereotype of accountants: Using a personality approach to assess the perspectives of laypeople. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 35(9), 234-271. .

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – March 7^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Marginalised Groups in Business”

David Guttormsen –  School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway

Abstract:

“The paper addresses an understudied but highly relevant group of people within corporate organizations and society in general—the marginalized—as well as their narration, and criticism, of personal lived experiences of marginalization in business. They are conventionally perceived to lack traditional forms of power such as public influence, formal authority, education, money, and political positions; however, they still possess the resources to impact their situations, their circumstances, and the structures that determine their situations. Business ethics researchers seldom consider marginalized people’s voices and experiences as resources to understand their lives, as demonstrated through a review of 7500 articles published in the Journal of Business Ethics and Business Ethics Quarterly (2000–2019). Only 78 studies included aspects of marginalized groups. 69 of those studies discussed the topic of marginalized groups of people, but without integrating their explicit voices into the text. Only 9 of the 78 articles featured marginalized people’s explicit voices about their marginalization experiences incorporated into the text as a source for exploration. None of the identified studies discussed the potential for theorizing based on such voices. This paper contributes to business ethics theory by developing four theoretical possibilities vis-à-vis the critical voices of marginalized people’s experiences in business: (a) marginalized theory on critical agency and freedom of speech; (b) the gatekeeping role of academia; (c) primary sources; and (d) a participative perspective. Discussing the theoretical potential of quoting the above voices can enrich business ethics research in terms of the theoretical understanding of marginalized groups in business.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – February 28^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Challenges of managerial responsibility and ethics for Central and East European countries based on the experience from the Czech Republic”

Dušan Kučera –  Prague University of Economics and Business

Abstract:

“The study aims to identify the typical key factors of ethical thinking and behaviour in Central and East European (CEE) countries, and regard them from the experience of privatization and transformation process in the Czech Republic. The background of ethical scandals and dilemmas of CEE countries reflects their roots in socialist education and state-planned economy, which are based on Marxism, which had and has serious consequences. The study describes the main philosophical reasons affecting the managerial limits in the ethical context of business and management behaviour after the transformation period with the apparent challenges in management thinking and executive education for today. The following description and interpretation of the fundamental implications of the presented analysis for managerial responsibility and ethics are discussed with the relevant professional literature that illuminates the personal, social and economic long-term consequences. Cross-country comparisons reflect developments in the European Union, the Amnesty International Corruption Index and other specific influences according to regional sources. Resulting challenges relate to challenges of business and management philosophy in business schools. The conclusion shows the space for the following professional discussion with European partners and PRME signatories regarding the ethical challenges for executive education and sustainability management in CEE. Recent academic publications show that managerial responsibility and ethical behaviour are increasingly in the focus of interest of both academics and company management.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – February 14^th , 2023 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Diversity and inclusion branding: a five-country comparison of corporate websites”

Sébastien Point – EM Strasbourg Business School (joint work with Karsten Jonsen, Elisabeth K. Kelan and Adrian Grieble)

Abstract:

“In their quest to attract talent and appear as an employer of choice, organizations must articulate the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. By communicating the attractiveness of the workplace, a company increases its exposure to the environment as an employer of choice. Within the context of employer branding, we highlight two emerging concepts that encompass corporate communication in the form of diversity and inclusion statements: diversity branding and inclusion branding. We examine the websites of 75 major companies in five different countries (France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US). The article highlights that organizations use diversity and inclusion branding to attract talent, become employers of choice and dimensionalize diversity to signal that specific dimensions of diversity are relevant to the organization. We show that diversity and inclusion branding has become ‘mainstream’ and how a focus on diversity is particularly useful to attract talent while to appear as an employer of choice a focus on inclusion seems particularly beneficial.”

CEF.UP – MaR Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – June 7^th , 2022 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Room 305 | Online

“Exploring the boundaries of open innovation: Evidence from social media mining”

José Ramón Saura – Univ. Rey Juan Carlos, Spain (joint work with Daniel Palacios-Marqués and Domingo Ribeiro-Soriano)

Area: Mkt & Strat