Recent literature has addressed initial coin offering (ICO) projects, which are an innovative form of venture financing through cryptocurrencies using blockchain technology. Many features of ICOs remain unexplored, leaving much room for additional research, including the success factors of ICO projects. We investigate the success of ICO projects, with our main purpose being to identify factors that influence a project’s outcome. Following a literature review, from which several potential variables were collected, we used a database comprising 428 ICO projects in the banking/financial sector to regress several econometric models. We confirmed the impacts of several variables and obtained particularly valuable results concerning project and campaign variables. We confirmed the importance of a well-structured and informative whitepaper. The proximity to certain markets with high availability of financial and human capital is also an important determinant of the success of an ICO. We also confirm the strong dependency on cryptocurrency and the impact of cryptocurrency valuations on the success of a project. Furthermore, we confirm the importance of social media in ICO projects, as well as the importance of human capital characteristics. Our research contributes to the ICO literature by capturing most of the success factors previously identified and testing their impacts based on a large database. The current research contributes to the building of systems theory and signaling theory by adapting their frameworks to the ICO environment. Our results are also important for regulators, as ICOs are mainly unregulated and have vast future potential, and for investors, who can benefit from our analysis and use it in their due diligence.

Grounded theory is an inductive research methodology aiming at the construction of new concepts or new theories able to explain emerging phenomena. The objective of this paper is to provide insights on the usage of grounded theory in management research. We showcase how grounded theory can bring light to development modes of Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the specific reality of the footwear industry, where a changing and unpredictable environment threatens constant loss of competitive advantage. An interpretive–epistemological research philosophy was adopted, and evidence was gathered through nine semi-structured interviews. Portugal is currently a reference in the international footwear market and the sustainability of the sector plays an important role in the Portuguese industrial structure. This study highlights how the method of grounded theory can add value to research by uncovering complex managerial realities and develop new questions and issues for theory building.

The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly severe and noticeable. Consumers are becoming more cognizant of the environmental challenges that affect the planet. A major contributor to carbon emissions and the resulting warming climate and pollution is transportation. As a result, the selection of environmentally friendly options in this industry is becoming a pressing matter. This study aims to examine the reasons that motivate consumers to choose eco-friendly vehicles. The study specifically aims to understand what factors drive consumers to purchase such vehicles. A questionnaire was administered to the Portuguese population to determine which factors influence the decision to purchase eco-friendly vehicles, and what type of vehicles are preferred. The study includes all types of eco-friendly vehicles, including early-stage solutions such as fuel cell vehicles. Furthermore, the study examines whether there is any difference in purchasing habits between generations. The study is based on several theories, including the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), Norm Activation Model (NAM), and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Our research concludes that attitude (influenced by the advantages, compatibility, and non-complexity) and personal norms (influenced by the efficiency) are the two factors that affect positively and significantly the intention of purchase. The preferred eco-friendly vehicle among participants was found to be the hybrid electric vehicle, and the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle was also considered. The study did not find a significant impact of generation on purchasing decisions, but different generations were found to value different factors when making a vehicle purchase.

In Cape Verde, small family farming production suffers continuously from limited essential resources such as water and soil for a steady development. This situation is further aggravated by the lack of financial resources. We have developed a hybrid and multidimensional conceptual model for improvement of those small farming units by bringing together concepts of quality management, farmers’ satisfaction evaluation and production capabilities. The model we have built was the result of an inquiry based on Focus Group study with 15 farmers and it was carried out in 2019. We name the model as SQual4Agri and this is a step toward improvement in small family based agricultural organization, namely in productivity, responsibility sharing, communication and quality management.

In an increasingly competitive environment subject to uncontrollable risks, the continuity of organizations can be severely threatened, and the decision-making process takes place under circumstances of great uncertainty. Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies and competencies that allow the business to thrive. Startups, particularly technology-based ones, are an essential source of innovation. However, several studies indicate that approximately 60% of Startups fail in the first five years of business. To succeed, startups need to develop skills that allow them to rapidly evaluate their decisions and options, and to identify what is vital for the survival of their business. Thus, organizational resilience becomes of paramount importance to those companies. The term resilience is used in different areas of knowledge, but all the definitions share common ground regarding the concept: it describes the ability of an element to return to its normal state after a period of stress and crisis. The main objective of this exploratory research developed in Portugal is to identify the resilience factors of technological Startups. It is also intended to contribute to the design and development of instruments which promote organizational resilience in technological ecosystems. The current research follows the case study methodology based on a sample of 10 technological startups collected from the Startup Leiria ecosystem (Portugal). The Startup Leiria is an incubator of startup ventures which makes it a prime source of data and knowledge. The main findings point out the necessity to develop agility skills in Startup ecosystems. It was concluded that resilient organizations are characterized by having the ability to anticipate, respond, adapt, and recover from a disruptive event. The uniqueness of this study concerns its contribution to stimulate data-driven discussions regarding the necessity to implement programs for the reskilling of Startups in the context of their ecosystems.