Business Research Unit

BRU Research Seminar: Ana Paula Matias Gama
2026-03-31 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/Lisbon) | Room A202, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 2
Speaker: Ana Paula Matias Gama (University of Beira Interior)
Date: March 31, 2026
Time: 14h00
Title: Financial Resilience: Do Financial Capability and Income Inequality Matter?
Abstract: This study examines the determinants of financial resilience using Sherraden’s financial capability framework. Drawing on data from 10,245 individuals across ten countries from the OECD/INFE 2020 International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy, we analyze the roles of financial literacy, financial inclusion, and socialization, alongside the moderating effect of income inequality. Results indicate that financial literacy and inclusion significantly enhance resilience, while socialization shows mixed effects, particularly under high inequality contexts. Income inequality consistently reduces resilience and attenuates the benefits of literacy and inclusion, underscoring structural constraints on individual capabilities. Disaggregated analysis reveals heterogeneous impacts across six resilience dimensions, with literacy strongly linked to fraud awareness and inclusion in savings and coping strategies. Sociodemographic factors such as education and employment further shape outcomes. These findings highlight the interplay between individual capabilities and contextual conditions, offering insights for policy interventions aimed at fostering financial resilience globally.
Session chair: João Pedro Vidal Nunes

BRU Research Seminar: Amon Simba
2026-04-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Room A104, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 1
Guest Speaker: Amon Simba (Nottingham Business School, UK)
Time: 13:00
Title: Enhancing rigour, relevance, and crafting research contribution in Business
Abstract: This seminar will focus on discussing relevant approaches to prepare meaningful, impactful, and publishable research in business. Through the examination of some paradigmatic works, key techniques to craft an argument and develop successful research will be shared and discussed.
Session Chair: Renato Pereira
Speaker: Renato Pereira (Iscte Business School, Portugal)
Time: 13:45
Title: How to explore a theory to develop publishable research in Business: The Conservation of Resources (CoR) Theory
Abstract: This seminar will focus on exploring one influential theory in the field of Business – the Conservation of Resources Theory – to briefly discuss how to open avenues for developing research within a theoretical framework, taking different published works that used this theory to guide the discussion.

Meet the Editors: Amon Simba
2026-04-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Building 4, 3rd Floor, Room A306
Building 4, Room A306
or join online:
Meeting ID: 354 182 930 314 89
Access code: 7UP7uE79
Amon Simba is Associate Editor of the Journal of Small Business Management (JSBM), Associate Editor of the International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business (IJSEB), Associate Editor of the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (JSBE), and Chief Guest Editor of the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research (IJEBR).
Amon is Associate Professor at the Nottingham Business School. His expertise lies in entrepreneurship and innovation with a focus on Africa. Amon is the Director of the AfrIE Research Hub at NBS. He is also a Research Grants Board Member of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and an Editorial Board Member at CABS. His work has been published in leading journal outlets, including Small Business Economics, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Information Technology & People, Journal of International Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Small Business Management, International Marketing Review, and International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research.

Meet the Editors: Giampaolo Viglia
2026-04-14 15:30 - 16:30 | Building 4, 3rd Floor, Room A306
Building 4, Room A306
or join online:
Meeting ID: 354 182 930 314 89
Access code: 7UP7uE79
Giampaolo Viglia is Editor in Chief of Psychology & Marketing (ABS3)
Giampaolo is Professor of Marketing and Research Lead for the Marketing Subject Group at the University of Portsmouth. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Psychology & Marketing and as Associate Editor for Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Business Research, and the European Journal of Marketing. His research focuses on consumer decision-making, pricing, and services, including tourism and hospitality. He has published and guest-edited in leading journals, including FT50 outlets, and sits on the editorial boards of Tourism Management, Journal of Service Research, and Journal of Travel Research.

Meet the Editors: Ana Barbosa-Póvoa
2026-04-15 11:00 - 12:00 | Building 4, 3rd Floor, Room A306
Building 4, Room A306
or join online:
Meeting ID: 354 182 930 314 89
Access code: 7UP7uE79
Ana Barbosa-Póvoa is a member of the Editorial board of the European Journal of Operational Research (ABS 4)
Ana is a Full Professor in Operations and Logistics, at the Engineering and Management Department of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon. She holds a PhD from the Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine and her research focus is on developing a comprehensive understanding of complex problems in supply chains and operations management, supported by novel and sound engineering systems models and techniques. Sustainability, resilience, uncertainty and risk in the design and planning of supply chains are among the main research-addressed domains. Ana has created and coordinates the research group in Operations Management and Logistics and Supply Chain Management (OpLog) at the Centre for Management Studies of IST.

Meet the Editors: Koen Pauwels
2026-04-16 14:00 - 15:00 | Building 4, 3rd Floor, Room A306
Building 4, Room A306
or join online:
Meeting ID: 331 480 777 427 33
Access code: aG9HU9PZ
Koen Pauwels is the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Research in Marketing (ABS 4).
Pauwels is Full Professor of Marketing at Northeastern University, Boston and co-director of its Digital, Analytics, Technology and Automation (DATA) Initiative, and Associate Dean for Research. He is President-Elect of the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association, and Vice President of Practice at the INFORMS Association for Marketing Science. He serves on the House of Marketing’s Board and on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Retailing and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Pauwels started the annual Marketing Dynamics conference (2004) to bring together researchers fascinated by dynamic problems in marketing.

Meet the Editors: Donald M. Truxillo
2026-04-16 15:00 - 16:00 | Building 4, 3rd Floor, Room A306
Building 4, Room A306
or join online:
Meeting ID: 331 480 777 427 33
Access code: aG9HU9PZ
Donald M. Truxillo is Associate Editor at Work, Aging and Retirement (Scimago Q1) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology (ABS4*/FT50).
Truxillo is Professor at Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland. He served as associate editor for the Journal of Management and is currently an associate editor at Work, Aging and Retirement and at the Journal of Applied Psychology. He is a member of ten editorial boards, such as Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Human Resource Management Review. He is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He has coauthored two textbooks, Psychology and Work: Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2016; Routledge) and Human Resource Management: People, Data, and Analytics (2019; Sage). His research has been supported by the SHRM Foundation, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF), most recently to study privacy and security issues associated with online hiring.

BRU Research Seminar: Marta Morgado Rosa
2026-04-21 14:00 - 15:00 | ONLINE
Guest Speaker: Marta Morgado Rosa (BRU-Iscte)
Time: 14:00
Title: Lying for yourself or for others: does confession impact moral costs?
Abstract:Standard neoclassical models predict lying whenever benefits exceed costs, yet experimental evidence shows many individuals avoid dishonesty and may lie for altruistic or efficiency reasons (Gneezy, 2005; Erat and Gneezy, 2012; Fischbacher and Föllmi-Heusi, 2013; Abeler et al., 2019). This paper tests whether confession affects the moral cost of lying, either by reinforcing norms or providing moral relief. We conducted a field experiment during World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 using the die-under-the-cup paradigm (Fischbacher and Föllmi-Heusi, 2013). Participants reported private die rolls, with higher numbers yielding higher payoffs. Two treatments varied whether payoffs benefited participants or an NGO, capturing selfish versus altruistic lying, and we recorded same-day confession. Among 1,641 participants, reported outcomes exceed the truthful benchmark, indicating widespread dishonesty. However, lying does not differ significantly by confession status or treatment, with only minor variation across charities and no robust demographic effects.
Session Chair: Catarina Roseta Palma
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BRU Research Seminar: Travis Maynard
2026-05-05 12:30 - 13:30 | Room A104, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 1
Guest Speaker: Travis Maynard (Colorado State University)
Time: 12:30
Title: My Journey of Studying Teams in Organisations and Current Work on Teams in Complex Environments
Abstract:Travis Maynard is a professor in the Management Department at the College of Business at Colorado State University. Travis’ research centers on organizational team effectiveness. In his session on May 5, Travis will share a bit about his research journey which has included studies in a variety of contexts including military, professional sports, healthcare. His work in several extreme contexts has shaped his interest in team resilience and adaptation and he will share work that he and his colleagues are doing in this area.

Session Chair: Patrícia Costa
Building 4
Room A104

TRANSFORM final event: Online Symposium
2026-05-18 08:30 - 13:00 | ONLINE
On May 18, 2026, from 08:30 to 12:00 (09:30 to 13:00 CET) the European project TRANSFORM: The Future of the Human Workforce: Embracing Change, Challenges and Opportunities is organising the Symposium on Knowledge Sharing and Insights into the Future of the Human Workforce, to be held online and in English (free of charge).
The purpose of this symposium is to foster critical reflection on the results achieved within the project, as well as to gather policy- and organization-oriented contributions that may enhance knowledge and preparedness in response to the ongoing transformations in the world of work.
The event will have a rich Panel Discussion on Perspectives and Insights into the Future of the Human Workforce, scheduled to take place between 10:30 and 11:45 (11:30 and 12:45 CET), with the presence of policymakers, researchers, HR specialists, and other relevant stakeholders.
The programme covers the presentation and discussion of findings from:

The Blueprint of Tomorrow Survey and stakeholder focus groups
Workforce 2050 scenario planning and ethical challenges
A Policy Hackathon on shaping the future workforce
The Future Workforce Roadmap
Reflections on the Contributes of the Project and Open Debate (moderated by André Callus, NCPE Malta)

The morning closes with a high-level panel discussion, moderated by DINÂMIA’CET- Iscte researcher and TRANSFORM team member Sara Ramos, featuring:

Maria Helena André – Former Minister of Labour of Portugal & former ILO Director
Mark Bergfeld – Director of Property Services & UNI Care at UNI Europa
Renee Laiviera – Commissioner & A/Executive Director at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) Malta & member of the Council of Europe’s ECRI
Susana Abad de las Heras – Deputy Director General of New Forms of Employment and Labour Market Foresight, Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

The event is free of charge and registration is open:

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BRU Research Seminar: Jano Jiménez-Barreto
2026-05-26 14:00 - 15:00 | Room B226, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 2
Guest Speaker: Jano Jiménez-Barreto (Universidad de La Laguna / Oxford Brookes University)
Time: 14:00
Title: How Time and Place Adverbs Influence Shared Control in Consumer–AI Chatbot Interactions
Abstract:AI chatbots have become standard interfaces, but companies still lack clear guidance on how to set up chatbot language to benefit consumers and brands alike. Prior research shows that language concreteness shapes persuasion and service perceptions in consumer-AI chatbot interactions. Yet there is no clear path to design specific linguistic structures that ensure these outcomes or to understand how brand characteristics can modulate AI chatbots’ linguistic performance. Building on an interaction-centric approach, we investigate whether—and under what brand conditions—chatbots that intensively use time and place adverbs produce more efficient interactions by shaping a mechanism we term shared control.

Session Chair: Sandra Loureiro
Building 4
Room B226

BRU Research Seminar: Sajid Ali
2026-06-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Room A104, Building 4 (CVTT), 3rd floor
Guest Speaker: Sajid Ali (BRU-Iscte)
Time: 16:00
Title: Machine Learning Strategies for Pricing Options in Financial Markets
Abstract: An extensive analysis of European call option pricing on the S&P 500 (SPX) index over 2017–2022, covering both low- and high-volatility regimes. A comprehensive set of models is considered, including the classical Black–Scholes framework and a wide range of machine learning approaches, such as Random Forest, XGBoost, AdaBoost, Support Vector Regression, K-Nearest Neighbours, Linear Regression, and a Neural Network. The study evaluates model performance in terms of pricing accuracy across different market conditions, demonstrating the robustness of ensemble tree-based methods. We also employ explainable AI (XAI) techniques, to analyze contributions of input features in option pricing models.

Session Chair: João Pedro Nunes
Building 4, Room A104
Link to join online:

NOKIA: Human-centric Leadership in a Tech-driven World
2026-06-23 09:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
On Tuesday, June 23, from 09:00, BSI_Iscte: Competence Centre Business for Societal Impact presents a business talk in partnership with NOKIA, Iscte Business School, and BRU-Iscte (Business Research Unit) under the theme NOKIA: Human-centric Leadership in a Tech-driven World. The event includes discussions on the topics of:
Future Leadership Competencies
Fabrizia Pennati (Director Nokia ME)
Maria João Velez, Susana Tavares (Iscte)
Diversity and Inclusion in Digital Workplaces
Kelly Forrest Macdonald (Head of Culture, Nokia)
Ana Patrícia Duarte, Inês Sousa (Iscte)
Leading Hybrid Teams
Suleman Ali Qureshi (Head of Project and Programme Management, Nokia)
Ana Junça Silva, Patrícia Costa (Iscte)
The webinar will be online, free of charge, and in English.
Join online:
