Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Electric power Australia Marketing'

The restructuring of many national and state electricity industries over the last two decades has created new sets of laws and regulations, market design and participants. Along with those changes, industry risks have also been transformed significantly. Prior to restructuring, government-owned or carefully regulated monopoly private utilities would manage most of these industry risks. With restructuring, however, both the government, through their market regulators, and industry participants need to manage a range of previous,, yet also now new, risks. While the government???s risk management strategy is focused on the industry as a whole, participants are naturally more concerned with their individual risks. The Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) is one of the many electricity markets that were formed through the restructuring process underway worldwide. It created a number of new types of market participants facing different sets of risks. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the management of market risk by these different NEM participants. The methodology used in the thesis involves developing a fundamental understanding of electricity restructuring, the NEM and the various risks faced by the different NEM participants. Data on NEM spot prices, ancillary costs and forward prices are analysed to gain a better understanding of its relationship with market activities. Different risk management strategies, both proactive and reactive, that can be taken by the participants are discussed This thesis has highlighted some of the complexities involved in managing risks in a restructured electricity industry. Risks are never static and changes in market conditions alter the risk exposure of the participants. Therefore, participants will need to constantly monitor their risk exposure and update their risk management strategies. The Cash-Flow-at-Risk methodology is introduced as a possible tool to measure risk and analyse risk management options for different NEM participants.

The research presented in this thesis aims to improve our knowledge regarding the impact of privatisation and deregulation of public service type infrastructure industries. In recent years, Australia's industry reform policies have critically relied on rapid deregulation of major utilities such as telecommunication, gas and electricity. Although several industries have been deregulated in the last two decades, our understanding regarding the impact of deregulation on residential electricity market is still developing. In order to accomplish the research, about 400 residential customers were surveyed and their electricity consumption patterns (ECP)were monitored by installing special electronic meters. The findings are discussed in detail. As an implication to policy and practice there is an urgent need for a nation-wide standard,reshaping the practices of the electricity marketing and establishing a time-dynamic ECP monitoring system. Another important implication concerns the well-founded theories in micro-economic literature. This research has established that the price of the commodities and services charged by public service type utility suppliers should not be left entirely to the market forces concerned with demand - supply equilibrium. There is an urgent need to understand the role of different socio-economic segments in contributing to the economic efficiencies of public service type assets. More efficient segments should be equitably rewarded for their contributions rather than penalised perhaps due to the lack of their bargaining power.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), state owned monopoly that generates, transmits, and distributes and sales electric power nationwide, has been undergoing various continued utility management practices. One of the major improvements, as part of the transformation, was the introduction of Prepayment (Metering) System, over that of the conventional metering service, which had been forcing the Corporation to follow lengthy service processes, in order to support the realization of its long term strategic vision of providing quality electric service and being competitive in an energy export. However, despite the introduction of this new type of service-prepayment customer service, the Corporation has not been able to attract more than only about five percent out of the two million total customers. Therefore, this study tried to assess and analyze the existing practice (quality) of prepayment customer service both from the employee and the Corporation’s perspectives, and thereby propose possible marketing strategies that are capable of improving the customer service quality for the subsequent adoption of prepayment service. SERVQUAL, as a methodological approach to service quality measures, was employed to measure the prepayment service quality by comparing customers’ perception of the received service against their expectations. Accordingly, the study revealed, despite its limitations, that there has been a substantial gap between customers’ expectations and perception of the service rendered, for which different possible marketing strategies were suggested for improvement.

Aided by the development of information technology, the balance of power in the market place is rapidly shifting from marketers towards consumers and nowhere is this more obvious than in the online environment (Denegri-Knott, Zwick, & Schroeder, 2006; Moynagh & Worsley, 2002; Newcomer, 2000; Samli, 2001). From the inception and continuous development of the Internet, consumers are becoming more empowered. They can choose what they want to click on the Internet, they can shop and transact payments, watch and download video, chat with others, be it friends or even total strangers. Especially in online communities, like-minded consumers share and exchange information, ideas and opinions. One form of online community is the online brand community, which gathers specific brand lovers. As with any social unit, people form different roles in the community and exert different effects on each other. Their interaction online can greatly influence the brand and marketers. A comprehensive understanding of the operation of this special group form is essential to advancing marketing thought and practice (Kozinets, 1999). While online communities have strongly shifted the balance of power from marketers to consumers, the current marketing literature is sparse on power theory (Merlo, Whitwell, & Lukas, 2004). Some studies have been conducted from an economic point of view (Smith, 1987), however their application to marketing has been limited. Denegri-Knott (2006) explored power based on the struggle between consumers and marketers online and identified consumer power formats such as control over the relationship, information, aggregation and participation. Her study has built a foundation for future power studies in the online environment. This research project bridges the limited marketing literature on power theory with the growing recognition of online communities among marketing academics and practitioners. Specifically, this study extends and redefines consumer power by exploring the concept of power in online brand communities, in order to better understand power structure and distribution in this context. This research investigates the applicability of the factors of consumer power identified by Denegri-Knott (2006) to the online brand community. In addition, by acknowledging the model proposed by McAlexander, Schouten, & Koenig (2002), which emphasized that community study should focus on the role of consumers and identifying multiple relationships among the community, this research further explores how member role changes will affect power relationships as well as consumer likings of the brand. As a further extension to the literature, this study also considers cultural differences and their effect on community member roles and power structure. Based on the study of Hofstede (1980), Australia and China were chosen as two distinct samples to represent differences in two cultural dimensions, namely individualism verses collectivism and high power distance verses low power distance. This contribution to the research also helps answer the research gap identified by Muñiz Jr & O'Guinn (2001), who pointed out the lack of cross cultural studies within the online brand community context. This research adopts a case study methodology to investigate the issues identified above. Case study is an appropriate research strategy to answer “how” and “why” questions of a contemporary phenomenon in real-life context (Yin, 2003). The online brand communities of “Haloforum.net” in Australia and “NGA.cn” in China were selected as two cases. In-depth interviews were used as the primary data collection method. As a result of the geographical dispersion and the preference of a certain number of participants, online synchronic interviews via MSN messenger were utilized along with the face-to-face interviews. As a supplementary approach, online observation was carried over two months, covering a two week period prior to the interviews and a six week period following the interviews. Triangulation techniques were used to strengthen the credibility and validity of the research findings (Yin, 2003). The findings of this research study suggest a new definition of power in an online brand community. This research also redefines the consumer power types and broadens the brand community model developed by McAlexander et al. (2002) in an online context by extending the various relationships between brand and members. This presents a more complete picture of how the perceived power relationships are structured in the online brand community. A new member role is discovered in the Australian online brand community in addition to the four member roles identified by Kozinets (1999), in contrast however, all four roles do not exist in the Chinese online brand community. The research proposes a model which links the defined power types and identified member roles. Furthermore, given the results of the cross-cultural comparison between Australia and China showed certain discrepancies, the research suggests that power studies in the online brand community should be country-specific. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on online consumer power, by applying it to the context of an online brand community, as well as considering factors such as cross cultural difference. Importantly, it provides insights for marketing practitioners on how to best leverage consumer power to serve brand objective in online brand communities. This, in turn, should lead to more cost effective and successful communication strategies. Finally, the study proposes future research directions. The research should be extended to communities of different sizes, to different extents of marketer control over the community, to the connection between online and offline activities within the brand community, and (given the cross-cultural findings) to different countries. In addition, a greater amount of research in this area is recommended to determine the generalizability of this study.

Aided by the development of information technology, the balance of power in the market place is rapidly shifting from marketers towards consumers and nowhere is this more obvious than in the online environment (Denegri-Knott, Zwick, & Schroeder, 2006; Moynagh & Worsley, 2002; Newcomer, 2000; Samli, 2001). From the inception and continuous development of the Internet, consumers are becoming more empowered. They can choose what they want to click on the Internet, they can shop and transact payments, watch and download video, chat with others, be it friends or even total strangers. Especially in online communities, like-minded consumers share and exchange information, ideas and opinions. One form of online community is the online brand community, which gathers specific brand lovers. As with any social unit, people form different roles in the community and exert different effects on each other. Their interaction online can greatly influence the brand and marketers. A comprehensive understanding of the operation of this special group form is essential to advancing marketing thought and practice (Kozinets, 1999). While online communities have strongly shifted the balance of power from marketers to consumers, the current marketing literature is sparse on power theory (Merlo, Whitwell, & Lukas, 2004). Some studies have been conducted from an economic point of view (Smith, 1987), however their application to marketing has been limited. Denegri-Knott (2006) explored power based on the struggle between consumers and marketers online and identified consumer power formats such as control over the relationship, information, aggregation and participation. Her study has built a foundation for future power studies in the online environment. This research project bridges the limited marketing literature on power theory with the growing recognition of online communities among marketing academics and practitioners. Specifically, this study extends and redefines consumer power by exploring the concept of power in online brand communities, in order to better understand power structure and distribution in this context. This research investigates the applicability of the factors of consumer power identified by Denegri-Knott (2006) to the online brand community. In addition, by acknowledging the model proposed by McAlexander, Schouten, & Koenig (2002), which emphasized that community study should focus on the role of consumers and identifying multiple relationships among the community, this research further explores how member role changes will affect power relationships as well as consumer likings of the brand. As a further extension to the literature, this study also considers cultural differences and their effect on community member roles and power structure. Based on the study of Hofstede (1980), Australia and China were chosen as two distinct samples to represent differences in two cultural dimensions, namely individualism verses collectivism and high power distance verses low power distance. This contribution to the research also helps answer the research gap identified by Muñiz Jr & O'Guinn (2001), who pointed out the lack of cross cultural studies within the online brand community context. This research adopts a case study methodology to investigate the issues identified above. Case study is an appropriate research strategy to answer “how” and “why” questions of a contemporary phenomenon in real-life context (Yin, 2003). The online brand communities of “Haloforum.net” in Australia and “NGA.cn” in China were selected as two cases. In-depth interviews were used as the primary data collection method. As a result of the geographical dispersion and the preference of a certain number of participants, online synchronic interviews via MSN messenger were utilized along with the face-to-face interviews. As a supplementary approach, online observation was carried over two months, covering a two week period prior to the interviews and a six week period following the interviews. Triangulation techniques were used to strengthen the credibility and validity of the research findings (Yin, 2003). The findings of this research study suggest a new definition of power in an online brand community. This research also redefines the consumer power types and broadens the brand community model developed by McAlexander et al. (2002) in an online context by extending the various relationships between brand and members. This presents a more complete picture of how the perceived power relationships are structured in the online brand community. A new member role is discovered in the Australian online brand community in addition to the four member roles identified by Kozinets (1999), in contrast however, all four roles do not exist in the Chinese online brand community. The research proposes a model which links the defined power types and identified member roles. Furthermore, given the results of the cross-cultural comparison between Australia and China showed certain discrepancies, the research suggests that power studies in the online brand community should be country-specific. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on online consumer power, by applying it to the context of an online brand community, as well as considering factors such as cross cultural difference. Importantly, it provides insights for marketing practitioners on how to best leverage consumer power to serve brand objective in online brand communities. This, in turn, should lead to more cost effective and successful communication strategies. Finally, the study proposes future research directions. The research should be extended to communities of different sizes, to different extents of marketer control over the community, to the connection between online and offline activities within the brand community, and (given the cross-cultural findings) to different countries. In addition, a greater amount of research in this area is recommended to determine the generalizability of this study.

As mudanÃas no mercado regulado pelo Estado exigiram uma adequaÃÃo do foco produtivo das concessionÃrias de energia elÃtrica em atingir as metas dos indicadores de desempenho tÃcnico e operacional, para o foco na satisfaÃÃo do consumidor dentro de suas expectativas. Desta forma, este trabalho desenvolve um estudo exploratÃrio junto a uma empresa do ramo de energia elÃtrica localizada no Estado do CearÃ, com o propÃsito de verificar as relaÃÃes entre suas aÃÃes de marketing e o nÃvel de satisfaÃÃo de seus clientes. Por meio da teoria que aborda a estrutura das caracterÃsticas intrÃnsecas à produÃÃo dos serviÃos, percepÃÃo de qualidade e satisfaÃÃo do cliente, a pesquisa dispÃe-se a responder à seguinte questÃo: qual a relaÃÃo entre as aÃÃes de marketing em uma empresa monopolista e os resultados de pesquisas de satisfaÃÃo de clientes? Para este fim, foram utilizados relatÃrios gerenciais, pesquisas de opiniÃo realizadas pela AssociaÃÃo Brasileira de Distribuidoras de Energia ElÃtrica e entrevistas aos gestores da organizaÃÃo. Conduziu-se um estudo de caso comparando a performance da empresa entre os perÃodos de 2004 e 2006, segundo a avaliaÃÃo do cliente e mediante os indicadores operacionais de desempenho. De acordo com esta abordagem, verificaram-se quais os atributos de qualidade que mais evidenciaram a influÃncia das aÃÃes mercadolÃgicas.

Orientador: Alberto Luiz Francato
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo
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Resumo: A energia elétrica passou a ser um insumo indispensável à sociedade. Assim, todos os métodos de economia, otimização de custos, diversificação da matriz e estratégias de atendimento às questões regulatórias tornam-se opções que devem ser apresentadas, estudadas e viabilizadas. O visível potencial de crescimento econômico faz com que a energia elétrica tenha papel crucial no crescimento do país e, principalmente, na situação em que cada vez mais consumidores vislumbram o ingresso no ambiente de livre contratação de energia. Esses consumidores procuram energia a fim de suprir suas necessidades e condições para seu suprimento ao menor custo possível. Para suprir essa demanda algumas considerações quanto à comercialização de energia incentivada e à construção de um balanço energético (sobras e déficits) são apresentadas na forma de otimização do portfólio de contratos de compra e venda de energia elétrica, a fim de cumprir as regras vigentes e maximizar a receita dos agentes comercializadores desse tipo de fonte na visão atual de mercado. Contribui-se assim com a melhor forma de negociação da energia incentivada, oferecendo uma correta contratação em todos os meses, seja na safra ou na entressafra. Proporciona-se ao setor elétrico brasileiro uma visão sistêmica da comercialização de energia por parte do comercializador e da comercialização, especificamente da energia incentivada.
Abstract: The Electric power has become a major necessity of the society. Thus, all methods of saving, cost optimization and diversification of strategies to meet regulatory issues become options to be presented, analyzed and make feasible. The visible economic growth potential makes the electricity has crucial role in the growth of the country and especially in the situation where more and more consumers envision enrolling in free contracting environment energy. These consumers seek power in order to meet their needs and conditions for supply at the lowest possible cost. To supply this demand some considerations regarding the sale of energy and encouraged the construction of an energy balance (surpluses and deficits) are presented in the form of optimization of the portfolio of contracts of purchase and sale of electricity in order to comply with the existing rules and maximize financial margins from supplier agents of this kind of source in the current view of the market. Thus contributing to the best way of trading energy encouraged, whishing the correct hiring every month, whether in season or out of season. Providing the Brazilian electric sector a systemic view of commercialization, specifically of energy encouraged.
Mestrado
Recursos Hidricos, Energeticos e Ambientais
Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Orientador: Paulo de Barros Correia
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica
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Resumo: A modificação no segmento de comercialização de energia elétrica impulsionou a busca por mecanismos que estimulassem a competição e auxiliassem a determinação do preço da energia elétrica. Um dos mecanismos adotados para estimular a competição entre os agentes do mercado é o leilão, que pode ser formulado de acordo com as necessidades do seu proponente. Para atuar em um mercado competitivo é necessário que o agente do setor elétrico esteja bem informado para extrair bons resultados nas negociações. Partindo deste princípio, algumas ferramentas baseadas na teoria dos jogos e leilão foram desenvolvidas pelo grupo de comercialização de energia elétrica da Unicamp, com o intuito de aplicar modelos para o setor elétrico no contexto das regras adotadas no mercado brasileiro. Este trabalho especifica e desenvolve um ambiente computacional para integrar tanto as ferramentas implementadas quanto aquelas em desenvolvimento e incorpora uma base de dados para armazenar as principais informações do mercado de energia elétrica, do sistema elétrico e da economia. Desta forma, a plataforma de auxílio à comercialização de energia elétrica corresponde a um software formado por três módulos, incorporando um módulo de simulação de leilão, um módulo para auxiliar as estratégias de contratação e um módulo de banco de dados. A aplicação da plataforma de comercialização visa facilitar a atuação dos agentes do mercado de energia elétrica, auxiliando a verificação e definição de lances a fim de gerar uma maior eficiência dos seus lances em um leilão realizado pela CCEE e também para elaborarem os seus próprios leilões, com a finalidade de explorar a liberdade de contratação bilateral
Abstract: Recent changes in the regulation of electric energy commercialisation have driven the search for mecanisms capable of determining the electric energy price and allowing a better competition. One of the mecanisms to leverage competition between market players is auction, which can be set up to meet the needs of the proponent. An electric sector agent should be kept up to date in order to establish profitable businesses. Having this assumption in mind some tools were developed based on game theory and auction by the Unicamp electric energy commercialisation group, intending the application of models to electric sector in the context of brazilian market regulation. This paper specifies and develop a computer aided environment to integrate the developed tools to new ones as well as a data base to store main information from electric energy market, electric system and economy. As a matter of fact, the electric energy commercialisation support platform corresponds to a software made up by three modules, including a auction simulation module, a contract strategy aid module and a data base module. In the specification of the platform it was used a concept of modularity which allows the inclusion of addditional modules to the structure and the evolution of the tools to cope with the market needs. The platform is to help electric energy market players to check and make offers to generate a greater effectiveness in the proposals, in order to explore the freedom of bilateral contracts
Doutorado
Planejamento de Sistemas Energeticos
Doutora em Planejamento de Sistemas Energéticos

Orientadores: Sergio Valdir Bajay, Paulo de Barros Correia
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica
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Resumo: o processo de reforma que vem ocorrendo na indústria elétrica brasileira, desde a segunda metade da década de 1990, sofreu uma infiexão em 2002, quando os programas de privatizações foram congelados, estabilizando a convivência de empresas estatais e privadas numa estrutura mista na indústria elétrica brasileira. O presente trabalho busca analisar o efeito, na eficiência econômica do mercado de eletricidade, do confronto competitivo de empresas que atuam sob a lógica privada (maximização dos lucros) com empresas estatais, que, sob pressão de seu acionista majoritário - o governo, se vêem obrigadas a ter como uma de suas principais metas a maximização dos impactos de políticas públicas. Para tanto, são utilizados conceitos da teoria dos jogos, concorrência potencial, mercados contestáveis, poder de mercado e regulação econômica. O mercado de eletricidade é visto como um ambiente competitivo de Stackelberg, sendo a intervenção estatal incorporada e considerada parte das regras do jogo. Essa concepção de mercado é compatível com o recém estabelecido no setor elétrico brasileiro e pode contribuir para a atual discussão em torno de sua implementação
Abstract: The process of structural reform that has been occurring in the Brazilian electric industry since the second half of the 1990's suffered an infiection in 2002. The programs of privatizations were interrupted, stabilizing a hybrid structure where state-owned and private firms coexist in the same market. This thesis intends to analyze the effect, in the economic efficiency of the Brazilian electricity market, of the competition between agents who act under the private logic (profit maximization) and those who are compelled by their major shareholder - the government - to have the maximization of the impacts of public policies as one of their main goals. To reach such purpose, concepts from the games theory, potential competition, contestable markets, market power and economic regulation are employed. The electricity market is seen as a Stackelberg competitive environment, with the state intervention being incorporated and considered part of the rules of the game. This market concept is compatible with the recently defined institutional mo del of the Brazilian electric sector and can contribute for the current discussion concerning its implementation
Mestrado
Planejamento de Sistemas de Petroleo
Mestre em Planejamento de Sistemas de Petroleo

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No ambiente cada vez mais competitivo no qual estão inseridas as organizações, percebe-se que gerentes que erram o diagnóstico sobre quais fatores são realmente cruciais para o sucesso competitivo, ficam sujeitos a empregar estratégias mal concebidas para perseguir objetivos de pouca importância. Identificar corretamente os Fatores Críticos de Sucesso (FCS) no negócio é um dos primeiros passos para um bom planejamento estratégico, além de ser essencial não só para a determinação das informações necessárias para o correto gerenciamento, mas também, para priorizar os critérios de avaliação dos resultados. O trabalho objetiva levantar quais as variáveis críticas que são relevantes para a satisfação dos clientes que atuam no mercado livre de Energia. A abordagem metodológica científica proposta está estruturada numa pesquisa quantitativa com a aplicação da metodologia CHAID. Os dados foram levantados a partir de uma pesquisa realizada por uma empresa atuante do setor elétrico. Como resultado esperado se enseja consolidar a análise proposta que permitirá avaliar os fatores críticos de Sucesso no Ambiente Livre de Comercialização Energia elétrica no Brasil.
In the increasingly competitive environment in which organizations are inserted, it is clear that managers who miss the diagnosis of which factors are really critical to competitive success, are subject to misuse strategies designed to pursue goals of little importance. correctly identify the Critical Success Factors (CSF) in business is one of the first steps to a good strategic planning as well as being essential not only to determine what information is necessary for the proper management, but also to prioritize the evaluation criteria results. The work aims to raise which the critical variables that are relevant to the satisfaction of customers operating in the free energy market. The methodology approach is structured in a quantitative research with the application of CHAID methodology. The data were gathered from a survey conducted by a company active in the electricity sector. As a result expected is expected to consolidate the proposed methodology that will evaluate the success of critical factors in marketing Free Environment Electricity in Brazil

The last decade has delivered rapid structural change to the Australian electricity sector. The common conceptualisation of the sector's restructuring has been narrowly based around sector-specific regulatory change and the creation of a national electricity market. This thesis argues that such a focus provides an incomplete and inaccurate explanation of the transformation. Three closely interrelated layers of policies and actions embodying the precepts of neoliberalism, and implemented by the state, have driven the sector's transformation. These policies and actions transcend 'electricity-centric' policies and encompass policies which have become systemic to the Australian public sector as well as a third layer which has transformed the prevailing industrial paradigm across all industry sectors. The drivers of the electricity sector's restructuring -- and the outcomes and beneficiaries arising -- form the core research focus of this thesis. The research task is addressed by using the analytical framework of the French theory of r??gulation. The analysis reveals that the electricity sector has been Australia's second largest contributor of privatisation proceeds, remains dominated by government ownership and has falling levels of foreign ownership. Higher relative wage levels and union membership are also evident as have been job losses and substantial real price increases for households whereas those for business have generally fallen. The purported 'reform' centrepiece, the national electricity market, was found to be increasingly uncompetitive due to its own regulatory regime and market manipulation by government-owned companies. In addition, the sector exhibits a heightened precariousness: an unprecedented financial vulnerability arising from a strong appetite for debt and derivatives and exacerbated by payments to government owners not by new investment in generation capacity; increasing tensions between the nation-state and local-state concerning the national electricity market and compromises with labour; and an exposure to political and financial risks from the sector's global integration. The clear winners from the sector's restructuring are the owners of capital and the state, particularly the local-state, although the sustainability of this situation is questionable. The analysis also generates a number of propositions about the application of r??gulation theory to sector-based research.

A general finding from the growing literature applying 'real options' theory to investment under carbon emission pricing schemes (CEPSs), is that the level of uncertainty in the expected price of carbon is a key factor in the extent to which a CEPS's design provides incentives for a firm to invest in lower carbon emissions technologies. Notwithstanding this finding, major public policy analyses of CEPSs have not utilised real options analysis to gain insights into the effect of a scheme's design on the likely investment behaviour of firms. This thesis argues that real options analysis should be included in the suite of tools for informing public policy on the design of a CEPS. This thesis contributes to understanding the features of a CEPS's design on the decision of a firm in an energy-intensive sector to invest in new lower-carbon emitting plant, when the investment decision lends itself to being characterised as a real option. In contrast to existing real options studies in this area, a simpler analytic approach is adopted based on a model by Cortazar et al. (1998). The approach captures output price and carbon price uncertainties and is solved using contingent claims analysis to find the critical price of output required to trigger the decision to invest. Two empirical applications examine in detail a representative electricity generator's decision to invest in a range of low carbon-emitting and non-carbon emitting electricity generation technologies. The analysis of both a hypothetical CEPS's design in general, and the post-2015 carbon emissions trading scheme under Australia's Clean Energy Future package (CEFETS) in particular, show that there are four effects on the threshold required by a generator to trigger investment in a technology that are attributable to the design of a scheme. In addition to the impact of volatility in the carbon price and its correlation with the output price (the volatility effect) highlighted in other real options studies, three additional investment threshold effects are found that may jointly impact on a firm's decision to invest in a particular technology depending on the design of a CEPS. The three effects consist of the cost effect, the negative cost effect and the subsidy effect. The cost effect arises from the level of the carbon price and impacts only carbon emitting technologies. The negative cost effect and subsidy effect arise from allocations of free carbon emissions rights under a CETS that directly subsidises either a plant's operating costs or investment cost, respectively, and may apply to all technologies.

Doutoramento em Gestão
In marketing reference processes, existing customers act as advocates for firms. With their enthusiasm, they provide testimonials, receive visits from potential customers, and contribute information on adopted solutions and their performance. This activity is highly valuable for firms insofar as it helps them to acquire strategic assets that allow for profitable marketing action, either by increasing credibility and reputation or by reducing the perceived risks associated with the purchasing of services or products from a particular supplier. In this study, I suggest that the literature on organizational buying behaviour lacks the empirical input necessary for a theory of customer referencing. In particular, I argue that studies of customer referencing practice do not give sufficient attention to the potential customer’s point of view. Instead, empirical research has favoured the supplier as its unit of analysis and has ignored the other two constituents of the reference triad: the reference customer and the potential customer. Empirical work featuring the potential customer as its unit of observation is therefore a promising area of research for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of customer referencing and its influence on the buying behaviour of industrial firms. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap by considering the following question: “How does reference marketing influence capital buying decisions?” I respond to this question by collecting data from firms in the Portuguese energy industry, with a view to creating a multiple case study. This empirical work, which adopts a critical realist approach, grounds a new theoretical model for describing the causal mechanism that connects reference marketing to its outcomes. By identifying this causal mechanism, I aim to deepen our understanding of the role played by customer referencing in capital equipment buying decisions. In addition, this research identifies a new form of reference practice and two new referencing effects not yet described in the literature on referencing.
No marketing de referências, os clientes de uma empresa agem como seus embaixadores. Com o seu entusiasmo, fornecem depoimentos e testemunhos, recebem visitas de potenciais clientes e contribuem com informações sobre as características das soluções adoptadas e do seu desempenho. Esta actividade é muito valiosa para as empresas, pois ajuda-as a adquirir activos estratégicos que permitem uma acção de marketing rentável, quer através do aumento da credibilidade e reputação, como reduzindo os riscos associados à compra de produtos ou serviços de um fornecedor. Neste estudo sugiro que a literatura sobre o comportamento de compra organizacional tem falta do input empírico necessário para uma teoria de referenciação de clientes. Em particular, argumento que os estudos da prática da gestão de referenciação de clientes não dão a devida atenção ao ponto de vista que versa o potencial cliente. Em vez disso, a pesquisa empírica tem favorecido o fornecedor como a sua unidade de análise e ignorado os outros dois componentes da tríade: o cliente de referência e o potencial cliente. O trabalho empírico que contempla o potencial cliente como sua unidade de observação é, portanto, uma área de pesquisa promissora para aqueles que desejam obter uma compreensão mais profunda da referenciação de clientes e da sua influência sobre o comportamento de compra de empresas industriais. Este estudo pretende contribuir para o preenchimento desta lacuna, considerando a seguinte pergunta: "Como é que o marketing de referências de clientes influencia as decisões de compra de bens de capital?" Eu procuro responder a esta pergunta através da recolha de dados de empresas que estão presentes na indústria Portuguesa de energia, com vista à criação de um caso de estudo múltiplo. Este trabalho empírico, que adopta uma abordagem assente no realismo crítico, fundamenta um novo modelo teórico para descrever o mecanismo causal entre o marketing de referências de clientes e os seus resultados. A identificação deste mecanismo causal aprofunda a compreensão do papel desempenhado pela referenciação de clientes nas decisões de compra de bens de capital. Além disso, esta pesquisa identifica uma nova prática de referenciação de clientes e dois novos efeitos da referenciação de clientes que ainda não foram descritos na literatura sobre referenciação de clientes.
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Traffic is inevitably a major source of air pollution, particularly in urban areas. Efforts are made towards reducing emissions by improving vehicle and fuel technology and promoting alternative, sustainable modes of transportation. Although the emergence of EVs has shown capabilities of decreasing energy use and emissions levels, the EV market is developing slowly mainly due to drivers’ range anxiety and charging time. Electric roadways (ERs) have been proposed as a solution to overcome the concerns related to EVs by converting road segments into powered lanes where vehicles can be charged as they move along the roadway. This technology has the potential to increase driving range, decrease battery size and thus, lower the weight and the cost of EVs. In this context, exploring the challenging concept of ERs comes natural.

Since data on the market acceptance and the environmental implications on this technology are limited to non-existent, this thesis has the following objectives: 1) identify the factors that affect the short- and long-term intention to use ERs, 2) estimate the level of adoption of the ER technology and identify characteristics of the market segments and 3) assess the impact of ERs on criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions based on the market adoption results.

To achieve these objectives, a survey of the general population in Los Angeles, California was conducted, gathering 600 responses representative of gender and age in the area. Los Angeles is considered a leader in electro-mobility and thus, a natural choice for the implementation of ERs. The short-or long-term intentions to drive on ERs and purchase an EV knowing about the availability of ERs were found to be correlated and thus, were modeled simultaneously using a bivariate ordered probit model. The compatibility of the ER technology with respondents’ lifestyle and needs, respondents’ tendency towards using sustainable forms of transportation, respondents’ innovativeness and perceived environmental benefits were among the most significant variables found to affect the short-term and long-term intention to use ERs.

The level of adoption of the ER technology and corresponding market segments were identified using a combination of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis. Three clusters emerged from the analysis: early adopters (48.5%), mid-adopters (27.67%) and late adopters (23.83%) that differed in terms of demographics and socioeconomic characteristics, travel and EV charging characteristics and level of awareness.

The adoption levels found were then used to estimate the emissions change due to the implementation of the ERs by 2050. Using the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) 2017 EMissions FACtor model (EMFAC). Two scenarios were examined considering light-duty vehicles (LDVs) in a specific corridor: “with” and “without electrification” scenarios. The results suggested that the ER technology for light-duty vehicles has the potential to provide emission reductions of 4 to 24%. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to examine the effect of speed on the results.

Turning to the practical implications, this thesis can provide a foundational framework for the evaluation of the ER technology in terms of environmental and economic viability and set the groundwork for future research. Ultimately, the short-term and long-term intention analysis can be used as a draft guide by state and local agencies and inform their strategic short- or long- range plans for mobility. By segmenting potential users, policy makers and transport operators can be informed about the main challenges regarding the promotion of the ER technology to distinct market segments and devise ways to accelerate its adoption. The findings from the impact analysis of ERs on criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases can also inform long-range transportation plans and existing regulations and policies in California and beyond.