Abstracts Category : Other

IMPETUS wearable strategy : competitive advantage in the Portuguese fashion industry

by Ana Rita Fernandes

What is in the origin of the competitive advantage that IMPETUS had been crafting over the past 43 years? The Resource-Based Theory defended that a company can obtain its competitive advantage through the internal organization of its critical resources, though failed to deem the changing environment. In a complementary perspective, defining Dynamic Capabilities as the firm capability to internally and externally combine competencies to meet changing environments came to introduce the external dimension to the organization.IMPETUS, apart from being a Portuguese Group in the textile industry, is also the name of a brand specialist in male underwear. Reaching a total turnover of nearly 41,6 million and relying 95% on international markets, IMPETUS has been standing out in the Portuguese fashion industry. Innovation etched in the genetic code with a twist of diversification in its business areas seem to speak for the differentiation strategy settled during the past years.This dissertation purposes a journey into the company history. Aside from acknowledging which are the differentiation factors that this underwear specialist was capable of setting out, one must analyze its performance to identify what are the resources and capabilities that rely on, indeed, its competitive advantage. In this odyssey, one can deeper understand the elements inherent to this established wearable strategy and its dynamics in the textile changing environment. O que que est na origem da vantagem competitiva que a IMPETUS tem vindo a desenvolver nos ltimos 43 anos? A Teoria Baseada nos Recursos argumenta que atravs da organizao interna dos seus recursos crticos que uma empresa consegue obter vantagem competitiva, apesar de no considerar envolventes em mudana. Complementarmente, ao definir Capacidades Dinmicas como a capacidade, interna e externa, das empresas combinarem competncias para responder s mudanas na envolvente, introduziu a dimenso externa organizao.Representado no s o nome de um grupo portugus da indstria txtil, IMPETUS igualmente o nome da marca especialista em roupa interior masculina. Com um volume de negcios perto dos 41,6 milhes em cerca de 95% de mercados internacionais, a IMPETUS tem vindo a destacar-se na indstria da moda. Inovao assente no cdigo gentico com diversificao das reas de negcio parecem definir a estratgia diferenciadora que a empresa tem vindo a construir.A presente dissertao prope uma viagem histria da empresa. Para alm de reconhecer os fatores diferenciadores que a IMPETUS foi desenvolvendo, deve considerar-se todo o seu desempenho, de modo a identificar quais so os recursos e capacidades em que assenta a vantagem competitiva. Com esta odisseia possvel compreender quais os elementos inerentes a esta, j estabelecida estratgia vestvel, bem como a sua dinmica no ambiente txtil em mudana.Advisors/Committee Members: Cardeal, Nuno.