Purpose

This study investigates how functional and symbolic utilities at both product and brand levels influence perceived quality, price sensitivity, and purchase intention in sports footwear consumption among lower-middle-income Generation Z consumers in Brazil and Portugal, considering cultural and socioeconomic contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative cross-national survey was conducted with 259 Generation Z consumers from Brazil and Portugal. Validated scales were used to measure functional and symbolic utilities, perceived quality, price sensitivity, and purchase intention. Data were analysed using multi-group Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), complemented by psychographic cluster analysis.

Findings

Value formation differs across contexts. In Brazil, functional utilities at both product and brand levels had a significant influence on perceived quality, suggesting a pragmatic consumption orientation. In Portugal, symbolic product utility played a more prominent role in shaping perceived quality. Price sensitivity was not directly associated with functional utility in either country, but it was positively associated with the symbolic utility of the brand in Brazil. Both perceived quality and price sensitivity were positively associated with purchase intention in both markets. Psychographic analysis identified six distinct consumer profiles in each country, with Brazilian consumers displaying stronger emotional brand engagement, while Portuguese consumers showed more utilitarian and sceptical orientations.

Practical implications

In Brazil, branding should emphasise functional performance and value for money. In Portugal, symbolic positioning and lifestyle alignment are more effective when supported by functional credibility.

Originality/value

This study contributes to sports marketing and consumer behaviour by demonstrating that value formation among Generation Z is segmented and context-dependent, rather than universal.

The travel and tourism industry has been characterised over the last decade by the use of robotics, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) (Leung, 2019; Rashid & Aziz, 2022; Roy & Pagaldiviti, 2023). This trend has been producing disruptive changes in tourism processes in this industry, which is expected to increase in the future (Bowen & Morosan, 2018; Tussyadiah, 2020). Therefore, understanding these impacts on customer experiences is crucial. Tour operators and travel agencies use VR and AR to offer virtual tours, allowing tourists to experience a destination before deciding to visit (Milton, 2023).

The collapse of Banco Espírito Santo (BES) in August 2014 marked one of the most significant banking crises in Portugal’s modern history and a critical early test of the European Union’s emerging resolution framework. Once the country’s second-largest private bank and the core of the Espírito Santo Group, BES had pursued an unsustainable growth strategy fueled by leverage, weak governance, and regulatory forbearance. Its implosion exposed not only long-standing structural fragilities in Portuguese banking but also the limits of European supervisory credibility. The resolution measure—splitting BES into a “good bank” (Novo Banco) and a “bad bank”—was intended as a model application of the new Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD). Instead, it became mired in opacity, litigation, and socialized costs. This case underscores how managerial hubris, political opportunism, and weak regulatory institutions undermine resolution effectiveness and highlights the broader lessons for banking supervision in Europe.

This study explains how consumers form attitudes toward sustainable fashion line extensions by integrating Brand Extension Theory (BET) with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Using survey data from 786 consumers in Portugal and Turkey, with H&M Conscious Choice as the focal reference, we estimate a structural model in which environmental concern (EC) and brand image (BI) shape attitude (AT) both directly and indirectly through brand‑extension fit (BEF). Results show that EC has a positive but small direct association with AT, while its indirect effect via BEF is also significant, indicating that value‑based dispositions become consequential when the sustainability initiative is perceived as a credible and logical extension of the parent brand. BI exerts a substantive direct influence on AT and a statistically reliable but modest influence on BEF; BEF itself positively predicts AT and transmits part of EC’s and BI’s effects. The model explains R² ≈ 0.742 of BEF and R² ≈ 0.476 of AT, supporting the explanatory adequacy of the integrated framework. A multi‑group analysis suggests context‑sensitive differences between Portugal and Turkey, which we interpret in light of policy‑normalization (Portugal) versus crisis‑salience (Turkey); given partial measurement invariance, these contrasts are framed as cautious tendencies. Overall, findings underscore fit as the mechanism through which consumers synthesize values and brand heuristics, clarifying why strong brand image alone does not guarantee perceived sustainability congruence in fast‑fashion contexts.

Financial management in the context of a start-up has gained prominence in the literature due to entrepreneurs’ insufficient and often incapable analysis. This study examines differences in financial indicators during the initial years of operation between technology start-ups in Portugal that went bankrupt and those that remained active, focusing on the period between 2013–2022. Using a panel data sample of 4,591 companies, hypothesis tests and the Probit regression model were applied. The results reveal statistically significant differences in financial indicators between bankrupt and nonbankrupt start-ups. General liquidity and operating return on assets positively correlate with the likelihood of survival, while immediate liquidity and return on equity have an inverse relationship with nonbankruptcy probability. Consequently, the study identifies a set of average values to monitor, guiding entrepreneurs to avoid bankruptcy. The research provides practical guidelines for financial management in start-ups and aids in analyzing financial indicators to reduce bankruptcy risk.