Filipe J. Sousa at UMa


Filipe J. Sousa Assistant Professor
Contact Social Sciences Competence Centre (Office 1.70) \| University of Madeira Penteada Campus, 9000 – 390 Funchal \| Madeira \| Portugal Tel: +351-291-705051 \| Fax: +351-291-705040 \| Email: fjmsousa AT uma.pt		In loving memory of my beloved son Tomás (October 2^nd – 4^th, 2006). “The sentiment of love is, in itself, agreeable to the person who feels it. It sooths and composes the breast, seems to favour the vital motions, and to promote the healthful state of the human constitution; and it is rendered still more delightful by the consciousness of the gratitude and satisfaction which it must excite in him who is object of it.” (Smith, 1759 [2005], p. 48) And to my beautiful daughter Inês, born in January 7^th, 2009.

Research interests

I am primarily interested in understanding the firm, in particular its (i) raison d’être, (ii) nature, (iii) scale and scope, and (iv) strategy. In other words, I am trying to understand: (i) why is the firm brought about by the entrepreneur; (ii) which main constituents is the firm likely to include within (clear-cut horizontal and fuzzy vertical) boundaries; (iii) which activities are performed within the firm and which activities are left to others (and the impact on these make-or-buy decisions of the diverse, horizontal and vertical relations that the firm establishes, develops and sustains with counterparts); and (iv) how does the firm devise and implement its strategy (and what is strategy for). My grand research project aims ultimately at a thorough and robust conceptualisation of the business world, that is, the mapping of the topography of the constantly changing business landscape, in particular the coexisting yet mutable hierarchies, markets (interfirm transactions), and networks (interfirm interactions).

In addition, I must confess my incipient interest in the Philosophy of (Social) Science. The ontological, epistemological, methodological, and aetiological assumptions of the three main alternative meta-theories (namely Positivism, Postmodernism, and Critical Realism) are in this respect quite relevant.