How to increase value creation under high regulation

: portuguese regulated energy market

Abstract

Competition between firms is a highly regarded topic in strategic management. There is so much that firms can do to increase their welfare and position in the market. If the market has a large amount of players, then competition is fierce, leading to a low potential for profitability. Companies must keep up with high competition and demand standards from customers. On the other side, one may assume that monopolists operate with full freedom and high profits, however there are external pressures that might even crush the monopolist freedom.This thesis covers the energy supplier of the regulated market in Portugal – SU ELETRICIDADE – which is the monopolist in that market, operating for more than 20 years. However, ERSE, the regulator, imposes serious limitations to its operations and the ability to grow large enough to compete with the liberalized market. This thesis shall focus on raising initiatives that could increase the ability of a regulated firm to create value. Desk research took a big role in gathering information to position the firm in the market, leading to overwhelming limitations. An online survey leads to the realization of a gap in the market related to smart technologies, which might stand as an opportunity for this firm’s value creation.During the course of this analysis, several topics on strategic management have proved to be crucial for a proposition that defies the heavy weight of regulation. The end goal is to establish this firm’s importance and value for consumers and remaining stakeholders.

Date of Award	27 Jan 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Omar El Nayal (Supervisor)