How to optimize benefits and attract physiotherapists for a professional association in Portugal?

• Autor(a) principal: Gamito, Manuel Ken Itami
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/20682
• topic: Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

This thesis is part of a Consulting Project for APF - Associação Portuguesa de Fisioterapeutas. This project guides APF with recommendations to support it relieving its financial vulnerability and expanding its operations, as their ultimate goal is to become the Authority which regulates the physiotherapy profession in Portugal. The project concluded that APF was efficient on cost savings. However, several recommendations were made, focused on the revenue and operational fields. Those opportunities in the business model were identified thanks to the collection of data, which included surveys from current and potential members, but also secondary research and theoretical literature. As the majority of the revenues of APF arise from member fees, conferences and learning clinics, the research was focused on clarifying that physiotherapists could materialize returns by joining the Association and taking advantage from the services which are offered. Transforming APF into a “member-centered” organization would promote its membership, which consequently would affect positively the revenues and create economies of scale. “When associations host their annual meeting, it provides members a great opportunity for face-to-face leaning, networking with their colleagues and industry partners.” Michael Gruenberg, 2015 This study concludes with several recommendations, which will enable APF to attract more members and increase its chances to become the National authority for the physiotherapy profession.