ISSUE 1
A FUZZY AHP ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL CRITERIA FOR INITIATIVES IN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR AGRIBUSINESS
FELLIPE S. MARTINS, JOÃO CARLOS F. B. FORNARI JUNIOR, MARCOS ROGÉRIO MAZIERI and MARCOS ANTONIO GASPAR
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Exploring criteria for digital transformation in agribusiness (DTA) and analyzing their potential importance (weight) and priorities (ranking) for future DTA projects.
Originality/value: Digital transformation (DT) has become increasingly central in agribusiness, fostering a rapid process of dependence on digital technologies for operational processes. However, the lack of consistent criteria for DTA may hinder progress towards project development and industrial applications, as well as obstruct further research due to potential conceptual, technical, and theoretical shortcomings.
Design/methodology/approach: A manual review of literature coupled with automatic text clustering tools was employed to elicit criteria and subcriteria. To analyze weights and rankings, two methods were used in tandem: fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarities to ideal solution (Topsis) in order to aggregate responses from DTA specialists.
Findings: The criteria extracted from the literature were: knowledge management (analysis, monitoring, decision-making), automation (planting and harvesting, processing and manufacturing, maintenance, technology, machinery and tools), efficiency (costs, work and personnel, processes), and continuity (quality and food safety, environmental sustainability). The results point to a set of criteria anchored in the transition of operations to digital technologies yet bound by the physical limitations of a traditional non-digital business. This paper contributes to the development of the literature by providing a set of criteria for DTA projects and analyzing their possible importance according to a panel of specialists. Practical implications include a definition of areas and their potential relative importance for future implementations.
KEYWORDS: digital transformation, agribusiness, multicriteria decision analysis, strategic management, project management.
PERFORMANCE OF BRAZILIAN CREDIT UNIONS: AN ANALYSIS FROM PEARLS INDICATORS
ALEXSANDRA SILVA, JOSÉTE FLORENCIO DOS SANTOS and ADHEMAR RANCIARO NETO
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To explain the performance of Brazilian credit unions, focusing on the institutions with the best segmentation level in the National Financial System (NFS).
Originality/value: This study used a scenario not yet explored seeking to relate a homogeneous group of unions selected through the NFS segmentation framework and applying financial indexes standardized by the World Council of Credit Unions (Woccu), known as the PEARLS System, to fill, in a practical way, a gap regarding the perspective of identification of factors that impact the performance of Brazilian credit unions.
Design/methodology/approach: The statistical technique of multiple linear regression was used, operationalized by the ordinary least squares (OLS) method on a balanced panel in the period from 2009 to 2018, modeled with three performance proxies and explained by the Pearls key indexes, with a sample of 81 unions.
Findings: The main results showed that cooperatives have low rates of profitability and that it is necessary to increase investments in productive assets. Regarding performance, the net loan portfolio (E1) is directly and positively associated with profitability (ROA and ROE) and to the adjusted net equity growth (CPLA). However, default (A1) reflects a tendency to consume the net institutional capital (E9) and compromises the growth of these institutions. Moreover, the credit portfolio is indeed the most valuable asset and one of the most responsible factors for the performance of Brazilian credit unions.
KEYWORDS: credit unions, performance, PEARLS, Woccu, Bacen.
EVALUATION OF FARMER’S PERCEPTION OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE: A CASE STUDY IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF GUAÍBA, RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE
VERONICA S. AYRES and HUMBERTO CAETANO C. DA SILVA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The main objective of the work was to investigate the perception of rural producers in the municipality of Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul state, in relation to the implementation of precision agriculture (PA), in order to verify the difficulties and benefits of the implementation of this practice in rural life.
Originality/value: PA technology is increasingly present in the planting process, enabling productivity improvement, lower environmental impact, and rural development, an area of fundamental economic importance for the country. Understanding the perception of the farmers in relation to PA can generate important insights, allowing for successful implementations of that technology.
Design/methodology/approach: The research was carried out based on semi-structured interviews. Thus, information was obtained on the perceptions of each farmer in the face of digital transformation in the field and the obstacles encountered in the practices of such technology. Data collection was carried out with five farmers in the municipality of Guaíba. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using the content analysis technique, in its variant of propositional discourse analysis.
Findings: The results show that, despite all the technological apparatus, there are challenges to be overcome in the face of the implementation of digital agriculture. Among the difficulties mentioned, the complexity of the systems – a fact not yet reported in theory –, lack of qualified personnel, cost of machinery, dependence on the climate, and difficulties in accessing the internet stand out. Benefits of the implementation of PA were also pointed out, such as the lower use of inputs, the better harvest yield, the improvement in the farmer’s technical knowledge, and the possibility of adapting the existing machinery, which, contradictorily, was also pointed out as being a difficulty.
KEYWORDS: precision agriculture, innovation in the field, rural development, difficulties in implementing PA, benefits of implementing PA.
SHARING REPRESENTATIONS IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN BUSINESS PROPOSALS, CONSUMPTION VISIONS, AND GOVERNMENT POLICIES
PAULO THIAGO N. B. DE MELO, GÉSSIKA MARIA G. CAMBRAINHA and CARLA REGINA P. GÓMEZ
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This theoretical essay aims to explore sustainable consumption, emphasizing the sharing of representations with business proposals and government policies.
Originality/value: Through consumption, gains in quality of life and forms of social insertion are created by social businesses. Studies on social representations can indicate the sharing of views between different social actors, such as companies, governments and consumers. The text continues with a discussion on the theory of social representations and the dynamics of sustainable consumption. Social representations guide the views, actions, and attitudes of individuals, including when it comes to insertion in the dynamics of consumption. Subsequently, business proposals for the base of the pyramid are highlighted, discussing different possible scenarios for their relationships with consumers and government policies.
Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical essay is characterized by the development of theory as a conceptual production, in which logic takes the place of data for evaluation and elaboration of propositions.
Findings: A greater or lesser sharing of representations allows for the design of different possible scenarios for the relationships between consumers with a moralistic or hedonistic vision, social or traditional business proposals, and governments with policies for sustainable or spurious development. Finally, propositions about the existence of gaps between the representations of the needs of consumers oriented towards sustainable development, value propositions of social businesses, and government instruments in emerging markets are mentioned.
KEYWORDS: social representations, low income, social businesses, sustainable consumption, sustainable development.
NEOLIBERALISM AND ACTIVE AGING: THE ROLE OF BUSINESS RETIREMENT PREPARATION PROGRAMS
INGRID BERNARDINELLI, SILVIO E. A. CANDIDO and MARIA J. TONELLI
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To analyze the relationship between the rise of the retirement preparation programs (RPP) and the transformations in the ideological environment of organizations associated with the advent of the spirit of neoliberal capitalism.
Originality/value: Few studies of Brazilian literature have addressed the dissemination of RPP from critical perspectives and, especially, in the business environment. Most of the research has addressed public institutions. Concerning international literature, the article innovates by associating the rise of the idea of active aging with the thesis of the new spirit of capitalism, developed by Luc Boltanski and Ève Chiapello. Unlike existing international studies, the analysis focuses on RPP as instruments for disseminating the dominant order in the organizational sphere.
Design/methodology/approach: To meet the proposed objectives, qualitative research was carried out. Data were collected from nine informants from five consultancies that work in the structuring of corporate RPP and two companies that have recently structured their programs. A thematic content analysis was performed.
Findings: The results reveal that the developed RPP promote conceptions of active aging in line with the new spirit of capitalism and changes in the forms of work organization driven by neoliberalism, which made it possible to conceptualize RPP as an object that incorporates and facilitates the diffusion of active aging and constructing an active retirement. The study advances in the understanding of the implications of new discourses on old age for organizations and stimulates a more critical comprehensionof RPP in public and private organizations.
KEYWORDS: retirement, active aging, planning for retirement, neoliberal discourses, organizations.
A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE SCIENTIFIC DOMINANT APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE
FRANCISCO R. B. FONSÊCA and DÉBORA C. P. DOURADO
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article outlines a critical assessment of the notion of justice according to the social-scientific dominant approach to organizational justice (OJ). We argue that the detachment from prescriptive notions of justice, advocated by the dominant approach to OJ, shrinks the ideal of justice to a means at the disposal of organizations in pursuit of their interests.
Originality/value: To trigger a critical discussion within the Brazilian academy of business about the inherent instrumental and managerial matters in the production of knowledge in the field of OJ. This work contributes to an ideal reflection on OJ.
Design/methodology/approach: This is a theoretical essay based on the articulated consult and interpretation of bibliographic materials regarding the hegemonic concept of OJ obtained through a literature review.
Findings: A survey in the OJ literature reveals that the proponents of such a dominant scientific-descriptive approach to justice in the workplace take a dissociation stance from normative notions of justice. In doing so, they favor a descriptive, subjective, functionalist, and positivist understanding of justice. Justice is deflated from its moral value to become an analytical-empirical category, understood as its instrumentalmanagerial function within the organizational structure. Mainstream OJ studies have nullified the normative ideal of justice by turning it into a resource servile to strategy and organizational performance.
KEYWORDS: justice, organizational justice, normative detachment, political value, virtue.
ISSUE 2
THE INFLUENCE OF NETWORK TIES ON ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION IN MEXICAN FARMERS: AN INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
NEFTALI PARGA-MONTOYA and HÉCTOR CUEVAS-VARGAS
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study focuses on analyzing the institutional context and collaborative networks affecting farmers’ entrepreneurial capacity in Mexico.
Originality/value: Both the institutional framework and collaborative networks are part of the environment faced by the farmer and empower them to decide about their business, being decisive elements to generate confidence in the environment and reduce the risk of assuming economic responsibilities
Design/methodology/approach: We incorporate the moderating effect of the institutional context considering its influence on collaboration networks. The statistical technique of structural equation models was used to test the hypotheses. The sample comprised 192 farmers from the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico.
Findings: The results showed significant and positive effects of institutional pillars and collaborative networks on the capacity to undertake. Regarding the non-significant effects of the institutional context as a moderating variable, further research is suggested to review the relationship of institutional pillars with collaboration networks and their possible negative relationship. Institutional pillars represent the perception of the social structure relevant to measuring society’s position regarding the capacities, in this case, of rural entrepreneurship, especially when making public policies. The impact of current government actions on the commercial activity should be considered. Subsequently, public policies must have a practical application by the legal framework and the formation of an environment of certainty based on the normative and cognitive pillars of the institutional context.
KEYWORDS: institutional pillars, entrepreneurial orientation, network ties, farmers, structural equation modeling.
DIGIWORK: REFLECTIONS ON THE SCENARIO OF WORK MEDIATED BY DIGITAL PLATFORMS IN BRAZIL
LAILA L. CARNEIRO, DANIELA C. B. MOSCON, LIZ M. M. DIAS, STÉFANIE M. D. OLIVEIRA and HAIANA M. C. ALVES
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article analyzes the Brazilian scenario of work mediated by digital platforms (digiwork).
Originality/value: Digiwork represents an alternative work arrangement to the traditional long-term employment model, with the highest growth rate in recent years. Details of this scenario are still unclear regarding the quantity and diversity of the offered products and services and the number of individuals involved. This article presents information and reflections that contribute to understanding these data in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach: This is an analytical-exploratory study. Scientific articles were used to discuss technological, political, and socioeconomic influences that supported the emergence of digiwork and its effects on the labor market and the workforce. In order to support this discussion, a documental analysis of websites and mobile application software was carried out, allowing for a qualitative-quantitative mapping of Brazil’s current digital intermediation platforms.
Findings: More than 100 companies operating in the country were identified as offering 11 types of services in this business, indicating a growing trend. A diversification movement was also observed, absorbing professionals with different kinds of training and schooling levels. Such growth is in line with the political-economic trend of encouraging the loosening of labor relations, which individualizes and informalizes the bonds, emphasizing the need for debate on the regulation of this work arrangement and more research to investigate its repercussions on the worker’s health, also considering the heterogeneity present in this new class.
KEYWORDS: alternative work arrangement, digital platforms, gig work, uberization, crowdworking.
A HIERARCHICAL MODEL FOR INDUSTRY 4.0 CONCEPTS
RAPHAELLA F. CORDEIRO, LUCIANA P. REIS and JUNE M. FERNANDES
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This research aims to structure a hierarchical model that integrates the industry 4.0 (I4.0) concepts and standardizes concepts based on the literature.
Originality/value: Kamble et al. (2018) point out the lack of architec- ture to represent I4.0 concepts. This paper brings an approach to the relationship between these concepts of I4.0. It expands the studies by Ghobakhloo (2018) and Liao et al. (2017) and homogenizes terms present in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach: From a systematic review of the literature in the Scopus and ScienceDirect databases, from 2011 to 2019, 91 articles were reviewed, of which 58 articles were analyzed.
Findings: From the literature, the terms related to I4.0 were grouped into three categories: technologies, principles, and dimensions. Technology clusters represent tools used to promote changes and transformations in the processes, here called principles. These changes and transformations create new industry standards, enabling process integration for problem-solving, and contributing to implementing intelligent management. The relationship between these categories results in a hierarchical model for I4.0 concepts. This hierarchical model can be used to identify opportunities for future research, demonstrating associations between categories that have not yet been explored. It opens possibilities for organizations to enter the fourth industrial revolution. The results help practitioners and researchers to understand this new process in detail and facilitate the construction of a valid and operational intelligent manufacturing platform.
KEYWORDS: industry 4.0, dimensions, technologies, principles, hierarchical model.
INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON HOTEL PERFORMANCE
NATHÁLIA S. PEREIRA and ANA AUGUSTA F. FREITAS
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper aims to examine the influence of social media management practices on hotel performance.
Originality/value: The hotel industry is undergoing organizational transformations due to the insertion of social media as a communication platform that engages customers. Given this, verifying whether social media can collaborate on internal resources and help the companies’ performance has been a potential source of studies.
Design/methodology/approach: The study sample comprised 67 hotels. To this end, hotel managers conducted face-to-face interviews to collect data from their respective hotels. Data were collected using social media management practices and performance measures measured through RevPAR (a revenue division by total rooms available) and online review scores from Booking.com. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were applied to evaluate the study’s hypotheses from a quantitative approach.
Findings: It was evidenced that social media management practices can be categorized into monitoring and comment responsing practices and the dimension of responsiveness and information dissemination practices. These practices positively influence hotel performance measured through online review scores and revenue measured through RevPAR. Given the results, it is expected that hotels will have competitive advantages by managing their resources with the help of social media and that studies in this sector will gain more visibility.
KEYWORDS: performance, management practices, social media, online assessment, hospitality industry.
PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT IN STARTUPS
JOSE RICARDO MELENCHION, EDSON K. M. KUBO, EDUARDO C. OLIVA and ERIC DAVID COHEN
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article aims to analyze how the practices related to the development of people in startups are configured.
Originality/value: Considering that, until then, studies referring to startups focused on their concept, characteristics, and key success factors, this research contributes to filling a gap in the theory, as it presents a people development model suited to the characteristics of startups and, in this way, it makes possible to the founders or managers of startups to use the findings of this research in order to improve their performance.
Design/methodology/approach: The methodological aspects of this research are characterized by exploratory and qualitative research. Semistructured interviews are used as a collection technique in 16 startups.
Findings: We observed that in startups: Teamwork is prioritized, the work environment is informal, the development of competencies occurs in the work environment itself through self-development or training provided by specialized professionals or by the leadership, there is flexibility in the time, place, manner in which activities are carried out, and the employee may even act in activities that would not be the responsibility of the position held.
KEYWORDS: high performance, human resource development, startups, competencies, people management.
THE EFFICIENCY OF PUBLIC POLICIES AND THE AUTONOMY COST IN BRAZILIAN MUNICIPALITIES
HELTON C. DE PAULA and MARIA M. PINHO
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Brazilian federalism is complex. In a country with continental dimensions, with three levels of government (central, state, and local government) and 5,570 municipalities, a federative organization is expected to be complex. The fiscal sustainability of subnational governments is a fundamental pillar of any federative structure. This research aims to verify whether the revenue generated is sufficient to pay for the municipality’s existence.
Originality/value: This is a gap in the specialized literature, which usually analyzes municipalities in terms of income or expenditures but not comparing the revenue obtained by economic activity and the cost of the municipality’s existence, the main contribution of this research.
Design/methodology/approach: As such, we investigated the capacity of Brazilian municipalities to generate revenues to finance their autonomies by combining the income linked to the local economic activity with the cost of the existence of each municipality into an autonomy cost index (ACI).
Findings: Our analysis reveals that, of those municipalities who provided the data, one in each four does not generate enough revenues to pay for their existence. The results suggest that the ACI of Brazilian municipalities decreases with the population and business activity. Hence, our autonomy cost index performs worse in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions. This context opens space for a crucial debate and further studies within the scope of Brazilian federalism.
KEYWORDS: autonomy cost, fiscal federalism, municipalities, Brazilian federalism, public budget.
ISSUE 3
TECHNOLOGICAL LEVEL IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY AND RESPONSE CAPACITY IN MANUFACTURING COMPANIES
MARÍA DEL ROSARIO DEMUNER FLORES
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This research analyzed the influence of the acquisition, assimilation, and exploitation of knowledge on the organizational response capacity, given the moderation of the technological level in Mexican manufacturing companies.
Originality/value: A conceptual contribution of response capacity as an understanding of organizational agility is fundamentally necessary for organizations facing changing conditions to use new knowledge to achieve the objectives of the organization, employees, and shareholders. An empirical contribution from the absorptive capacity to make companies respond with innovations to environmental changes and help them develop their absorptive capacity so the opportunities and restrictions in their technological level within a company can be seen.
Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative study was conducted through a survey with a sample of 102 manufacturing companies that promoted some innovation activity in the State of Mexico, Mexico. The data were analyzed using a hierarchical regression model.
Findings: The results showed that the technological level only moderated the relationship between the assimilation of knowledge and organizational response capacity. Also, this study contributed empirically by showing that companies have the same opportunity to improve their absorptive capacity and respond to changes in the environment regardless of their technological level.
KEYWORDS: organizational learning, absorptive capacity, response capacity, technological level, innovation.
THE DIGITALIZATION PHENOMENON AND DIGITAL STRATEGIES IN EMERGING COUNTRIES: A SEMI-SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
PABLO LEÃO, GABRIELLA GUINLLE, THOMAZ N. ROCHA, LIGIA AZEVEDO-REZENDE and MARIA TEREZA LEME FLEURY
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Through a review of the literature on digitalization in emerging countries, we analyzed how companies operating in these regions develop and implement strategies to navigate the digital era.
Originality/value: The emergence of new technologies has reconfigured businesses’ survival and competitiveness worldwide, however, little is known about the digital strategies employed by companies in emerging markets. By reviewing the literature, scarce in this context, we contributed by presenting examples of digital strategies that businesses have implemented. In line with our findings, we propose a research agenda to guide future studies.
Design/methodology/approach: We performed a semi-systematic review of business and management journals, comprising a total sample of 30 articles from different fields of knowledge. We present our findings in three thematic categories and other subcategories.
Findings: Our findings suggest the institutional voids that limit firms’ innovation (e.g., lack of clear regulations, skilled workforce, access to data, and financial resources) are the main challenges keeping them from digitalizing themselves. Nevertheless, firms develop capabilities to scout opportunities, despite the challenges, and implement digital strategies that support their digitalization process.
KEYWORDS: digitalization, emerging countries, developing countries, strategy, semi-systematic review.
OCCUPATIONAL CALLINGS IN A CONTEXT OF STRUCTURAL RESTRICTIONS
VICTOR G. COELHO, BRUNO FELIX and ADONAI J. LACRUZ
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the moderating effect of structural constraints on the relationship between the perception of a calling, living a calling, and life satisfaction.
Originality/value: This is the first attempt to discuss the role of structural restrictions on the consequences of perceiving a calling in the context of a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach: We conducted quantitative research with 165 Brazilian professionals (structural equation modeling).
Findings: The results showed that perceiving a calling is positively associated with living a calling and satisfaction with life, in general. However, both relationships were moderated by structural constraints, so that the stronger the constraints, the weaker the relationships described above. This result indicates that seeing a job as an occupational calling does not always lead to desirable outcomes, as it is often advocated by the vocational and career literature and career guidance professionals. Thus, it is suggested that the limitations on access to resources should be taken into account in career guidance processes so that individuals are more aware that, in cases of resource constraints, occupational calling may not provide the much-acclaimed positive career outcomes. Implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are presented.
KEYWORDS: calling, career, life satisfaction, professional achievement, structural constraints.
INDIVIDUAL JOB PERFORMANCE: PROPOSITIONS FOR A PERSONALIZED MEASUREMENT AND A COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSIS
HUGO SANDALL and LUCIANA MOURÃO
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Individual job performance is an important phenomenon for organizations but is difficult to measure and often with restricted diagnoses. The aim of this study was to present a set of general indicators of individual performance at work that contemplate different dimensions of this construct to support a personalized measurement and a comprehensive diagnosis.
Originality/value: It presents a set of items, composed of eight behavioral categories, that allows for a comprehensive approach to work performance and a personalized way of measuring it in different professional areas and roles.
Design/methodology/approach: This work followed a theoretical stage and an empirical one. In the former one, the theoretical model was chosen, the construct was operationalized, and job performance scales’ items were selected. In the empirical stage, the items were classified, selected, and adapted according to the dimensions of the chosen theoretical model, based on judges’ analyses (n = 16), expert panel (n = 6), and semantic validation by professionals (n = 9).
Findings: The study generated 56 items for measuring job performance, divided into eight dimensions, according to the theoretical model adopted. Its use will allow a careful measurement of performance, with comprehensive diagnostics on the topic. Additionally, the findings allow academics and managers to raise the level of the debate about the construct to favor theoretical and methodological advances in the area.
KEYWORDS: job performance, work performance, indicators, performance appraisal, human resources.
“FAMILY BUSINESS”: DOES THE FAMILY STRUCTURE AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF LISTED COMPANIES?
VANESSA M. VALCANOVER and IGOR B. SONZA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper sought to verify the influence of family structure on the performance of family companies listed in Brazil between 2010 and 2017. We also analyzed the impact of monitoring and duality on the performance of these companies.
Originality/value: The relevance of the study is found mainly in the use of unusual variables, such as the participation of founders and descendants as shareholders, on the boards of directors, and as chief executive officers (CEOs), since it was not possible to identify any study in Brazil that addressed family participation in a fragmented way, separating the effects caused by founders and descendants, giving greater depth to the issue. In addition, it generates interest to the most varied audiences, including shareholders, regulators, analysts, and investors who have a specific interest in how family structures affect the performance of companies.
Design/methodology/approach: Data related to shareholders, composition of the boards of directors, executives, family ties, founding families, founders, descendants, and financial performance were used in the research. An unbalanced data panel was analyzed through the generalized method of moments (GMM).
Findings: A positive effect of monitoring and duality on the firms’ performance was verified. The impact of family structure on performance was ambiguous. Founders and descendants that were CEOs or were working in management had positive and negative effects on the performance measures. Additionally, the participation of founders on the board of directors negatively impacted the performance. Finally, it was observed that family ownership positively impacts the firms’ performance, suggesting that families look after the companies.
KEYWORDS: family structure, family ties, performance, corporate governance, listed companies.
IMPACT OF THE CASH POSITION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BRAZILIAN COMPANIES DURING PERIODS OF ECONOMIC RECESSION
ADRIANA BORTOLUZZO, MAURICIO BORTOLUZZO and MARIO M. S. FERREIRA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to analyze if, during periods of economic recession, the cash position impacts the performance of Brazilian companies. In addition, it seeks to identify if there are differences in the intensity of such relationships for the different sectors in which companies operate.
Originality/value: The appropriate management of a company’s cash position is key for the maintenance of its financial health in the long term. This subject is particularly relevant for emerging countries, such as Brazil, considering the track record of frequent economic recessions. Such economic recessions lead to the deterioration of the companies’ operating results and shortage of credit facilities, negatively affecting the companies’ liquidity. In the last decade, studies have been discussing the relevance of the companies’ cash position to improve their performance in periods of financial constraint.
Design/methodology/approach: To develop this study, a sample composed of 200 Brazilian companies listed on B3 was used, grouping information from the period between 2013 and 2016, organized in a balanced dynamic panel.Findings: The results obtained through regressions indicate that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between cash position and the performance of the companies, measured by the return on assets (ROA) – but not by the market to book ratio –, and it was also identified that the sector in which the company operates has a moderating factor on the intensity of such a relationship.
KEYWORDS: cash position, performance, recession, panel data, sector.
ISSUE 4
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
MARCELO LUIZ A. GONÇALVES, RENATO PENHA, LUCIANO F. SILVA, CRISTINA D. P. MARTENS and VLAMIR F. SILVA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article aims to investigate the relationship between project management (PM) and digital transformation (DT) in organizations.
Originality/value: This article contributes to expanding the knowledge of the relationship between PM and DT, indicating that PM and its different approaches are used strategically to enable DT implementation in organizations. In addition, it is evidenced that DT demands individuals with technical and behavioral competencies to work in innovative and rapid organizational, cultural, and technological contexts arising from adopting new digital technologies.
Design/methodology/approach: The research is characterized as exploratory with a qualitative approach. The methodology adopted was the systematic literature review and sought to understand the relationship and convergence between PM and DT. The research was carried out broadly, and the articles were selected on the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar bases, forming the analysis corpus with 104 articles published from 2015 to 2020.
Findings: The results converged in the composition of four factors: competencies; strategy; digital technologies; and portfolio, programs, and projects, demonstrating the evolutionary and adaptive capacity of PM to support major changes such as DT.
KEYWORDS: digital transformation, project management, digital technologies, skills, strategies.
MECHANISMS OF PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTECTION IN DAIRY AGRO-INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS: A STUDY IN PARANÁ, BRAZIL, AND OLD MIDI-PYRÉNÉES, FRANCE
CAROLINA ANDREA G. W. SUDRÉ, JOSÉ PAULO SOUZA and MELISE D. M. BOUROULLEC
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to understand the mechanisms of property rights guarantee in the dairy agro-industrial system (DAGS) in Paraná, Brazil, and in the old Midi-Pyrénées region, France.
Originality/value: From a complementary perspective of Transaction Cost Theory and Measurement Cost Theory, the proposal in the study is that the use of mechanisms to guarantee property rights through safeguards, parameters, measurement, agreements, or litigation contributes to the transaction of differentiated products and also to the protection of these rights, favoring systems improvement.
Design/method/approach: A descriptive qualitative study was done, encompassing 25 semi-structured interviews with producers, processors, and key agents of the DAGS in the state of Paraná in Brazil and in the old Midi-Pyrénées region of France, in 2016 and 2017. Quali tative content analysis was performed with NVivo Pro software.
Findings: It was identified that in France and in the central-eastern and western regions of Paraná, the use of complementary protection property rights mechanisms (safeguards, parameters, measurement, agreements, or litigation) allows higher quality milk transactions and reinvestments in production by agents, contributing to system improvement. In the northern region of Paraná, the limited use of property rights mechanisms (verbal agreement, measurement, unreliable information sharing, and the absence of ex post protection) allows minimal quality milk transactions and restricts reinvestments in production, limiting systems improvement.
KEYWORDS: property rights, protection mechanisms, dairy agroindustrial system, Transaction Cost Economics, Measurement Cost Economics.
ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY IN STARTUPS: LEVERAGING EDTECH’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
GISELY J. T. MARTINS and PATRICIA S. FREIRE
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This work investigated the contribution of the absorptive capacity of education startups (Edtechs) to the development of innovations and sustainable competitive advantages in the first year of social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Originality/value: Although absorptive capacity is considered impor – tant for innovating and obtaining competitive advantages (Cohen & Levinthal, 1990; Zahra & George, 2002), it has been little investigated in the context of startups (Cajuela & Galina, 2020). In addition, considering the current business environment of growth in the use of technologies in education, especially the adoption of remote education (Ministério da Educação [MEC], 2020) during the Covid-19 pandemic, this study seeks to contribute to the understanding of the growth of Edtechs in this scenario.
Design/methodology/approach: The research consisted of a qualitative approach, and data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews using the Google Meet tool. The data were analyzed based on the thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006, 2012), which enabled us to define codes, categories, and themes for analysis.
Findings: The results showed the relationship between the absorptive capacity of startups, the innovations developed, and the competitive advantages acquired. Interorganizational relations with corporates and interactions with specialists and mentors also evidenced the development of absorptive capacities. In addition, the internal team and the organizational culture emerged as essential sources of absorptive capacities. Thus, as recommendations for future research, it is suggested to investigate these two constructs and their relationship with the startups’ absorptive capacity.
KEYWORDS: absorptive capacity, startup, competitive advantage, Edtech, Covid-19.
ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH: A STUDY OF THE PRACTICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONTEXT, ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITIES, AND LEADERSHIP
MARIA ELISA B. BERNARDES and VANJA A. FERREIRA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To explore a process of organizational growth, considering different intervening factors: the institutional context, organizational capabilities, and the roles of leaders.
Originality/value: From the literature point of view, the study contributes by explaining the practical process of linking different institutional pressures (regulatory, normative, and cognitive) that led to growth when combined with organizational dispositions and better leadership preparation to face challenges. For practice purposes, it highlights the importance of alignment between leaders and the effect of training when they respond to the expectations of the institutional context.
Design/methodology/approach: A case study of the singular credit cooperatives affiliated with Central Sicredi PR/SP/RJ was carried out in which the practices were analyzed according to the interpretations of those involved. Documents were collected, and 24 executives from three levels of ten cooperatives were interviewed. An inductive content analysis was performed, and the themes were cataloged according to their recurrence.
Findings: A dynamic explanation emerged according to which contextual pressure acted as a catalyst for the transformation of the practice through learning and the evolution of the interaction between upper and middle management in a more agile decision-making process. It also generated innovations and led to the optimized delivery of value, expected by the market, customers, and society in general. Assertive and responsive decision-making developed organizational competencies for differentiated growth.
Keywords: strategy as practice, organizational studies, leadership, cooperatives, growth.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION MODELS: SELF-EFFICACY VERSUS ENTREPRENEURIAL CHARACTERISTICS
ANNE KATHLEEN L. ROCHA, GUSTAVO HERMÍNIO S. M. MORAES, ANA IOLANDA VODA and RUY QUADROS
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze whether self-efficacy and entrepreneurial characteristics (e.g., risk-taking, planning, opportunity recognition, persistence, sociability, innovation, and leadership) differ in the explanation of entrepreneurial intention models, having entrepreneurial education as a moderator of relationships.
Originality/value: This paper offers an in-depth perspective on which behavioral characteristics fit best into entrepreneurial intention models and helps to fill a theoretical and practical gap on the need for university education to increase its positive impact on human capital, particularly on students’ professional skills, demonstrating which characteristics are most impacted by entrepreneurial education.
Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative methodology was employed, and data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 1,004 Brazilian university students from public and private universities. The research was conducted in a non-proba bilistic way and with a convenience sample. In order to address the research hypothesis and objectives, all constructs were adapted from relevant literature on entrepreneurship.
Findings: The results indicate it seems more appropriate to use a set of entrepreneurial characteristics when investigating an entrepreneurial intention model if you are looking for a higher explanatory factor and a more robust model; also, entrepreneurial characteristics represent a more sensitive model, which brings accurate assessments on factors that affect entrepreneurial intention. With these findings, entrepreneurial education can be planned to shape certain characteristics through actions in the university environment, making it possible to measure the impact of education on entrepreneurial intention.
Keywords: self-efficacy, entrepreneurial characteristics, entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial education, Brazil.
PROFITABILITY AND CONSERVATIVE LEVERAGE OF BRAZILIAN COMPANIES
CAMILA ADAM, GLEICE C. L. MORENO, MATHEUS ANDRIANI and TARCÍSIO PEDRO SILVA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The study aims to analyze the relationship between profitability and conservative leverage of Brazilian companies.
Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature by investigating profitability as a fundamental determinant of the conservative leverage of Brazilian companies, making it possible to understand whether this influence is based on a perspective of flexibility or financial constraint.
Design/methodology/approach: The research is characterized as descriptive, archival, and quantitative. The study sample consisted of 271 public companies and 8,823 private companies. Data were collected in the Refinitiv Eikon database between 2012 and 2019 (eight years). For data analysis, the study used logistic regression in Stata software.
Findings: The results indicate that, on average, 5.05% of public companies have zero leverage, and 29.08% of private companies have book leverage below 5%; in the context of public companies, the more profitable the company, the greater the probability of having almost zero leverage, corroborating the perspective of financial flexibility. Less profitable private companies are likelier to have zero leverage, which is consistent with the view of financial constraint.
KEYWORDS: profitability, conservative leverage, zero leverage, almost zero leverage, Brazilian companies.
ISSUE 5
RELIGIO-SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS AFFECTING THE ATTITUDE TOWARD ADVERTISING DURING RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL: COMPARISON BETWEEN AN IRRITATING AND A RELIGIOUS ADVERTISEMENT
JUNAID ANSARI, UMMI NAIEMAH SARAIH, ADI A. AZMIN, SAFEENA YASEEN and MUHAMMAD S. RAMISH
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to measure the religio-spiritual insights of consumers during religious festivals and compare the results considering the stimuli of two advertisements, i.e., religious and irritating advertisements. When the religio-spiritual insights of the consumers are neglected in the designing of a TV advertisement for a religious festival, in particular, it can lead to irritation and affect the consumers’ attitude toward advertising. Based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the mediating effect of religio-spiritual insights was measured between consumers’ attitude toward advertising and independent variables (irritation, credibility, information, good for the economy, and entertainment).
Originality/value: This study uses the newly developed instrument of religio-spiritual insights to measure their influence on consumers’ attitudes toward advertising and confirms the mediating effect of religio-spiritual insights between the consumers’ attitude and other constructs, such as credibility, entertainment, information, irritation, and good for the economy.
Design/methodology/approach: Two hundred and fifty-five household consumers were selected using the non-probability convenience sampling techniques to collect the responses using the survey method. Each respondent was asked to fill out two questionnaires after watching the attached stimulus advertisement, i.e., one religious and one irritating advertisement. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was used to test the hypothesis based on the bootstrapping test.
Findings: The results show that religio-spiritual insights significantly mediate attitude toward advertising and other constructs when there was a religious advertisement that depicted religious cues, symbols, and visuals. Contrarily, a non-significant effect of irritation was identified on religio-spiritual insights when there was an irritating advertisement.
KEYWORDS: consumers’ religio-spiritual insights, religious festivals, irritation, attitude toward advertising, PLS-SEM.
ECOSYSTEM OF A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH CENTER IN PROJECT STUDIES: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
JOSÉ DA A. MOUTINHO, ROQUE RABECHINI JUNIOR and GABRIELA FERNANDES
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To provide a conceptual framework of the ecosystem of a collaborative research center in project studies. The ecosystem is an environment capable of articulating and integrating different actors, such as academics and practitioners from public and private organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and professional associations. Furthermore, it discusses theoretical and empirical frontiers in project studies and produces knowledge and technologies directly applicable to organizations, generating impact at the individual, organizational, and social levels.
Originality/value: The creation of a collaborative workspace that includes academics and practitioners in the co-production of knowledge has been highlighted as critical to driving project management forward. The framework establishes a common language among academics and practitioners to enhance the impact of the results of collaborative research on project management.
Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was carried out from a search on the Scopus and Web of Science databases, with 11 frameworks being evaluated from the perspective of sustainable impacts. The most appropriate framework was identified, analyzed, and enriched with an additional layer dedicated to project management.
Findings: The conceptual framework proposed comprises four layers: project studies, process (resources, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts), supporting mechanisms and circumstances, and context. For future studies, we suggest adding empirical data to the proposed structure and evaluating the framework in a collaborative academic environment.
KEYWORDS: research center, collaborative research, project management, project studies, framework.
BEHAVIORAL TRAINING OF ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS FOR INDUSTRY 4.0
MARIA ÂNGELA DE S. FERNANDES, RICARDO C. RODRIGUES and ADELAIDE MARIA S. ANTUNES
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To present suggestions for behavioral competency development for engineers and Engineering students to work in Industry 4.0.
Originality/value: A human-machine collaboration model (with artificial intelligence application) is proposed for training engineering professionals for the workplace. The behavioral skills for Industry 4.0 to be developed in Engineering degree programs and the quality of evidence of their inclusion in such programs of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro [UFRJ]) are assessed.
Design/methodology/approach: The engineer-machine collaboration model draws on Design Thinking (Brown, 2010) and cognitive modeling of engineers based on a model of logical reasoning (Paul & Elder, 2002), integrating the cognitive model with a model of information flows in human-machine interactions (Riley, 1989). A competency model for Industry 4.0 (Prifti et al., 2017), interviews with leaders of Engineering schools of UFRJ, addressing their planning for the implementation of the new National Curriculum Guidelines for Engineering programs (Resolução no. 2, 2019), and application of the GRADE approach (Balshem et al., 2011) supported the identification of evidence of behavioral competencies for Industry 4.0 in the undergraduate programs.
Findings: Engineering professionals train their critical analysis and decision-making skills while the machine searches for and processes information and performs simulations. Low quality evidence was found for the training of undergraduates in emotional intelligence, decisionmaking, and customer relations. No evidence was identified of training in self-management, entrepreneurship, and understanding of the business model.
KEYWORDS: engineers training, engineer-machine collaboration, behavioral competencies, Industry 4.0, AI.
SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES
ADAUTO DE V. MONTENEGRO, ANA P. M. PINHO and ANTONIO C. R. TUPINAMBÁ
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Based on the three-dimensional model of Meyer and Allen (1991), this study outlined organizational commitment profiles (OCP) for public service workers working at two federal universities, as well as sociodemographic and occupational characteristics associated with these profiles.
Originality/value: OCP emerged as part of the Brazilian research scenario on organizational commitment (OC), as well as discussions that approached the implications of such profiles, in the public sector and public higher education institutions (HEIs).
Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology included quantitative, descriptive, and field-based approaches. In the study, 470 respondents worked in administrative areas of two federal universities in Northeast Brazil in three occupational categories: technical servants, managers, and outsourced workers. The techniques used were exploratory factor analysis and latent profile analysis.
Findings: As a basis for modeling the factorial structure of the OC scale (affective, normative, and continuance dimensions), four OCP were identified: uncommitted, affective-continuance commitment, moderate, and affectively committed. The uncommitted were primarily men and workers with less job tenure. The majority of the affective-continuance commitment and affectively committed were occupied by technical public servants and outsourced workers, while managers concentrated on the affective-continuance commitments.
KEYWORDS: organizational commitment profiles, federal universities, public sector, survey, quantitative research.
CHURNING OF HUMAN RESOURCES: A PROPOSAL FOR A THEORETICAL-METHODOLOGICAL MODEL
OLGA ALEXANDRA CHINITA PIRROLAS and PEDRO MIGUEL ALVES RIBEIRO CORREIA
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article presents the results of qualitative research performed through the semi-structured interviews to elaborate a theoreticalmethodological human resources churning model that will allow to statistically describe the relations of interdependence between the selected variables, to analyze their impact, and to test hypotheses in future studies.
Originality/value: The relevance of this study lies in the opportunity to contribute to the development of such an intricate, unexplored topic, with scarcely available literature and empirical studies, providing the elaboration of an interview script as an instrument for data collection that facilitates future studies. Churning of human resources (excess of turnover) is solely related to the replacement of workers who voluntarily choose to leave organizations (Burgess et al., 2000).
Design/methodology/approach: This study follows a qualitative approach. The process of data collection consisted of developing a semi-structured interview guide to gather information through the performance of 20 interviews.
Findings: Through the analysis of the results, it was possible to ascertain that the more favorable churning dimensions are, the greater the retention of workers in organizations. Thus, the elaboration and application of strategic measures by organizations become relevant for the reten- tion of the most experienced and qualified workers in order to avoid high costs with new hiring, which are a direct result of such replacements (churning).
KEYWORDS: churning of human resources, interviews, theoreticalmethodological model, churning dimensions, strategic measures.
EFFECTS OF RESILIENCE AND MANAGERIAL ATTITUDES ON THE RELATION BETWEEN PARTICIPATIVE BUDGETING AND MANAGERIAL PERFORMANCE
JONAS A. S. GRODT, VINÍCIUS C. S. ZONATTO, LARISSA DEGENHART, YVELISE G. PICCININ and MÁRCIA BIANCHI
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To analyze the effects of psychological resilience and managerial attitudes (job involvement and commitment to budget goals) on the relationship between participative budgeting and managerial performance.
Originality/value: The present study innovates by providing evidence of the cognitive effects of psychological resilience, the affective effects of job involvement, and budget goal commitment on the relationship between budgetary participation and managerial performance, which is the theoretical gap explored.
Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive and quantitative survey research carried out through structural equation modeling (SEM) with a sample composed of 251 controllers working in companies in Southern Brazil.
Findings: The findings show that the intervening variables (psychological resilience and managerial attitudes) exert a positive influence on the tested relations. The results demonstrate that participative budgeting influences managerial performance through the cognitive effects of psychological resilience, combined with the affective effects of budget goal commitment. Job involvement enhances levels of psychological resilience and has positive effects on managerial performance. Thus, it can be concluded that budget configuration influences controllers’ resilience levels and contributes to their commitment to budget goals, as it triggers cognitive and affective reactions that increase managerial performance.
KEYWORDS: participative budgeting, resilience, job involvement, commitment to budget goal, managerial performance.
ISSUE 6 - SPECIAL ISSUE
Sofia Gomes, João M. Lopes e Luís Ferreira
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article investigates and classifies firm resources for the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from emerging countries.
Originality/value: SMEs from emerging countries in global markets evidence their more restricted access to resources for internationalization. The mainstream international business literature classifies firm’s resources identified in large companies from developed economies. This research classifies firms’ internationalization resources located in different emerging countries based on a systematic literature review (SLR) and interviews. This paper contributes to the theoretical development about the internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries, indicating the importance of organizational resources in this process.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents an exploratory research developed in two stages: a SLR on emerging countries and interviews with experts, institutions, and SMEs about the Brazilian context. Bibliographic research and an interview with semi-structured script were adopted as data collection techniques. Interviews were analyzed with NVivo software using content analysis technique and providing categorization of resources.
Findings: Up to 2016, 15 works mentioned resources for the internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries and seven were done in Asia. We identified 72 resources in ten emerging countries. Organizational resources predominate. The use of financial resources in Brazil contradicts the trend in other emerging countries. More tangible resources seem less strategic for SMEs’ internationali zation from emerging countries when compared to more intangible resources, as organizational ones.
KEYWORDS: Resource-based view. Systematic review. Emerging countries. Small and medium enterprises. Export.
Sofia Gomes, João M. Lopes e Luís Ferreira
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This article investigates and classifies firm resources for the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from emerging countries.
Originality/value: SMEs from emerging countries in global markets evidence their more restricted access to resources for internationalization. The mainstream international business literature classifies firm’s resources identified in large companies from developed economies. This research classifies firms’ internationalization resources located in different emerging countries based on a systematic literature review (SLR) and interviews. This paper contributes to the theoretical development about the internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries, indicating the importance of organizational resources in this process.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents an exploratory research developed in two stages: a SLR on emerging countries and interviews with experts, institutions, and SMEs about the Brazilian context. Bibliographic research and an interview with semi-structured script were adopted as data collection techniques. Interviews were analyzed with NVivo software using content analysis technique and providing categorization of resources.
Findings: Up to 2016, 15 works mentioned resources for the internationalization of SMEs from emerging countries and seven were done in Asia. We identified 72 resources in ten emerging countries. Organizational resources predominate. The use of financial resources in Brazil contradicts the trend in other emerging countries. More tangible resources seem less strategic for SMEs’ internationali zation from emerging countries when compared to more intangible resources, as organizational ones.
KEYWORDS: Resource-based view. Systematic review. Emerging countries. Small and medium enterprises. Export.
