Revista de Administração da UFSM

Perception of shop floor employees regarding senior management support in lean projects and its relationship with initiatives success

2021-09-05T22:28:24-03:00

Purpose – Over the years, the lean production philosophy has shown satisfactory results for companies from different sectors in different countries. Aiming to contribute to the knowledge base on the mentioned philosophy, this study aims to verify the perception of shop floor employees regarding senior management support in lean projects and its relationship with initiatives success.

Design/methodology/approach – Through a literature review, 18 aspects of a lean journey were identified and divided into four constructs by a panel of specialists. This information was used to compose a questionnaire, and a survey was conducted with 198 shop floor employees of two auto parts companies. Data analysis was done via Structural Equation Modeling.

Findings – As a general result, it was possible to prove that when employees perceive more significant support from senior management in lean projects, the greater is the perception of initiatives success. Therefore, it is interesting that the involvement of senior management occurs at all stages of the project.

Originality/value – The results described here have practical implications, especially for managers interested in implementing lean projects; they must be aware of the importance of senior management support for the success of previous projects.

Relationship between the actors and the environment: an analysis of positive and negative feelings about an entrepreneurial ecosystem

2021-10-13T16:05:36-03:00

Objective of the study – To analyse the positive and negative feelings regarding the domains of an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach – The present work is characterized as exploratory and descriptive in relation to the procedures as field research, and the approach is qualitative.

Findings – Most of the feelings regarding the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the study are negative (30 feelings). However, there are positive perceptions (14 feelings) about the arrangement. This can be seen through the importance of the people, actors and entrepreneurs in the ecosystem, as they act as agents in transforming actions. Concerning the negative aspects, the Public Policy and Culture domains also contain several indicators, mainly for the search for incentives and policies to disseminate entrepreneurship in the ecosystem.

Practical & Social implications of the Study – This work sought to collaborate with studies in the field of entrepreneurship, specifically, in the domains of the ecosystem. Its strength lies in its theoretical and practical relevance, guiding entrepreneurs towards other specific aspects of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Originality – The study is original due to the environment in which it was conducted, unlike other studies on this theme, and the local arrangement had not yet been considered. Furthermore, regarding similar studies conducted in Brazil, few studies were found approaching this theme of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (Capes, 2020), which indicates the possibility of exploring this theme.

Innovation and human resources practices in companies of Southern Brazil

2021-06-05T17:53:01-03:00

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyze the relationships between process innovation, human resources practices and the competitive advantage of organizations, through seven research hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used is a descriptive, quantitative study applied to 207 human resources professionals from companies in the south of Brazil, analyzed by the modeling of structural equations.

Findings: The hypotheses predicted that process innovation and human resources practices would be positively related to competitive advantage, as well as process innovation would be positively correlated with human resources practices. The results confirmed the direct relationships supported by the hypotheses.

Practical implications: Regarding the managerial contributions, the present study brought important information to direct the strategic actions of the companies, integrating process innovation and human resources practices to generate competitive advantage, having human resources management as an important vector for the company strategy, guiding individuals towards the companies’ objectives.

Originality/value: The originality of the study consists in the construction of a theoretical framework on the relationships between process innovation, human resources practices and the competitive advantage of organizations, which can be used by other researches and thus advance in the Theory of Administration.

Public policies of guarantee for minimum prices on products of sociobiodiversity (PGPMBio): composition of the extraction cost of Amazonian chestnut in Rondônia and Acre

2021-11-08T10:31:43-03:00

Objective: To analyze the Minimum Price Guarantee Policy for Sociobiodiversity Products - PGPMBio with focus on the composition of the extraction cost of the Brazil nut in the states of Rondônia and Acre.

Materials and Methods: This work used a qualitative approach through a field study. The Matrix proposed by Easton (1957) enabled an analysis of Public Policy. The field research took place at three different times, with 34 respondents: the first was in Brasiléia -AC) Acre State) in November 2014, in Porto Velho - RO (Rondônia State) in March 2015, in Brasiléia - AC and Cobija - Bolivia in June 2015.

Results: It was concluded that there is a discrepancy between the minimum price defined in PGPMBio and the price paid by the market in the cases studied. The results show that PGPMBio does not consider environmental costs in the elaboration of the minimum price, employing economic criteria in a context that requires a sustainable vision.

Study limitations: The size of the extractivist sample, which, due to its small quantity, makes it impossible to expand the results for the entire population, being limited to the reality of the interviewees.

Practical implications: It is suggested to include bonuses for environmental services in the calculation of the minimum price.

Originality: The recognition of the workforce on the extractivism of the Chestnut-of-the-Amazon in the composition of the product's cost. This was possible due to the analysis of production costs of the Chestnut-of-the-Amazon through the methodology of analysis of public policies of Easton (1957) and the simultaneous verification of the applicability of PGPMBio among the extractivists.

Analysis of the entrepreneurial process from effectuation and causation logic: a case study in two companies from Minas Gerais

2021-11-20T22:16:45-03:00

Objective: The article aimed to analyze how the effectuation and causation logics were used in the entrepreneurial process of two companies from Minas Gerais. The effectuation logic is based on issues related to the entrepreneur's decision making and contrasts with the causation logic - which refers to traditional methods of the entrepreneurial process based on planning and determined sequences.

Methodology: A qualitative comparative study was carried out in two companies from Minas Gerais. The evidence was obtained from interviews with the founding partners, in addition to observation and documents, and the data analysis was performed using content analysis.

Results: The results showed that in the two cases analyzed, the entrepreneurs relied on effectuation logic for setting up the businesses, with little use of causation logic but as the businesses consolidated and moved beyond the initial founding phase, the entrepreneurs took different attitudes, basing their decisions and actions on greater planning and systematic analysis of the context.

Limitations: Some studies show that cultural differences can have an influence on the entrepreneurial process and how entrepreneurs make decisions. This variable was not contemplated in this study, which represents a limitation. Additionally, the study analyzed the entrepreneurial process of two companies from Minas Gerais, which does not allow for generalization.

Originality/contributions: the work contributes to the national studies on the entrepreneurial process, mainly from the principles that compose the effectuation logic, seeking to identify and classify the decisions and actions of entrepreneurs in the causation and effectuation logics.

Electronic technical assistance services quality: mediation role of brand image and satisfaction on repurchase intention

2021-10-16T10:16:00-03:00

Purpose – This study analyzed the relationship between the perceived quality of electronic equipment technical assistance services with the intention of repurchasing, with the serial mediation model of satisfaction and brand image.

Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research of a described character was carried out and the survey method was adopted with technical assistance clients (n = 158). The conceptual model was evaluated using regression with bootstrapping. And, for the analysis of the mediation effects, with two mediating variables, an adaptation of the macro PROCESS (Hayes, 2017) was made for the software R. Therefore, four hypotheses were assessed by a cross-section research method using mediation analysis.

Findings – The results indicate that general customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between the quality of the service perceived and the intentions to repurchase. In this sense, it can be concluded that the relationships between the perceived quality in services and the intentions of repurchase only occur through mediation for satisfaction or through the hierarchical causal relationship between satisfaction and image. The empirical test of the proposed model through a serial mediation approach expands the possibilities on understanding consumer brand affiliation processes. Moreover, it highlights the importance of assistance service companies as brand partners.

Originality/value – The main contribution of this research is that satisfaction and brand image are positively associated with the intention to repurchase as reflections of the perceived quality by the technical assistance services of electronic products. Thus, the work shows that customers perceive the quality of the service, and this, in turn, provides positive consequences for both the service provider and the manufacturer (repurchase intentions) and for the customer (satisfaction).

Design/methodology/approach – The survey was adopted with an instrument adapted from Yang (2010) and Christino et al. (2019) validated by experts. Made available online, the instrument collected 309 responses for analysis using the structural equation modeling technique.

Findings – The results validated the positive relationships for Facilitating Conditions, Hedonic Motivation, Perceived Value, Habit and Performance Expectation - the highest’s coefficients. The influence of Expectation on Effort and Social Influence has not been validated.

Research limitations/implications – The results cannot be generalized to all Brazilian individuals, in addition to considering recognized determinants of international literature. For this reason, suggestions are made for continuing and deepening the research.

Practical implications – The results contribute by indicating the main perceptions that lead to the intention and use of discount coupons, which are the performance expectation and the habit. Thus, managers can develop their sales strategies considering such factors while society can establish strategies to more sustainable purchases.

Originality/value – The research discusses the determinants of UTAUT2 in the Brazilian context to explain the intention and behavior of using online discount coupons, which are grouped together are unprecedented in Brazilian literature.

Theory and practice in social innovations in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2021-11-10T07:20:51-03:00

Purpose: This article reviews the literature on social innovation, also focusing on Latin American production, identifying how the contents dialogue with the reality of initiatives in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative research mapped 53 social innovation initiatives with some digital use and analyzed 20 of these initiatives. Using a descriptive exploratory methodology, the study was conducted in five stages: (1) review of the literature, (2) mapping of the initiatives, (3) the selection of 20 initiatives, (4) interviews and analysis, (5) a discussion workshop on the results.

Findings: The results indicate that the researched initiatives differ a little in relation to the literature. More specifically, this analysis helped perceive that in the city, (1) social innovations occur almost exclusively through the movement of civil society actors, (2) there is little to none, or only indirect articulation with governments and public policies, and (3) digital use and management remain reactive rather than strategic and are almost exclusively centered on social networks, both as a communication and management tool.

Research limitations/implications: This study cannot be generalized for the city since the sample was identified by voluntary adherence of the initiatives to an internet call.

Originality/value: This study contributes to knowledge on social innovations in the city of Rio de Janeiro, providing elements for debate by public and private decision makers, in addition to academic interest and shows the need for knowledge production for management rooted in the local context and reality.

Adoption intention of photovoltaic solar systems

2021-09-12T21:44:14-03:00

Purpose – The research objective is to analyze the influence of key factors contributing to consumers’ purchase intention grid-connected photovoltaic systems among residential energy consumers.

Design/methodology/approach – A survey based on Korcaj et al. (2014) was conducted in a major Brazilian city; 209 valid responses were obtained directly. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings – Among significant decision influences are environmental, financial, and autarchy benefits onto perceived global benefit and perceived behavioral control construct onto purchase intention; perceived social benefits, however, were not a relevant influence as opposed to previous studies.

Research limitations/implications - Weakness of the model's reliability leading to the exclusion of the perceived total cost construct, which in turn could reduce sample bias and increase the reliability of the model and regarding clarity regarding the product “solar photovoltaic energy system”, as no text was used; this could have left questions unanswered due to the lack of knowledge of respondents about solar technology.

Practical implications - The high purchasing power and high education level, along with favorable weather and geography, may contribute to promising perspectives for the product. Furthermore, to promote adhesion of the technology in the city there is a need to increase benefits, to reduce perceived technology costs, and to value the importance of solar energy generation among reference groups.

Social implications - The analysis of factors influencing the city’s residents’ intentions of to adopt photovoltaic systems favors further promotion of the technology in the city.

Originality/value - It contributes to the development of consumer behavior studies regarding the adoption intention of ecologically sustainable technologies, i.e., GCPSs, thus, filling a gap in the literature on consumer behavior for this product.

Adaptive capacity: proposition and validation of a measurement scale

2021-10-18T13:55:47-03:00

Purpose

The paper aims to propose and validate a scale for measuring adaptive capacity in organizations.

Design / methodology / approach

To propose the scale dimensions, the model by Stabler and Sydow (2002) was taken into account and to propose the indicators for each dimension, previous studies related to the theme were analyzed based on a systematic review on academic bases. For quantitative validation of the scale, an e-survey was adopted in 122 organizations in the Northwest Colonial region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using structural equation modeling (MEE) with the SmartPLS 3.2.8 software as support.

Findings

The results of the study demonstrate the articulation of the indicators of Flexible Organizational Structure and Innovative Management, Plurality and Multifunctionality of Teams and Information Systems and Market Analysis result in a scale in which several aspects related to the existence of the development of adaptive capacities in organizations can be analyzed.

Research limitations / implications

It is noteworthy that the sample considered for the analysis is based on a specific region, therefore, its results should be interpreted with caution.

Practical implications

The scale contributes to instrumenting the managers allowing the identification of weaknesses, relevant to the dimensions and indicators, so that the managers can guide their efforts.

Originality / value

This study shows itself to be prominent, since its measurement and validation of a scale based on the development of adaptive capacity will allow, in such a way, other studies and also new comparisons for the advancement of the subject.

On history, business, and management: a review of the literature and research agenda

2021-09-18T15:18:52-03:00

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to conduct a systematic review of the literature on business history and management history in specialized journals in the area.

Design/methodology/approach – We conducted a systematic review of the literature in the journals: Business History, Business History Review, Journal of Management History, and Management & Organizational History, between 2011 and 2020. In all, we analyzed 231 articles using the open, axial coding technique, and selective.

Findings – We answered two central analytical questions about the researchers' theoretical-methodological choices and summarized the results in six research lines. Historiographic approaches are presented from the epistemologies, theories, methods, contributions, limitations, and research problems chosen by the researchers in their articles.

Originality/value (mandatory) – The article is contributory when it assumes the central premise that the understanding of the researchers' theoretical-methodological decisions results in the historiographic approaches adopted in business and management research. Also, we offer a research agenda concerned with problems about (1) marginal empirical contexts, (2) the comparative approach to history; and (3) the perception of the past as a historical narrative.