Ana Paula Ferreira Alves

IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN IT IN ORGANIZATIONS: A STRUCTURATIONAL VIEW

La sustentabilidad ambiental se ha vuelto de vital importancia para los negocios como respuesta a la disminucion rapida de los recursos naturales. La Tecnologias de la Informacion (TI) en particular representa una parte significativa de los problemas ambientales que ha enfrentado la sociedad. Por lo tanto, la TI ecologica surge como una forma de combinar recursos disponibles y politicas sustentables y economicas, y por lo tanto, generar beneficios para el medio ambiente y los negocios. El objetivo de este documento, por lo tanto, es explicar la dinamica de la implementacion de TI ecologica en organizaciones, a la luz de la vision estructuracionalista de la tecnologia. Llevamos a cabo una investigacion de estudio de caso en los casos de tres empresas brasilenas interesadas en este movimiento. Los resultados ofrecen un mejor entendimiento de la relacion entre tecnologia, individuos y propiedades institucionales de la organizacion y, por lo tanto, mejorar el rol representado por los equipos de TI en institucionalizar la dimension ambiental de sustentabilidad en las organizaciones.Environmental sustainability has become increasingly important to businesses as a response to the rapid depletion of natural resources. Information Technology (IT) in particular represents a meaningful part of the environmental issues that society has been facing. Therefore, Green IT emerges as a way of combining available resources and sustainable and economic policies, thus, generating benefits for both the environment and businesses. The purpose of this paper, hence, is to explain the dynamics of Green IT implementation in organizations in light of the structurationist view of technology. We conducted a case study research based on the cases of three Brazilian companies interested in this movement. Results provide a better understanding of the relationship among technology, individuals, and organization institutional properties, thus enhancing the role played by IT teams in institutionalizing the environmental dimension of sustainability in organizations.

GREEN SUPPLY CHAIN: PROTAGONISTA OU COADJUVANTE NO BRASIL?

Environmental issues began to be introduced more frequently in corporate business. As for the supply chain, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) emerges as a new approach to corporate responsibility towards the environment. This article aims to analyze the diffusion of the GSCM concept and practices in the Brazilian scenario. To do that, we conducted interviews with experts on the subject of the supply chain in the area of Management in Brazil. The results show that the reasons for the slow development of the concept may relate to characteristics of the domestic market, corporate focus on internal aspects, lack of strict legislation, and low consumer pressure. Experts notice, however, good prospects for the future of discussions on the subject in the Country, due to the National Solid Waste Policy, pressure from the international market, and the search for environmental certification. This study sought to foster further discussions on GSCM in Brazil.

Está chovendo no molhado? A visão acadêmica sobre o desenvolvimento sustentável em um contexto de crise

Em uma de suas crises mais recentes, entre 2007 e 2008, os problemas decorrentes da atual dinâmica do sistema capitalista evidenciam rastros marcantes nas economias de diversos paises. Nesse contexto, o conceito de desenvolvimento sustentavel desponta como alternativa de modelo economico que busca vincular a dinâmica economica as variacoes que podem estar relacionadas com perspectivas sociais e preocupacoes ambientais. Entretanto, apesar de bastante difundidas, as definicoes de desenvolvimento sustentavel podem ser consideradas vagas e ambiguas. Assim, este estudo objetiva identificar como a tematica do desenvolvimento sustentavel vem sendo abordada em meio ao contexto atual de crise do capitalismo. Para tanto, utiliza-se de uma perspectiva critica sobre o que foi publicado sobre a tematica em quatro anos do evento Encontro Nacional de Gestao Empresarial e Meio Ambiente (ENGEMA), de 2008 a 2012. Como resultados, no contexto academico brasileiro, identificou-se uma tendencia a adequacao das questoes socioambientais para a manutencao do capitalismo, com a utilizacao muitas vezes equivocada da tematica estudada. No entanto, em alguns casos, pesquisas conseguem discutir a tematica de forma mais profunda e realizam questionamentos acerca do tema mais claramente numa perspectiva de mudanca.

Industrial Ecology in Practice: opportunities and limitations for the installation of an ecological crushed stone industry in Rio Grande/RS

Aiming to achieve a balance between economic growth and the nature preservation, emerged the concept of industrial ecology (IE), with the fundamental perspective of nature as a model by integrating ecological and industrial systems. Thus, residues from a production process can be used as raw material for other products manufacture. Particularly, the ecological crushed stone is a product considered environmentally friendly, because it is an alternative to the proper treatment of waste from one sector (footwear industry) in another economic activity (construction).The construction sector could cause major environmental impacts by the use of natural resources and the waste generation. In this context, this research aims to analyze the opportunities and limitations of the possibility of installing ecological crushed stone industry in Rio Grande. To do so, we conducted interviews with potential suppliers, customers and competitors. The results show that there is interest in selling the product, taking into account the increasing need to reduce consumption and extraction from natural sources. However, there is public resistance to using innovative products targeted to the sector, the lack of knowledge about ecological crushed stone characteristics and constraints involving the amount of waste and the condition for its supply.

Proatividade de práticas sustentáveis: uma análise das práticas da empresa Mercur S.A.

The adoption of sustainable practices in companies can be analyzed in a continuous, consisting of two extremes: the reactive and proactive response. In this context, sustainable proactivity can be defined as the adoption of actions carried out voluntarily by companies, in order to improve the environmental and social performance and social, beyond legal requirements. A proactive company states their concern and their commitment to society and the environment in which it operates. Given these considerations, this research aims to analyze the voluntary adoption of sustainable practices – sustainable proactivity – of a company. Therefore, a case study was performed with the company Mercur S.A. The results indicate that Mercur can be considered a proactive company, according to the full implementation of actions for sustainability at the core business of the organization and the partial implementation of other practices. Furthermore, the sustainable proactive behavior of Mercur can stimulate their partners, contributing to the introduction of sustainability practices in other companies.

A geração de valor como um fator-chave à sustentabilidade: o caso de uma empresa brasileira

Lidar com a escassez de recursos naturais, as desigualdades sociais e outros desafios socioambientais faz parte da historia da humanidade. A partir da decada de 70, o debate sobre as questoes socioambientais aumentou, evidenciando um “paradigma da sustentabilidade”, onde as preocupacoes com o meio ambiente e com a sociedade foram traduzidas em mudancas, a nivel cultural, governamental e empresarial. Esse paradigma considera que as questoes de sustentabilidade tornaram-se condicao sine qua non para que as empresas existam no mercado. No entanto, as diferentes perspectivas tem dado espaco para varias abordagens a serem seguidas, distribuidas entre dois extremos: uma abordagem para “poupar recursos”; e, o outro, uma abordagem para “utilizacao dos recursos de forma sustentavel”. Nesse contexto, esta pesquisa objetiva analisar os resultados da abordagem de “utilizacao dos recursos de forma sustentavel” sobre a geracao de valor de uma empresa. Para tanto, dados secundarios foram avaliados para investigar o caso da Natura S/A. Os resultados confirmam a premissa que a “utilizacao dos recursos de forma sustentavel” leva ao desenvolvimento de novos processos e produtos, melhorando o desempenho da firma, e, assim, gerando mais valor.

Custos de Suprimentos: estudo exploratório com aplicação de modelo de mensuração de custos logísticos

One of the main reasons for the difficulty in adopting an integrated method of calculation of logistics costs is still a lack of adequate information about costs. The management of the supply chain and identify its costs can provide information for their managers, with regard to decision making, generating competitive advantage. Some models of calculating logistics costs are proposed by Uelze (1974), Dias (1996), Goldratt (2002), Christopher (2007), Castiglioni (2009) and Borba & Gibbon (2009), with little disclosure of the results. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the costs of supplies, applying a measurement model of logistics costs. Methodologically, the study characterized as exploratory. The model applied pointed, in original condition, that about R

Desenvolvimento de uma escala para avaliar o grau de utilização da tecnologia da informação verde pelas organizações

2.5 million were being applied in the process of management of supplies, with replacement costs and storage imbalance. Upgrading the companys data, it is possible obtain a 52% reduction in costs to replace and store supplies. Thus, the cost model applied to logistical supplies showed feasibility of implementation, as well as providing information to assist in management and decision-making in logistics supply.