Antonio Domingos Padula

Universities' Intellectual Property: Path for Innovation or Patent Competition?

Technological innovation is represented by the conversion of knowledge into new products and processes which, when commercialized, generate wealth. In relations with companies, universities’ role is to develop scientific knowledge, fostering industry’s R&D activities. This article proposes an analysis of the technology transfer process performed by public universities in Brazil. Results demonstrate that universities are facing difficulties in requesting and licensing patents based on scientific results, due to lack of commercial contact with companies and their limitations in adapting available technologies. The increase in scientific output is not being effectively transformed into new technologies for products and services, exposing the necessity for new policies to approach university-industry relations. For universities, this may mean rethinking the role of patents in the technology transfer process, such as increasing co-authorship with companies and have companies support technological research within the university, instead of investing in legal protection, distant from market needs.

Quando a cooperação falha: um estudo de caso sobre o fracasso de uma rede interorganizacional

Los beneficios de la cooperacion entre organizaciones han sido investigados en profundidad por los teoricos de las organizaciones, pero pocos estudios se centran en los casos de fracaso. A pesar del numero de redes de empresas exitosas, muchas de ellas tambien enfrentan dificultades en organizar y administrar la cooperacion, cerrando sus puertas, sin lograr los objetivos propuestos. Este articulo presenta un caso de falla de una red de empresas en el segmento de supermercados, llevando en consideracion los estudios realizados por Park y Ungson (2001), Jarillo (1988), Khanna, Gulati y Nohria (1998) y Brouthers, Brouthers y Wilkinson (1995) sobre las dificultades en la cooperacion empresarial. A traves de entrevistas en profundidad con los directivos de la red, con las empresas participantes y el consultor que apoyo la creacion de la red, fueron identificados los principales factores que contribuyeron con el cierre de la red sin alcanzar los resultados esperados. Los factores se dividieron en dos grupos: factores anteriores a la formalizacion de la red, tales como el perfil y la eleccion de los participantes, el numero de participantes en la red y establecer el tiempo de despliegue de la red, y los factores posteriores a la formalizacion de la red, incluyendo aspectos tales como aparicion de desequilibrios estrategicos, la perdida de apoyo publico para el programa y la falta de madurez del grupo, que ha luchado para gestionar el proceso de cooperacion sin apoyo externo. Como implicaciones teoricas, el estudio presenta factores poco explorados en la literatura y que pueden llevar al fracaso de la cooperacion, como el pequeno numero de empresas, un mal momento para lanzar la red y la falta de madurez del grupo. El conjunto de elementos identificados tambien tiene implicaciones en la gestion: los gerentes y administradores de red deben revisar cuidadosamente el alineamiento y el perfil estrategico de las empresas para la creacion de la red, evitando cualquier diferencia que pueda convertirse en un problema despues de que la red haya sido establecida.

Estudo do processo de inovação tecnológica no setor agroindustrial: estudos de caso na cadeia produtiva de leite fluido no sistema setorial de inovação da França

The aim of this study is to evaluate the dynamics related to the implementation of technological innovations in the food processing industry. We use case studies and the sectorial innovation system approach to give evidence about the innovation process carried out by fluid milk processors in the French sectorial innovation system. The SIS of fluid milk in France is characterized by a high level of market opportunities and low appropriability - considering the fiercely vertical competition and spillovers - and low cumulativity at the firm level - as a consequence of the external character of R&D sources and the characteristics of the knowledge base. Nevertheless, the innovative projects described in the case studies evidenced that those parameters can be relaxed with an increasing level of appropriability (i) as a consequence of pioneering associated with the exploration of complementary assets (especially brand image) or (ii) pioneering associated with tacit learning in the development of new technologies.

The Sino-Brazilian beef supply chain: mapping and risk detection

Purpose The flow of the Sino-Brazilian frozen beef trade has intensified. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to characterize the supply chain structure, and identify its major fragilities. Design/methodology/approach Supply chain mapping was conducted based on the existing literature and primary data collection. Key stakeholders were detected and questioned through semi-structured interviews, which were later interpreted with content analysis. Findings The results reveal a low degree of chain coordination from the Brazilian farm to the Chinese consumer, arising from an immature traceability mechanism, a limited flow of reliable information between the segments, and low trust between the stakeholders. Research limitations/implications The infancy of the beef trade, the paucity of literature on the topic, and restricted accessibility to key governmental and official materials imposes limits on the available information. Language and cultural barriers might have also impacted the interviewees’ responses. However, the participation of Brazilian and Chinese academics in both the interview analysis and chain mapping mitigates these shortcomings. Practical implications The Brazilian public and private sectors need to establish a reliable traceability system and information platform. This, together with investments in marketing and branding, would facilitate differential responses among traders and consumers, and, hence, improve supply chain sustainability. Originality/value By adopting an inter-country approach and directly sourcing views from specific key figures in the supply chain this study offers some unique insights and contributes to the literature on the emergence of a multi-polar global food trade.

Tendências da cooperação em redes horizontais de empresas: o exemplo das redes varejistas na Alemanha

RESUMO A Alemanha e um dos paises em que a cooperacao empresarial alcancou os maiores desenvolvimento e organizacao, especialmente sob a forma de redes horizontais de empresas. O numero de arranjos cooperativos e os resultados alcancados pelas redes ao longo de varias decadas em atividade sao significativos, servindo como interessante exemplo para as redes brasileiras. Neste artigo, apresenta-se o cenario atual da cooperacao em redes horizontais na Alemanha, bem como as tendencias para a organizacao e a gestao dessas redes no futuro. O estudo foi realizado com base em dados secundarios e entrevistas em profundidade com especialistas alemaes no tema, notadamente academicos, consultores organizacionais, gestores de redes e representantes de entidades selecionados em funcao de seu conhecimento sobre o assunto. Os resultados demonstram o alto grau de profissionalismo da gestao das redes, a tendencia a uma governanca centralizada como alternativa para coordenar grandes redes e a tendencia a modelos mistos de organizacao, combinando o sistema cooperativo com o sistema de filiais e o sistema de franquias. A formacao de aliancas entre redes, a fusao de grupos cooperativos e a busca da internacionalizacao sao outras tendencias que merecem destaque na opiniao dos especialistas, contribuindo nao so para a metamorfose dos modelos de cooperacao empresarial, mas tambem para a sua manutencao como importante estrategia de sobrevivencia e aumento da competitividade de empresas independentes na Alemanha.

Gerenciamento de cadeias de suprimento: novas formas de organização na cadeia da carne bovina do Rio Grande do Sul

In the field of agri-industrial chain, the increase in the demand of food items points out an increase in the demand for not only a differentiation of products but also for food safety. In this respect, the coordination of those chains is crucial not only for the development of new markets but also for the maintainance of the existing ones. The present work analyzes the beef chain in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, where the agents, moved by the necessity for alternatives to the present predominant relationship which is of permanent conflict between each participant of the chain. This way, new forms of organization are being implemented, based on the concept of supply chain management, involving producers, agribusiness, distribution and commercialization. The results of this research points out to an effective change in the relationship between each agent of the chain, and three types of initiatives were identified: those conducted by the producers, those coordinated by the slaughterhouses, and those organized by the supermarket chains. Although the present characteristics can be observed in the three types, the objective that has mobilized the agents to form an organization like a supply chain is the search for improved competitiveness of the participants of the chain. Such competitiveness is understood by the participants as the striking advances in the quality control of the raw material, in the standardization of the product flow, norms and practices existing along the chain.

Scanning the macro-environment for liquid biofuels: A comparative analysis from public pocies in Brazil, United States and Germany

– Macro‐environmental scanning is a first step in strategic planning, which is essential in an emerging industry such as liquid biofuels. The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions within which the governments of Brazil, the USA and Germany have constructed the macro‐environment for liquid biofuels over time and to test for similarities between the governments’ constructs., – Documentary research was carried out on official public policies and program documents on the topic of liquid biofuels, covering a ten‐year period from 1997 to 2006. The database consisted of 624 documents from the Brazilian government, 854 from the American government and 168 documents from the German government. Text mining was used to extract information from the texts by applying a specific analysis structure that was built on macro‐environmental dimensions as expressed by their respective dimensional words “d‐words”. The “d‐words” were selected based on their usage frequency in the knowledge fields related to each dimension., – The results indicate that the macro‐environments for liquid biofuels, as configured by the governments under analysis, differ systematically and over time in their emphasis of specific macro‐environmental dimensions., – There are two primary aspects of this study which are original and valuable: the application of text‐mining techniques as a tool for strategic planning and the development of a particular tool to extract knowledge from text documents and to categorize them according to their macro‐environmental dimensions.

Diversificação produtiva e as possibilidades de desenvolvimento: um estudo da fruticultura na região da Campanha no RS

Studies indicate the existence of a situation of underdevelopment in the southern half of Rio Grande do Sul, directly correlated with the farming and rice culture crises. The later suffers from the macroeconomic policies linked to the opening of the economy and with the pressures of the increase of competitiveness. This process has made the region present inferior performances than State averages when indicators such as GDP and per capita income are analyzed. Seeking to reduce these inequalities, governmental sectors have been elaborating development strategies through the utilization of the regional agricultural vocation as well as the insertion of differentiated chains in local agribusiness. One of these experiences is the Program for the Development of Irrigated Fruit Culture in the Southern Half/RS. Within this context, this article has the objective of presenting the results observed in the GDP and HDI of two municipalities located in the Campanha Region of Rio Grande do Sul, and also to present the effects observed on the life quality of the producers after the implementation of fruit culture in their properties. Based on the data collected and the methodology chosen, it can be said that the productive diversification of rural properties contributes in the improvement of the producers’ life quality, having positive effects on the per capita GDP and HDI of the municipalities studied.

A concentração do mercado de biodiesel no Brasil

Brazil, despite having several potential sources for biodiesel production, has prioritized the use of oleaginous that can generate more workforce jobs including regions that are outside of the economic development process. With this focus and to regulate the market, the National Petrol Agency, since 2005, stipulated that the sale of this product would be happen only through auctions. This article aims to analyze and discuss this concentration of companies that participated of the sixteen auctions already realized. For that, it was used the concentration indicators like Gini’s and Theil’s indexes, and the Partial Concentration index (PC). It was observed that the biodiesel market in Brazil seems to be more concentrated because of its least quantity of qualified companies and for their capacities of competing in an initial period of production. However, from the 4th auction the quantity of participant companies able to produce and participate of the auctions increase and, consequently the concentration level decrease, by the CR4 index. However, Gini’s and Theil‘s indexes, that also consider the sold volumes, demonstrate a concentration increase still in a moderate level. Key words: auctions, familiar agriculture, index of Gini, index of Theil.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SIX SIGMA IN MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATIONS: MOTIVATIONS AND RESULTS ACHIEVED

The competitive context forces organizations to choose improvement tools that yield maximum efficiency from their operations. There are many articles about Six Sigma in the technical literature but academic research is not so abundant. This research aims at evaluating how Six Sigma implementation takes place and identifies critical success factors, by analyzing six industrial organizations which have already adopted Six Sigma. The results show convergence between organizations and aspects that maximize gains beyond those publicized on Six Sigma methodology. The research concludes that adherence to the methodology, support from Upper Management and alignment with other initiatives are critical success factors.