Felipe Ferreira de Lara

Competitive Priorities and Innovation in SMEs: A Brazil Multi-case Study

This study uses the qualitative approach and the multi-case study method to analyze the influence that the competitive advantages exerts in the innovation given the specific context of the research. Among the main results are the mains factors that generate innovative practices in the researched companies are quality, flexibility, delivery and cost, in this order of importance, as generators of innovation practices in the surveyed companies. The quality and flexibility were related to technological product and process innovations. In the non-technological innovations, quality influenced the marketing and organizational innovations. Flexibility generated marketing innovations and cost and delivery generated organizational innovation. The results of this research can make it easy to redirect future public innovation policies in small businesses. We discovered that innovation does not occur only through the acquisitions and heavy investments in technology. The strategic reorganization of the decision-taking processes can contribute to innovation.

Can the call centre contribute to innovation? A multiple case study in service companies

The objective of this paper is to gain an insight into the contributions of call centre services to all innovation processes. To this end, a number of case studies were conducted and revealed that the companies adopt different call centre models based on distinct strategies. Some companies choose not to use a call centre in their innovation process, despite the fact that it could represent a channel for interaction with users while serving as a source of ideas for innovation. Our findings reveal that the strategy of not incorporating a call centre in the innovation process is strongly tied to the belief that it represents a cost centre. On the other hand, in some cases, the call centre plays a major role within the companys innovation process. The paper concludes with a proposal for an alternative call centre model oriented to take the best advantage for innovation efforts.

Inovações em Mobilidade Sustentável. Análise dos Relatórios Corporativos de Sustentabilidade de Três Montadoras de Automóveis

A industria automotiva exerce papel central na questao da mobilidade sustentavel. No entanto, tradicionalmente lider em inovacoes, a industria automotiva ainda se posiciona de forma timida em relacao aos desafios emergentes para o tema, vivenciados especialmente nos grandes centros urbanos. Desse modo, entende-se a necessidade em se aprofundar no conhecimento de como esse setor industrial tem enfrentado os desafios impostos pelas incertezas geradas frente as emergentes demandas da sociedade, nao so por melhorias na mobilidade, mas que sejam feitas de forma sustentavel. A pesquisa parte de uma abordagem descritiva e foram analisados os relatorios corporativos globais de tres montadoras. Como principais resultados de pesquisa, evidencia-se a maior concentracao em inovacoes incrementais nas tecnologias a base de motores a combustao e nos esforcos de pesquisas para o desenvolvimento e aprimoramento da tecnologia do produto. No entanto, vale o questionamento sobre o baixo indice de integracao do uso do carro com outros modais de transporte e a pouca enfase em relacao ao uso racional do carro.