Fernando César Almada Santos

The central role of human resource management in the search for sustainable organizations

The aim of this article is to present the main contributions of human resource management to develop sustainable organizations. The relationship between human resources and organizational sustainability, which is based on economical, social and environmental performance, involves some important aspects concerning management such as innovation, cultural diversity and the environment. The integration of items from the triple bottom line approach leads to developing a model based on a strategic and central posture of human resource management. Based on this model, propositions and recommendations for future research on this theme are presented.

Contributions of HRM throughout the stages of environmental management: methodological triangulation applied to companies in Brazil

The purpose of this research is to analyze the contribution of human resources management throughout the evolutionary stages of environmental management in Brazilian companies. A theoretical framework concerning environmental management and its evolution and the ‘greening’ of the functional and competitive dimensions of human resource management were developed. A methodological triangulation was developed in two complimentary phases. In the first phase, data were collected from 94 Brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification. The data collected were analyzed and processed using statistical techniques. The conclusions of the first phase supported the second phase of this empirical research. The second phase consisted of a study of multiple cases in four Brazilian companies. The results show evidence of the first known empirical study of contributions of human resource dimensions throughout the stages of environmental management in Brazilian manufacturing companies.

Integration of human resource management and competitive priorities of manufacturing strategy

This article investigates the relationship between the functional areas of manufacturing and human resources by analysing the practices of human resource management associated with the competitive priorities of manufacturing strategy, e.g. quality, delivery performance, flexibility and cost. Within strategic business management, both the competitive priorities of manufacturing and the practices of human resource management need to be observed by the whole organisation. In this way, this study presents how human resource management practices are aligned to business strategies based on cost reduction, quality, delivery performance and product innovation. These practices may also be arranged in different ways in a particular competitive strategy.

Determination of anthropogenic and biogenic compounds on atmospheric aerosol collected in urban, biomass burning and forest areas in São Paulo, Brazil

This study was conducted at three sites of different characteristics in São Paulo State: São Paulo (SPA), Piracicaba (PRB) and Mata Atlântica Forest (MAT). PM(10), n-alkanes, pristane and phytane, PAHs, water-soluble ions and biomass burning tracers like levoglucosan and retene, were determined in quartz fiber filters. Samplings occurred on May 8th to August 8th, 2007 at the MAT site; on August 15th to 29th in 2007 and November 10th to 29th in 2008 at the PRB site and, March 13th to April 4th in 2007 and August 7th to 29th in 2008 at the SPA site. Aliphatic compounds emitted biogenically were less abundant at the urban sites than at the forest site, and its distribution showed the influence of tropical vascular plants. Air mass transport from biomass burning regions is likely to impact the sites with specific molecular markers. The concentrations of all species were variable and dependent of seasonal changes. In the most dry and polluted seasons, n-alkane and cation total concentrations were similar between the megacity and the biomass burning site. PAHs and inorganic ion abundances were higher at São Paulo than Piracicaba, yet, the site influenced by biomass burning seems to be the most impacted by the organic anion abundance in the atmosphere. Pristane and phytane confirm the contamination by petroleum residues at urban sites; at the MAT site, biological activity and long range transport of pollutants might influence the levels of pristane.

Business process management in a Brazilian public research centre

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how a Brazilian public research centre implemented business process management (BPM) highlighting the challenges of change that have to be dealt with in the stage developed by this organisation.Design/methodology/approach – The first author of this paper accompanied the implementation of BPM in the research centre for 33 months in order to analyse documents and reports and have interviews with various managers and employees.Findings – The studied organisation developed an intermediate stage towards BPM. The progressive approach favours a better understanding of the challenges that have to be overcome in order to improve BPM in an organisation. Thus, the BPM approach can be effectively assimilated and practised by the centres staff.Research limitations/implications – The depth of the analysis carried out in the case study make more structured research possible.Originality/value – The challenges of implementing BPM in a Brazilian public research centre are ...

Sugar Cane Bagasse Lignin in Resol-Type Resin: Alternative Application for Ligninphenol-Formaldehyde Resins

Abstract Lignin can be recovered from sugar cane bagasse, which is widely available in Brazil as a residue from sugar mills. Many reports can be found in the literature on the partial replacement of phenol by lignin in phenolic-type resins, but normally only their application as an adhesive is considered. This work is part of a study intended to look for other uses for lignin-phenol resins; for instance, in molded materials. Resols were prepared with the partial replacement of phenol by organosolv sugar cane bagasse lignin (10, 20, 40, 100% w/w), and the pre-polymers were characterized by TGA and DSC. The cure reaction was performed in a mold in a process monitored by infrared spectroscopy. The resins obtained were characterized by TGA, DSC, and DMTA. TGA and DSC results revealed that endothermic and exothermic steps are probably involved in the cure reaction. From infrared results it can be inferred that lignin is really incorporated to the phenol polymer chain, where it acts as a chain extender. DMTA an...

Gestão ambiental empresarial: um levantamento da produção científica brasileira divulgada em periódicos da área de administração entre 1996 e 2005

The aim of this article is to analyse the scientific production on environmental management in companies published in the six main journals on administration in Brazil (RAE, RAEE, RAUSP, RAP, REAd and RAC), during the period between 1996 and 2005. The following aspects were used in order to examine this academic production: quantitative progress of production; source of authorship; methodological profile; publication content and breadth; and internationalization level of references. The main concerns of this diagnosis are: the academic production on environmental management in companies corresponds to only 2,30% of the total production in administration; a significant part of this production is stimulated by international studies, mainly Hunt and Auster (1990) and Porter and Linde (1995); Brazilian research is restricted to small group of researchers and institutions, as almost 60% of the analyzed articles were published by only five institutions. Thus, this article contributes to the systematization of the academic production on environmental management in companies, as well as it provides insights for this field of research in Brazil.

Continuing the evolution: towards sustainable HRM and sustainable organizations

Purpose – This article aims to put sustainability as a new step in the evolutionary pathway of human resource management (HRM).Design/methodology/approach – This article provides a literature review on the evolution of HRM and we reflected how HRM can contribute to organizational sustainability.Findings – The study presents a sustainable HRM as a new step in HRM evolution. The study argues that sustainable HRM is completely necessary to achieve sustainable organizations and a more sustainable society.Originality/value – Sustainability is becoming a key concept and a key element in the future of organizations, but little is known about the role of HRM in this process.

Evolution of environmental management in company: A taxonomy integrated with production and human resource management

This article proposes a common approach for various taxonomies concerning the evolution stages of environmental management in organizations presented in the specialized literature. The analysis of the contributions related to the understanding of environmental management in companies found in the literature was based on their similarities. The aim of this analysis was to outline a proposal of a common approach concerning the evolution stages for environmental management. This taxonomy was then related to the evolution of both organizational configurations, as well as the human resource and production management areas. A common taxonomy related to the analysis of environmental management consisting of the three following evolution stages is proposed: functional specialization, internal integration and external integration of the environmental variable in organizations. These stages tend to follow the evolution of both organizational configurations, as well as the human resource and production management areas. This article systematizes the similarities of various taxonomies concerning environmental management in companies that appear to be disconnected in the literature. This paper contributes to the scarce literature related to the understanding of the integration of environmental management by considering the taxonomies of the evolution of organizational configurations, as well as the production and human resource management areas. It allows the experts involved in decision-making to comprehend the current maturity level of the companys environmental management and the necessary efforts to achieve superior performance.

Integrating environmental management and manufacturing strategy: an emerging competitive priority

The aim of our research was to assess how companies incorporate their environmental performance as an emerging competitive priority in manufacturing strategy. The relationship between environmental issues and production function was analysed, and reasons for considering environmental issues as a novel competitive precedence of manufacturing strategy were presented. The restrictions of this relationship were presented and courses of action for future research and managerial practices were suggested.