Jorge Ferreira da Silva

Porter revisitado: análise crítica da tipologia estratégica do mestre

Michael Porters (1980) strategic typology is presented. Some critical analyses, complements and refinements advanced by many authors, especially Mintzberg (1988), are discussed. Some extensions proposed by Miller and Dess (1993) and Chrisman, Hofer and Boulton (1988) are also shown. The Resource-Based View is put forward as a counterpoint. The evolution of Porters (1980) line of thought through the years - since 1980 until 1996 - is also discussed, which makes it possible to understand the way Porter (1980) has been detailing and redefining his focus - from industry structure up to the system of activities.

Do Perceived Export Barriers Change over Time? A Longitudinal Study of Brazilian Exporters of Manufactured Goods

ABSTRACT The literature on export barriers suggests the need for longitudinal studies in order to “capture the variations in export barriers due to time…” (Leonidou, 2004, p. 297). This study aimed for a better understanding of this issue by exploring the following research questions: To what extent does the perception of export obstacles vary over time? Is such perception contingent on specific factors, or do its underlying dimensions remain the same over a long period of time? No studies were found in the literature regarding barriers to exporting that could give an answer to such questions. In the present study, the same sample of exporting firms was visited in three different moments over a period of 27 years (1978, 1999, 2005) to identify latent dimensions underlying the perception of specific obstacles and their change over time. Results showed a surprising stability in the perception of obstacles, although specific changes were determined to exist that were associated with change in environmental factors. RESUMEN. La literatura disponible sobre las barreras a la exportación sugieren que se hace imprescindible realizar estudios longitudinales para “capturar las variaciones que el tiempo provoca en las barreras a la exportación…” (Leonidou, 2004, p. 297). Este estudio pretende comprender mejor este tema, explorando las siguientes cuestiones investigatorias: ¿Hasta que punto puede variar la percepción de los obstáculos a la exportación a lo largo del tiempo? ¿Es que dicha percepción depende de factores específicos o es que sus dimensiones subyacentes permanecen inalteradas a lo largo del tiempo? No encontramos ningún estudio en la literatura sobre las barreras a la exportación que podrían responder estos cuestionamientos. Hemos tomado como ejemplo a las empresas exportadoras en tres momentos distintos, a lo largo de un período de 27 años (1978, 1999, 2005), para identificar las dimensiones subyacentes vinculadas a la percepción de obstáculos específicos, y su cambio a lo largo del tiempo. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron una estabilidad sorprendente en la percepción de los obstáculos, pese a que se determinó la existencia de cambios específicos, asociados al cambio ocurrido en los factores ambientales. RESUMO. A literatura existente sobre as barreiras à exportação sugere a necessidade de estudos longitudinais para “captar as variações das barreiras à exportação ocasionadas pelo tempo…” (Leonidou, 2004, p. 297). Este estudo pretende compreender melhor este assunto, através da exploração das seguintes questões pesquisadas: até que ponto a percepção dos obstáculos à exportação variam ao longo do tempo? Tal percepção depende dos fatores específicos, ou as suas dimensões fundamentais permanecem inalteradas durante um longo período? Nenhum estudo foi encontrado na literatura sobre as barreiras à exportação, que respondessem tais questões. Neste estudo, o mesmo tipo de empresas exportadoras foi visitado em três momentos diferentes, durante um período de 27 anos (1978, 1999, 2005), a fim de identificar as dimensões fundamentais latentes para a percepção de barreiras específicas e a sua mudança com o tempo. Os resultados mostraram uma estabilidade surpreendente em relação à percepção de barreiras, embora tenham sido constatadas mudanças específicas, associadas à alteração de fatores ambientais.

Determinants of export performance: a study of large brazilian manufacturing firms

This research investigated the impact the external environment, firm characteristics and firm strategy have on export performance. To this end, a survey was administered to 448 large Brazilian exporters of manufactured products. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to fit the conceptual model to empirical data. An extensive set of procedures for the validation of measurement models was used. Export performance exhibited a multidimensional structure and the model explained 76.6% and 40.1% of the observed variance of past export revenues and of past export profitability, respectively.

A critical analysis of measurement models of export performance

Poor conceptualization of the export performance construct may undermine theory development efforts and may be one of the reasons behind the often conflicting findings in empirical research on the export performance phenomenon. This article reviews the conceptual and empirical literature and proposes a new analytical scheme that may serve as a standard for judging content validity and a guiding yardstick for drawing operational representations of the construct. A critical assessment of some of the most frequently cited measurement frameworks, followed by an analysis of recent (1999-2004) empirical research, leaves no doubt that there are flaws in the conceptualization and operationalization of the performance construct that ought to be addressed. A new measurement model is advanced along with some guidelines which are suggested for its future empirical validation. The new measurement framework allegedly improves on other past efforts in terms of breadth of coverage of the constructs domain (content validity). It also offers a measurement perspective (with the simultaneous use of both formative and reflective approaches) that appears to reflect better the nature of the construct.

The visually impaired and consumption in restaurants

Purpose – The objective of this study is to determine the relative importance that the visually impaired give to restaurant service attributes during leisure outings, and the relative utility they allocate to the various levels of these attributes.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in two stages. The first stage consisted of exploratory research using focus groups; the second consisted of a survey using a structured questionnaire administered to 203 visually impaired consumers; conjoint analysis was used.Findings – The ideal restaurant profile for survey respondents is one in which: the menu is read by the server; service is provided by empathetic servers; low‐intensity light and sound are used; round tables are preferred over rectangular tables; and the server can be summoned using a button.Research limitations/implications – The use of a non‐probabilistic sample may limit the generalizability of findings.Practical implications – This studys results can be useful to restaurant manager...

Challenging the uppsala internationalization model: a contingent approach to the internationalization of services

Some authors have questioned whether the well-known Uppsala internationalization model would be generalizable to services. We take one of the models assumptions - that firms will follow a gradually increasing resource commitment path in each country - and challenge whether it would hold up under specific service characteristics or particular combinations of environmental variables and service characteristics. We review the literature in search of more appropriate dimensions for the classification of services that would allow for the test of the Uppsala models assumption. Based on purely conceptual reasoning, supported by previous empirical studies, we propose some hypotheses about how service firms would be expected to behave - in terms of their choice of foreign entry mode - under certain circumstances and what the performance implications would be expected to be. These hypotheses are contrary to the Uppsala models predictions. This paper is solely conceptual, so the key constructs (environment and service-specific variables) would still require operationalization before the hypotheses can be empirically tested.

Inclusão social e marketing na base da pirâmide: uma agenda de pesquisa

ISSN 1676-5648 www.fgv.br/raeeletronica ARTIGOS ARTICULOS ARTICLES INCLUSAO SOCIAL E MARKETING NA BASE DA PIRÂMIDE: UMA AGENDA DE PESQUISA INCLUSION SOCIAL Y MARKETING EN LA BASE DE LA PIRAMIDE: UNA AGENDA DE INVESTIGACION SOCIAL INCLUSION AND MARKETING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID: A RESEARCH AGENDA Angela da Rocha Professora do Instituto de Pos-Graduacao e Pesquisa em Administracao, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro angela@coppead.ufrj.br Jorge Ferreira da Silva Professor da Escola de Negocios, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro shopshop@iag.puc-rio.br Recebido em 14.02.2008. Aprovado em 22.08.2008. Disponibilizado em 28.08.2008 Avaliado pelo sistema double blind review Editor Cientifico: Carlos Alberto Vargas Rossi RAE-eletronica, v. 7, n. 2, Art. 23, jul./dez. 2008. http://www.rae.com.br/eletronica/index.cfm?FuseAction=Artigo&ID=5367&Secao=ARTIGOS&Volume=7&Numero=2&Ano=2008

The Internationalization of Brazilian Firms: An Introduction to the Special Issue

The very few authors who have investigated the multinationalization of Latin American firms have reached contradictory conclusions. For example, Beausang (2003) found more similarities than differences in the internationalization processes of firms from Brazil and Chile when compared with traditional MNCs. However, one should bear in mind the restricted focus of her investigation and the limited empirical evidence used to reach her conclusions. Martı́nez, Esperanza, and De la Torre (2004:44), on the other hand, claimed ‘‘the need of a new framework . . . to explain a new type of company increasingly active in the international arena,’’ but their conclusions seem to indicate that this new type of Latin American company might be evolving to become similar to the traditional MNC model. The terms ‘‘translatinas’’ (Comisión Económica para America Latina y el Caribe [CEPAL], 2005), ‘‘multilatinas’’ (Martı́nez, Esperança, and De la Torre, 2004), and even ‘‘Latin American regiocentric corporations’’ (Robles, 2000) were coined to designate the region’s young multinationals whose international expansion started or accelerated during the 1990s. Brazilian firms are latecomers to the international arena, even when compared with other Latin American firms. They were late in entering international markets with FDI and were quite limited in their exporting activities until recently (Chudnovsky and López, 1999). In fact, even among the largest corporations, few had any foreign direct investment activities before the early 1990s. There were, however, a few exceptions. Large state companies, such as Petrobras (oil and gas) and Vale (mining), had already had international investments since the 1970s, but such investments were typically limited to commercial and operational support for their foreign trade operations. Additionally, large Brazilian banks opened foreign subsidiaries during the

Coalinhamento entre estratégias competitivas e colaborativas e desempenho de empresas

This study aimed at posing and testing a theoretical model able to depict the impact of the coalignment between competitive and collaborativestrategies upon the performance of companies, utilizing the SCP paradigm as a theoretical platform. The variables for the completemodel were sought from 97 works published between 1977 and 2004, consolidated also by specialists as by the theory. The fi eld research wasimplemented through the insurance companies that published their fi nancial statements from 2002 through 2004, with a rate of responses correspondent to 61,54% of the insurance companies fi nal sample and to 60,26% of 2004 industry insurance premium. The test of the model was attained through SEM Modeling and presented good general fi t indexes, which permitted its applicability for the Brazilian insurance industry. The coalignment has shown itself as germane when it involves the variables that represent the regulation of the sector, the entry of new insurance companies and the level of coverage renewal within the same firm.

Innovation performance of Italian manufacturing firms: The effect of internal and external knowledge sources

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how internal and external sources of knowledge influence the innovation performance (IP) in Italian manufacturing firms and how different these relationships are for low-technology (LT) and high-technology (HT) firms. Design/methodology/approach The study proposed a model relating external knowledge, internal knowledge and IP that was tested using Bayesian structural equation modeling with a sample of Italian manufacturing firms of Community Innovation Survey 2010. It was run separately for high-tech firms (including HT and medium-HT aggregations of manufacturing industries of NACE Rev. 2) and low-tech firms (including LT and medium-LT aggregations). Findings The results showed a difference between high-tech and low-tech manufacturing firms in Italy. The investments to leverage internal knowledge sources are important for high-techs and not significant for low-techs. On the other hand, the level of external KS improves significantly the IP of low-techs and has a negative effect for high-techs. The level of absorptive capacity is central to improve the positive effect of the external knowledge on the IP for all firms, but it is still underdeveloped. Originality/value The effects of 2008 economic crisis hit the Italian manufacturing industry specifically hard and are still felt. Innovation is a solution for firms’ growth and Italy is considered a below-average innovator country in Europe. The study could identify important gaps in Italian manufacturing firms that hinder their innovative performance improvement.