Stelvia Matos

Incorporating impoverished communities in sustainable supply chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore recent calls to include social and environmental considerations in supply chains by analyzing the sourcing of raw materials from impoverished communities to reduce environmental impacts and social exclusion in biofuels production.Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology based on interviews and focus groups with supply chain members and other stakeholders is conducted in Brazil, a major biofuels producer and user. Two supply chain cases, fuel ethanol and biodiesel, illustrate the challenges of recent government policies and industry attempts to improve sustainability within the supply chain.Findings – Although government and industry recognize the importance of providing opportunities for impoverished communities in biofuels supply chains, there remain considerable pressures to economize at the expense of sustainable supply chain policies. Sourcing from impoverished farmers who lack basic business knowledge, and distrust industry and governmen...

Understanding why firms should invest in sustainable supply chains: a complexity approach

This paper explores why firms should include sustainable development considerations in supply chains as a means of improving social and environmental impacts of production systems. The recognition of financial, social and environmental elements however creates greater complexity, which makes optimisation approaches to sustainable supply chain problems infeasible. We frame our analysis using Kauffmans (1993) NK theory, with interactions among financial, social and environmental elements identified through empirical research conducted in Brazilian oil and gas, sugarcane ethanol and biodiesel supply chains. We use a matrix of interactions (Baldwin and Clark 1999) as a template, allowing for the identification of key financial, social and environmental elements and their interconnections within and between supply chains. We contribute by arguing that firms focusing on individual sustainable development elements independently are unlikely to find satisfactory solutions to their sustainable supply chain problems. We further argue that certain sectors have a propensity to be socially exclusive, whereas others are potentially socially inclusive; in such cases, firms operating in exclusive sectors may be able to find satisfactory solutions to their broader sustainability strategies by investing in the social and environmental performance of other supply chains.

Commercializing University Research in Diverse Settings: Moving beyond Standardized Intellectual Property Management

OVERVIEW: We discuss the challenges of managing university intellectual property (IP) for applications in diverse settings that are often inadequately served by standard IP management approaches. Strategies focused on profit appropriation through legal mechanisms and control of key resources may work in some industrial settings, but may hinder innovation in others, leaving promising technologies untapped. Open innovation has been proposed as a solution, yet limited research has been conducted in broader contexts. We present four examples illustrating the challenges for university technology transfer offices (TTOs) attempting to commercialize technologies for diverse applications in unique circumstances—when government regulators are the primary users and when applications involve a number of industries with varying motivations and resources for technology adoption. More open approaches to IP management, coupled with value propositions emphasizing cognitive and sociopolitical legitimacy, can lead to more effective diffusion.

Privatização: bom ou ruim? Lições do setor de distribuição de energia elétrica do nordeste brasileiro

This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firms capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firm’s capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.

Harnessing sustainability complexity : a strategy to incorporate social factors into engineering education

As societal expectations have changed from narrowly focused environmental issues to broader sustainable development concerns, it is vital that future engineers graduate with an understanding of how social impacts may affect or may be affected by their decisions. Drawing on complexity theory and sustainability literature, this paper describes how engineering programs can incorporate a course that will enable graduating engineers to explore the interdependencies among technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability. System’s elements and interdependences are identified using modularity, a technique that applies deductive and inductive methods. Using the example of a sustainable lignin-based product we demonstrate how such methods are performed in practice. We then discuss the implications for engineering teaching and propose an integrated sustainability analysis course that focuses on harnessing social factors within sustainability complexity, by seeking them out and exploiting interdependencies. This will prepare future engineers to work on a more realistic scenario, and more broadly explore new ideas and possible solutions.

A Strategy to Incorporate Social Factors into Engineering Education

As societal expectations have changed from narrowly focused environmental issues to broader sustainable development concerns, it is vital that future engineers graduate with an understanding of how social impacts may affect or may be affected by their decisions. Drawing on complexity theory and sustainability literature, this paper describes how engineering programs can incorporate a course that will enable graduating engineers to explore the interdependencies among technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability. System’s elements and interdependences are identified using modularity, a technique that applies deductive and inductive methods. Using the example of a sustainable lignin-based product we demonstrate how such methods can be demonstrated in class. We then discuss the implications for engineering teaching and propose an integrated sustainability analysis course that focuses on harnessing social factors within sustainability systems, by seeking them out and exploiting interdependencies. This will prepare future engineers to work on a more realistic scenario, and more broadly explore new ideas and possible solutions.

Privatización: ¿buena o mala? Lecciones del sector de distribución de energía eléctrica del noreste brasileño

This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firms capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firm’s capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.

Privatization: good or bad? Lessons from the electricity distribution sector in the northeast of Brazil

This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firms capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.This paper analyzes the evolution of five electricity distribution companies in the Northeast of Brazil using technical and financial indexes. Three privatized and two public firms were analyzed between 1997 and 2008. The financial indexes are related to the profitability and firm’s capacity of generating value for its shareholders, while the technical indexes are related to the quality of the service provided. Two propositions are developed suggesting that privatized firms had their financial and technical indexes improved after privatization when compared to the public firms. We observed the privatized firms had their financial indexes improved after the privatization, increasing their value for the shareholders. However, it was not possible to observe evidence that privatization affected the quality of service provided.