Editorial

ID: 34665

Authors: Herbert Kimura.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 1-4, March-April, 2015. 4 page(s).

Document type: Editorial (Portuguese)

Information Technology’s Value at the Firm Level: A Study of Brazilian Companies

ID: 34666

Authors: Deyvison de Lima Oliveira, Antonio Carlos Gastaud Maçada, Gessy Dhein Oliveira.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 170-192, March-April, 2015. 23 page(s).

Keyword: firm performance , IT capabilities , resource-based theory

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Studies conducted in the early 2000s based on objective performance data confirmed the direct value of Information Technology (IT) at the firm level (A. S. Bharadwaj, 2000; Santhanam & Hartono, 2003). However, recent literature has produced different results, due to standardization in the supply of IT products and services. From the Resource-Based Theory perspective, this paper tests whether the value of IT continues to be captured by measures of firm performance, as found in studies in early 2000 of U.S. firms. We do so by gathering objective data and variables for 149 leading IT companies in Brazil in the period 2008-2011. Utilizing Linear Regression and panel data, we test this association and found that IT capabilities are associated with performance in only four of the 32 relationships tested, with one being negative. Thus, overall, we confirmed the null impact of IT capabilities specifically at the firm level – supporting the demands of Resource Based Theory to analyze this impact at intermediate levels of performance. We also list limitations and research opportunities in the conclusion.

Regulatory Risk Assessment of Research & Development in the Brazilian Electrical Sector

ID: 34667

Authors: José Luiz Pereira Brittes, Sergio L. M. Salles-Filho, Mariana Savedra Pfitzner.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 193-211, March-April, 2015. 19 page(s).

Keyword: economic regulation , R&D&I in the electrical sector , risk assessment

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This paper presents a methodology of R&D&I project ex-ante evaluation for the Brazilian electric power sector using a multi-criteria tool focused on risk. The R&D process in the Brazilian electric power industry is regulated by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), and requires companies to invest part of Net Operating Income (NOI) in R&D&I. This pushed firms to structure management routines for technological innovation efforts that simultaneously mitigate market and regulatory risk. One way to achieve this issue is to perform an ex-ante evaluation project selection methodology able to deal with somewhat antagonistic multiple-element analysis. PiTech (Prioritization in Technology) is a very flexible and conducive tool for performing such a weighted parametric multivariate analysis. The case presented in this article was performed with PiTech working with operational, market and regulatory criteria in multiple combinations for 19 projects for a key holding group in the Brazilian power market. The tool proved to be very useful by allowing decision makers to verify the appropriateness of investment in R&D projects totaling R$61 million in 2010, minimizing regulatory risks and preserving adherence to corporate interests.

Governance and Strategy of Undergraduate Business Programs in Light of the Actor-Network Theory

ID: 34668

Authors: Ludmilla Meyer Montenegro, Sergio Bulgacov.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 212-231, March-April, 2015. 20 page(s).

Keyword: Actor-Network Theory , education , governance , strategic outcomes , strategizing

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

In order to obtain a more accurate comprehension of organizations’ strategizing and of the relations formed by actors and governance networks, this article intended to contribute to the theories used– Governance Networks, Strategy as a Social Practice, Strategic Outcomes and Actor-Network Theory – by delineating how the articulation of strategizing, as a process of translation, with governance network theory configures the governance and strategic outcomes of Business programs in private Higher Education Institutions in Curitiba (Parana, Brazil). The chosen research method was a comparative case study, by which five cases were studied and twenty-nine in-depth semistructured interviews were held, besides non-participant observations and document analysis. Data analysis was developed through (a) Narrative Analysis and (b) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (Análise Qualitativa Comparativa [QCA]). The results showed that the strategizing process and the intertwining between human and nonhuman actors are essential to the comprehension of governance and strategic outcomes of the studied institutions. It is believed that the theoretical articulation undertaken in this paper and the empirical research findings form a consistent body of knowledge and elucidate current and relevant questions to understand nuances related to governance networks, strategy as practice, strategizing (and its outcomes) and sociomaterial issues (human and nonhuman actors).

Corporate Social Responsibility and Brazilian Firms’ Financial Performance

ID: 34669

Authors: Lilian Marques Freguete, Valcemiro Nossa, Bruno Funchal.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 232-248, March-April, 2015. 17 page(s).

Keyword: corporate social responsibility , crises , financial performance

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Literature on Corporate Social Responsibility points out some long-term benefits. However, the literature doesn’t say much on its potential short-term benefits, such as how socially responsible firms react in a Financial-Economic Crisis, a well-known short-term phenomenon. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and firms’ financial performance under a crisis scenario. Using a difference-in-difference regression model with panel data and companies listed on the Brazilian stock exchange (ISE-BOVESPA) as a proxy for Brazilian firms that implement Corporate Social Responsibility, we find that during the 2008 crisis, socially responsible firms didn’t have significant differences in financial performance compared to non-ISE firms. Such results are not aligned with theories that argue in favor of Corporate Social Responsibility in order to boost financial performance.

Capital Structure and Staff Salary: Empirical Evidence in Brazil

ID: 34670

Authors: Duk Young Choi, Richard Saito, Vinícius Augusto Brunassi Silva.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 249-269, March-April, 2015. 21 page(s).

Keyword: capital structure , labor economics , risk aversion , wage

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This paper analyzes whether the higher the company’s financial leverage, the higher the salaries demanded by staff for the embedded financial distress risk. By applying Berk, Stanton and Zechner’s (2010) model, we use a 2SLS for a sample of 250 non-financial companies listed on BOVESPA from 2007 to 2009. Indeed, we find that for each additional 1% of financial leverage, the staff remunerations increase by 0.26%, controlling for Chief Executive Officer (CEO) profile.

Case Study in Public Administration: A Critical Review of Brazilian Scientific Production

ID: 34671

Authors: Mariana Guerra, Adalmir de Oliveira Gomes, Antonio Isidro da Silva Filho.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 19, n. 2, p. 270-289, March-April, 2015. 20 page(s).

Keyword: case study , method , public administration , qualitative research

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

This paper presents a critical review of 47 articles published between 2006 and 2011 to identify how case studies have been applied in Brazilian research on public administration. In addition to their theoretical and methodological characteristics, four further specific topics of interest were addressed: (a) what is meant by case study; (b) the relationship between the phenomenon of interest and the case under investigation; (c) the possibility of replication; and (d) how the supposed method contributes towards the development of the field of public administration. The main inconsistencies found were: the methodological descriptions are confusing; the results are inconsistent compared with data gathering procedures and data analysis techniques; a lack of information about the number of interviewed individuals; and no descriptions of research variables. The results suggest the reviewed case studies present methodological inconsistencies and limitations, which undermine their scientific value and relevance to academic work in Brazil.