Pull production implementation: an action research study

ID: 67223

Authors: Luis Henrique Rigato Vasconcellos, Mauro Sampaio, Henrique Fonseca.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-25, November-December, 2022. 25 page(s).

Keyword: lean production , pull system , push system

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Context: there is little empirical evidence of the relationship between the implementation of lean techniques (such as the pull system) and their real effect on supply chain performance. Objective: the purpose of this paper is to describe the process of implementing the pull production logic in the supply chain, reporting the historical evolution of indicators, such as inventory levels and lead times over 23 months of intervention. Methods: an action research project was carried out describing chain intervention steps in 2017-2019, divided into phases as follows: planning, data collection, implementation of the action, analysis and evaluation of the results. Results: the main contribution was to demonstrate that the production shift from push to pull had a positive impact on lead time, inventory, and planning routines indicators. Inventory levels were reduced by more than 30% and lead times were down approximately 40%. In addition, sales forecast assertiveness increased. Conclusion: this paper may provide a reference for organizations that want to make similar changes in their supply chains and significantly change the planning routine of their suppliers and distributors by implementing the pull logic.

Natura goes shopping: the case of an emerging market multinational

ID: 67222

Authors: Clarice Secches Kogut, Paula Erthal Hermano Boldrini, Renato Cotta de Mello, Luíza Fonseca.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-17, November-December, 2022. 17 page(s).

Document type: Teaching Case (English)

Application of a multi-method to identify a research problem

ID: 67221

Authors: Gustavo Guimarães Marchisotti, José Rodrigues Farias Filho.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-17, November-December, 2022. 17 page(s).

Keyword: methodological execution , multi-method , research problem , theoretical-practical gaps

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

Context: there is a certain difficulty for students in understanding what steps need to be followed to guarantee that a chosen research problem is academically valid. There are also difficulties in executing, training, and passing on the methodological procedure. Objective: the present study aims to detail the operationalization of a method of identifying research problems, allowing the students to prove the unique and singular character of their research. Methods: it is a qualitative, interpretive, and applied research, which uses the action research method with the participatory intervention by one of the authors of this paper, in the definition and guidance on how to use a multi-method to identify a research problem. Results: the main contribution of this research is to describe, with examples for each stage, a step-by-step procedure explaining how to perform a multi method to identify a research problem that helps students operationalize it correctly and systematically. Conclusion: following the guidelines proposed in this paper, students are able to bring up real problems from both academic and managerial perspectives, as the method will be executed properly. It also allows teachers to better train their students about how to properly use the multi-method detailed in this paper.

A Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic TOPSIS model to support supplier segmentation

ID: 67220

Authors: William Viana Borges, Francisco Rodrigues Lima Junior, Jurandir Peinado.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-13, November-December, 2022. 13 page(s).

Keyword: hesitant fuzzy linguistic TOPSIS , multicriteria decision-making , supplier segmentation

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Objective: this study proposes a hesitant fuzzy linguistic TOPSIS model for supplier segmentation based on economic, environmental, and social criteria. Proposal: the model classifies suppliers in a segmentation matrix considering their capabilities and willingness to collaborate. It was implemented using Microsoft Excel© and applied to a hydropower plant. Two employees of the company chose a set of segmentation criteria, assigned weights to these criteria, and evaluated the performance of suppliers. In the pilot application, the performance of six suppliers was analyzed and ranked according to 28 criteria. The classification results were endorsed by the decision-makers involved. Conclusion: the model provides consistent results and can assist managers in designing development programs aimed at improving the economic, environmental, and social performance of suppliers. Additionally, it can support group decisions under uncertainty and hesitation, allows the use of linguistic expressions, and does not limit the amounts of criteria or alternatives.

Best practices for your Exploratory Factor analysis: a factor tutorial

ID: 67219

Authors: Pablo Rogers.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-17, November-December, 2022. 17 page(s).

Keyword: common factor analysis , exploratory factor analysis , Factor , factor analysis , principal component analysis

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Context: exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is one of the statistical methods most widely used in administration; however, its current practice coexists with rules of thumb and heuristics given half a century ago. Objective: the purpose of this article is to present the best practices and recent recommendations for a typical EFA in administration through a practical solution accessible to researchers. Methods: in this sense, in addition to discussing current practices versus recommended practices, a tutorial with real data on Factor is illustrated. The Factor software is still little known in the administration area, but is freeware, easy-to-use (point and click), and powerful. The step-by-step tutorial illustrated in the article, in addition to the discussions raised and an additional example, is also available in the format of tutorial videos. Conclusion: through the proposed didactic methodology (article-tutorial + video-tutorial), we encourage researchers/methodologists who have mastered a particular technique to do the same. Specifically about EFA, we hope that the presentation of the Factor software, as a first solution, can transcend the current outdated rules of thumb and heuristics, by making best practices accessible to administration researchers.

Do organizational virtues enhance work well-being? The mediator role of hrm practices

ID: 67218

Authors: Gisela Demo, Elaine Rabelo Neiva, Karla Veloso Coura, Sinésio Gomide Júnior, Ana Carolina Rezende Costa.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-16, November-December, 2022. 16 page(s).

Keyword: human resource management practices , mediation model , organizational virtues , positive psychology , well-being at work

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

Context: over the last decades, positive psychology has brought up the need for research on positive emotions and attitudes, such as organizational virtues and well-being at work. Moreover, there is evidence that virtues may influence the perception about human resource management practices, constituting a driver of well-being in work context. However, literature signalizes the gap regarding research models covering the relation between these three variables. Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the relation between organizational virtues and well-being at work, mediated by the perception of HRM practices. Methodology: the research is classified as quantitative, carried out through a survey, with 286 participants, using structural equation modeling through the JASP software. Results: results confirmed the partial mediation played by HRM practices in the proposed model, bringing a theoretical contribution by joining the three variables into a single model, with psychometric evidence of the strong prediction of organizational virtues on HRM practices and well-being at work. Conclusion: as a managerial implication, our findings compose a diagnosis that shed light on the relevance for managers in organizations to prioritize organizational virtues and HRM practices in order to enhance healthier work environments.

Financial management in practice: analysis of brazilian survey data

ID: 67217

Authors: Cristiane Benetti, Paulo Renato Soares Terra, Roberto Frota Decourt.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-18, November-December, 2022. 18 page(s).

Keyword: Brazil , corporate finance , emerging markets , survey research

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

Objective: this article replicates in Brazil a survey — previously applied in North America and Europe — to inquire CFOs about the cost of capital, capital budgeting, and capital structure. Method: we rigorously translated and validated the questionnaire before administering it over the internet. We delivered the questionnaire to 1,699 Brazilian private and public firms and received 160 responses, with a return rate of 9.4%. We analyzed the responses conditioned to firm characteristics. Results: the results of the financial policy survey in Brazil indicate that firms employ NPV and IRR as preferred investment techniques and the CAPM and its variations as the method for computing the cost of equity capital. They are also concerned with the cost of debt and transaction costs of market instruments, and they use internal funds as their main investment funding source. The conditional analysis indicates that large, listed, and regulated firms behave differently regarding financial decisions than their counterparts. Conclusion: the main takeaway from this study is that the institutional environment (markets, institutions, instruments, and the economy) is an important determinant of the practice of corporate finance.

Analysis of scales and measures of moral virtues: a systematic review

ID: 67216

Authors: Maria Clara Figueiredo Dalla Costa Ames, Mauricio C. Serafim, Felipe Flôres Martins.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-18, November-December, 2022. 18 page(s).

Keyword: business ethics , moral virtues , scale analysis , virtue ethics

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

Objective: to investigate how scales for the concept of moral virtues are constructed and measured, in studies associated with business ethics and the tradition of virtue ethics. Methods: a systematic literature review was conducted to select empirical articles on moral virtues that design or apply scales. Based on search, selection, and analysis criteria, five databases were consulted, and 37 papers were selected, with subsequent analysis of the scales development and measurement procedure (items, sample, factor analysis) and emerging factors. Results: the study gathers scales of multiple moral virtues (19) and of specific virtues (18), showing limitations in the generation of items, and in the item-sample proportion in some scales, as well as theoretical contributions in leadership and relationship strengthening, making a theoretical and methodological discussion in the light of the assumptions of virtue ethics in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition. Conclusions: the article intends to contribute to a better understanding of moral virtues in management, by discussing the scales from the unity of virtues and the phronesis-moral virtues connection, with implications for human behavior and business ethics. Procedures are recommended for future qualitative and quantitative studies in new research contexts.

Dynamic Ambidexterity: proposal of a theoretical and hypothetical model

ID: 67215

Authors: Rodrigo Franklin Frogeri, Pedro dos Santos Portugal Júnior, Fabrício Pelloso Piurcosky, Victor Sanacato, Julia López de Calle, Stefano Barra Gazzola, Felipe Flausino de Oliveira.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-26, November-December, 2022. 26 page(s).

Keyword: contextual ambidexterity , organizational ambidexterity , sequential ambidexterity , structural ambidexterity

Document type: Article (English) Show Abstract

Context: ambidexterity is a dynamic capability that seeks to balance exploitation and exploration initiatives. The joint development of exploitation and exploration can be achieved through dynamic ambidexterity. Theoretical discussions involving the relationship between the concepts of ambidexterity and dynamic capabilities (DCs) have already been developed in literature. However, the way the three ambidextrous approaches (structural, contextual, and sequential) are based on DCs still needs to be observed by researchers. Objective: this study aims to propose a conceptual and theoretical hypothetical model that explains the influence of various types of organizational ambidexterity (structural, contextual, and sequential) on the development of DCs and their relation to organizational performance. Methodology: the study was developed through an extensive systematic literature review guided by an inductive logic, interpretive epistemology, and qualitative approach. Results: the analyses and discussions made it possible to present a theoretical hypothetical model of dynamic ambidexterity that involves nine constructs and eleven hypotheses. Conclusion: we believe that our study contributes theoretically to the field of organizational Strategies and can enable studies aligned with the concepts of dynamic ambidexterity and DCs.

In defense of theory and original theoretical contributions in Administration

ID: 67214

Authors: Marcelo de Souza Bispo.

Source: Revista de Administração Contemporânea, v. 26, n. 6, p. 1-7, November-December, 2022. 7 page(s).

Keyword: decolonialism , original theoretical contribution , theorizing , theory , theory-practice

Document type: Editorial (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This editorial proposes how to build original theoretical contributions in a context that privileges practice over theory, where Anglo-Saxon theories dominate the scientific field of administration, and it is even unclear what “theory” means. The central idea is that the approximation between theory and practice only exists when the theory is constructed in the concrete world, i.e., where practice happens. This means that the uncritical adoption of theories to understand specific realities leads to the false impression that “in theory, practice is different.” My conclusion is that the original theoretical contribution must consider the multiple ways of life, culture, and the constituent elements of the social phenomena one wants to research. Added to this is the appreciation of indigenous knowledge (scientific or otherwise) on the reality where one aims to offer an original theoretical contribution.