UM PASSARINHO NA MÃO OU DOIS VOANDO? DILEMAS DO GRUPO CARTEIRO AMIGO ENTRE SE EXPANDIR ORGANICAMENTE NA FAVELA DA ROCINHA OU SE ARRISCAR PARA ALÉM DA ZONA DE CONFORTO

ABSTRACT

Rocinha, Latin America’s largest shanty town, in addition to its social and economic problems, such as the absence of standardized street addresses, urban violence, and presence of drug traffic; was not provided with basic public services, such as mail delivery from the Brazilian Post Office. Within this scenario, three entrepreneurs saw an opportunity, and left their jobs in order to invest in this idea that became larger than simply delivering mail within a community: the Friendly Mailman Group (known by its Portuguese acronym “GCA”). This article presents a brief history of the company, and especially deals with the dilemma of expanding GCA within Rocinha or formalizing a franchise business model, the potential to succeed, and challenges to be overcome in each alternative.

Keywords:
Friendly Mailman Group; Physical Distribution of Products; Social Franchise; Business in Business in Slums