TECNOGRAN: EVERY FLOOR WILL BE A STAGE; WALLS WILL BE MURALS; AND THE ENTIRE TOWN, POETRY.

ABSTRACT

This case presents Tecnogran, a Brazilian producer of high traffic floorings for supermarkets, shopping malls, outdoors, public works and accessibility works. The case describes the history and characteristics of the organization, addressing impasses faced by Tecnogran: price pressures and market demands. Tecnogran is the domestic market leader, and yet faces dilemmas to endorse itself as an innovative company. The case analysis is based on the following theories: Generic Strategies and Competitive Advantage; Resource-Based Theory; and Resources, Processes and Values Theory. The case also shows the company’s response: products and services innovations, and production processes changes to maintain the domestic market leadership. The data for the preparation of this teaching case were obtained through semi-structured interviews with Tecnogran managers and through secondary data, such as business documents, internal reports, publications and websites. This teaching case can be used in disciplines related to strategic management, innovation studies, marketing and other related disciplines in undergraduate and post-graduation management courses. The main learning objectives are: to help students comprehend business strategies; to analyze competitive advantage management models; to identify organizational strategic models; to verify the relationship between organizational competencies and sustainable competitive advantage; and to understand the importance and challenges of innovation for organizations.

Innovation; Generic Strategies; Competitive Advantage; Resource-Based Theory; Resources, Processes, and Values Theory