Resumo em Inglês:

A strong link has been established between operational excellence and the degree of sophistication of logistics organization, a function of factors such as performance monitoring, investment in Information Technology [IT] and the formalization of logistics organization, as proposed in the Bowersox, Daugherty, Dröge, Germain and Rogers (1992) Leading Edge model. At the same time, shippers have been increasingly outsourcing their logistics activities to third party providers. This paper, based on a survey with large Brazilian shippers, addresses a gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between dimensions of logistics organization sophistication and drivers of logistics outsourcing. To this end, the dimensions behind the logistics sophistication construct were first investigated. Results from factor analysis led to the identification of six dimensions of logistics sophistication. By means of multivariate logistical regression analyses it was possible to relate some of these dimensions, such as the formalization of the logistics organization, to certain drivers of the outsourcing of logistics activities of Brazilian shippers, such as cost savings. These results indicate the possibility of segmenting shippers according to characteristics of their logistics organization, which may be particularly useful to logistics service providers.

Resumo em Inglês:

Discretionary firm donation is usually related to the stakeholder theory and corporate social performance. Although theoretical explanations for this social behavior are pervasive in related literature, empirical modeling remains underdeveloped. We developed an explanatory structural model of discretionary firm donation using firm and industry level indicators. Unlike previous research, we estimated the explanatory power of the construct we called stakeholder orientation. Our tentative model was tested on a Brazilian sample of 101 publicly traded donor firms, using data on firm donations to social projects and to political candidates in electoral campaigns. The main results suggest that discretionary donation seems to be a strategy for managing conflicting claims in highly stakeholder oriented firms; the characteristics of the firm are more important than industry effects in explaining firm donations; and large firms, showing slack resources, and with a less concentrated ownership structure tend to engage in discretionary donation more intensively.

Resumo em Inglês:

There is an ongoing concern among managers and scholars: how can firms develop trust and achieve performance? Our paper aims to review the emerging perspective of trust and propose mechanisms to build trust in channel relationships. In the literature, we identified six mechanisms: calculative, affective, belief, embeddedness, continuity and capability. A central hypothesis focuses on the direct impact of these mechanisms on firm performance. We conducted a survey (n=132) in the Brazilian Distribution Market of agrochemical products. OLS regression estimation was employed to test the hypothesis. Results show the impact of the mechanisms of calculative, affective, belief on performance. The findings highlight that, even though environment leads to suspicion and doubts, managers seek trust relationships and try to develop them using a combination of few mechanisms to overcome difficulties and perform well.

Resumo em Inglês:

This paper studies the information content of survey-based predictions for the Brazilian short-term interest rate. We perform vector autoregression analysis to test for the dynamic relationship between market expectations of interest rates and spot interest rates, and a single regression forecasting approach. Empirical results suggest that surveys may be useful in assessing market expectations (contain relevant information) and in building Central Bank credibility. Within an inflation targeting framework they are crucial in order to receive timely feedback on market sentiment regarding the conduct of monetary policy.

Resumo em Inglês:

This study was inspired by the proposition developed by Karthik (2002) and applied to a context of horizontal interorganizational relations. Our main objective was to understand how the learning process between organizations inserted in networks occurs, from the perspective of the evolution of relationships over time. This study has a qualitative and exploratory nature, and the method adopted is the case study with multiple units of analysis. The research was carried out in a network of thirteen supermarket companies in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data was collected through individual interviews, questionnaires, documental sources and histories of learning. As the main contribution, we highlight the critical discussion made of the model proposed by Karthik (2002) as it is applied in horizontal networks: contradicting the author's suggestion, the results of this research reveal that there was a predominance of mutual learning in the initial stages of the companies' relationships and, as the relationships evolved, there was a predominance of unilateral learning. This change can be seen in the adoption of opportunist behavior and the predominance of structural characteristics of trust in the relationships established by the companies involved.