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1 – 10 of 29Justyna Dobroszek, Paulo Reis Mourão and Maciej Urbaniak
This paper aims to identify purchasing-related costs through the prism of transaction costs and costs of purchasing management activity.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify purchasing-related costs through the prism of transaction costs and costs of purchasing management activity.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a survey among 150 medium and large manufacturing companies in the chemical, automotive and electromechanical industries operating in Central and Eastern European countries. The collected data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
The studied companies carry out an integrated purchasing-related cost system. The authors found a statistical significance of the covariances between the pretransaction, transaction and post-transaction costs. In addition, costs that are of particular importance in long-term purchasing transactions were identified. Moreover, the authors identified the costs of quality and support actions as the most significant.
Practical implications
This research details the discussion of costs with consideration for the insights of managers of medium-sized and large companies.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the knowledge of purchasing-related costs through the lens of the total cost of ownership that influences the purchasing management and the decisions within the buyer-supplier relationship.
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Magno Rogério Gomes, Marina Silva da Cunha, Solange de Cássia Inforzato de Souza and Paulo Jorge Reis Mourão
This article aims to analyze the workers' probabilities of following their parents’ occupational legacy and whether these individuals are paid differently compared to those who…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to analyze the workers' probabilities of following their parents’ occupational legacy and whether these individuals are paid differently compared to those who opted for occupations different from their parents, in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
To that end, the occupational legacy probability equation was estimated as the quantile wage equations with sample selection bias correction and the wage decomposition for Brazil from the microdata of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of 2014. It was found that families have a strong influence on the process of choosing the careers of their children. The average probability of a young person following the occupational legacy of their parents was 41.63%. This percentage is different when analyzing different groups of individuals, such as being male or female, being in a traditional or single parent family, being in an income household lower or higher per capita.
Findings
The results also confirm the hypothesis that workers who tend to follow the occupational legacy have lower wages than individuals who choose other occupations and that this may cause a “poverty trap” since the lower the salary quantile, the stronger the “trap” as economically disadvantaged young people tend to follow in their parents' footsteps and to contribute to family income they face a tradeoff, opt between work or study, which ends up disrupting their education and forcing young people to entering the job market early, performing secondary occupations with lower income and arduous work, generating a “vicious cycle of poverty”.
Research limitations/implications
Given the database, we are comprised to its most recent version.
Practical implications
This is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.
Originality/value
This is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.
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What are the motivations behind the Portuguese contributions to a public campaign promoted by the National League Against the Cancer? The purpose of this paper is to answer the…
Abstract
Purpose
What are the motivations behind the Portuguese contributions to a public campaign promoted by the National League Against the Cancer? The purpose of this paper is to answer the question, considering the cyclical behaviour of the economy.
Design/methodology/approach
A panel‐data approach was used.
Findings
It was concluded that Portuguese contributions are significantly related to the local economic cycle. Thus, Portuguese give more if the local economy grows. However, it was verified that an increasing of the number of old people does promote less expressive donated values, which may be understood as deep implications of the decisions taken during a life‐cycle pattern (give during the work, save later).
Originality/value
This is the first Portuguese study located in the field of the Economics of Giving.
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In this article, the author discusses the influence of technological development on the survival of European parties since the Second World War.
Abstract
Purpose
In this article, the author discusses the influence of technological development on the survival of European parties since the Second World War.
Design/methodology/approach
The database comprises more than 200 parties and the political forces observed in 20 countries.
Findings
The author find that Internet users as a proportion of the population and a higher value of secure servers in an economy tend to strengthen the duration of parties since their first electoral participation.
Originality/value
This is the first paper discussing parties' survival in democratic regimens as depending on the technological development.
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Débora Regina Schneider Locatelli, Marco Antonio Pinheiro da Silveira and Paulo Mourão
This paper aims to focus on Brazilian business fairs primarily attended by metalworking companies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on Brazilian business fairs primarily attended by metalworking companies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews answered by exhibitor companies from two of the most relevant Brazilian states in this industrial sector: Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
Findings
The results recognize the four pillars of the interorganizational relationship developed among exhibitors at business fairs and launch serious implications for the effective development of business fairs as spaces of interorganizational relationship and of value creation.
Originality/value
This is the first study discussing the trade fairs of the Brazilian emerging industry related to the metal-mechanic sector of two of the most significant states in the country: Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina.
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Justyna Dobroszek, Paulo Mourao and Lena Grzesiak
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the similarities and differences of occupational identity among logistics managers, controllers and specialists.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the similarities and differences of occupational identity among logistics managers, controllers and specialists.
Design/methodology/approach
After a thorough review of the literature, the authors opted for desk research and content analysis of job advertisements for these three occupations as the major research method, focusing on a sample of 60 Polish and German advertisements.
Findings
The analysis of these data confirmed that the three occupations have their own identity (although there is a certain closeness between controllers and managers), but, from a holistic perspective of logistics management considering current trends in logistics, these three occupations should be integrated as a whole.
Originality/value
This has been the first paper comparing ads focused on logistics professionals in two relevant European economies in terms of logistics development: Poland and Germany.
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Marco Antonio Batista da Silva, Priscila Rezende da Costa and Claudia Terezinha Kniess
The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the systematisation of environmental training can contribute to the development of individual competences aligned to the environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the systematisation of environmental training can contribute to the development of individual competences aligned to the environmental dimension of sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was used in a multiple case study with three chemical companies: Braskem, Solvay and Beta (fictitious name).
Findings
Data analysis allowed descriptive characterisation of the phases of environmental training and the identification of individual competencies aligned to the environmental dimension of sustainability in the companies surveyed. The results showed that the systematised environmental training, its phases structured to meet the organisational strategic goals of sustainability, helps to develop individual competences of environmental sustainability in the companies analysed.
Research limitations/implications
The contribution of the study to the academy is presented in the deepening of the studies taking into account the gaps presented in the theoretical bases on the subject environmental education. This is the first study that seeks to investigate the stages of environmental training in the development of individual competences in the context of three Brazilian chemical industries. It was possible to describe the process of environmental training in a strategic dimension, used by the companies studied that can contribute to the market, assisting professionals in the areas of human resources and environmental management in the development of training actions.
Originality/value
The value of the paper is given by the reflection on the development of individual competencies for sustainability through environmental training, which can guide future public policies of environmental development for companies in the chemical sector.
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Luiz Paulo Lopes Fávero, Marco Aurélio dos Santos and Ricardo Goulart Serra
Branching is not the only way for foreign banks to enter a national market, and it is impractical when there are informational and cultural barriers and asymmetries among…
Abstract
Purpose
Branching is not the only way for foreign banks to enter a national market, and it is impractical when there are informational and cultural barriers and asymmetries among countries. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the determinants of cross-border branching in the Latin American banking sector, a region with regulatory disparity and political and economic instability, offering elements to a grounded strategic decision.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses data from six Latin American countries. To account for the preponderance of zero counts, classes of zero-inflated models are applied (Poisson, negative binomial, and mixed). Model fit indicators obtained from differences between observed and estimated counts are used for comparisons, considering branches in each region established by banks from every other foreign region of the sample.
Findings
Branching by foreign banks is positively correlated with the population, GDP per capita, household disposable income, and economic freedom score of the host country. The opposite holds for the unemployment rate and entry regulations of the host country.
Originality/value
Few paper address cross-border banking in emerging economies. This paper analyzes cross-border branching in Latin America in the context of the current financial integration and bank strategy. Econometrically, its pioneering design allows modeling of inflation of zeros, over-dispersion, and the multilevel data structure. This design allowed testing of a novel country-level variable: the host country’s economic freedom score.
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H. Mora, Mario R. Morales-Morales, Francisco A. Pujol-López and Rafael Mollá-Sirvent
Growing inequality and socioeconomic and environmental degradation concerns forces us to think about how innovative technologies can contribute to reduce this problem. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
Growing inequality and socioeconomic and environmental degradation concerns forces us to think about how innovative technologies can contribute to reduce this problem. This study aims to analyze the potential of social cryptocurrencies to enhance the community development and cooperation between small businesses of the near environment. The evolution of these technology-based schemes could be key factors for generating innovative social enterprises, improving the quality of life in the community; in this way generate a conceptual model to sustainable development, while being more transparent, efficient and scalable as they are supported by technological applications.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an in-depth study of the relevant literature, a conceptual model was designed. The concept of social cryptocurrency is proposed as a new approach to virtual currencies for social purposes and sustainable development.
Findings
The key findings point out that actors such as innovation and social entrepreneurship will come together in a new generation of social currencies, extending cryptocurrency technology to social business domains.
Research limitations/implications
The impact of this will result in a better quality of life for society and the achievement of several sustainable development goals. However, a limitation would be that its scope depends on certain characteristics of the local environment. Furthermore, the proposed model will require validation in later phases through social experiments.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this paper is in structuring a formal model that, based on empirical experiences and the use of the technology that underlies cryptocurrencies, proposes a set of constituent elements and characterizes them to contribute to achievement of sustainable development.
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Murillo Vetroni Barros, Fabio Neves Puglieri, Daniel Poletto Tesser, Oksana Kuczynski and Cassiano Moro Piekarski
Some universities have a commitment to both academic education and sustainable development, and the sustainable development goals can support several sustainable actions that…
Abstract
Purpose
Some universities have a commitment to both academic education and sustainable development, and the sustainable development goals can support several sustainable actions that universities may take as principles and attitudes. From this perspective, the purpose of this study is to present environmentally sustainable practices at a federal university in Brazil and to analyze and discuss the potential environmental impacts associated with an environmentally sustainable practice implemented using life cycle assessment (LCA) and its benefits for the university’s decision-makers.
Design/methodology/approach
To accomplish that, the study combines a description of environmentally sustainable practices at the 13 campuses of the Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) in terms of education, water and electricity consumption, waste management and emissions. As a result of this analysis, one campus identified that a high volume of disposable plastic cups were being disposed of, for which the use of reusable plastic cups was introduced. In addition, an LCA study (ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006) quantified the benefits of the introduction of said reusable plastic cups.
Findings
The results show that the university is working on environmentally sustainable initiatives and policies to become greener. At the same time, using a systematic LCA made it possible to measure that replacing disposable plastic cups for reusable ones reduced waste generation but increased water consumption on the campus. Faced with this, a sensitization was carried out to reduce water consumption. Finally, the current study provides lessons on the environmental performance to universities interested in sustainable practices, fostering perspectives for a better world. The findings of this study encourage organizations to accomplish environmental actions toward greener universities. The study shows that institutions need to be reflective and analytical about how even “greening” measures have impacts, which can be mitigated if necessary.
Practical implications
The sustainable practical implications were reported, and an LCA was conducted to assess potential environmental impacts of reusable plastic cups. It was identified that raw material production is the phase that generates most environmental impacts during the life cycle of the product, along with the consumer use phase, due to the quantity of water used to wash the reusable cups. In addition, the practical contributions of this study are to provide insights to institutions that aim to use environmental actions, i.e. suggestions of sustainable paths toward a greener university.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to investigate and discuss sustainable practices at UTFPR/Brazil. The study assessed one of the practices using a scientific technique (LCA) to assess the impacts of reusable plastic cups distributed to the students of one of the 13 campuses. Although there are other studies on LCA in the literature, the value of this study lies in expanding what has already been experienced/found on the use of LCA to assess environmental practices in university campuses.
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