Kamal Upadhyaya and Bruno Barreto de Góes
This paper aims to study the impact of economic freedom and some key macroeconomic variables on the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in Brazil.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the impact of economic freedom and some key macroeconomic variables on the foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
An econometric model is developed that includes FDI inflow as the dependent variable and macroeconomic variables such as the output, current account balance, the real exchange rate, openness and economic freedom as explanatory variables. Annual time series data from 1995 to 2022 is used. Before carrying out the estimation, the time series properties of the data are diagnosed using unit root tests and cointegration tests. Since the data series were found to be stationary in the first difference form and the variables in the model were cointegrated, an error correction model is developed and estimated.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the size of the market (gross domestic product), current account balance and the economic freedom index significantly influence FDI inflow to Brazil. Although the signs of openness and the real exchange rate align with theoretical expectations, they do not attain statistical significance.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first formal study on the impact of economic freedom on the FDI inflow in Brazil. The finding of this study adds value to the understanding of FDI dynamics in Brazil, highlighting the critical role of economic freedom and market size in attracting foreign investment.
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Bruno Barreto de Góes, Masaaki Kotabe and José Mauricio Galli Geleilate
This study examines the diffusion process of corporate sustainability (CS) in the global automotive industry. It discusses the different roles played by the automakers, as the…
Abstract
This study examines the diffusion process of corporate sustainability (CS) in the global automotive industry. It discusses the different roles played by the automakers, as the industry’s focal firms, in diffusing CS strategies throughout their respective supply networks. Studies have explained this phenomenon as being the result of the higher levels of stakeholder exposure faced by focal firms, which generate higher levels of supplier sustainability risk. In this context, the authors examine the effects of three network-related firm characteristics – resource dominance, resource substitutability, and network centrality – in determining the effectiveness of a firm in diffusing CS in its network. For that purpose, we present a theoretical framework from which we derive a set of hypotheses and test them on a sample of the global automotive supply network containing 10,726 firms linked by 45,044 inter-firm relationships. The results lend significant support to the argument that these network-related firm attributes are crucial mechanisms to the process of diffusion of CS strategies in a supply network, thus contributing to extant literatures in strategic management, international business, and sustainable supply chain management.
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Fernando Armas Asín and Martin Monsalve Zanatti
From the perspective of business history, this chapter presents an overview of the development of the tourism sector in South America, placing special emphasis on the Peruvian…
Abstract
From the perspective of business history, this chapter presents an overview of the development of the tourism sector in South America, placing special emphasis on the Peruvian case. The chapter explores various topics related to the tourism chain, such as hotel networks, the role of the state, tour operators, micro- and small enterprises, linkages between tourism and sustainability, the formation of clusters in the sector, and interactions between different entrepreneurs in the chain. Special emphasis is placed on the Peruvian case, especially when it comes to discussing the role of micro- and small enterprises in the sector.
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Bruno S. Silvestre, Fernando Luiz E. Viana and Marcelo de Sousa Monteiro
A growing number of private, voluntary and mandatory sustainability standards have recently emerged. However, supply chain corruption practices as mechanisms to circumvent…
Abstract
Purpose
A growing number of private, voluntary and mandatory sustainability standards have recently emerged. However, supply chain corruption practices as mechanisms to circumvent sustainability standards have also grown and occur regularly. This paper strives to elaborate theory on the intersection of institutional theory, business corruption and the sustainability standards literature by investigating factors that influence the emergence of supply chain corruption practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on secondary data, four in-depth case studies of supply chain corruption practices are investigated through the use of adaptive theory and the method of constant comparisons to elaborate theory on this important phenomenon.
Findings
The paper suggests that although sustainability standards can improve supply chain sustainability performance, if they are adopted only symbolically and not substantively, unanticipated outcomes such as supply chain corruption may occur. The study proposes a typology of supply chain corruption practices, further explores the symbolic adoption of sustainability standards in supply chains and proposes the novel construct of “social isomorphism for corruption.” Since focal companies play central roles in leading supply chain corruption practices, we reason that they can also play a pivotal role in preventing supply chain corruption practices by promoting the substantive adoption of sustainability standards across their supply chains.
Originality/value
This paper elaborates theory on the challenging phenomenon of corruption in supply chains by linking the supply chain management literature to the corruption and the sustainability discourses and offers important insights to aid our understanding on the topic. It generates six propositions and four contributions to the sustainable supply chain management theory, practice and policy.
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Ricardo Correia, Manuela Cunha, Aida Carvalho and Bruno Sousa
This study aims to assess the online presence of three Portuguese low-density territories and analyze the communication strategies employed by public and private entities within…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the online presence of three Portuguese low-density territories and analyze the communication strategies employed by public and private entities within each municipality. The alignment between public and private entities within each municipality is also examined as a potential factor that could impact the effectiveness of digital communication strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology that employed content analysis and interviews to gather data from selected public and private entities in each of the municipalities under study was used.
Findings
Despite the widespread availability of digital communication tools, the municipalities under study are yet to fully exploit their potential to promote and publicize their offerings. This could be attributed to several factors such as a lack of knowledge and/or resources and a defective strategic approach to digital communication.
Practical implications
The major obstacle in maximizing the potential of digital communication tools in low-density destinations was not solely a result of restricted access. Rather, it was largely due to insufficient knowledge and resources required for their effective utilization, coupled with a lack of aligned vision among various stakeholders.
Originality/value
The competitive landscape in which tourist actors operate has transformed significantly because of the widespread adoption of digital communication led by social networks. However, studies exploring digital communication in low-density territories are still scarce. This study adds new insights into the main factors that hinder the efficient use of digital communication in these regions.
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Grazia Murtarelli, Stefania Romenti and Chiara Valentini
Online images can convey sensory-based elements affecting digital users' emotions and digital engagement. The purpose of this study is to investigate which image-based features…
Abstract
Purpose
Online images can convey sensory-based elements affecting digital users' emotions and digital engagement. The purpose of this study is to investigate which image-based features are more effective in conveying and stimulating particular emotions and engagement towards organizations operating in the food industry.
Design/methodology/approach
An online experimental survey was implemented. Two image-based features, narrativity and dynamism were chosen. The stimuli comprise four images, one with high and one with low level of narrativity, and one with high and one with low dynamism, published by a food company on its official Instagram account. Food-identity, emotional appeals and digital visual engagement behaviours were measured. A total of 141 students between 19 and 25 years old of a European University completed the questionnaire. Data was analysed through SPSS software using t-test analysis.
Findings
Results show that both narrativity and dynamism impact digital users' emotions and it was found to impact digital visual engagement attitude. Food involvement was measured in terms of food identity impact the effects of specific image-based features on emotions and visual engagement.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on only two visual social semiotics features – narrativity and dynamism – and therefore, only partially captures the potentialities of images in digital communications.
Practical implications
This study provides professionals with empirical evidence and insights for effectively planning a visual social media strategy.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the stream of research in social media communications by investigating the visual social semiotic features of images published online by a food company.
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Bruno Benevit, Carolina Silva da Trindade, Roberto Bezerra de Melo Junior, Daniel de Abreu Pereira Uhr and Julia Gallego Ziero Uhr
This study aims to evaluate the effects of the synergy between monitoring technologies and deforestation control policies promoted by the Action Plan for the Prevention and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the effects of the synergy between monitoring technologies and deforestation control policies promoted by the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm) during its initial stage.
Design/methodology/approach
The triple difference method is employed to explore the differences between the non-metropolitan municipalities with Indigenous lands and other regional municipalities.
Findings
The findings indicate a reduction of approximately 16.1 km² per municipality between 2004 and 2007. This reduction corresponds to a decrease of 10,293 km² in the area of deforestation and a total of 498 million tons of CO2. To ensure the robustness of the results, placebo tests, event study and flexibility in the composition of the groups were conducted. The robustness tests substantiate the findings.
Practical implications
These results emphasize the significance of remote monitoring policies for controlling deforestation in isolated regions and Indigenous lands. Additionally, such results indicate that the policy was cost-effective.
Originality/value
This study innovates by examining the causal impact of the initial phase of the PPCDAm before 2008, a period not focused on existing literature. Further, employing the triple difference method innovates methodologically to assess PPCDAm's effect on deforestation in isolated Amazon areas.
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Olga Maria Formigoni Carvalho Walter and Edson Pacheco Paladini
This paper aims to investigate Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Brazilian context, seeking to identify its main characteristics and opportunities for future research.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Brazilian context, seeking to identify its main characteristics and opportunities for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on a literature review in the area of production engineering and operations management, where 104 relevant scientific publications were identified.
Findings
The results show that the most important critical success factor for integrating LSS in Brazil is top management support and commitment. LSS integration occurs predominantly in large industrial companies, being incipient in small and medium-sized enterprises. In general, there is no structured way of applying LSS. A standard framework for LSS is still lacking.
Research limitations/implications
This study is limited to a sample that only comprises Brazilian scientific studies.
Practical implications
Professionals and practitioners can understand the evolution of LSS through practical applications and the main LSS tools used in both the industrial and services sectors. It also points out the critical success factor for the implementation of LSS. The study highlights several roadmaps for LSS implementation adopted by large and modern Brazilian automotive industries based on a robust technological base. This study also contributes to expanding the evidence base of LSS application, both in Brazil and in other countries.
Originality/value
Some suggestions are proposed to clarify the structure and complexity of integrated implementation of LP and SS as well as expand the LSS application in small and medium-sized enterprises. This study is the first to discuss the current situation of LSS in Brazil and provide suggestions to expand LSS in the country. Comparisons of Brazilian LSS literature review with researches of others countries are also presented.