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Case study
Publication date: 1 January 2011

Luciano Barin Cruz, Luis Felipe Nascimento and Matias Poli Sperb

Social entrepreneurship, sustainable development and emerging economies.

Abstract

Subject area

Social entrepreneurship, sustainable development and emerging economies.

Study level/applicability

Advanced undergraduate students and Graduate students (MBAs).

Case overview

We present the case of Marli Medeiros, a community leader in the city of Porto Alegre (south of Brazil) who has been working with the local government, local firms and local inhabitants over the last 40 years to build an organization that has been changing the reality of the slum Vila Pinto. The case highlights three main dilemmas faced by Marli Medeiros. Part 1 addresses whether to start a social entrepreneurship project in an environment surrounded by household violence and drug influences. Part 2 examines how to organize a community to develop this social project and challenge the context (local drug dealers). Part 3 considers how to work with different social players to innovate and manage a self-sustained social entrepreneurship that brings social change for an impoverished community.

Expected learning outcomes

Understand the five main characteristics required by social entrepreneurs to achieve social change by economic, self-sustained activities: social vision, sustainability guidelines, social networks development, search for innovation and search for financial returns. Understand the social entrepreneurship model from the point of view of a female leader in a local impoverished community. Understand and analyze the social and economic context of an emerging country.

Supplementary materials

Teaching note.

Details

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Case Study
ISSN: 2045-0621

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Mário Henrique Ogasavara, Dirk Michael Boehe and Luciano Barin Cruz

Based on integrating learning, resource-based and social network theories, the purpose of this paper is to shed fresh light on the association between export experience and export…

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Abstract

Purpose

Based on integrating learning, resource-based and social network theories, the purpose of this paper is to shed fresh light on the association between export experience and export performance by seeking to better understand the links between them, and assessing the boundary conditions, moderators, mediators, and non-linear relationships in greater depth.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper mobilizes a quantitative research design using a survey of Brazil-based exporters. The authors test the hypotheses proposed in this study by employing moderated mediation regression models.

Findings

The authors find support for a J-shape relationship between export experience and export market performance. In particular, the authors find that innovation and international marketing resources mediate the effect of export experience on export market performance, and the authors unveil that this mediation effect is contingent on the strength of international business network ties.

Originality/value

This study advances the export marketing literature by explaining how export experience drives export success in two ways: first, by clarifying the ambiguity in extant theoretical explanations and previous empirical findings regarding the shape of the relationship between export experience and export performance. Second, this study reconciles the disagreement as to whether superior export performance results from exporters’ existing resources or from their learning by exporting. Thus, the paper is valuable for scholars and export managers or policymakers alike by providing recommendations on how less experienced firms can overcome the initial period of weak export performance.

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Case study
Publication date: 1 October 2011

Joseph Khoury and Luciano Barin-Cruz

Sustainable development (in under-developed rural communities).

Abstract

Subject area

Sustainable development (in under-developed rural communities).

Study level/applicability

Bachelor's degree.

Case overview

The case follows six young adults from Quebec, who are mandated with a three-month agro-environmental project in the fight against desertification and poverty, in Kamaka, a village in the Sahel region of Mali. The project's central element is the development of a community garden that would ensure the diversification of the community's nutritional diet, and the rehabilitation of the environment. The mandate also consists of various environmental awareness workshops pertaining to efficient energy consumption, composting, and solar food drying techniques. The project, in its fourth year of collaboration between the Quebec organization and their local Malian partner, does not seem to have been yielding the desired results. The team is faced with the challenges of understanding the opportunities and limitations of the project so that they can try to succeed where previous teams have failed; while overcoming the organizational and logistical shortfalls that they faced prior to the start of their work, as they simultaneously struggled to adapt to their totally new context.

Expected learning outcomes

How to prepare for, approach, and carry out local community development projects – environmental and/or social – in under-developed regions such as Mali. Mainly, how to create a shared vision with the concerned community; build an effective multi-stakeholder network; and ultimately co-create sustainable value (as per the proposed Senge model).

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes and short documentary online link.

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Article
Publication date: 11 September 2007

Luciano Barin Cruz, Eugenio Avila Pedrozo, Rosangela Bacima and Beatriz Queiroz

Inspired by a framework about the insertion of sustainable development in business strategy proposed by Steurer et al., the purpose of this article is to describe the Caras do…

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Abstract

Purpose

Inspired by a framework about the insertion of sustainable development in business strategy proposed by Steurer et al., the purpose of this article is to describe the Caras do Brasil (Faces of Brazil) program, highlighting its characteristics and how these can contribute to a new interpretation of the framework initially proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

A posteriori longitudinal research was undertaken with the first phase containing the theoretical research and the second phase containing the study of the Caras do Brasil (Faces of Brazil) program, which was designed as an incentive for the commercial development of small producers.

Findings

The present case demonstrates two characteristics that give reason to refine the framework proposed by Steurer et al. stakeholder pressures (either transactional or interactional) present differently; and the pressure of stakeholders is predominantly related to social concerns, rather than the predominance of environmental concerns stated by Steurer et al.

Research limitations/implications

The study limited itself to a posteriori data collection of the presented case, given that it was impossible to follow the program regularly from its implementation. The results were generated through the perspectives of employees in the sustainable development department of the Pão de Açucar Group, in view of the fact that it was not possible to interview each of the stakeholders involved.

Practical implications

For managers of many companies, the case can be considered an example of programs that seek to develop commercial activities with producers of poorer regions through the equilibrium of the economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Originality/value

The article demonstrates the differences of interpretation of the framework proposed by Steurer et al. when it is used to analyze a business program in a southern country such as Brazil. Separating transactional and interactional stakeholders grants the framework a higher level of detail.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 45 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 5 September 2008

Luciano Barin Cruz and Dirk Michael Boehe

The main purpose of this article is to identify some emergent issues when sustainability is introduced into global value chains. These issues deal with the conditions under which…

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Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this article is to identify some emergent issues when sustainability is introduced into global value chains. These issues deal with the conditions under which a sustainable global value chain might gain international competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory research was conducted, based on a case study. The main players of the JOBEK's Global Value Chain were identified and interviews were carried out with representatives of these players. A thematic content analysis was developed, supported by Atlas TI software, using interview data and documents.

Findings

Three main themes have emerged, which can be considered as underlying issues of an emerging concept that the authors call the “sustainable global value chain”. These are: bargaining power between the chain's players; a differentiation strategy along the global value chain; and a collaborative awareness‐building process along the global value chain.

Research limitations/implications

Although the findings result from a single case study, the characteristics of this case have allowed the authors to suggest an emergent concept for the field of international business: the concept of a sustainable global value chain. This has implications for the development of a new research field and for the introduction of some ethical concerns into this field.

Practical implications

Managers of organizations that participate in sustainable global value chains may consider the emerging concepts and their interrelationships as a guideline for strategic decision‐making. In particular, managers need to be aware of how the relationships between power balance, CSR product differentiation strategies and awareness building may influence the competitiveness of their sustainable global value chain.

Originality/value

The article proposes the emergence of a new concept that has important ethical implications for international business: the sustainable global value chain. The authors suggest that the further development of this new concept is likely to stimulate the development of an emergent research field.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 46 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 31 July 2009

Luciano Barin Cruz and Eugênio Avila Pedrozo

The purpose of this paper is to propose potential challenges faced by multinational companies (MNCs) managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose potential challenges faced by multinational companies (MNCs) managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on two inductive case studies of French MNCs in the retail sector. Data from interviews and documents were collected and analysed at the headquarters in France and the Brazilian subsidiary.

Findings

The paper contributes in the following ways: five challenges are proposed that must be faced by MNCs in managing their CSR strategy. The challenges are related to the link between literature and three dimensions and five sub‐dimensions that emerged from the two cases studied: the governance structure (the structure of the CSR department and dialogue with stakeholders); corporate ethics (the definition of objectives and corporate posture); and organizational learning (awareness and information exchanged about CSR).

Research limitations/implications

As this is a topic that is little addressed by the CSR's literature, a future research agenda for the relation between the headquarters and the subsidiary in considering CSR strategies can be established. It is suggested that the five challenges presented here should be deeply explored and potential solutions for each one can be investigated in depth.

Practical implications

The proposed challenges can yield some implications for managers of MNCs who are intending to manage the headquarters/subsidiary relationship considering the MNCs' CSR strategies. They should identify adapted ways to introduce actions related to the three dimensions and five sub‐dimensions presented here.

Originality/value

Little attention has been paid to this specific link between CSR and MNC literature: the relation between the headquarters and the subsidiary considering CSR strategies. This paper proposes some challenges that can help researchers investigate potential solutions and managers to have an agenda to be addressed.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 47 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

Luciano Barin Cruz, Eugênio Ávila Pedrozo and Vânia de Fátima Barros Estivalete

The purpose of this article is to present a framework that allows an ampler understanding of the evolution process tracked by companies in the pursuit of strategies for…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present a framework that allows an ampler understanding of the evolution process tracked by companies in the pursuit of strategies for sustainable development, taking into account the increasing awareness of the social and environmental pressures facing business.

Design/methodology/approach

The article adopts an interdisciplinary approach, using the complexity standpoint, allowing the articulation of the main axis of this study: sustainable development, organizational strategies and organizational learning.

Findings

Consideration of the type of learning undertaken by companies to advance in the direction of strategies oriented to sustainability. This is analyzed in light of the complexity theory, showing the need of transformations in the individual values, a transformation that will reflect itself in the organization and in society.

Research limitations/implications

No empirical research is conducted to analyze the importance of the learning type for the orientation to sustainability in companies. Future research may verify this importance.

Practical implications

The article points to the need for sustainable business actions that are oriented to people and society in general. Some propositions can help managers to manage the considerable difficulties dealing with sustainable development pressures.

Originality/value

The text deepens the understanding about the evolution towards sustainability oriented strategies, considering the learning type as a key concept. It operationalizes the contributions of the complexity theory, according to the view of Edgar Morin (a French perspective). This allows a different comprehension of the non linear behavior patterns that are common in the organizations.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 44 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 2 September 2013

Diego Antonio Bittencourt Marconatto, Luciano Barin Cruz, Renaud Legoux and Danilo Correa Dantas

The authors aim to examine how macro, meso and micro territorial boundaries influence the loan repayment performance of female clients of mega microfinance institutions (MFIs…

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Abstract

Purpose

The authors aim to examine how macro, meso and micro territorial boundaries influence the loan repayment performance of female clients of mega microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating in a polarized Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses panel data (random effect analysis) comprising seven years and 407 MFIs of LAC.

Findings

The repayment performance of MFIs' female clients in LAC is meso and micro territorially bounded. It is positively influenced by the urbanization and gender inequality levels of the LAC countries, and by the number of loans per MFI loan officer.

Research limitations/implications

Data concerning the risk of the businesses women invested in, or data related to women's access to credit, were not included; high heterogeneity in large countries must be taken into account. The authors' findings expand the understanding of territorial boundary conditions concerning female clients' repayment performance and extend the prior literature on the subject.

Practical implications

The authors' findings suggest that the MFIs operating in LAC should increase their number of loan officers. The MFIs of the Mexico-led cluster may also seek a better balance between female and male clients, since hiring more loan officers may be impracticable for them.

Originality/value

The authors empirically challenge the widely accepted assumption that female clients are always the best choice for MFIs. They also unfold territorial boundaries conditioning these clients' performance.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 51 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 14 April 2014

Natalia Aguilar Delgado and Luciano Barin Cruz

The purpose of this paper is to overcome the challenges of doing research in pluralistic settings by performing multi-event ethnographies. The proposal redirects the efforts of…

805

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to overcome the challenges of doing research in pluralistic settings by performing multi-event ethnographies. The proposal redirects the efforts of longitudinal data collection toward field-configuring events (FCEs), wherein multiple organizations with divergent perspectives over an issue are strategizing in concentrated efforts, at the same time and space. The authors apply traditional ethnographic tools in this understudied setting. On the one hand, these tools allow for a thick description that results in in-depth accounts of actors within FCEs. On the other hand, they provide flexibility because they can be used in complementary ways.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors propose the use of three interconnected ethnographic tools in multiple events: shadowing, practitioner's diary and researcher's reflexive journal.

Findings

The illustration of an ongoing research project showed how the approach helped the researchers to follow a practitioner in multiple discursive spaces but also to see how the practitioner, even with a different status in a later FCE, transported a deviant practice that denounces his persistent disadvantaged position in the field. The approach delineated here allowed the researchers to open a new window for the appreciation of the activities of marginal actors fighting against hegemonic discourses.

Research limitations/implications

The application of the shadowing technique might be challenging. Attention might also be paid to the implications of previous FCEs to current dynamics.

Practical implications

The tools developed in this approach have a large potential to have practical implications, as the practitioner accounts of the phenomenon in question are at the center of the data collection and analysis.

Originality/value

The proposal contributes to the literature on organizational ethnography by drawing attention to the importance of tracking multiple events, not only different sites, to unveil organizational practices in pluralistic settings as events progress over time.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 6 January 2012

Carolina Turcato, Luciano BarinCruz and Eugenio Avila Pedrozo

This study aims to investigate how an organic cotton production network learns to maintain its hybrid network and its sustainability in the face of internal and external pressures.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how an organic cotton production network learns to maintain its hybrid network and its sustainability in the face of internal and external pressures.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study was conducted in Justa Trama, a Brazilian‐based organic cotton production network formed by six members with different roles and organisational logics.

Findings

The study contributes to the literature on hybrid organisations by suggesting that in the case of networks, a compromise strategy is required at the internal level and a manipulation strategy is required at the external level. The network has to learn how to engineer a compromise among internal members and to enforce change among external institutions to maintain its sustainability.

Social implications

The study was performed in Brazil, a country with serious social and environmental problems. The study thus informs managers of social economy organisations on how to deal with internal and external pressures to maintain their organisation's sustainability as well as policy makers on the importance of these alternative organisations and the importance of specific legislation to stimulate this type of initiative.

Originality/value

The body of research on how hybrid organisations learn to deal with the mutual influence of internal organisational responses and changes in external institutions is limited. Furthermore, this mutual influence has rarely been studied in the context of networks, in which multiple members have to work together to achieve organisational and network‐level objectives as well as to respond to institutional pressures.

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