Exploring different social media users from the millennials’ generation: a cross-cultural behavioral analysis of brazilian users of Facebook and chinese users of RenRen

With the increasing importance of digital communication and its distinct characteristics, marketing tools and strategies adopted by companies have changed dramatically. Among the many digital marketing tools and new media channels available for marketers, the phenomenon known as social media is one of the most complex and enigmatic. It has a range that still is quite unexplored and deeply transforms the present view on the promotion mix (Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Conversations among users on social media directly affect their perceptions on products, services and brands. But more than that, a wide range of other subjects can also become topics of conversations on social media. Hit songs, sporting events, celebrity news and even natural disasters and politics are topics that often become viral on the web. Thus, companies must grasp that, and in order to become more interesting and relevant, they must take part in these conversations inserting their brands in these online dynamic dialogues. This paper focuses on how these social interactions are manifested in the web in to two distinct cultures, Brazil and China. By understanding the similarities and differences of these cultures, this study helps firms to better adjust its marketing efforts across regions, targeting and positioning themselves, not only geographically and culturally, but also across different web platforms (Facebook and RenRen). By examining how companies should focus their efforts according to each segment in social media, firms can also maximize its results in communication and mitigate risks. The findings suggest that differences in cultural dimensions in these two countries directly affect their virtual social networking behavior in many dimensions (Identity, Presence, Relationships, Reputation, Groups, Conversations and Sharing). Accordingly, marketing efforts must be tailored to each comportment and expectations.

Cultural strategies: how do national cultures impact the operations strategy?

Through the assessment of the fourth round of the High Performance Manufacturing (HPM) project and the introduction of Hofstede’s Cultural Classification, the present work aims to deepen the comprehension of the impact of National Cultures on firms’ Operations Strategy. The ANOVA comparisons of four Operations Strategy elements in countries with different industrialization and development backgrounds (e.g. Germany, China, Brazil and South Korea) suggest that while Integrating Leadership and Implementation of Manufacturing Strategy are affected by the cultural levels of Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism and Uncertainty Avoidance, the other two elements of Operations Strategy, Functional Integration and Formal Manufacturing Strategy, show effects of the degree of Individualism vs. Collectivism and Long-Term Orientation. The results of the study are expected to offer new perspectives on the planning and implementation of strategic and operations management for both practitioners and academics. More specifically, the analysis of cross-cultural influence over operations strategy may contribute to a better understanding of how cooperative behavior may lead firms to generate higher rents through the strengths and weaknesses of their relations, particularly in terms of global supply chains.

Gestão pela qualidade total na administração pública: o caso da controladoria geral do município do Rio de Janeiro

Esta dissertação procura analisar a metodologia de implementação da Gestão pela Qualidade Total na Administração Pública, a partir de um estudo de caso realizado na Controladoria Geral da Prefeitura da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Com esse propósito, a pesquisa empírica enfatiza a investigação das práticas e dos fenômenos organizacionais, à luz da teoria da gestão contemporânea, tendo como principais parâmetros de análise: a interpretação das dimensões culturais, a avaliação da produtividade administrativa e as estratégias de gestão. o estudo evidencia que a lógica intrínseca à cultura administrativa nacional precisa ser considerada na adoção de novos modelos de gestão na administração pública.

"Marketing glocal": marketing global com estratégias locais como vantagem competitiva de mercado

The objective of this dissertation is to explore and deeply study the concepts about Glocal Marketing, explaining this recent phenomenon, highlighting the importance and the influence of local culture on the marketing mix of global organizations, in order to have successful commercialization of their products and services in different markets. Searching for a better understanding of Glocal Marketing became extremely important in the XXI Century, since there is an increase in the number of global companies which want to explore new markets in order to survive and remain in the highly competitive market. Concepts of Globalization, Marketing, Glocal Marketing, Culture are defined and explored. Also, the influence of culture on consumer behavior and on the marketing mix of global organizations is analyzed. The Hofstede¿s cultural typology is explained and it is used to give the reader an overview and a better understanding about the cultural influence in the acceptance of new products in new markets. The relationship between culture and marketing mix is discussed, as well as the importance of standardization versus customization of the marketing mix among countries with high cultural differences. The methodology is composed by descriptive research and a case study about a global organization, the Coca-Cola Company. Therefore, this dissertation aims to show and exemplify how the Coca-Cola Company applies glocal strategies on its marketing mix as a way to establish a competitive advantage in the market.

How national culture on consumers' decision-making styles: a comparative study among Americans, Brazilians, Chinese, and japanese in the purchase of cell phones.

The influence of the national culture on consumer decision-making styles is investigated using a sample of Americans, Brazilians, Chinese, and Japanese consumers who have purchased a cell phone in the past three years. To make the research possible, a survey was used as a method of data collection. It relates Hofstede’s cultural classification typology with Sproles and Kendall’s consumer style inventory (CSI). The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results indicate six decision-making styles together with other consumer behavioral characteristics that can be used to distinguish and profile consumers who purchase cell phones. Empirical findings reveal that among Americans, Brazilians, and Japanese; Americans are the most quality conscious, brand conscious, innovative, and hedonistic shoppers; Brazilians are the most loyal, and Japanese, the most confused by overchoice consumers. Conceptual contributions and managerial implications are discussed.

Are all new market entry strategic dimensions equally relevant?: insights from some chilean experts?

This thesis looks into the strategic dimensions that Multi-National Companies (MNC) consider when they start the operation in a new country in Latin America and if all have the same weight or relevance when doing the strategic decisions as a guide to land onto a new country. Understanding the weight that MNCs gives to them can prompt to understand the reasons behind the success stories, the struggles - and even failures - that some companies had in the aforementioned region. The approach was via an initial analysis of the scholar bibliography in order to define three main dimensions in the models or frameworks that deal with the strategy used to land. After this, and through interviews, was found out how relevant are each of them for their companies, how they weight them and if there were other dimensions considered. The question that this thesis contributes to understand is if all new market strategic dimensions are equally relevant for a MNC when arriving to Latin America. The results show a predominance of the cultural aspect and in second place, the considered entry strategy (alliances, speed, size, etc.).

On paternalistic leadership fit: exploring cross-cultural endorsement, leader-follower fit, and the boundary role of organizational culture

Although cross-cultural leadership research has thrived in international business literature, little attention has been devoted to understanding the effectiveness of non-western theories beyond their original contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine the cross-cultural endorsement of paternalistic leadership, an emerging non-western leadership theory, using data from GLOBE project. Using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses we found measurement equivalence of a scale derived from GLOBE’s data, which enabled us to compare the endorsement of paternalistic leadership dimensions across 10 cultural clusters and 55 societies. Our study revealed that there are significant differences in the importance societies give to each dimension, suggesting that paternalism as leadership style is not universally nor homogeneously endorsed. Furthermore, results suggest that different patterns of endorsement of each of these dimensions give rise to idiosyncratic shades of paternalistic leadership across societies. Implications for theory and future research on international business are discussed.

The dimensions of trust in interorganizational relationships: how buyer and supplier perspectives differ?

Apesar da pesquisa em confiança interorganizacional e sua relação com performance ter sido conduzida sob as perspectivas da Teoria de Custos de Transação, Teoria das Trocas Sociais e Canais de Marketing, três importantes lacunas na literatura requerem investigação. Primeiro, está em andamento um debate conceitual sobre a multi-dimensionalidade da confiança, e como ela deve ser operacionalizada e medida, e que se divide em três correntes de pensamento - um construto multidimensional definido por dimensões não dominantes, um construto baseado em duas dimensões dominantes (afetiva e calculativa), ou um construto unidimensional. Segundo, existe ambiguidade em como as dimensões da confiança são definidas, levando a artefatos de equivalência nas escalas e resultados contraditórios. Terceiro, as diferentes percepções que compradores e fornecedores podem ter em cada dimensão da confiança e seu impacto na performance logística ainda não estão claros. Esta pesquisa empírica examina a confiança nas relações entre compradores e fornecedores no setor de logística no Brasil, através de duas amostras e estudos independentes: um examina a percepção dos compradores e o outro examina a dos fornecedores. Em seguida, os dois estudos são comparados para determinar as diferentes perspectivas da confiança e as implicações na performance logística. A análise multivariada mostrou que a confiança parece estar presente nas relações interorganizacionais, e é a percepção do comprador que possui maior relação com a performance logística. Ao mesmo tempo, compradores percebem fornecedores de forma mais negativa nas dimensões mensuráveis (competência e performance), enquanto não foram encontradas diferenças nos aspectos sociais (honestidade e benevolência), o que pode ser resultado do ambiente e cultura pesquisados. As análises mostraram que, apesar da confiança poder ser definida como um construto multidimensional, ela deve ser operacionalizada como um construto unidimensional direcionado pela competência e credibilidade. Este estudo contribui para a prática sugerindo formas de aumentar a confiança interorganizacional para aumento da performance.