Is the International Business Environment the actual context for international business research?

The International Business Environment (IBE) has been argued to be the essential context for international business (IB) studies and the distinguishing factor from other management studies and studies of large enterprises. Two content analysis show that many papers published in top tier IB journals either lack reference to any dimension of the IBE or tend to be uni-or bi-dimensional when addressing the IBE; it is not a surprise that the cultural dimension is the most often used. We suggest that: (a) there is need to developed more uni-and multi-dimensional environmental constructs; (b) a more holistic view of the IBE provides richer insights on the actual complexity underlying IB research. Future studies that provide more comprehensive models of the IBE that overcome the usual broad classifications of the international environment as undefined and uncontrollable factors are warranted to advance conceptual and empirical research.

O efeito da distribuição sobre o market share em diferentes canais

Apesar dos avanços nos estudos sobre os efeitos das estratégias de canais de distribuição, a relação entre distribuição e participação de mercado é ainda um tópico pouco explorado, especialmente em mercados emergentes. Por essa razão, a proposta central deste artigo é investigar a relação entre a variáveis de distribuição e market share no mercado brasileiro, especificamente no setor de bebidas, comparando dois importantes tipos de canais do mercado de consumo: grandes e pequenos supermercados. Para tanto, foi conduzida uma pesquisa empírica com base em um banco de dados contando com mais de 180 Stock Keeping Unit (SKUs) comercializados por três fabricantes na região sudeste do Brasil. Por meio de análises estatísticas, os resultados indicam existir uma relação convexa e crescente entre as variáveis estudadas, ou seja, existe um ponto de inflexão no qual o crescimento do market share é mais acentuado em razão da distribuição. Além disso, verificou-se que as curvas que descrevem essas variáveis apresentam efeitos diferentes quando comparados grandes e pequenos supermercados.

Biodiesel: parâmetros de qualidade e métodos analíticos

The establishment of quality standards for biodiesel was a key step to win the confidence of the market and the automotive industry, thus ensuring the success of the new fuel. In this review are presented standard methods and other analytical methods suggested for analysis of biodiesel. The methods of analysis were divided into groups according to information that may be provided on the contaminants from the raw material of the production process, the molecular structures of biodiesel and its degradation during storage.

Check all that apply (CATA) as an instrument for the development of fish products

Abstract The objective of this paper is to develop a fish-based product. Through the innovative sensorial check all that apply (CATA) technique, employed in two stages of the development of the product – market research and the sensorial and hedonistic characterization of the final product – the aim was to develop a fish by-product that could respond to the needs of the consumer market. Results showed that the CATA technique is an important instrument for researching the consumer market and indicated the kind of fish by-product to be developed and its desired features. Nugget was the resulting by-product. The second application of CATA made possible the sensorial description of the by-product as being crisp, with little fish odor, light in color, well-seasoned and tasty. Therefore, the CATA technique proved to be an important research instrument in the fish consumption market as well as a quick technique for the complete description of fish nuggets.