Personal Values as Basis for Strategic Segmentation: a study with Professionals from Sao Paulo

An important segmentation basis used by firms is related to consumers` personal values which are investigated in this study. It was used a descriptive research with the survey method of data collection in a sample of executives from Sao Paulo who are considered to be potential buyers of high value and innovative goods. An exploratory factor analysis was employed in order to reduce the values scale used and a cluster analysis was performed to identify the groups of executives according to the importance attached to different person values. Concluding, it was observed that there was a similarity among the three personal values dimensions, named as Civility (concerns about having a good conduct before society according to social rules of interaction), Self-Direction (intellectual aspects and practical orientation in their conducts) and Conformity (restriction of actions, inclinations and impulses, that are likely to harm others and would violate expectations) and the ones reported in the theory Rokeach`s theory about instrumental personal values. Furthermore, three groups of executives were identified (good conduct group, low restriction group and high restriction group). The differences observed in the importance of personal values here presented by the dimensions called Civility, Self-Direction and Conformity can lead to different buying behaviors and product preferences. From the results found in this study the companies could adapt their current and new products offers, as well as their communication in order to better serve these segments of executives from Sao Paulo.

Survey of countertrade practices in Australia

This empirical exploratory study is part of a larger comprehensive study of countertrade practices in the Asia-Pacific region. A mail survey of 600 Australian international trading firms reveals that a positive attitude toward countertrade exists among both countertraders and non-countertraders in Australia. Further the study reveals the major motivating factors, the benefits derived difficulties faced and reasons for not countertrading by Australian firms. In addition, the study identifies the forms of countertrade used, the countries sewed, and the product and service categories countertraded. The results are compared to earlier studies of UK and Canadian firms, and the implications for international marketing managers are discussed. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1997.

Communicating trustworthiness and building trust in interorganizational virtual organizations

We propose a theory of trust in interorganizational virtual organizations that focuses on how trustworthiness can be communicated and trust built in this environment. The theory highlights three issues that must be dealt with if the potential obstacles to the development of trust in the virtual context are to be overcome. These are communication of trustworthiness facilitated by reliable Information and Communication Technology (ICT), establishment of a common business understanding, and strong business ethics. We propose four specific propositions relating to these issues, and suggest topics to be explored in future research. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizational actions in response to threats and opportunities

In this study, we tested a model in which threats and opportunities lead directly to different organizational actions and compared it to a model in which organizational characteristics moderate organizational actions taken in response to threats and opportunities. To better understand these effects, we differentiated the dimensions of threat and opportunity associated with the threat-rigidity hypothesis from the dimensions associated with prospect theory. In this study, threats had the main and moderated effects predicted from the literature, but opportunities did not.

Understanding competence at work

Competence is more than a list of skills; it encompasses how employees define their work. How people understand their jobs affects how they carry them out.

The global sports-media nexus: Reflections on the 'Super League Saga' in Australia

Despite the social and (increasingly) commercial significance of sport and sporting bodies worldwide, they remain under-represented in the mainstream management literature. One of the more recent and dramatic examples of the global sports-media nexus is the 'Super League saga' in Australia. This paper recounts the tale of the Super League saga, providing a holistic analysis of the events and competitive issues arising by drawing on literatures concerning the economic nature and value of sports leagues, the resource-based view of the firm and the nature of psychological contracts in changing environments. The analysis confirms the general monopolistic tendencies of professional sports leagues in an increasingly global industry driven by the sports-media nexus, in accord with a number of comparable cases internationally. The particular conditions of the Australian marketplace that exacerbate this tendency beyond, for example, that found in the USA, and differences in the outcomes of battles between rival leagues are also considered. The Super League saga portrays the importance of effective management of resources key to the production of the 'rugby league product' including, among others, the often over-looked importance of careful management of local resources for the success of global strategies, and, where human resources are key, the importance of psychological contracting. The holistic analysis of the Super League saga in Australia affords lessons that extend well beyond the realm of sports.

An investigation into commitment in non-Western industrial marketing relationships

This paper reports an investigation into the antecedents of commitment in non-Western industrial marketing relationships. The authors draw the antecedents from extant literature and posit that commitment is related to trust (integrity and reliability), communication quality, conflict, and similarity (social, ethnic, and economic). It is further argued that trust mediates the effects of communication, conflict, and similarity on commitment. As an extension, the authors examine the moderating effects of normative contracts (an implicit understanding of roles and responsibilities) on the construct interrelationships. The hypotheses are tested using data collected from approximately 150 industrial marketing relationships sampled from overseas Chinese firms. The results generally support the authors' framework; however, the mediating hypotheses are not supported. There is evidence of systematic differences in the effects of the studied antecedents on commitment and trust. Furthermore, a multigroup analysis provides evidence of significant moderating effects due to contracting mode. The study provides new insights into the theory and practice of industrial marketing. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Archetype change in professional organizations: Survey evidence from large law firms

This paper examines the proposition that the traditional archetype of the professional partnership is said to have changed into a more 'business-like' entity, the managed professional business. It broadens the restricted case sample base on which much of the evidence has been adduced, by developing a survey questionnaire through which 197 large British law firms were sampled. Change, consistent with the notion of a more commercially oriented and consciously managed organization, is concentrated in the market-facing area of the firm but coexists with areas of continuity in the governance of the firm and its strategic management. The findings reveal a more managerial form of organization in which the core elements of the traditional form of professional organization have not been transformed. These results contest the assertion of either transformational or sedimented change found in other, case-based research and suggest that archetype change needs theoretically to be distinguished from the general phenomenon of greater managerialism within the professional service firm.

The case for emotional intelligence in organizational research

Since its popularization by Goleman (1995), the concept of emotional intelligence has been the subject of ongoing controversy, so it is understandable that the model we proposed, which includes emotional intelligence as a moderator variable, would attract its share of criticism.

As pol��ticas da inseguran��a : da Scuderie Detetive Le Cocq ��s masmorras do novo Esp��rito Santo

A presente disserta����o tem como objetivo a an��lise das pol��ticas de seguran��a p��blica e justi��a criminal no Esp��rito Santo entre 1989 e 2013, utilizando metodologia historiogr��fica e observando a dist��ncia entre os objetivos oficiais e as consequ��ncias pr��ticas. No primeiro cap��tulo, me concentro na contextualiza����o hist��rica das pol��ticas criminais, analisando a forma����o organizacional do sistema punitivo brasileiro. Coloco ��nfase, de um lado, no processo de militariza����o, isto ��, a ado����o de hierarquia, disciplina e forma����o militares nas ag��ncias de seguran��a p��blica, e de outro lado, e nas sucessivas legisla����es penais aprovadas pelo Congresso Nacional. Tais processos nacionais se refletem no Esp��rito Santo, onde se difundiram ���grupos de exterm��nio��� como a Scuderie Le Cocq, mas n��o havia pol��tica de seguran��a p��blica. A primeira surge em meio a grave crise pol��tica, entre 1999 e 2002. Mas os seus prop��sitos s��o mais avan��ados com o processo de reforma administrativa ap��s 2003, quando o governo se esfor��a por imp��r modelos de gest��o empresariais e parcerias p��blico privadas �� administra����o estadual, incluindo a seguran��a p��blica e sistema penitenci��rio. Com isto, ocorre uma r��pida expans��o do encarceramento seletivo em condi����es extremas de superlota����o e viol��ncia, desenvolvendo uma ind��stria carcer��ria. No segundo cap��tulo, realizo uma an��lise na qual relaciono informa����es criminais, penitenci��rias, econ��micas e demogr��ficas, tanto no contexto do Brasil quanto do Esp��rito Santo. Constato que a repress��o estatal tem ���prefer��ncia��� por homens, negros, jovens e de baixa escolaridade; por crimes de drogas e contra o patrim��nio, com a utiliza����o cada vez maior da pris��o provis��ria. No Esp��rito Santo o encarceramento seletivo cresce em maior velocidade que na m��dia nacional, o que se reflete no perfil da popula����o carcer��ria, sendo esta ainda mais negra, jovem, de baixa escolaridade e presa por tr��fico e drogas e em regime provis��rio, com frequentes den��ncias fundamentadas de torturas, mortes e desaparecimentos for��ados entre as popula����es criminalizadas.

O processo de produ����o das cidades a partir das interven����es urbanas : o caso do ���Projeto Lerner��� para Serra-ES

O processo de produ����o da cidade �� cont��nuo e mutante, caracter��sticas essas propiciadas, em grande parte, pelos diversos agentes que comp��em o espa��o urbano. As interven����es urbanas cadenciam um ritmo acelerado ��s transforma����es que s��o inerentes �� cidade. Para entender esse processo de produ����o �� necess��ria a compreens��o das rela����es existentes entre esses agentes e o seu papel na articula����o, elabora����o e implanta����o de uma interven����o urbana. Nesse contexto, �� objetivo dessa disserta����o o estudo dessas rela����es, tendo como estudo de caso o projeto de remodela����o urbana desenvolvido pelo escrit��rio do arquiteto Jaime Lerner ���Contribui����es ao Desenvolvimento Urbano Sustent��vel do Munic��pio de Serra���, contratado pela Prefeitura Municipal de Serra ��� ES. Serra �� um munic��pio da Regi��o Metropolitana da Grande Vit��ria significativo, tanto em termos populacionais, ficando atr��s de Vila Velha, quanto economicamente, seu PIB fica atr��s apenas da capital Vit��ria. Serra passa ainda por um processo de transforma����o urbana recente, onde destaca-se principalmente o crescimento dos condom��nios fechados. Para tal, primeiramente, realizou-se um estudo sobre o munic��pio de Serra ��� ES, para posteriormente se voltar para agentes que comp��em a cidade (Estado, capital imobili��rio, planejador urbano e os segmentos sociais, na forma da participa����o popular). Por fim, a an��lise compreendeu o projeto de Jaime Lerner, as implica����es dos agentes urbanos e seus poss��veis rebatimentos no espa��o urbano. Como resultados, em termos gerais, p��de-se perceber que o car��ter ���desenvolvimentista��� ainda �� bastante recorrente. Nas cidades e em Serra, a constru����o de um espa��o urbano justo e igualit��rio �� confundida com alargamento econ��mico, particularmente em Serra, pelo desenvolvimento do capital imobili��rio, apoiado e impulsionado pelo Estado, tendo nas interven����es urbanas uma legitima����o dessas a����es. Pretende-se, ao final, contribuir para o entendimento da produ����o da cidade a partir de uma interven����o urbana que aparentemente �� de interesse de todos os segmentos sociais, mas que privilegia apenas a parcela dominante da sociedade.Assim, espera-se que num futuro, essa disserta����o auxilie positivamente a participa����o na produ����o urbana de todos os segmentos sociais.