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This paper suggests a theoretical model, in which the manager's tenure and the dispersion of competitive intelligence have effects on sales efficiency. The dispersion of competitive intelligence consists of how much variation there is in the knowledge and the manager's tenure means the time that the manager is working in the firm. The paper brings the following contributions: first, by the theoretical model of competitive intelligence, the greater the dispersion of competitive intelligence, the lower the sales efficiency at individual level. Second, the greater the manager experience, the better the direct relationship between competitive intelligence and efficiency. Opportunities for future research are suggested.

The social phenomena of poverty and social exclusion are widely studied by various disciplines. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted both social problems, due to the strong impact that the health situation has had on economies and their populations. Studies before and after the pandemic have shown some confusion in the treatment of the terms of poverty and social exclusion. However, these are not synonymous but refer to different social problems, with different characteristics and consequences for the society that suffers from them. This paper presents a theoretical discussion on poverty and social exclusion and, in turn, due to their shared origin, tries to measure the multidimensional deprivations in Argentina before and after the measure of Preventive and Compulsory Social Isolation established in the framework of the health crisis. To fulfill the objective, an exhaustive conceptual-theoretical review is outlined and the aggregate multidimensional deprivation indicator proposed by Ibáñez Martín (2018) is estimated for the years 2019 and 2021. The preliminary results allow us to argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated deprivation situations in Argentina in multiple spheres. In turn, this crisis has deepened the differences between social groups with relations of domination.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use of machine learning in smart manufacturing, describing techniques, technologies, industries, and purposes associated with industrial applications. We conducted a systematic literature review using Scopus, in which 26,032 documents were found. After applying quality criteria, 107 articles were analysed. The main findings show that machinery was the industry subsector with the major implementations regarding machine learning; process improvement is the main concern (interest) of all implementations; random forest was the most specific machine learning technique used; and diverse technologies associated with this context were identified such as: the industrial internet of things, digital twin, sensor technologies (soft, optical, barometric, ultrasonic), software technologies (Python, MATLAB, LabView, Google AutoML Platform) and equipment technologies (robotic, PLC, CNC). Most fault detection machine learning applications were focused on predictive maintenance, specifically in mechanical equipment (bearings, machines in general, and assembly lines). This study presents a novel taxonomy that identifies 85 specific machine-learning techniques used in smart manufacturing.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use of machine learning in smart manufacturing, describing techniques, technologies, industries, and purposes associated with industrial applications. We conducted a systematic literature review using Scopus, in which 26,032 documents were found. After applying quality criteria, 107 articles were analysed. The main findings show that machinery was the industry subsector with the major implementations regarding machine learning; process improvement is the main concern (interest) of all implementations; random forest was the most specific machine learning technique used; and diverse technologies associated with this context were identified such as: the industrial internet of things, digital twin, sensor technologies (soft, optical, barometric, ultrasonic), software technologies (Python, MATLAB, LabView, Google AutoML Platform) and equipment technologies (robotic, PLC, CNC). Most fault detection machine learning applications were focused on predictive maintenance, specifically in mechanical equipment (bearings, machines in general, and assembly lines). This study presents a novel taxonomy that identifies 85 specific machine-learning techniques used in smart manufacturing.

Organizations that aspire to obtain long-term results must correctly manage compliance with laws, regulations, codes, international standards and best practices related to ethics and society's expectations. This research aims to development a procedure to manage compliance risks with a focus on organizational values. The paper includes the main stages of traditional risk analysis: analysis of the organizational context, identification of obligations, evaluation and assessment of compliance risks and their treatment through action plans. As the main novelty, the authors include a tool that allows the integration of the elements of the context, with the identified obligations, their associated risks and the ethical values shared by the organization, called CORVAL map. The results of the implementation of the procedure in the process of Production of Computer Services in an cuban entity allow to identify as main risks: illicit contractual relations, lack of knowledge of the code of conduct by the workers, affectations to the prestige of the organization and high rates of electric energy consumption, identifying the shared value Responsibility and its associated behavior, as the most influential principle in the mitigation of the risks of compliance of the process.

In the paper we optimize a procedure developed recently to reconcile time series by flexible least squares. In the previous version of the procedure the author assumed prior knowledge of the weighting parameter μ of Kalaba and Tesfatsion’s so-called “incompatibility cost function”. In the new version, this parameter is estimated from the sample using an iterative method based on the Newton-Raphson algorithm. We test the improved method by reconciling the monthly growth rates of the Monthly Economic Activity Estimator (EMAE) of Argentina with the quarterly growth rates of the Gross Domestic Product. The results suggest that optimal levels of μ would be close to 1 (the value suggested by Kalaba and Tesfatsion as prior value) but estimating μ from the sample instead of keeping it fixed at 1 hardly modifies the reconciled series.

In this paper, we approach the manifestations of Internet users in online social networks when an operation initiated by the Federal Police in Brazil against corporate corruption, with great national and international repercussions, the “weak flesh”. Our aim is to understand the use of humor in demonstrations against the supposed criminal actions of corporations, especially when they harm consumers. The research is qualitative and we use thematic analysis with a focus on intertextuality. We analyze the appropriation in the memes in the social networks Facebook and WhatsApp, trying to recognize in what way the humor has been used. Our analysis has identified that memes represent a strategy of discursive resistance against corporate crimes, which manifests itself in the form of humor as a denunciation: denunciation of corporations, denunciation of our fragility towards corporations and denunciation against corporate marketing.

This paper discusses the territorialization of homeless people in the city of Maringá, Paraná, based on everyday practices. We understand space as a previous and inseparable part of the territory, which is formed by social and power relations. In this context, the organization-city is constituted by different territories, in which different groups experience, appropriate, and dispute. Therefore, we assume that the appropriation and experience in a given territory, a process that is known as territorialization, occurs through strategic and tactical practices, in a complex organizational space, the organization-city, which is imbricated in symbols and meanings. We chose the ethnography as the research methodology, which consists of field diaries, semi-structured, and informal interviews. We collected data from April 2018 to May 2019 in the city of Maringá, Paraná. The results of this study revealed that the homeless people in Maringá experience constant deterritorialization and reterritorialization, characterized by uncertainties and subversions since the street territory is marked by their own art of living, intertwined with different types of everyday practices.

Succession is one of the most studied topics in family business research. However, most of the research focuses on exploring the instrumental, objective dimension of these processes, paying little attention to the subjective, emotional, and affective aspects of the family dimension. This motivated the construction of this research, which associates family businesses theory with the theoretical-methodological approach of Pierre Bourdieu. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to understand the meanings that the heirs of a family organizational group attribute to the conatus. This refers to a family cultivated project that should be perpetuated for future generations. The results show the reproduction of the conatus, as some individuals struggle for conservation and others for the transformation of the family project. These disputes generate instability for the organizational group and uncertainty to its future, which puts into perspective the relevance of the conatus concept for comprehending the dynamics of succession in family businesses.

Local knowledge helps generate social innovations. Universities, which are part of the territorial innovation system, are important in creating innovations, but their role in diffusing social innovations is less well known. The social policies established in Ecuador have given rise to different social innovations. In particular, the metropolitan district of Quito, based on the metropolitan development plan from 2012 to 2022, has generated a process of social innovations of great interest. Local universities usually participate in the training process of the agents involved in the development of social innovation. In a complementary way, local universities can facilitate cooperation between these agents. Both are essential elements in the diffusion of innovation. This paper analyzes the importance of collaboration with universities to disseminate social innovations in the Metropolitan District of Quito, using a series of interviews. The results indicate that the lack of collaboration with the universities and the limited knowledge that exists in them hampered the practical development of the plan and its effectiveness.

This paper aims to analyze how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) used their networking capabilities (NC) to initiate, develop, and terminate business relationships to reduce the negative impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. This study followed a qualitative approach and investigated six SMEs purposely selected based on the study’s requirement. Data were obtained through internet searches and 13 interviews with firm owners and top managers from the SMEs. Our findings show six lessons regarding the role of NC’s during the Covid-19 crisis. The lessons address topics such as starting collaborative partnerships, open communication between companies, among others. These lessons are useful for minimizing economic crisis impacts and managing inter-organizational relations during crisis periods.

The black race in Brazil is historically marked by discrimination, devaluation and disrespect. Moreover, this reality is reinforced by cultural media products that define the stereotypes that depreciate black people and their place in society. In literature, meanwhile some authors try to give voice to these subjects, others reinforce and reverberate prejudices. In order to understand the possibility of using literature to promote discussions about sensible topics, especially in the field of Organizational Studies, this paper sought to answer the following question: how does the book O Presidente Negro (1926) by Monteiro Lobato (1882-1948) contribute to the construction of racist socio-discursive and interdiscursive imaginaries that still exist nowadays in organizations? For that, we adopted the Discourse Analysis, particularly the theoretical-methodological framework of the French linguists Charaudeau and Maingueneau, alongside with the Semiolinguistics concepts of the Social Imaginary and Interdiscourse, respectively. As presented in the analysis, the imaginaries and interdiscourses are representations that permeate the collective memory and end up showing a structural problem. Furthermore, it was possible to observe that the book is marked by other discourses such as the Enlightenment philosophy, racist theories and the Social Darwinism that reinforce the idea of prejudiced positions regarding race.

The aim of the paper is to analyze how humor as a discursive strategy in cartoons is able to reveal the practices of the São Paulo Bank Workers. The work becomes relevant from the possibility of showing practices of resistance, transgression or contradiction in organizations through cartoons published in their official channels of communication. We adopted the qualitative methodology and analyzed, based on Foucault's power analysis, five cartoons published in the Folha Bancária union newspaper, in addition to nine reports and public documents available on the website of the union institution and the Fundação Projeto Travessia. The results suggest contradictions in the union's practices, revealing inconsistencies in partnerships with private banks, unionization strategies that weaken collective struggles and the absence of expressive results in its reporting channels against moral harassment.

This paper analyzes the debate on LGBT activism in organizations. It elaborated an overview of international scientific production, identifying contributions, structures and objectives of activisms and theoretical-methodological approaches. Based on this, an agenda based on suggestions and discussions was formulated. To this end, a bibliographic survey was carried out on the Scopus database from 2010 to 2019, submitting collected articles to a systematic literature review protocol. The results indicated that this research has a nascent impulse and privileges, among LGBT persons, gay subjects. The studies are supported by different theoretical references and more related to the interpretive paradigm. Prevailed LGBT activism classified as “informal internally responsive approach” (Githens & Aragon, 2009), with effects of psychological well-being and greater possibility of equal rights gains for dissident sexualities in organizations that have activism. New paths may stimulate future studies related to theme in Brazil, such as: voice mechanisms; impacts on organizational change; political and cultural aspects; and use of more critical methodologies. The main contribution of the study is to be a pioneer in dealing with LGBT activism, detecting specific lines for its investigation in national organizational studies.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the factors that influence millennials’ intentions to adopt plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in Gauteng, South Africa. This study was based on the theory of consumption values (TCV), using structured questionnaires and convenience sampling. Data was collected from 504 respondents in Gau-teng, South Africa. A multiple regression analysis was performed to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings revea-led a significant relationship between social, emotional and conditional values and millennials’ behavioural intentions to adopt PHEVs and demonstrated a non-significant relationship between functional and epistemic values and beha-vioural intentions. Online data collection was used owing to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, which limited the researcher’s abilities to explain items in the questionnaire. Also, the study focused only on millennials residing in Gauteng, which does not accurately represent the behavioural intentions of the entire country. Nevertheless, this study offers useful information to environmentally friendly car manufacturers, car dealerships and the government, for developing strategies aimed at encouraging the adoption of PHEVs among South African millennial consumers.

This paper aims to understand the uses of oneself by nurses working in a human milk bank (HMB) which is located at a state capital of the Brazilian Southeast Region. The research used a qualitative approach, through a documentary survey, also with a participant observation with field diary in the milk bank for 3 months, where fourteen individual and semi-structured interviews, and a discussion group with the participants who volunteered was performed. Research has shown how ergology contributes to understanding work in this kind of organization. These professionals' use of the oneself, permeated by experiences, stories, and values, are presented in the context and produce significant improvements in the HMB sector. How professionals engage in care, aiming to do what they think is the best for others, was highlighted by the analysis. The professionals renormalize their activities in an environment full of technical prescriptions, making use of their improved self and transforming the work.

2021AbstractSchool dropout is a serious problem worldwide, and contributes to a great deal of poverty and misery. People who have not finished school obviously suffer the consequences, but these extend to all of society since they become a burden due to lack of education and skills for the workplace. Much like poverty, school dropout is complex and multidimensional. Hence, early warning systems that predict which children are at risk of dropping out of school are of the utmost importance, and furthermore, the interventions to rescue these children must be bespoke, i.e., tailored to the specific situation of each child. Much work has been done using traditional methods such as attendance thresholds and logistic regression. However, school dropout prediction by means of applying machine learning is relatively new. In addition, an application that has worked in one country does not necessarily work in another, since the available data sets are different. Therefore, the following question arises: does machine learning enable a more accurate early warning of school dropout specifically in Chile? In this paper we answer this question, testing and comparing machine learning predictive models with a traditional logistic regression, using public databases from the Chilean Ministry of Education. In addition, we offer some practical recommendations for other researchers and policy makers who endeavour to implement practical working early warning systems for school dropout.

Governance mechanisms help manage, direct, and control people, resources, and the interests of those involved in a firm. In family firms, understanding the use of governance mechanisms is particularly important given their rela-tionship with the sustainability of the family and the business. Even though we know a great deal about family busi-ness governance in North America and Europe, we still know very little regarding the use of governance mechanisms in small and medium (SME) family firms in Latin America, nor do we know whether the use of governance mech-anisms impacts financial performance. To address these gaps, this paper presents the results of a survey completed by 2287 representatives of family business SMEs from 24 Latin American countries. Participants indicated the like-lihood of their using different governance mechanisms and responded to questions concerning their businesses. Our results indicate that the small and medium Latin American family firms in our study were not very likely to use for-mal business and family governance mechanisms, however, the use of formal business governance mechanisms was related to financial performance. The implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of conditions that influence the gap between positive attitude and intention towards organic food products and actual behaviour regarding these products. Thus, we propose an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explain parts of this gap and we highlight the crucial role played by consumers’ involvement as a moderator. A structural equation modelling was performed, and the sta-tistical analysis of a sample of 1327 French consumers supports our organic food products buying behaviour model. The results showed that the difference between the means of actual behaviour was highly different between low- and high-involvement consumers. More specifically, high-involvement consumers express more positive attitudes towards buying organic food products, perceive higher subjective norms and behavioural control, they have higher behavioural intention, and buy organic food products more frequently. Additionally, the results indicated that, com-pared to low-involvement consumers, high-involvement consumers regard organic food products as more attractive, healthier, tastier, and with higher value. We proposed some marketing strategies to help managers to better promote the organic food products market and, in turn, increase their revenues. For example, marketers therefore have a vested interest in increasing consumer involvement, and, among other things, they can do so by educating them (i.e., high-lighting the benefits of consuming organic foods). Moreover, since high-involvement customers have positive atti-tude-intention and behaviour, they can be allies for marketers through their influence (social norms). Thus, we suggest the use of digital influencers to endorse organic food.

Even though, in the past, competition depended on the factors of production possessed, today it depends on the production of value-added goods, their export, and finally, branding of the country today. Since the late 1990s, the brand value of countries has been an important concept that has been studied. Current academic literature is deprived of weighting sub dimensions of country brand strength index and compare index values by years. Having an import-ant role in academic literature, Fetscherin (2010) identified five dimensions of the country brand strength index as export, tourism, foreign direct investment, migration and governance, but not giving any weighting to sub dimensions. In order to contribute to current country brand index literature, sub-dimensions of the index are weighted with the help of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, comparing 2010 and 2015. Therefore, the innovation of this paper is its weighting method and the comparison of index values by years. The Country Brand Strength Index (CBSI) is calculated for G7 countries and Turkey using the survey based AHP method, consisting of 5 different indi-cators: exports, foreign direct investments, tourism, immigration, and governance. According to the results, it is deter-mined that “exports” has the most important weight among those indicators with Canada leading the group with the best index value in 2010 and 2015. The aim of this study, which was conducted with limited resources, is to shed light on studies to be carried out in the future in order to establish a strong country brand and increase country competi-tiveness in the international markets. In this respect, repetition of this research as regards to geographical and regional variations and performing qualitative and quantitative studies, incorporating different dimensions in the index such as culture, science and technology, will strengthen the academic literature in this field.

This paper examines the relationship between intercultural competencies and performance in “international locals”, defined as employees who, albeit not formally appointed to any international position, are regularly exposed to different types of intercultural interactions. From a sample of 258 employees of a multinational company, we selected a sub-group of 94 international locals, and examined the effect of ethnocentrism (ET), cultural intelligence (CQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) on their performance, utilizing multiple regression analysis. The results show that the higher levels of CQ and/or EQ, the better the performance of international locals. Evidence also indicates that EQ interacts with CQ, triggering or enhancing the effect on performance. Finally, ET does not have any effect on the performance of international locals. The research implies that EQ and CQ are essential for performance in international business situations, and that international locals, who are continually exposed to regular intercultural interactions, need to focus on developing these two competencies. By assessing and helping international locals to develop higher EQ and CQ, organizations can ensure that they have enthusiastic and perseverant employees, who enjoy intercultural interactions, and can contribute to develop competitive advantages and capabilities.