Search

The impact of COVID-19 on the economy was devastating. Small businesses typically have few resources to fight against such adversity. Many businesses remained closed for some time during the pandemic period, resulting in significant consequences for people in terms of jobs, income and life. The objective of this research is to identify the factors that contributed to increasing company failures during the pandemic. Furthermore, this study aims to verify whether the size of the companies, the sectors of economic activity in which they operate and their geographic location influence enterprise failure. This article analyzes the survival of 8931 small businesses from 2017 to 2023, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study applied a survival analysis using the Kaplan–Meier procedure, complemented with the Cox procedure, to determine the effects of the size of companies, sector activity and location on the survival time. The results indicate that survival is much higher in small companies with large revenues that are located in the Campaign and West Frontier regions, as well as in the Northeast, North, Production, South, Taquari, and Rio Pardo Valleys regions, whereas the survival rates were extremely lower in the commercial sector and in financial intermediation activities. In the second analysis restricted to the commerce sector, the data highlighted the retail activities, accommodation and food activities sectors as the most affected in terms of overall survival. The results indicated that the survival of small business remained relatively strong during the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling the pertinent support from the government. The smallest business with revenues under USD 15,576 (BRL 81,000) per year were the most affected, with only 39% survival after 7 years. Some activities and some regions suffered more than others, emphasizing the need for special attention from authorities in future catastrophes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nova Economia is the property of Nova Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sustainability assessment of the furniture industry using a group of indicators and/or index concerning the manufacture of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)-based furniture is scarce in literature and in organizational practice. For this assessment to be effective and to contribute with the management process, the group of sustainability indicators defined under the perspective of the triple bottom line approach must be specific to the activity and to company size. Therefore, the present study aims to measure and analyze sustainability at an organizational level, to help in management and decision-making processes of micro- and small-sized furniture companies in the Taquari Valley region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The methodology used was qualiquantitative considering a multiple-case study applied to 29 furniture companies, based on interviews and document research. The main results showed that the construction of a sustainability index was validated by statistical methodologies, which supported the consistence and quality of the sustainability assessment of furniture companies. The sustainability level was considered higher than 0.600 (0.000–1.000) in 75.8% of the 29 furniture companies. Sustainability effectiveness was higher regarding indicators of the economic and social dimensions and lower regarding the environmental dimension. The environmental dimension of the furniture companies had the most critical results, especially regarding the indicators "Recycling and reuse", "Electric energy", "Water", and "Waste recycling". In conclusion, sustainability assessment of the furniture industry using a group of indicators and an index helped highlight the indicators related to the three sustainability dimensions, thus enabling the identification of weaker aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak caused several negative effects in industries of all sizes and in all parts of the world, leading academic and practitioners to ask whether organizations could have been better prepared to face disruptive situations. This paper aims to analyze business continuity practices performed by Brazilian industries. A survey was conducted with academics who work in the field of organizational resilience and business continuity and are familiar with the reality of Brazilian companies in the industrial sector. The participants assessed 16 practices (P) proposed by the ISO 22301:2020, considering two categories: large industries (LI) and small and medium-sized industries (SMI). Data analysis was performed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, frequency analysis, Fuzzy TOPSIS and sensitivity analysis. For LIs, P4 (leaders conduct periodic critical analyses of practices) was considered the practice with the best application rate, while for SMIs, P2 (understand stakeholders' needs and expectations, and use information in business continuity management) was chosen. In all scenarios tested for LIs and SMIs, P8 (well-structured systematic processes to analyze the impact of abnormal situations on their business and the potential risks of a disruption) and P16 (periodic audits of their business continuity management activities to identify opportunities for improvement, and information record) are in the bottom quartile. When compared to LIs in the Brazilian context, SMIs exhibit more profound deficiencies in terms of applying business continuity practices. The findings of this study can be of great value to assist managers in improving organizational resilience. Organizations should be better prepared to face future disruptive events, whether biological, social, technological, or economic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This article intends to measure the readiness of Brazilian consumers to adopt products based on Chinese technology, using the Technology Readiness Index - TRI scale. Originality/Relevance: The importance of the image of new technological products and services has resulted in debates and discussions in academic and executive circles. However, there are still gaps, where the need to identify and characterize the importance of image to encourage ownership of Chinese products can present innovative nuances in the knowledge of the subject. Methodology/approach: A survey was carried out with 865 consumers of Chinese products in Brazil, evaluating the instrument used based on statistical procedures. Main results: This study allowed evaluating the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) model and its applicability in the analysis of consumer readiness for Chinese products. The constructs and variables showed consistency, with six confirmed and three unconfirmed hypotheses. Innovativeness, Optimism, Insecurity and Insecurity are important emotional states to characterize Explorer, Pioneer, Skeptical, Paranoid and Laggard consumers. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The study enabled the identification of consumer behavior in the use of products based on Chinese technology. The Technology Readiness Index (TRI) has proven to be an important model for measuring technology readiness in different contexts. Social/management contributions: The validation of the model allows its use in corporations of different sizes and different types of products and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Future Studies Research Journal: Trends & Strategies is the property of Future Studies Research Journal: Trends & Strategies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gestão e Sociedade is the property of Revista Gestao e Sociedade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Administração FACES Journal is the property of Revista de Administracao FACES Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

International accounting standards have substantially changed the way accounting is applied in Brazil since accounting professionals were used to objective concepts. Accountants had to change how they exercise their profession. From the perspective of these professionals, this study analyzes how these professionals view the process of convergence to international norms that introduced subjective concepts to accounting, especially the use of professional judgement and the substance over form principle, and the interaction with Brazilian cultural characteristics found in the literature. Based on the models of Hofstede and Gray, in addition to Brazilian cultural characteristics, 1,319 questionnaires were analyzed. The results indicate that the cultural characteristics of the professionals are not always compatible with the international standards, and manifest themselves differently due to the region and the size of the companies for which they work to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Contabilidade & Controladoria is the property of Revista de Contabilidade & Controladoria RC & C and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper studies the link between credit conditions and formalization in Brazil. Over the last decade, Brazil has experienced a large increase in the level of credit and the rate of formalization, these changes are linked to a reduction in the cost of credit and policy reforms oriented toward improving the efficiency of the financial sector. The paper develops a model with endogenous formal and informal sectors to evaluate how much of the change in corporate credit and the size of the formal sector can be attributed to a reduction in financial intermediation costs. The model predicts that the reduction in intermediation costs generates an increase in the credit-to-output ratio and the fraction of formal workers, in line with the data. By affecting the allocation of capital and the entry and exit rates, the change in credit conditions has important implications for the firm size distribution and aggregate productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that new contributions to the study of capital structure can be obtained from the study of corporate debt structure. More specifically, it addresses the issue of homogeneity and heterogeneity in debt structure, including its relevance and determinants, and incorporates a theoretical discussion. Because of the novelty of this topic in Brazil, a study was conducted that analyzed the debt structure of 113 companies over a period of 5 years. The results show that homogeneous and heterogeneous debt patterns are present in the debt structures of companies operating in Brazil and are associated with variables such as company size, market to book value, and the presence of rating grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Applied Economics / Economía Aplicada is the property of FEA-RP, Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Central Bank of Brazil published the notice number 3.477/09 that reports on the requirement to make public information related to risk management, to both Patrimônio de Referência Exigido and to Patrimônio de Referência. This study observes the level of publicizing on this type of information by the financial institutions, taking into account the guidelines presented in the notice mentioned above. Results demonstrate that only 49.5% of institutions published information as requested by the norm. The size, the level of exposure to derivatives, and the level of financial leverage were the variables that presented significant statistical results, in a negative relation to the level of financial leverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study sought to investigate the relationship between corporate reputation and the performance of companies under the theoretical perspective of the Resource-based view (RBV). To do so, 84 publicly traded companies were investigated, all of which were classified amongst the 100 companies with the best reputation. Business performance was obtained in the Compustat® database, whereas reputation was obtained in the Reputation Institute. A regression analysis was conducted, taking into account performance as the dependent variable, and corporate reputation along with control variables, such as size and legal system of the company host-country, were considered independent variables. Results show that companies with the best corporate reputation presented greater performance, which is in accordance with what the RBV foretells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Applied Economics / Economía Aplicada is the property of FEA-RP, Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a study which examined the relationship between the medium and small enterprise (SME) sector and the economic growth in Brazil. The researchers investigated the significance of the size of the SME sector by the share of the level of human capital and SME employment measured by the mean years of schooling in the enterprises. They also assessed how employment and human capital influence the growth of the sector in the micro-regions of the country.

This article analyzes how firm size moderates the degree of relationship between cultural distance (CD) and the preference of brazilian transnationals when choosing for a entrance mode strategy. Aiming to bring a new perspective on the topic of DC this study seeks to analyze the phenomenon beyond the cultural dimensions of Hofstede, using the theoretical framework of the Globe Project. This study get's a sample of 31 firms that are among the top 78 Transnational Companies (TNCs) in Brazil. Results indicate that the Brazilian TNCs are relatively less willing to choose more risky entrance mode strategies (acquisitions) when they operate in culturally distant countries. Firm size also acts as a moderator of the relationship between DC and the entrance mode preference, where bigger firms are less affected by cultural distance when deciding the strategy for international ventures. Finally, the two dimensions of DC (values and practices) shown different relations with entrance mode preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the recent trends in, and outlook for, Brazilian outward foreign direct investment (FDI). It shows that outward FDI from Brazil has declined against that from other developing countries and it analyses the prospects for recovery. A survey of the international literature reveals that outward FDI benefits both the investing firm and the home country. It is thus relevant to ask why outward FDI by Brazilian firms is so low. In answer, the article surveys the literature on Brazilian outward FDI and presents new evidence in terms of the firm (Brazilian firms are small and they prefer the home market), product (commodities are the main export), technology (low innovation rate), industry (Brazilian firms generally belong to mature or competitive sectors) and the economy (unsuitable financial system and high interest rates). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are new economy companies really different? This papers aims at investigating the structure of variability in the financial performance of information technology (IT) companies in Brazil, and also at determining the relation between financial performance and two factors specific to companies, namely economies of scale and productivity. Secondary data of the 200 biggest IT companies of Brazil, referring to years 2000 to 2004, was used. The analysis used the techniques of components of variance and multiple regression. The structure of variability of performance was very similar to companies of other sectors, indicating the predominance of the individual firm effect and limited sector and year effects. These findings might raise a question over the "distinction" of the new economy. The results also indicated a significative effect of producitvity on performance, but the same could not be observed on scale. The practical significance of the relation between productivity and performance is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a research conducted in order to determine career development of men and women lawyers in law firms in São Paulo, Brazil. The research analyzes the differences in the professionalization of 216 young men and women lawyers in the firms. The research demonstrates how professionalism and gender relations play a role in stratifying legal practice and differentiating careers. The research analyzes how careers in legal practice are differentiated in terms of being a partner or an associate, in terms of the size of the firm and the clients they represent.

This article presents the results of an investigation about the determinant factors of the capital structure of publicly held companies that operate in the Brazilian market. The sample group consisted of 91 companies, covering the period from 1999 to 2003. A stronger estimation technique conjugating Dynamic Panel Data, which combines cross-section data with time-series, with a generalized method of moments (GMM) tool was used in the performance of this study. The accounting and market concepts were used as capital structure and leverage proxies, and their results were compared. In conformity with literature from the area, the following variables were selected: current ratio, company size, return, growth opportunity, business risk, fiscal economy and sales growth, tangibility, coefficient of variation and bankruptcy risk. The GMM and AH econometric tools were used for the tests. The econometric results proved robust due to the techniques used. The analysis results obtained were largely consistent with the Pecking Order and Trade-off theories. These results are also in line with the results observed in similar studies carried out in several countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]