RESUMO Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os principais efeitos do surgimento dos livros eletrônicos na configuração da cadeia editorial brasileira. Entrevistas com executivos de grupos editoriais instalados no País permitiram identificar que os e-books ainda desempenham um papel secundário na cadeia editorial, tendo maiores chances de prosperar em alguns segmentos específicos de livros. Os livros eletrônicos não tornaram essa cadeia mais enxuta. Uma vez que os e-books não substituíram os livros físicos, mas passaram a coexistir com estes, coube às editoras desenvolver um novo conjunto de atividades dentro da cadeia editorial existente. A desintermediação é uma das características mais marcantes desse novo processo produtivo. Para se adequar a esse novo cenário, o setor editorial necessita de ajustes que vão além de suas operações, implicando também a redefinição dos recursos e competências que precisa desenvolver.

ABSTRACT This work aims to analyze the main effects of the emergence of electronic books within the context of the Brazilian publishing supply chain. Interviews with executives from publishing groups in the country have made it possible to identify that e-books still play a minor role in the publishing supply chain, and are more likely to thrive in specific book genres. Electronic books have not made this chain leaner. Since e-books did not replace physical books and instead coexisted with them, publishers were obliged to develop a new set of activities within the existing publishing supply chain. Disintermediation is one of the most striking features of this new production process. In order to adapt to this new scenario, the publishing sector needs to implement adjustments that extend beyond its typical operations, which also implies the need for a redefinition of resources and development of requisite competencies.

RESUMEN Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los principales efectos del surgimiento de los libros electrónicos en la configuración de la cadena editorial brasileña. Entrevistas con ejecutivos de grupos editoriales instalados en el país permitieron identificar que los e-books todavía desempeñan un papel secundario en la cadena editorial, y tienen mayores posibilidades de prosperar en algunos segmentos específicos de libros. Los libros electrónicos no debilitaron esta cadena. Puesto que los e-books no reemplazaron a los libros físicos, sino que pasaron a coexistir con estos, les correspondió a las editoras desarrollar un nuevo conjunto de actividades dentro de la cadena editorial existente. La desintermediación es una de las características más destacadas de este nuevo proceso productivo. Para adecuarse a este nuevo escenario, el sector editorial necesita ajustes que van más allá de sus operaciones, y que implican también la redefinición de los recursos y competencias que necesita desarrollar.

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a model to estimate how uncertainty, flexibility, and operational performance are related. The assumption is that competition in the current business environment has been broadening consumers’ options. These options have brought uncertainty to companies regarding the adoption of operational strategies, particularly to adjustment of flexibility to their competitive priorities. Originality/value: The research designed a theoretical model that presents convergent, discriminant validity, and good reliability. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the perceived uncertainty, flexibility, and operational performance from a set of evaluated companies. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected out of managers and analysts from the financial, energy, and manufacturing sectors. The uncertainty was estimated by taking into account the state, the effect, and the choice of responses from changes in business environment. In addition, it was considered the flexibility and the performance within the operational indicators. Findings: The results reveal moderate managers’ ability to predict the state of the environment and its effects on their organization’s activities. Also they show that uncertainty does not influence the operational performance when mediated by flexibility. Thus, in a moderate environmental stability, flexibility can be adopted to mitigate the effects of uncertainty on operational performance.

This paper presents the results of a study whose objective was to understand how location within industrial concentrations, like clusters or industrial districts, affects the financial performance of firms. In its theoretical framework, this paper attempts to introduce the reasons behind the alleged superior performance of firms located in these concentrations, the base of the hypothesis formulated in this study. Analysis from a three-level hierarchical linear model applied to a sample of 509 companies located in the state of São Paulo found no evidence that industrial concentrations provide firms with superior performance, contradicting expectations generated by the theory. The decomposition of the variance of performance indicated that the location of the firms and the form with which a city interacts with an industry exerts significant influence on how they will perform. In short, location matters to the future of firms. This finding underlines the need to understand how characteristics of cities or regions can promote or retard the performance of firms.

As empresas da nova economia são realmente diferentes? Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar a estrutura de variabilidade do desempenho financeiro das empresas de tecnologia de informação (TI) no Brasil e determinar a relação entre o desempenho financeiro e dois fatores específicos à empresa: economias de escala e produtividade. Foram utilizados dados secundários sobre as duzentas maiores firmas de TI do Brasil nos anos de 2000 a 2004. A análise utilizou as técnicas de componentes de variância e regressão múltipla. A estrutura de variabilidade do desempenho foi muito similar às empresas de outros setores, indicando uma predominância do efeito empresa individual e limitados efeitos ano e setor. Esses achados podem levantar um questionamento sobre a "distinção" da nova economia. Os resultados também indicaram um efeito significativo da produtividade sobre o desempenho, mas o mesmo não se observa na escala. Discute-se a significância prática da relação entre produtividade e desempenho.

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.

O presente artigo investiga o processo de decisão de pesquisa das comunidades acadêmicas de Gestão no Brasil, especialmente frente às exigências da CAPES. Primeiramente, revisitamos a situação da academia brasileira antes das normas da CAPES, exploramos a seguir a reação dos acadêmicos frente ao novo marco institucional, fazendo uso de fontes secundárias e entrevistas com pesquisadores brasileiros e norte-americanos. Finalmente, traçamos algumas proposições preliminares para o processo decisório subjacente a esse comportamento. Concluímos com uma revisão de diversas formas adotadas pelas instituições brasileiras de tentativa de adaptação às normas e perspectivas futuras de evolução da pesquisa em Gestão no Brasil. Sugerimos que, ainda que a CAPES tenha desempenhado um papel fundamental de disciplinador do meio acadêmico, existe uma oportunidade de discussão do seu papel e arranjo institucional no longo-prazo, quanto às suas funções, na medida em que a academia não necessite mais de um órgão especializado para sustentar tanto o volume de pesquisa, quanto a sua interação com a comunidade.

This article investigates the research decision-making process of Brazilian academic communities, focusing especially on the reaction to CAPES's requirements. Firstly, we revisit the Brazilian academy scenario before CAPES' new rules. Secondly, we explore the researchers' reaction upon the new institutional frame. Thirdly, we generate several propositions on the decision-process underneath such behavior, which are contrasted against the insights collected throughout interviews with Brazilian and American researchers. We expose the range of strategies the Brazilian institutions elaborated in order to cope with the new rules. In addition, we explore the interviewees' perspectives on the research in Brazil. Finally, we suggest that although CAPES has played a key-role in establishing a discipline to the academic field in Brazil, the academic community should raise the discussion on CAPES' role and institutional structure in long-term. The community should review CAPES' functions, in tandem with the higher maturity of the academy, and its interaction with the whole community.