This study considers how decision-makers in smaller firms interpret the means and conditions of internationalization, and how different modes of interpretation are likely to inform action choices in this process. Drawing on 58 qualitative interviews with the leaders of Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the clothing industry located in the state of Paraná, the results support the contention that different understandings given to the means/conditions of internationalization are associated with different action choices. More specifically, the results indicate that: (a) interpretation changes the criteria and parameters by which rational choices on internationalization are made; (b) a comprehensive explanation of internationalization on the basis of situational characteristics is likely to be inconclusive without taking into account decision-makers' interpretations; (c) particular meanings given to internationalization are likely to inform choice in different ways, (d) managers act on the basis of their inter-subjectively negotiated, shared and sustained reality; and (e) investigative proximity with practitioners is pivotal in order to comprehensively account for their interpretations.

For companies that are internationalizing through foreign acquisitions, a major consideration is likely to be access to the technical and social knowledge of the local environment that executives of the acquired companies possess. Despite the importance of this consideration, the literature has not sufficiently addressed the issues it raises. Investigations of the factors that affect the departure of executives of acquired companies have until recently tended to overlook the question of the knowledge that leaves with them. The present paper discusses executive retention in cross-border acquisitions from a knowledge-based perspective. It analyzes three cases of such acquisitions in Brazil. The results show how knowledge can play a critical role in the acquirer's decision to retain or release owners and/or executives after the acquisition. In addition to conventional variables, the characteristics of the knowledge of the acquired companies' owners and/or executives emerge as essential to explain their retention. This paper argues that evaluating the knowledge the acquired company's owners and/or executives possess, especially regarding its degree of tacitness, is one basis for decisions on their retention.

Este artigo oferece uma análise da aprendizagem nas organizações em condições de mudança radical, em que a reestruturação da organização foi motivada por uma mudança na ideologia e na propriedade. Discute-se que, nessas circunstâncias, a aprendizagem não representa necessariamente uma melhoria para o coletivo como um todo. A fonte empírica para este artigo é um estudo de caso da Telemig, uma das principais companhias brasileiras de telecomunicações. A pesquisa empregou múltiplos métodos e fontes permitindo uma investigação do conteúdo e do processo de aprendizagem, e de seus agentes ao longo do tempo. O estudo elabora e ilustra o conceito de "aprendizagem contestada", concluindo que este necessita ser incorporado à teoria da aprendizagem nas organizações.

This paper offers an analysis of learning in organizations in conditions of radical change, in which organization restructuring was motivated by a change in ideology and ownership. It is argued that in these conditions learning does not necessarily represent an improvement to the collective as a whole. The empirical source for this paper is a case study of Telemig, a major Brazilian telecommunications company. The research employed the multiple methods and sources. This approach permitted an investigation of the content and process of learning, and its agents over time. The present study elaborates and illustrates the concept of 'contested learning'. It concludes that this concept needs to be incorporated into the theory of learning in organizations.