Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze the adequacy of public policies that support innovation in small businesses in a swinging economy, particularly in Brazil.1 In order to make our case for more adequate public policies on innovation, we develop five propositions based on the assumption that innovation policies focused on fostering socioeconomic development should meet. We adopted a documentary research design, as we examined the policies produced by governmental bodies and agencies at the three governmental levels in Brazil - federation, states, and cities. Also, qualitative content analysis was performed in order to organize, codify and interpret the messages delivered by current innovation policies in the country. We found that most public policies on innovation and small businesses are short-sighted and generalist, borrowing metrics and evaluation criteria from the big enterprise context in an one-size-fits-all manner that, ultimately, cannot be applied to most small businesses and local contexts. As a contribution to theory, our five propositions could be used as starting points for future policy and administration research. On a practical level, we propose recommendations to policy-makers and offer insights on how an adequate policy affects a country’s competitiveness and socioeconomic development.

Resumo Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a capacidade absortiva de agências de viagens, com base no modelo de capacidade absortiva de Zahra e George (2002). A pesquisa se justifica dada a representativa do segmento turístico no setor de serviços e a necessidade de utilizar medidas de inovação mais próximas das especificidades do setor e voltadas às capacidades dinâmicas dessas empresas. O estudo é quantitativo, com abordagem exploratória e descritiva. Foi utilizada uma survey, tendo um questionário como instrumento de coleta de dados. A pesquisa foi realizada junto às agências de viagens filiadas à ABAV Sergipe – Associação Brasileira das Agências de Viagens do Estado de Sergipe, totalizando inicialmente 50 empresas listadas, das quais 08 não puderam participar, de modo que foi obtido um total de 42 (84%) respondentes, incluindo as agências de viagens localizadas no interior do Estado. A tabulação e análise dos dados foram feitas com o auxílio dos softwares IBM SPSS Statistics 19, Minitab 17 e Microsoft Excel 2007. Os resultados demonstraram que a imitação criativa é uma das principais fontes de inovação para as agências do Estado de Sergipe e fruto do relacionamento com clientes e outras empresas, sejam concorrentes ou fornecedores, o que torna essas empresas abertas para novos conhecimentos. As agências pesquisadas também criam redes informais que garantem que o conhecimento e as informações de que necessitam sejam transmitidas dentro da organização de maneira rápida e dinâmica. Como contribuição, o artigo avança na literatura de inovação e turismo, ao estudar a inovação sob uma perspectiva diferente da shumpeteriana, propondo uma lente de análise alternativa.

Abstract This article aims to analyze the absorptive capacity of travel agencies, based on the absorptive capacity model of Zahra and George (2002). The research is justified given the representativeness of the tourism sector in the service sector and the need for innovation measures closer to the sector’s specificities and focused on the dynamic capabilities of these companies. The study is quantitative, following an exploratory and descriptive approach. We performed a survey, with the questionnaire as our data collection instrument was. The research was conducted with the travel agencies affiliated to ABAV Sergipe - Brazilian Association of Travel Agencies in the State of Sergipe, initially totaling 50 listed companies, of which 08 were unable to participate, so that we obtained a total of 42 (84%) respondents, including the travel agencies located in the interior of the State. The tabulation and analysis were made with the help of softwares such as IBM SPSS Statistics 19, Minitab 17 and Microsoft Excel 2007. The results showed that creative imitation is a major source of innovation for the agencies of the State of Sergipe and a result of their relationship with clients as well as with other companies, whether competitors or suppliers, which makes these companies open to new knowledge. The agencies surveyed also create informal networks ensuring that the knowledge and information they need are transmitted within the organization in a fast and dynamic fashion. As a contribution, the article advances the literature on innovation and tourism, by studying innovation from a different perspective of the shumpeterian one, proposing an alternative analytical lens.

Resumen Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la capacidad de absorción de las agencias de viajes, con base en el modelo de capacidad de absorción de Zahra y George (2002). La investigación se justifica dada la representatividad del sector turístico en el sector de servicios y la necesidad de medidas de innovación más cerca a las especificidades del sector y orientadas para las capacidades dinámicas de estas empresas. El estudio es cuantitativo, siguiendo un enfoque exploratorio y descriptivo. Se realizó una survey, con un cuestionario como instrumento de recolección de datos. La investigación se realizó con las agencias de viajes afiliadas a ABAV Sergipe - Asociación Brasileña de Agencias de Viajes en el Estado de Sergipe, por un total inicialmente 50 empresas cotizadas, de las cuales 08 fueron incapaces de participar, por lo que se obtuvo un total de 42 (84%) los encuestados, incluyendo las agencias de viajes ubicadas en el interior del Estado. La tabulación y análisis se realizaron con la ayuda de softwares como IBM SPSS Statistics 19, Minitab 17 y Microsoft Excel 2007. Los resultados mostraron que la imitación creativa es una fuente importante de innovación para las agencias del Estado de Sergipe y resultado de su relación con los clientes, así como con otras empresas, ya sean competidores o proveedores, lo que hace que estas empresas sean abiertas a nuevos conocimientos. Las agencias encuestadas también crean redes informales que aseguran que el conocimiento y la información que necesitan se transmiten dentro de la organización de una manera rápida y dinámica. Como contribución, el artículo avanza la literatura en innovación y turismo, mediante el estudio de la innovación desde una perspectiva diferente de la schumpeteriana, proponiendo una lente analítica alternativa.

The goal of this theoretical essay is to raise the debate about the post-tourism, a concept coined by Molina (2004), which refers to the new conceptions and challenges for tourism in the present moment and in the future and born by the transformations which changed the activity over time, lined with the post-modernist thinking that arose as a response to the globalization process and the ever-growing immersion of technology in society and organizations. The research focus is directed at the changes brought to tourism by the Information and communications technology - ICTs, building a bridge between the human factor and the technological factor of the activity which seem to converge because of innovations caused by the high technology. In this sense, the emergence of a new paradigm and the break with old rules in tourism is linked with the rise of the information society, both as a concept and as an ideology. Therefore, a theoretical study about the dynamics of innovation and the usage of ICT in tourism is needed, especially when it comes to the organizational change and work's reconfiguration in such sector. Thus, this article presents a reflective analysis about post-tourism and the role of technology and innovation in tourism, and for that purpose presents the classical model of the dynamics of innovation postulated by Utterback and Abernathy (1975), adapted by the authors of this paper in order to elucidate the historical evolution of tourism under the prism of innovation.

El presente ensayo teórico tiene como objetivo relevar el debate acerca del pos-turismo, concepto creado por Molina (2004) que se refiere a las nuevas concepciones y desafíos del turismo en el momento actual y en el futuro inducidos por las transformaciones que la actividad sufrió a lo largo del tiempo, pautado en el pensamiento pos-modernista que surge en respuesta al proceso de globalización y de la inmersión cada vez mayor de la tecnología en la sociedad y en las organizaciones. El estudio se focaliza en los cambios que la tecnología de la información y la comunicación (TICs) ha aportado al turismo, creando un puente entre el carácter humano y el carácter tecnológico de la actividad, que parece converger en las innovaciones ocasionadas por la alta tecnología. En ese sentido, el surgimiento de un nuevo paradigma y la ruptura de preconceptos antiguos en turismo están ligados al surgimiento de la sociedad de la información, como concepto o como ideología. Por lo tanto, es necesaria una profundización teórica acerca de la dinámica de innovación y uso de las TICs en turismo, sobre todo en relación al cambio organizacional y a la reconfiguración del trabajo en ese sector. Así, este artículo presenta un análisis reflexivo sobre el pos-turismo y sobre el papel de la tecnología y de la innovación en turismo; a través del modelo clásico de dinámica de la innovación postulado por Utterback & Abernathy (1975), adaptado por los autores para elucidar la evolución histórica del turismo bajo el prisma de la innovación.