O presente caso de ensino em Administração tem o objetivo de colocar o estudante no papel de decisor à frente de uma organização cooperativa agropecuária que busca alternativas estratégicas de crescimento, por meio do acesso a mercados internacionais visando incrementar a eficiência empresarial, melhorar a oferta de serviços aos seus associados e maximizar os benefícios proporcionados. O caso da Cooperativa Agroindustrial Bom Jesus, baseado, sobretudo na coleta de dados primários, ilustra a situação experimentada pela organização em 2007, quando percebeu a necessidade de repensar suas atividades produtivas em face das oscilações verificadas no faturamento da organização em anos anteriores. A intensificação das exportações e a diversificação das atividades surgiram como alternativas estratégicas para alcançar os objetivos pretendidos. Nesse sentido, os fatos que descrevem a circunstância experimentada pelos dirigentes da Bom Jesus, complementados pelas teorias correlatas, amparam a análise e debates que possibilitarão aos estudantes identificarem e selecionarem a resposta estratégica mais adequada que definirá o quê, como e onde poderá ser comercializada sua produção, sem perder de vista os princípios do cooperativismo e a visão de crescimento da organização. O caso pode ser aplicado às disciplinas de Estratégia, Negócios Internacionais e Gestão do Agronegócio nos cursos de graduação e pós-graduação.

The present teaching case study in Management aims to place the student in the role of the decision-maker at the head of an agricultural cooperative organization that seeks strategic alternatives for growth through access to international markets in order to increase business efficiency, improve the delivery of services to its members and maximize the benefits it offers. The case of Bom Jesus Agroindustrial Cooperative, based mostly on the collection of primary data, illustrates the situation experienced by the organization in 2007 when the board of directors realized the need to rethink their production activities in view of the changes in total sales in previous years. An increase in exports and the diversification of activities emerged as strategic alternatives to achieve the desired goals. Accordingly, the facts that outline the circumstances that the directors of Bom Jesus were experiencing, supplemented by related theories, sustain the analysis and discussions that will enable students to identify and select the most appropriate strategic response to define what, how and where their products can be traded without losing sight of the principles of being a cooperative and the vision of growth of the organization. The case can be applied to the disciplines of Strategy, International Business and Agribusiness Management in undergraduate and post-graduate courses.

This study investigates the impact of internationalization on the results achieved by agricultural cooperatives in the State of Parana, at the same time examining strategies for diversification of markets as well as diversification of products aimed exclusively at international markets. Of the 28 cooperatives to be included in the study, 67.9% returned valid structured questionnaires. The collected data was submitted to non-parametric statistical analysis. Key findings suggest the following: external markets are served by indirect and direct exports; product diversification strategies are motivated by the creation of revenue alternatives to members and by the reduction of risks associated to agricultural business; diversification strategies are conceived to develop new business in accordance with market demand and to expand customized products from the existing portfolio; the formation of strategic alliances prioritizes access to distribution channels abroad; internationalization and diversification strategies produce positive results both from an economic and a social perspective.