Roberta Souza Piao

• PhD
• Associate Professor at University of São Paulo Polytechnic School

This study explores how the sustainable development goals (SDGs) influence sustainability initiatives in a large cement company in a developing country. An in‐depth case study found that the SDGs play a validating role in decision‐making, with the company attempting to overcome barriers to sustainable development. A novel framework is proposed, bri...

Industry 4.0 raises concerns about the inclusion of low-income people. Researchers approach entrepreneurship as a path to social inclusion. In this context, this paper aims to investigate how Industry 4.0 engages low-income people under the perspective of entrepreneurship. This paper is based on a systematic literature review using bibliometrics an...

The current scenario of the pressure on companies to become responsible for the environmental impacts of their activities on the planet has raised awareness of the relevance of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The basic assumption of CSR, which has been crucial to companies' competitiveness, lies in the responsibility that firm...

Este artigo discute a importância da Economia Circular (EC) para o setor de plásticos, destacando a necessidade de ferramentas de avaliação para medir o progresso em direção à circularidade. Para tal, utiliza uma combinação de análise bibliométrica e revisão sistemática da literatura para investigar como as ferramentas de avaliação são abordadas no...

Purpose The ceramic tile chain can generate several environmental impacts, from raw material extraction to the production process, commercialization, consumption, maintenance and disposal. One of the open issues remaining in the literature on socially responsible supply chains, also known as responsible supply chains, is understanding how corporate...

Social Innovation has become a crucial point in discussions about the connection between agriculture and sustainability, and it can result in new actions that significantly contribute to the 2030 Agenda. Through a literature review, this article aims to analyze how SI in agriculture can contribute to achieve the social sustainable development goals...

Industry 4.0 raises concerns about the inclusion of low-income people. Re-searchers approach entrepreneurship as a path to social inclusion. In this context, this paper aims to investigate how Industry 4.0 engages low-income people under the perspective of entrepreneurship. This paper is based on a systematic literature review using bibliometrics a...

Circular economy (CE) attempts to improve the environmental and economic performance of existing production systems and particularly waste management through the introduction of principles of reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, redesign, and remanufacture. There are still many challenges regarding its implementation. This article investigates th...

The chapter analyzes the social and environmental impacts of the Green Horticultural belt in Maputo, where Mozambican and Brazilian researchers jointly implemented demonstration plots and trained small-scale farmers in circular – ecologically regenerative – farming practices aimed to upgrade soil quality and ameliorate food poverty. The project als...

In this chapter, the aim is to answer how circular practices could embrace social inclusion and address the SDGs. A framework is proposed for analysing the priority stakeholders included in circular economy practices, their engagement based on circular justice literature and upgrading reached by them. Upgrading is understood as improvements or incr...

Purpose This paper intends to verify the extent to which Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects intend to contribute to sustainable development (SD) in Brazil, one of the top three leading countries in terms of the number of CDM projects. The authors assess the impact of CDMs not only in environmental aspects, but also social and economic ones....

The growing impact of the global production of agricultural commodities has created new regulations that aim at a more sustainable trade. Sustainability standards (SS) are essential tools for transnational trade governance because they increase the possibility of recognizing products from sustainable sources. However, there is currently a prolifera...

This paper investigates the capacity of impact assessment processes to settle the category of hybrid entrepreneurial organisations. This potential lies in two main endeavours: the integrated and holistic assessment of the economic and socio-environmental fields, and the provision of robust and comparable results balanced with a tailored representat...

Corporate Sustainability Reporting provides essential data for academic and empirical research on sustainability and the still-growing adoption of the circular economy by companies. Despite the wide attention that the circular economy receives from the academy, a systematization and hierarchy of the strategies that embrace the sustainable circular...

Coffee is a global value chain that has been going through many transformations, seeking to transition to sustainability. In this paper, a technological innovation system from multi-level perspective institutional dimensions (macro, meso and micro) was adopted to analyze the coffee value chain in Brazil and in Colombia. Our conceptual contribution...

Purpose This study aims to examine the drivers prompting business leaders to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The research design selected is a qualitative exploratory multiple-case approach. Data were collected through 16 in-depth interviews with leaders of Brazilian companies. Findin...

This paper analyses the coordination of the packaging recycling chain established by Company A. Company A developed a technical solution for coordinating the packaging recycling chain and provides a certificate of recycling for its clients (industry). The paper also highlights the initiatives raised by the private sector for addressing the problem...

O Sistema Agroindustrial do Leite brasileiro passou por mudanças institucionais entre 1990 e 2018. As Instruções Normativas referentes ao leite estabelecidas pelo governo federal entre 2002 e 2018 exigiram dos agentes novos parâmetros técnicos de produção que podem impactar a organização industrial do setor. Partindo dessa mudança institucional, es...

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the discussion about how a sustainable supply chain is implemented, and its effects on suppliers. The sustainable supply chain and the concept of upgrading were used to analyze the proposed phenomenon. One in-depth case study was conducted, based on fourteen interviews with multiple stakeholders involved in...

This paper addresses Green Growth and Agriculture in Brazil, analysing the National Plan for Low Carbon Emission in Agriculture (ABC Plan). The main focus is to detail the structure and actions proposed and implemented by the ABC Plan, and also to identify its economic, environmental and social effects. Using a qualitative research approach, desk r...

Sustainable procurement requires an understanding of the full impact of purchase throughout the entire life cycle of the product or service, irrespective of location. The aim is to investigate the adoption of sustainable procurement in some Brazilian chemical companies. Questionnaires were sent to professionals from the Brazilian Chemical Industry...

Purpose This paper investigates the incentives to coffee farmers to participate in certification schemes that require improved agricultural practices. Design/methodology/approach The authors ran a choice experiment among 250 Brazilian coffee farmers in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Findings The authors’ findings show that both cash and non-c...

O balanço entre integração vertical e terceirização permanece relevante, enquanto a tecnologia e a Internet reformulam as estratégias da cadeia de suprimentos. A teoria da agência, a economia de custos de transação e a visão baseada em recursos visam explicar as decisões de "fazer ou comprar", mas ainda são desafiadas a explicar formas plurais. Uma...

Ainda que existam muitas escalas para medir a percepção individual de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC), a literatura ainda carece de escalas que mensurem RSC no nível organizacional. A consideração dos stakeholders para mensuração da RSC se mostra adequada quando se trata de uma análise de empresas multinacionais (EMN), pois de acordo com...

Purpose: Analyze what subjects emerges when integrating “social impact” and “innovation” in the scientific literature. Methodology: It was developed a systematic review of literature. Data analysis was done in two stages: descriptive and exploratory. The co-word network maps were analysed through the VOSviewer software. Originality / Value:The glob...

Private sector collaboration for sustainable development remains a “black box” in terms of collaborative governance mechanisms: the specific arrangements or types of collaboration used by multiple actors to come together and implement and oversee rules to align their efforts towards shared goals. Therefore, a theoretical framework is needed to guid...

The objective of this project is to investigate circular economy practices from the perspective of social inclusion in the Brazilian context. Three research questions are proposed: (1) How are companies engaging in the social practices of CE? (2) What are the relationships established between companies or other types of economic agents to promote C...

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a model that relates Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), competitiveness, and Emerging Market Enterprises (EMNEs) in Global Value Chains (GVCs) Design/methodology/approach – Extensive literature review and analysis of issues about the competitivenes of EMNEs regarding CSR practices considering their particip...

With the spread of sustainable thinking, people have come to recognize that profitability is not the only element for the long-term success of businesses. Of equal importance is the issue of the use of natural resources and people's living conditions. Within this realization, consumers' interest in knowing the implications of their consumption is i...

The contemporary context in which the food industry is set up instigates a new product conception towards food ethics. However, how effectively does this perspective materialize on the gondolas of retail chains? In order to bring some elements to discussion, this article presents an exploratory study based on the decoding of information contained i...

A responsabilidade social corporativa (RSC) deve ser vista de forma estratégica, como fonte para a geração de valor compartilhado, seja ele tangível ou não, para a empresa focal e seus stakeholders. A literatura apresenta que empresas com atuação de RSC estratégica possuem maior acesso ao conhecimento externo. Contudo não é claro como se dão as rel...

One of the main concerns of this study is to translate environmental practices into strategic actions. This paper aims to analyze how a representative segment of the Brazilian agribusiness, the Mato Grosso do Sul sugarcane industry, is dealing with environmental management at the strategic level. Three data sources were used, which are: semi-struct...

Resumo: Uma das atividades relacionadas às estratégias de captura valor na atividade produtiva de orgânico refere-se à escolha dos canais adequados de distribuição dos produtos. A literatura aponta a importância de analisar os ganhos dos pequenos produtores com respeito aos canais de distribuição de produtos orgânicos. A literatura indica que a com...

Despite the growing interest in governance, compliance and ethics issues in projects, the importance of these themes has been overshadowed by studies focusing on dimensions of technical nature. The analysis of these themes, although relevant, represents a gap in the projects literature. Also, this scenario refers to a great complexity and diversity...

Specialized literature on organic production highlights the presence and concentration of retail, especially supermarkets, in the organic enhancement chain. This presents enormous obstacles for the entrance of small farmers in the production of organic products due to administrative barriers, in addition to pressure for lower prices by the supermar...

In this article, we seek to advance the issue of CSR in emerging market multinationals. These have been seen as evading the challenges posed by that matter, configuring a stereotype of firms practicing corporate social irresponsibility. We argue that it is necessary to advance in that assessment for two main reasons. The first is that the image cre...

This paper aims to analyze the national and international scientific literature concerning to sustainable coffee certification, which is published in journals indexed to Web of Science and Scielo. A systematic review of the literature was used to obtain an overview and propose some perspectives for the development of Sustainable coffee certificatio...

Several studies discuss the relationship between costs and benefits of adopting CSR programs, but little has been done about how to manage CSR programs and actions to make it operational. We depart from the analysis of the different CSR strategies that may be associated to business models to address this issue. The research question is: How should...

It is well known the importance of retailer’s requirements and their effect on the structure of supply chains. However, it is still under investigation the group of patterns defined by different types of retailers and their impacts on the structure of fresh food supply chains, mainly in developing countries. The paper investigates the elements cons...

A balance between vertical integration and outsourcing remains a relevant issue when technology revolution and the internet create new opportunities to reshape supply chain strategies. Among others, Agency Theory, Transaction Costs Economics and Resource Based View aimed to explain the vertical boundaries of firms. Nevertheless, faced with plural f...

One of the main tendencies in the Brazilian agricultural sector is the adoption of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS). Taking this, the aim of this article is to investigate the importance of meso-institutions, certifications bodies specifically, in coffee production and to analyze their relations with Brazilian coffee producers.

Corporate social responsibility is an important international business issue strongly related to the strategy of multinationals corporations. This paper aims to analyze the scientific literature (from Scopus and Web of Science) about CSR regarding the strategies of multinationals. A systematic literature review was presented as well as perspectives...

The main goal of this paper was to conduct an exploratory study regarding consumer preference in the field of Food Science and Technology. Two questions guided this study: Is it possible to identify a trail of crumbs concerning consumer behavior in the Food Science and Technology field? And, if that trail exists, where is it leading academia in ter...

Corporate social responsibility is an important international business issue strongly related to the strategy of multinationals corporations. This paper aims to analyze the scientific literature (from Scopus and Web of Science) about CSR regarding the strategies of multinationals. A systematic literature review was presented as well as perspectives...

The main goal of this paper was to conduct an exploratory study regarding consumer preference in the field of the Food Science and Technology. Two questions guided this study: Is it possible to identify a trail of crumbs concerning consumer behavior in the Food Science and Technology field? And, if that trail exists, where is it leading academia in...

Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar a gestão de canais múltiplos de distribuição realizada por relevantes indústrias brasileiras de alimentos. Para tal, foi conduzido estudo exploratório em dois estágios: referindo-se à condução de entrevistas a distância com gestores da área de suprimentos (junto a seis empresas), seguidas de entrevistas pres...

Dentro da atual conjuntura delineada pelo deslocamento da fronteira tecnológica, notou-se a necessidade de reavaliar as formas organizacionais operantes na cadeia de suprimentos de produtos perecíveis, visando obter maior qualidade no produto através de uma melhor coordenação entre os agentes dessa cadeia. Sendo assim, este artigo se propõe a ident...

This paper examines conditions under which differentiation strategies seem to be economically attractive for agricultural producers. Our theoretical background is that sustainable competitive advantages should emerge specifically when an integration of both the Industrial Organiza-tion (IO) and Resource Based View (RBV) perspectives is considered b...

Considering the current scenario, outlined by the technological changes, there is a necessity to reassess the organizational structures, specially the supply chain of perishable products, in order to achieve quality through a closer involvement between stakeholders and also to identify the main bottlenecks that hinder the coordination of the chain....

Purpose The objective of this paper is to characterise the transactions between European buyers and Brazilian mango and grape producers. Design/methodology/approach The method selected for this paper was multiple case studies. The Brazilian mango and grape supply chains' export activities to Europe were investigated. The field research was underta...

Atualmente o Brasil é o país que mais utiliza fonte de energia renovável e o segundo maior produtor de etanol no mundo. O País apresenta algumas vantagens competitivas na produção de etanol em relação ao principal concorrente, os Estados Unidos. Dentre as principais vantagens pode-se ressaltar a alta produtividade da matéria-prima usada no Brasil,...

Mundo afora, o franchising desperta grande interesse da literatura, com o suporte de uma infinidade de títulos nas prateleiras das livrarias. Por que, então, mais uma obra? Um olhar mais atento, porém, mostra rapidamente que a variedade existente não se traduz em diversidade. A maioria dos títulos se prende, essencialmente, a dois grandes temas: o...

The objective of this article is to characterize the strategies used by three different retail formats (large retail chains, associations of small and mid-size supermarkets and independent supermarkets) in their purchase of fruit and vegetables, focused on the issue of quality standard requirements of the different retail formats in the city of São...

The objective of this paper is to identify some elements which contribute to the entry of small and medium producers into the global market. Specifically, it analyses the case of the greatest Brazilian mango and grape exported region - the Petrolina-Juazeiro (P-J). The conceptual background consists of two approaches. The first conceptual framework...

Vários autores apontam a importância do segmento varejista como indutor de mudanças nas cadeias produtivas de diferentes produtos. Particularmente, no que diz respeito às cadeias produtivas de frutas frescas pode-se observar a importância do segmento varejista como indutor de padrões de qualidade e de uma série de mudanças que se revelam por meio d...

The aim of this paper is to investigate the transactions between European supermarkets and Brazilian fresh fruit producers and the structure of the Brazilian mango and grape value chain to Europe. The element pointed out in this paper is the characteristic of the distributor segment. There are indications that the structures of the retail sector af...

São Paulo state is one of the major milk producer region in Brazil and in this aspect until last decade the municipality of Tupã was most prominent. This city had a decrease in the milk production of around 20%, from 2002 to 2005. There are many facts which might have restrained that milk production chain as a whole to have prevented it to become...