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The purpose of this paper is to study which are the drivers of different types of innovations for manufacturing firms. The considered innovation types are product, process, organizational and marketing innovations. In addition, this study also aims to understand why most types of innovation (with the exception of organizational innovation) have decreased over time.

The two non-overlapping waves of the Ecuadorian National Innovation Activities Survey 2013 and 2015 (NIAS) are used. To identify the determinants of the different types of innovations and to check whether the decisions to innovate are correlated, a tetravariate probit model is used.

The results obtained point to some relevant differences in terms of the drivers of the different types of innovation. In addition, it is also evident that with the passage of time, certain problems that may be reducing the incentives to innovate have become more acute.

The study adds new empirical evidence to the literature on the role of investments in incorporated technology in innovation in developing countries. In particular, for Ecuadorian firms, the acquisition of incorporated technology in capital goods seems to be very relevant. This highlights the existence of a supply-driven innovation strategy. However, there is also room for innovation strategies driven by demand conditions.

El propósito de esta investigación es estudiar cuáles son los impulsores de los diferentes tipos de innovaciones para las empresas manufactureras. Los tipos de innovación considerados son las innovaciones de producto, proceso, organizativas y de marketing. Además, este estudio también pretende comprender por qué la mayoría de los tipos de innovación (con la excepción de la innovación organizativa) han disminuido con el tiempo.

Se utilizan las dos olas de la Encuesta Nacional de Actividades de Innovación de Ecuador 2013 y 2015 (NIAS). Para identificar los determinantes de los diferentes tipos de innovaciones y para verificar si las decisiones de innovación están correlacionadas, se utiliza un modelo probit tetravariante.

Los resultados obtenidos apuntan a algunas diferencias relevantes en términos de los impulsores de los diferentes tipos de innovación. Además, también es evidente que con el paso del tiempo ciertos problemas que pueden estar reduciendo los incentivos a innovar se han agudizado.

El estudio agrega nueva evidencia empírica a la literatura sobre el papel de las inversiones en tecnología incorporada en la innovación en los países en desarrollo. En particular, para las empresas ecuatorianas la adquisición de tecnología incorporada en bienes de capital parece ser muy relevante. Esto pone de relieve la existencia de una estrategia de innovación basada en la oferta. Sin embargo, también hay espacio para estrategias de innovación impulsadas por las condiciones de la demanda.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é estudar quais são os direcionadores de diferentes tipos de inovações para empresas de manufatura. Os tipos de inovação considerados são inovações de produto, processo, organização e marketing. Além disso, este estudo também visa entender por que a maioria dos tipos de inovação (com exceção da inovação organizacional) diminuiu com o tempo.

São utilizadas as duas ondas da Pesquisa Nacional de Atividades de Inovação do Equador 2013 e 2015 (NIAS). Para identificar os determinantes dos diferentes tipos de inovações e verificar se as decisões de inovação estão correlacionadas, um modelo probit tetravariant é usado.

Os resultados obtidos apontam para algumas diferenças relevantes em termos dos direcionadores dos diferentes tipos de inovação. Além disso, também é evidente que, com o passar do tempo, certos problemas que podem estar reduzindo os incentivos para inovar tornaram-se mais agudos.

O estudo acrescenta novas evidências empíricas à literatura sobre o papel dos investimentos em tecnologia incorporada à inovação nos países em desenvolvimento. Em particular, para as empresas equatorianas, a aquisição de tecnologia incorporada em bens de capital parece ser muito relevante. Isso destaca a existência de uma estratégia de inovação baseada na oferta. No entanto, também há espaço para estratégias de inovação impulsionadas pelas condições de demanda.

Literature on eco-innovation brings insights that help to understand which factors trigger innovation focused on sustainability in companies. However, when analyzing the studies that comprise such drivers, it appears that most of them were focused only on describing them in isolation. Therefore, this study aims to understand which are the combinations of drivers that favor the adoption of eco-innovation in slaughterhouses located in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

This study has used the crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) as the data analysis technique, in addition to the previous application of Most Similar Different Outcome/Most Different Same Outcome (MSDO/MDSO).

This study identified eight internal and external drivers that explain the differences in performance of eco-innovative and non-innovative slaughterhouses. These drivers generate 13 combinations of factors capable of favoring the adoption of five types of eco-innovation.

A limitation identified was the difficulty to obtain information held by companies on environmental issues. In addition, in each company the authors only approached one respondent.

The use of combinations is identified by companies and governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote eco-innovation in slaughterhouses.

This study may be considered original for its contribution to the improvement of eco-innovation literature by describing how the drivers identified combine to favor the adoption of certain types of eco-innovation. In addition, the authors also made an original use of csQCA, linked with MSDO/MDSO, in the field of eco-innovation.

This study aims to analyze the complexities of the Brazilian soybean supply chain (SSC) and develop strategic interventions to improve the origin system’s performance.

This study used stakeholder interviews to identify the SSC bottlenecks and determine and assess drivers of competitiveness. A methodological framework based on the systems thinking approach for developing long-term structural changes was used. The problem was structured using behavior over time graph and causal loop modeling to propose three investment strategies to solve the logistics problem in SSC.

This study highlights the gaps in coordination between stakeholders and the public sector regarding the public policy for infrastructure investment. Three strategic interventions were developed to address the agro-industrial logistical problem, namely, investment in storage, multimodal transport systems and improvements in existing transport infrastructure. To overcome transport and storage logistics limitations, the authors suggest different forms of partnerships, including public-private partnerships.

This research is limited to evaluating an agricultural commodity (soybean) and does not include its by-products. The sample of stakeholders was limited and the boundary of analysis was Brazil. Nevertheless, the study showed how strategic interventions could be developed following a holistic analysis.

The proposed integrated approach illustrates the development of three strategic initiatives. It can be implemented by stakeholders, including the public sector, which is the basis for providing assertive long-term investments in Brazilian logistics.

The SSC analysis could promote the implementation of systemically determined interventions and strategies. It could significantly improve the performance of agricultural systems and help the formulation of public policies aimed at rural development.

The use of system dynamics to identify intervention points is an essential contribution to mitigating the SSC’s hindrances. Moreover, the combining methodologies resulted in comprehensive intervention strategies.

The interest paid on own capital can benefit companies in the Brazilian capital market as it can be considered a business expense and is, therefore, deductible as a corporate tax. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of interest on equity (IOE) on capital structure decisions.

The initial sample consisted of 524 publicly traded companies from different industries in the Brazilian capital market that were listed on Bovespa. Companies in the finance, insurance and funds industries were excluded from the sample due to the unique features of these financial intermediaries. Some companies in the initial sample were excluded due to a lack of published data, inactivity during the sample period, etc. Thus, the paper excluded those companies that did not have valid observations or failed to publish them. The final sample included 370 companies and covered the nine-year period from 1998 through 2006.

To this end, the authors identified the main determinants of capital structure and analyzed, through panel data, the relationship of IOE in addition to other determinants of capital structure, such as size, profitability, investment opportunities, risk, sales growth, real interest rate and real exchange rate, in corporate debt. The novel contribution of this study is the inclusion and analysis of the IOE in studies on the determination of capital structure of Brazilian companies. A new capital structure scenario was created when Law No. 9.249/95 required changes in legislation, ceasing the restatement of balance sheets and allowing companies to compensate their stockholders through IOE. Before this change, companies could only benefit from the tax benefits of debt, using debt capital. Now, they can also benefit from the use of equity because, by requiting equity through the IOE, deductions of income tax and social contributions on net income are allowed by tax law because the IOE may be considered a financial expense.

: The authors were not able to find any other publication of a similar study in a review of the extant empirical literature.

The relationship between citizens and government has been gradually changing from government centered to citizen centered. These changes can be understood from the public value perspective, which is a promising way to foster the use of electronic services (e-services) by citizens. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how key drivers for public value creation can enhance adopting electronic public services by citizens. The use of e-services as a basis for applying smart technologies is also discussed.

A qualitative study based on both a systematic literature review and a case study of an e-service provided by a Brazilian state government.

The study identifies that creating public value happens only after adopting e-services and that public value can be perceived directly by those who use the service or indirectly by the observation of people who have adopted it. A two-dimensional framework showing the direct and indirect factors that drive public value creation is proposed based on the data collection and literature review.

The proposed conceptual framework remains untested and the data collection in the Brazilian context might be a limitation. Other studies could gather data based on the collective uses of e-services.

The framework can be used in other studies concerning public value creation. Public managers might consider its drivers when planning e-services as a way to link them to social, political and collective issues in addition to smart technologies.

Carob has been proposed as a healthy, stimulant-free alternative to chocolate in frozen desserts. In order to make carob a viable and attractive alternative, food producers need to know how it interacts with sweeteners and frozen dessert dispersion matrices. The purpose of this paper is to find the optimal sweetener concentration in three plant-based frozen desserts and carob-flavoured milk dispersion matrix ice cream.

The ideal sucrose concentrations (per cent) were determined through an affective test using the “just-about-right” scale for carob-flavoured frozen desserts made with cashew nut, coconut and soy beverage, as well as milk dispersion matrix. The sweetness equivalence of artificial sweeteners relative to sucrose was determined by the magnitude estimation test.

The authors identified the concentrations of sucrose, stevia and sucralose that produced ideal sweetness in carob-flavoured frozen desserts. Concentrations for soy-based frozen desserts differed from the other dispersion mediums tested. Plant-based frozen desserts exhibited a higher ratio of sweetening power of stevia and sucralose to sucrose compared to milk-based ice cream by a factor of 1.18 and 1.14, respectively.

This study undertook a comprehensive survey of a dairy-free and chocolate-free alternative to chocolate ice cream and found new sweetener interactions with dispersion matrices in carob-flavoured frozen desserts. The findings in this study can be applied in the development of carob-flavoured soybean-, coconut-, cashew nut- and milk-based frozen desserts.