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The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential impact of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies on promoting sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within developing economies such as Brazil. Additionally, we present a comprehensive framework that consolidates this correlation.

Qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with leaders of SMEs to identify the specific challenges in achieving sustainability. Additionally, interviews were conducted with technology provider firms to evaluate the existing solutions available to SMEs. The interview results were analyzed, and technological solutions were proposed through a focus group session involving four experts in I4.0. These proposed solutions were then compared with the offerings provided by the technology providers. Based on this, a second round of meetings was conducted to gather feedback from the SMEs.

The findings of this study confirm the feasibility of implementing I4.0 and sustainable practices in SMEs. However, it is crucial to tailor the technologies to the specific circumstances of SMEs. The study presents propositions on how specific applications of technology can address the economic, environmental and social demands of SMEs. Furthermore, a framework is proposed, emphasizing the integration of smart technologies as essential components across sustainability dimensions.

This study makes a significant contribution to the current body of literature as it pioneers the examination of the relationship between I4.0 technologies and sustainability, focusing specifically on SMEs in a developing country context.

El objetivo de este estudio es investigar el potential impacto de las tecnologías digitales de la Industria 4.0 en la promoción de la sostenibilidad en las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES) en economías en desarrollo, como Brasil.

Realizamos una investigación cualitativa mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas a líderes de PYMES para identificar los desafíos que enfrentan en la búsqueda de la sostenibilidad. También llevamos a cabo entrevistas con empresas proveedoras de tecnología para evaluar las soluciones existentes. Los resultados de las entrevistas se analizaron y se propusieron soluciones tecnológicas a través de una sesión de grupo focal con cuatro expertos en la Industria 4.0. Estas soluciones se compararon con las ofertas proporcionadas por los proveedores de tecnología. Posteriormente, se realizaron una segunda reunión para recopilar comentarios de las PYMES.

Los hallazgos de este estudio confirman la viabilidad de implementar la Industria 4.0 y prácticas sostenibles en las PYMES. Sin embargo, es crucial adaptar las tecnologías a las circunstancias de las PYMES. Presentamos propuestas sobre cómo las aplicaciones de la tecnología pueden abordar las demandas económicas, ambientales y sociales de las PYMES. Además, proponemos un marco que destaca la integración de tecnologías como componentes esenciales de la sostenibilidad.

Este estudio es pionero en examinar la relación entre las tecnologías de la Industria 4.0 y la sostenibilidad, centrándose específicamente en las PYMES en un contexto de país en desarrollo.

This study examines the investment horizon influence, mediated by market optimism, on earnings management based on accruals and real activities. Based on short-termism, the authors argue that earnings management increases in optimistic periods to boost corporate profits.

The authors analyzed non-financial Brazilian publicly traded firms from 2010 to 2020 by estimating industry-fixed effects of groups of short- and long-horizon firms to compare their behavior on earnings management practices during bullish moments. For robustness, the authors used alternate measures and trade-off analyses between earning management practices.

The findings indicate that, during bullish moments, companies prioritize managing their earnings through real activities management (RAM) rather than accruals earnings management (AEM), depending on their time horizon. The results demonstrate the trade-off between earnings management practices.

This study presents limitations when using proxies for earnings management and investor sentiment.

Investors and regulators should closely monitor companies' operations, especially during bullish market conditions to prevent fraud.

The study addresses investor sentiment mediation in the earnings management discussion, introducing the short-termism approach.

This article analyzes the hypothesis that analysts issue higher long-term earnings growth (LTG) forecasts following a market-wide investor sentiment.

This study analyzed 193 publicly traded Brazilian firms listed on B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão), totaling 2,291 observations. To address the potential selection bias resulting from analysts' preference for more liquid firms, this study used the Heckman model in the analysis with samples with only one analyst and the entire sample. The study also applied other robustness tests to ensure the reliability of the findings.

The results suggest that market-wide investor sentiment influences LTG when the firm's stocks are difficult to value. Market optimism did not reflect five-year profit growth after the forecast issue, suggesting lower forecast accuracy during high investor sentiment values.

Volatile-earnings firms have relevant implications in LTG forecasts during bullish moments. According to the study’s evidence, investors' decisions and policymakers' and regulators' rules should consider analysts' expertise as independent information when considering LTG as input for valuation models, even under market optimism.

This paper contributes to the literature on the influence of investor sentiment on analysts' forecasts by incorporating two crucial elements in the discussion: the scenario free from herding behavior, as usually only one analyst issues LGT forecast for Brazilian firms, and the analysis of research hypotheses incorporates the difficulty of pricing a firm given the uncertainty of its earnings as an explanation to bullish forecast.

There has been limited research that has explored the connection between digital supply chain (DSC) and SC innovation and SC dynamic capabilities. This paper aims to examine the mediating effect of SC innovation on the relationship between DSC and SC dynamic capabilities.

The research model and hypotheses were tested, employing (Statistical Package of Social Sciences) SPSS 25.0 and (Analysis of Moment Structures) AMOS 24.0 on data drawn from the Chinese manufacturing enterprises.

The study reveals that DSC has a significant positive effect on SC innovation and SC dynamic capabilities. SC innovation also has a significant positive effect on SC dynamic capabilities. Besides, the authors' research illustrates that SC innovation partially mediates the relationship between DSC and SC dynamic capabilities.

Since the results are derived from the data collected from China, it may not, therefore, be generalized to other settings. Moreover, future research could consider other contextual variables such as “environmental uncertainty” and “Government's Reward-Penalty Mechanism,” which may influence SC dynamic capabilities.

The study provides practical insights for senior executives and managers in the manufacturing industry. Managers should emphasize the investment of advanced digital technologies and tools (DTTs) and improvement of SC visibility and collaboration. In the digital age, companies should pay attention to the introduction of advanced technologies, tools and processes and focus on cultivating an innovative spirit to promote SC dynamic capabilities, thereby enhancing competitive advantages.

The paper illustrates that DSC is of great significance to improving SC dynamic capabilities. This study reveals compelling insights for firms to enhance SC innovation and dynamic capabilities by using DSC as an enabler.

This study aims to analyze the configuration of the board of directors of the five largest banks operating in Brazil, which are members of a financial elite that directly influences the socioeconomic life in Latin America.

This assessment is inspired by Bourdieu's sociological approach and in the discussion on his work in organization studies and economic sociology. It addresses the organization as a field and investigates its associated field of power. The authors conducted qualitative research and relationally analyzed data related to the trajectory and the social properties of the councilors using the statistical technique called multiple correspondence analysis (MCA).

The results show that forms of social and cultural capital are particularly influential in the production of distinctions among banks' board members. Moreover, councils' priorities and configurations are diverse: some idealized and based on knowledge, others pragmatic and based on customs, others still anchored in a double logic of market satisfaction and family wealth preservation.

Understanding the objective power relations among these top agents may be crucial for effectively regulating certain aspects of their activities. Furthermore, understanding how different forms of capital affect the relative position of the board members may help us reduce representative bias in what seems today an inner circle.

This study is relevant because it makes an in-depth analysis of the composition of one of the most influential financial elites in Latin America, combining sociological theory and advanced statistical techniques for qualitative grouping (MCA).