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We present a critical literature review debating Brazilian research on social and environmental accounting (SEA). The aim of this study is to understand the role of politics in the construction of hegemonies in SEA research in Brazil. In particular, we examine the role of hegemony in relation to the co-option of SEA literature and sustainability in the Brazilian context by the logic of development for economic growth in emerging economies. The methodological approach adopts a post-structural perspective that reflects Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The study employs a hermeneutical, rhetorical approach to understand and classify 352 Brazilian research articles on SEA. We employ Brown and Fraser’s (2006) categorizations of SEA literature to help in our analysis: the business case, the stakeholder–accountability approach, and the critical case. We argue that the business case is prominent in Brazilian studies. Second-stage analysis suggests that the major themes under discussion include measurement, consulting, and descriptive approach. We argue that these themes illustrate the degree of influence of the hegemonic politics relevant to emerging economics, as these themes predominantly concern economic growth and a capitalist context. This paper discusses trends and practices in the Brazilian literature on SEA and argues that the focus means that SEA avoids critical debates of the role of capitalist logics in an emerging economy concerning sustainability. We urge the Brazilian academy to understand the implications of its reifying agenda and engage, counter-hegemonically, in a social and political agenda beyond the hegemonic support of a particular set of capitalist interests.

This chapter historicizes the social construction of racism in Brazilian society and its relation to the development of the library and information science (LIS) field. It is a theoretical-reflective research built on the scientific literature of the field of LIS and related areas that aims at reflecting on social justice in Brazilian libraries and creating strategies to confront institutional racism. The authors develop five main points to understand Brazilian racism: the myth of racial democracy, structural and institutionalized racism, the whitening ideology, whiteness, and the epistemicide of black knowledge. The authors then discuss racism and the promotion of white supremacy in library teaching and professional action in libraries. Black US American and Black Brazilian Librarianship movements show that the activism and political action of black librarians advance the development of informational counter-narratives. Finally, the authors recommend three strategies for social, racial, and informational justice in the LIS field: including ethnic-racial studies in basic university courses curricula; building diverse, inclusive collections that account for ethnic-racial themes and authors; and considering “Pretuguese” keywords while indexing, in order to counter exclusion and promote epistemic repair. The authors conclude by advocating for these strategies to steer LIS professional and educational spheres toward contributing to forward an anti-racist society.

Competitive pressures force companies to seek solutions to eliminate wastes while improving product quality. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been considered one of the most effective approaches for business transformation. This article aims to present an empirical case study where LSS and Define, Measure–Analyze–Improve–Control (DMAIC) methodologies are applied to reduce defects in a car parts manufacturer.

The study follows the DMAIC methodology. Design of experiments and hypothesis testing were applied in a single case study.

The main defects and the main factors that cause defective parts were indicated for die-casting and machining processes. Solutions implemented reduced the defect incidence from a chronically high level to an acceptable one. The sigma level rose from 3.4 s to 4 s sustainably.

The study is limited to a single case study, without intention of generalizing the results to other types of industries.

This paper can be a useful guide of how to use DMAIC Six Sigma approach to defect reduction and can be applied in many sectors.

This study offers the knowledge on how to apply the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology, reducing the dependence on specialization courses.

This study describes in detail the process used in a structured improvement exercise including sigma-level calculation, factorial experiments and hypothesis tests – a set of techniques still poorly combined in the literature.

In this chapter, I aim to present a review on the constitution of the sociology of sport as a subfield in Brazil. To do so, I start with the debate over its history, the current status of this academic area and the factors that led to its development. Additionally, I present the main organizations, funding institutions, and the events that support this field. I briefly identify the main postgraduate programs in the country that enable sociological research in sport, mapping their distribution geographically. Next, I present some introductory works of reference on the sociology of sport in Brazil, as well as discussing some authors that were and are key to the field. I highlight the main topics of interest in Brazilian sociology of sport as well as their methodological models and the main theoretical bases of analysis used by late and early career researchers. In conclusion, I evaluate the comprehension and the representation of sport in society and in the academy, pointing to some future perspectives of development and consolidation of the sociology of sport in Brazil.

Purpose – This research aimed to study the relationship between Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and performance improvement.

Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was used as an instrument of data collection that was passed to managers of nonfinancial companies listed among the 500 largest and best firms in Brazil. The data from this study were analyzed with descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of correlation and association.

Findings – The results showed that the main drivers of risk management were regulation, stakeholder demands, and business competitiveness. Among the practices that have been used, managers spotlight the utility of basic methods, more subjective, while technical methods, more quantitative, were of secondary importance. It was evidenced that the risks were weighted in the main activities of the organization. As a result, it was demonstrated that improved performance is associated with the maturity level of risk management and the level of stakeholders’ involvement in risk management.

Research limitations/implications – Other researches could examine how this process was developed in other countries and expand the number of organizations studied.

Practical implications – This study provides empirical evidence about theorist assumptions about the relationship between ERM and performance improvement.

Social implications – This study demonstrates the importance of human aspects for the processes of risk management and how external factors can influence this process.

Originality/value – It gives a broader and deeper comprehension of the process of risk management at nonfinancial firms in Brazil.

Due to dramatic transformation of the auto industry, governments are implementing innovation policies to ensure the domain of sustainable technologies. According to the literature, developing countries that depend on multinational subsidiaries must invest in complementary innovation to be part of their research and development (R&D) headquarters' long-term plans. This study analyses the Brazilian auto industry innovation policy (Rota 2030) to evaluate if it targets complementarity with the German's one (NPE). It also compares the institutional arrangements of the former against the latter to check for governance gaps.

It applies a case-oriented comparative method (Ragin, 2014) for the analysis of qualitative evidence on secondary data. It investigates evidence of complementarity between Rota 2030 and national platform for electric mobility (NPE) objectives and checks for governance gaps in Rota 2030 using NPE as a reference.

The results confirmed a loose fitting between the innovation policies mainly for a lack of determinism of Rota 2030 objectives. Governance gaps were also found on Rota 2030 policy formulation and operationalization.

It contributes for the improvement of Rota 2030, and its analytical frame may be used for the formulation or adjustment of other developing countries' innovation policies.

It contributes with innovation system and policy field development with a theoretical extension coming from the New Institutional Economics (NIE) (Menard, 2018). By examining the performance of “institutional arrangements” during the process of formulation and operationalization of innovation policies, it shows the importance of coordination for their effectiveness.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rice flour obtained from rice grains with different levels of amylose on technological, nutritional and sensory properties of cookies made with a blend of rice and cowpea flour.

The cookies preparation was set at a ratio of rice flour and cowpea beans 70:30. The studied formulations were: LA: low amylose rice flour; MA: medium-amylose rice flour; HA: high amylose rice flour. The quality of the obtained cookies was analyzed for proximate composition, in vitro protein digestibility, thickness, diameter, dispersion factor, texture, color, amino acid profile and sensory properties.

Proximate composition and in vitro protein digestibility showed no differences between the three studied formulations. The medium and low amylose rice flour cookies showed the lowest hardness values. The combination of rice and beans allowed a good balance of essential amino acids. The cookies formulated with high amylose rice flour presented lighter coloration, low hardness and greater sensory preference.

Rice and cowpea flours are an alternative source for the preparation of gluten-free bakery products, such as cookies. The high amylose content of rice flour has less negative interference in the texture characteristics of the cookies. The combination of rice and beans flour provides a balance of essential amino acids.

This study evaluated the prevalence of anaemia and its association with various risk factors in 500 infants attended at two municipal primary health care centres in Rio de Janeiro. Anaemia was assessed using a portable haemoglobinometer (HemoCue). Nutritional status was assessed via weight/age, weight/height and height/age indices. The cut off value –2 z score was used to define underweight, wasted and stunted children according to the National Centre for Health and Statistics – NCHS – curves. Socio‐economic and biological data were obtained from the child’s mother through the use of questionnaires. No association was corroborated between the prevalence of anaemia and the studied risk factors. Development of primary health care intervention is important as a means of reducing the incidence of anaemia in infants, especially in boys and children in the second semester of life, who demonstrated a higher risk.