In this joint article we test the common assumption that a measure of culture developed for the national level can also be used for comparing regions within a country. Three different research projects independently measured culture differences within the Federal Republic of Brazil, all three using a version of Hofstede’s Values Survey Module (VSM). The largest provided separate scores for all of Brazil’s 27 states, the next largest for 17 of the more populous states. Factor analyses of VSM item scores across states in both cases only very partly replicated Hofstede’s cross-national dimension structure; only Individualism versus Collectivism reappeared clearly. We attribute this lack of fit to a restriction of range of VSM item scores among states within a common Brazilian national culture. The item scores did show a cultural clustering of states that fairly closely followed the administrative division of the country into five regions. The culture profiles for these regions show remarkable differences between the Northeast with its Afro-Brazilian roots and the North with its native Indian roots. On the issue of comparing regional cultures, we found the VSM, based on global differences, too coarse a net for catching the finer cultural nuances between Brazilian states. Adding locally defined items would have made the studies more meaningful to Brazilians.

Com base no referencial teórico gerado pela Escola Nórdica de Negócios Internacionais, foram desenvolvidas pesquisas sobre o processo de internacionalização de algumas firmas brasileiras, a procura de pontos de convergência entre os modos suecos e brasileiros de expansão das firmas além-fronteiras. O presente artigo analisa as principais idéias daquela escola e apresenta evidências empíricas extraídas de pesquisas sobre o processo de internacionalização de empresas brasileiras, que confirmam os principais pontos advogados pela escola.

The present study looks into the organizational culture of a Brazilian company, concentrating on its main Brazilian branches as well as on its European, Latin American, Central American, North American and Asian branches, making a total sample of 36 cities and 1742 respondents. Results indicate the influence of national culture on organizational culture, as the dimensions found clearly reflect the ambiguity and double-edged ethic characteristic of Brazilian culture. This study also shows the importance of hierarchy, and of relational networks, which stresses the relevance of the cultural element in organizational structure and functioning. In brief, understanding the double-edged ethic that governs Brazilian culture helps us understand apparently different, ambiguous or even contradictory behaviors reflected in the organizational culture practices of a Brazilian company with international operations. Moreover, there is little empirical research that directly deals with what combination of factors makes individuals agree or disagree over their cultural viewpoints. Consequently, we consider that this study attempts to deal with that issue as the cultural clusters were obtained using a multivariate approach, using demographic variables and the identified organizational dimensions. Thus results suggest the organizational context may increase or reduce the probability of nationality affecting the cultural agreement of group members.

Purpose -The purpose of this case study was to identify how the human factor influenced the 2010 acquisition of company X's cement factory, located in town C in the Brazilian State of Goiás, by the multinational company A. Design/methodology/approach -Seventeen in-depth interviews were conducted with employees who participated of the acquisition process: 15 with professionals with leadership roles at the factory, the others with company A corporate executives. The data collected were qualitatively treated using discourse analysis to unveil the perceptions of the interviewees. Findings -The discussion involved topics such as: resistance to change, uncertainty, employees' expectations and commitment, stress, employee turnover and retention. The present study contextualizes existing theoretical approaches, and its main conclusion confirms that not all M&A processes cause permanent negative impacts that lead to the failure of the acquisition or are perceived as a strong and lasting source of uncertainty by the employees of the involved companies. On the contrary, depending mainly on the perception, employees have of their working conditions at the time the acquisition process takes place; on the strategic relevance of the acquisition to the acquiring company (its motivation); on how the process is managed by the executives of the acquiring company; on the communication strategy employed by the acquiring company, as well as on the understanding of the cultural setting; and on the acquiring company having an organizational culture with policies that value employees, the community and sustainability; this change can be perceived as favourable by employees thus fostering a successful acculturation and outcome. Finally, this study is considered valuable to researchers and practitioners as it indicates that although the human factor is not considered a priority in most M&A processes, it is clearly paramount to its success or failure, specially in lock-in situations when the acquiring and acquired companies have complementary and reciprocal interdependencies.Research limitations/implications -In spite of the contributions of this research to the field of studies on M&A, the authors have to acknowledge limitations, such us: as town C was a small factory at the time of the acquisition, there were only 17 interviewees, which does not constitute a large sample. The possibility of a certain amount of unavoidable subjectivity in both the interviewees when relating their experience and the interviewer when analyzing the collected data. As stated before, being a case study, results cannot be generalized. Originality/value -This research adds to the actual state of the art on M&A signalling that there should be a match between the strategies selected by the executives of the acquiring company and the specificities of the human factor and its cultural environment. Specifically, this case study contributes to theory advancement by proposing the concept of lock-in in M&A.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine gender issues in Brazil from the perceptions, experiences, and discourses of professional women in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on 26 in-depth interviews with female professionals. The methodology consists of an exploratory approach through content analysis. Findings -Despite the fact that Brazil demonstrates an idealized national ethos that promotes equality, gender roles are still very traditional. Participants recognized gender issues at work, including covert discrimination, though most did not acknowledge experiencing them personally. Originality/value -There is dissonance between global trends and the actual experience of female professionals in Brazil. Although participants rejected the idea of personally experiencing inequality, they acknowledge its existence in human resources (HR) practices. This leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy where gender inequality is perpetuated and organizations and HR departments do not seem to have a proactive role as change agents.