THE MEANING OF THE ORGANIC CERTIFICATION SEAL FOR THE CONSUMER: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Academia has been analyzing organic certification labels for at least 10 years, with emphasis on their importance and level of knowledge. However, little has been written about the associations and meanings they have for consumers. This article aims to study this meaning through a quantitative research, survey type, with 388 respondents. The data were analyzed through a cluster analysis which revealed the existence of three customer groups, according to the meaning assigned to the labels. The three segments were called “Greeners”, “GMO-Freers” and “Don’t Carers”. The first group, the “Greeners”, is the largest (46.6%), and brings greater association with the meanings “sustainable agriculture” and “environmentally friendly” and is associated with older people. The second, the “GMO-Freers”, presents closer association with the meaning “It does not make use of genetically modified/transgenic seeds” and is related to people who have already done post-graduation courses (24.7% of respondents). Finally, the third, “Don’t Carers”, (28.7%), shows lower association to the label’s meanings in general, and is also more concentrated in an elite group of consumers. The research comes to the conclusion that the label’s meanings may change according to different consumer profiles. On theoretical grounds the present study fills a gap in the literature in a way that it deepens a first analysis of the label’s meaning, by reaching a second level of consumer attributions, and revealing the need for understanding this meaning among different groups. Based on the consumer behavior model presented by Kotler and Keller (2012), it is possible to show how consumers’ psychological aspects can be influenced by social characteristics in the way the groups perceive organic labels. The practical contributions to manufacturers and certifying agencies of organic products are also discusse

The social entrepreneurship movement in Brazil under the perspective of the social entrepreneur award

Dada a necessidade de se aprimorar a compreensão do empreendedorismo social no âmbito das teorias organizacionais, fundamentando-se na fronteira do conhecimento nesse campo e no de premiações socioambientais, o objetivo principal deste estudo foi descrever, historiar e analisar o surgimento, a implementação e o desenvolvimento do Prêmio Empreendedor Social, realizado pela Folha de S.Paulo e a Fundação Schwab, e como as mudanças por ele sofridas ao longo de mais de uma década de existência (2005-2015) espelham o próprio movimento do empreendedorismo social brasileiro. Para isso, a partir da perspectiva ontológica relativista-construtivista, foi realizada uma pesquisa processual com um estudo de caso intrínseco, inspirado no método Gioia e na abordagem contextualista, tendo como base a análise histórica e longitudinal de 6.688 registros (dados secundários) da iniciativa. A análise do caso evidencia que o objeto de estudo apresenta uma relação de mutualidade com o movimento do empreendedorismo social, ora fomentando-o, ao revelar novas referências no campo, ao promover redes e alianças intersetoriais e ao propagar seus conceitos a um público mais amplo; ora espelhando-o, sofrendo transformações para adaptar-se ao dinâmico contexto em que se insere. Nesse sentido, nota-se que o próprio conceito de empreendedor social evolui do arquétipo do líder herói para uma reflexão ainda em aberto de sua real capacidade de causar uma transformação social sistêmica, mais de uma década após o lançamento do Prêmio, vis-à-vis as novas gerações empreendedoras, que reforçam princípios como horizontalidade e hibridismo. Os próprios laureados refletem as origens e desenvolvimento desse campo, de movimentos sociais de base que se institucionalizaram como ONGs na década de 1980 a startups de tecnologia em educação e inclusão alavancadas por investimento de impacto. A análise dessa evolução denota intrínseca e inevitável relação com as referências contextuais do campo do empreendedorismo social no Brasil e no mundo - o zeitgeist -, entre as quais o forte direcionamento pela busca da inovação, da sustentabilidade - demonstrada pelo profissionalismo da gestão e geração de renda dos empreendimentos sociais - e do impacto social gerado, de forma comprovada por mensurações de desempenho. Externamente, duas crises marcam de forma determinante a trajetória do Prêmio no Brasil: a instabilidade econômica ao longo desse período, com reflexo ulterior no setor do jornalismo no país, e as crises de imagem pública e reputação das organizações que incidem no campo socioambiental, espelhadas no espectro político-institucional. Já no âmbito da parceria entre as realizadoras, os resultados desta pesquisa apontam para uma aliança que se fortaleceu nos três primeiros anos e que, aos poucos, foi sendo fragmentada por incidentes críticos os quais evidenciam uma aliança que jamais chegou a ser de fato estratégica. À guisa de conclusão, nota-se que, ainda que o Prêmio influencie o movimento do empreendedorismo social brasileiro, tendo se consolidado como uma referência na seleção e promoção de líderes socioambientais no país, em maior parte ele espelha e busca se adaptar - e sobreviver - ao seu mutante contexto, de forma inerentemente atrelada às iniciativas empreendidas pela equipe que o realiza, sem um claro direcionamento estratégico e de longo prazo por parte das realizadoras.Given the need to improve the understanding of social entrepreneurship within the scope of organizational theories, based on the frontier of knowledge in this field and on awards, the objective of this study was to describe, historize and analyze the emergence, implementation and development of Social Entrepreneur Award and how the changes it has undergone over more than a decade of existence (2005-2015) mirror the very movement of Brazilian social entrepreneurship. For this, from a relativist-constructivist ontological perspective, a process research was conducted with an intrinsic case study, inspired by the Gioia method and the contextualist approach, based on the historical and longitudinal analysis of 6,688 records (secondary data) of the initiative, carried out in the country by Folha de S.Paulo and the Schwab Foundation. The analysis of the case shows that the object of study presents a relationship of mutuality with the movement of Brazilian social entrepreneurship, sometimes fomenting it, revealing new references in the field, promoting intersectoral networks and alliances and propagating its concepts to a wider public broad; sometimes mirroring it, undergoing transformations to adapt to the dynamic context in which it is inserted. In this sense, it is noted that the very concept of social entrepreneur evolves from the archetype of the hero leader to a still open reflection of his real capacity to cause a systemic social transformation, more than a decade after the launch of the Prize, vis-à-vis the new entrepreneurial generations, who reinforce principles such as horizontality and hybridity. The laureates themselves reflect the origins and development of this field, from grassroots social movements that were institutionalized as NGOs in the 1980s to technology startups in education and inclusion leveraged by impact investment. The analysis of this evolution denotes an intrinsic relation with the contextual references of the field of social entrepreneurship in Brazil and in the world - the zeitgeist -, among them the strong orientation towards the search for innovation, of sustainability - demonstrated by the professionalism of the management and income generation of social ventures - and of the social impact generated, in a way proven by performance measurements. Externally, two crises are a decisive factor in the trajectory of the Prize in Brazil: the economic instability during this period, with a further reflection on the journalism sector in the country, and the crises of public image and reputation of organizations that affect the socio-environmental field, mirrored in the political-institutional spectrum. Lastly, in the framework of the partnership between the promoters, the results of this research point to an alliance that strengthened in the first three years and that, little by little, was fragmented by critical incidents that evidence an alliance that has never really become strategic. By way of conclusion, it is noticeable that, even though the award has an affect on the social entrepreneurship movement, having consolidating itself as a reference in the selection and promotion of social-environmental leaders in the country, it mostly mirrors and seeks for adaptation - and survival - to its mutant context, deeply attached to the initiatives undertaken by the team that organizes it, without a clear strategic and long-term direction from the perspective of its two promoters

OS PRIMEIROS 60 DIAS DE COVID-19 NO BRASIL EM 60 FATOS, REFLEXÕES E TENDÊNCIAS EM FILANTROPIA, INVESTIMENTO SOCIAL E O CAMPO DE IMPACTO SOCIAL

From a collaborative mapping of private social investment initiatives, philanthropy, public calls (notices, challenges etc.) and communication in the fight against Covid-19 carried out in the first 60 days since the confirmation of the first case in Brazil, Ponte a Ponte developed this guidance and systematization guide for these initiatives. The publication seeks to allow social investors, philanthropists, company executives, CSO leaders (civil society organizations), peripheral social and collective movements, as well as intermediary developers in the field to have a macro view of what emerged in the period, as well as suggestions and recommendations for making strategic decisions and tactical-operational guidelines that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of actions and the qualification of social investment as a whole.In addition to the report, also access the database used in the production of the guide: Mapping initiatives against Covid-19