Environmental management accounting and innovation in water and energy reduction.

The objective of the study is to analyse the role of environmental management accounting (EMA) and the innovation of products and processes in reducing energy and water consumption. To carry out the study, data from PINTEC2017 on innovation activities from 55 sectors in Brazil from 2015 to 2017 were analysed. The hypotheses were tested with the application of structural equation modelling using SmartPLS. The results show that environmental management accounting (EMA) affects product innovation directly and process innovation indirectly through environmental management techniques. These results show that the use of EMA techniques contributes differently to each stage of innovation (processes and products). Thus, industries with new and improved products for the national market innovate their processes with the use of new technologies, training and innovation activities. These results are most evident in the sectors of paper and cellulose, petroleum products, chemicals and the manufacturing of machinery for extraction and construction. These results show that environmental management techniques interact with process innovation, mainly in industries that promote product innovation, and that process innovation has led to a reduction in water and energy consumption.

Effect of using public resources and training for the sustainable development of Brazilian municipalities.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of using public resources and training for the sustainable development of Brazilian municipalities. To reach this objective, the data from 5569 municipalities in 2017 were analyzed. The data were collected in the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) census and analyzed using structural equation modeling with PLS (Partial Least Squares). PLS is a structural equation modeling method that enables you to work with complex models on more than one level of latent variables. The results show that municipal resources have a positive impact on sustainable development. This means that the municipalities whose permanent employees socially participate in forums and workplace environment committees, which have specific financial resources for sustainability, present better economic and social performance. Such social participation also has positive effects on environmental performance in these municipalities. The study also showed that the training of government employees is fundamental for the implementation of environmental management programs and for improving the social performance of Brazilian municipalities.

Management Control Systems and Clinical Experience of Managers in Public Hospitals.

Healthcare authorities are encouraging managers in hospitals to acquire clinical experience and knowledge in order to better carry out and coordinate healthcare service delivery. The main objective of this paper is to analyse how the clinical experience of hospital managers is related to public health institutions’ performance. It is proposed that the effect of the clinical experience on operative and financial organizational performance is indirect through the mediating variables of perceived utility of management information and horizontal management control system. This paper analyses how these variables impact hospital performance through the data from a survey sent to 364 hospital managers in Brazil. The results show that managers’ clinical experience is related to higher perceived utility of historical, financial, short-term, and internal information, but not with horizontal control adoption in hospitals. Furthermore, our results show that, in hospitals, perceived utility of forecasted, non-financial, long-term, and external managerial information positively affects hospitals’ financial performance, while adoption of horizontal control management positively affects operational performance. Through showing evidence that clinical background could explain the differences not only in hospital service management but also in information capabilities and management control processes, this study offer meaningful implications for healthcare authorities and hospital managers involved in the development and implementation of strategies in the health sector.

Employee reactions to the use of management control systems in hospitals: motivation vs. threat / Reacciones de los empleados ante la utilización de sistemas de control de gestión en hospitales: motivación vs. Amenaza

Objective: Management control systems (such as budgets or balanced scorecards) are formal procedures used by managers to promote employee behavior aligned with organisational objectives. Employees may react to these control systems by either becoming more motivated or perceiving them as a threat. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which hospital ownership (public or private), professional group (physician, nurse, pharmacist or administrative employee), type of contract (fixed or temporary), gender and tenure can condition employee reaction to management control systems. Methods: We conducted the study in the three largest hospitals in the State of Santa Catarina (Brazil), two public (federal and state-owned) and one private (non-profit organisation). Physicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative employees received a questionnaire between October 2013 and January 2014 concerning their current perceptions. We obtained 100 valid responses and conducted an ANOVA variance analysis. Results: Our results show that the effect of management control systems on employees differs according to hospital ownership, professional group and type of contract. However, no significant evidence was found concerning gender or tenure. Conclusions: The results obtained contribute to creating specific knowledge on the reactions of employees to the use of management control systems in hospitals. This information may be important in adapting management control systems to the characteristics of the hospital and its employees, which may in turn contribute to reducing dysfunctional worker behavior (AU)

Objetivo: Los sistemas de control de la gestión (p. ej., presupuestos o cuadro de mando integral) son prácticas formales que utilizan los directivos para promover que los empleados desarrollen comportamientos alineados con los objetivos de la organización. Los empleados pueden percibirlos como una fuente tanto de motivación como de amenaza. El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar si la propiedad del hospital (pública o privada), el grupo profesional (médico, enfermera, farmacéutico o administrativo), el tipo de contrato (indefinido o temporal), el género y la permanencia en el puesto condicionan la reacción del empleado ante un sistema de control de gestión. Método: El estudio se realizó en los tres mayores hospitales del Estado de Santa Catarina (Brasil), dos públicos (federal y estatal) y uno privado (no lucrativo). Entre octubre de 2013 y enero de 2014 se envió una encuesta sobre percepciones presentes a médicos, enfermeras, farmacéuticos y administrativos. Se realizó un análisis ANOVA a partir de 100 respuestas válidas para este estudio. Resultados: Los resultados muestran que el efecto de los sistemas de control de gestión sobre los empleados es diferente en función de la propiedad del hospital, el grupo profesional y el tipo de contrato. Sin embargo, no se encontró evidencia significativa en relación con el género ni a la permanencia en el puesto. Conclusiones: Los resultados obtenidos contribuyen a crear un conocimiento específico de las reacciones a los sistemas de control en los hospitales. Esta información es relevante para adaptar el sistema de control al hospital y sus empleados, reduciendo así comportamientos disfuncionales (AU)

Employee reactions to the use of management control systems in hospitals: motivation vs. threat.

OBJECTIVE: Management control systems (such as budgets or balanced scorecards) are formal procedures used by managers to promote employee behavior aligned with organisational objectives. Employees may react to these control systems by either becoming more motivated or perceiving them as a threat. The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which hospital ownership (public or private), professional group (physician, nurse, pharmacist or administrative employee), type of contract (fixed or temporary), gender and tenure can condition employee reaction to management control systems. METHODS: We conducted the study in the three largest hospitals in the State of Santa Catarina (Brazil), two public (federal and state-owned) and one private (non-profit organisation). Physicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative employees received a questionnaire between October 2013 and January 2014 concerning their current perceptions. We obtained 100 valid responses and conducted an ANOVA variance analysis. RESULTS: Our results show that the effect of management control systems on employees differs according to hospital ownership, professional group and type of contract. However, no significant evidence was found concerning gender or tenure. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained contribute to creating specific knowledge on the reactions of employees to the use of management control systems in hospitals. This information may be important in adapting management control systems to the characteristics of the hospital and its employees, which may in turn contribute to reducing dysfunctional worker behavior.

Gestão da evidenciação ambiental: um estudo sobre as potencialidades e oportunidades do tema / Environamental disclosure management: a study on the potential and opportunities of the theme

A evidenciação ambiental é utilizada pelas organizações como meio para comunicar os aspectos e impactos ambientais. O tema desperta interesse tanto na comunidade científica quanto na empresarial; contudo, acredita-se haver oportunidades de aperfeiçoamento para o tema. Neste contexto, emerge a pergunta de pesquisa: como identificar as potencialidades e oportunidades da evidenciação ambiental? Para responder a esta pergunta, tem-se como objetivo identificar as potencialidades e oportunidades da evidenciação ambiental para a gestão interna. Para atingir este objetivo, utiliza-se: um processo estruturado de revisão da literatura e um estudo de caso na empresa Petrobras S.A. Como resultado, o estudo mostrou que as pesquisas, em geral, não contemplam aspectos importantes para avaliação da evidenciação ambiental. O exemplo utilizado da Companhia Petrobras S.A. revelou que as métricas aplicadas para a análise apresentam baixo gerenciamento das informações específicas, uma vez que não levam em consideração suas propriedades singulares e, consequentemente, não permitem gerenciar e promover ações de aperfeiçoamento. Assim, caracterizam-se como potencialidades: o tema é relevante pois possibilita estabelecer padrões de informação ambiental, sendo gerenciado pela sociedade por meio de leis e normas e pelas organizações, por meio das consequências em seus objetivos estratégicos; o processo de busca de referencial teórico revelou que o tema é recente e aceito na comunidade científica internacional, e o estudo de caso revela que a evidenciação ambiental auxilia no aumento de comunicação entre empresa e sociedade. Como oportunidades encontradas, aponta-se a necessidade de um processo estruturado que permita identificar, mensurar, apresentar diagnóstico e ações de aperfeiçoamento, considerando as características singulares de cada organização.

The environmental disclosure is used by organizations as a mean to communicate the environmental aspects and impacts. The issue arouses interest in both the scientific community, and the business one; however, it is believed that there are opportunities for improvement to the topic. In this context, the following research question emerges: how to identify environmental disclosure strengths and opportunities? To answer this question, the main purpose it to identify the environmental disclosure strengths and opportunities of internal management. To achieve this goal, the following are used: a structured literature review process, and a case study at the company Petrobras S.A. As a result, the study has showed that researches, in general, do not cover important aspects for the environmental disclosure assessment. The example used by Company Petrobras S.A. has revealed that the metrics applied to the analysis presented low management of specific information, since it does not take into account their unique properties and, therefore, does not allow to manage and to promote actions for improvement. Therefore, the following are characterized as potentialities: the topic is relevant because it allows to set standards for environmental information, being managed by society through laws and norms, and by organizations through the consequences of their strategic objectives; the search process for theoretical referential has revealed that the topic is recent and accepted in the international scientific community, and the case study revealed that the environmental disclosure helps to increase communication between the company and society. As the opportunities found, the need for a structured process is emphasized to identify, measure, present diagnostic and actions for improvement taking into consideration the unique characteristics of each organization.