Export Consortia in Brazil: a multi-case study

Author(s)

Gustavo Barbieri Lima

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA/SBD)
• Defense date: 2006-04-28

Examining board members

Dirceu Tornavoi de Carvalho; Paulo Sergio Miranda Mendonca; Flávio Torres Urdan

• Advisor: Dirceu Tornavoi de Carvalho

Abstract

Nowadays, small industries have chosen to establish different ways to cooperate, intending to keep themselves competitive face to a globalized market. The inter-organizational networks represent a strategy of cooperation very efficient for industries. The networks can adopt different types: the export consortia, the industrial clusters, the cooperatives, the agglomerates, the virtual organizations. The export consortium, which is the union of small industries of the same industry and/ or complementary intending to export together their products, can be pointed out as an important strategy to insert those industries in the international market. The synergy obtained offers the following advantages for the participant industries: export costs reduction, minimization of the risk to export individually, increasing of industries competitiveness, motivating effect among participants, safety to penetrate and diversify markets, to boost international sales, possibility to export with its own brand, political power to deal with entities related to international business, among others. To develop this research, a bibliographic review was performed about Inter-organizational Networks, Modes of Foreign Entry and Export Consortia. The general goal of this research is to describe the insertion processes of small and medium industries (SMI) in the international market through export consortia, discussing the role of this kind of networks. The specific goals are: - To identify the SMI´s motivations to the consortia formation (inter-organizational networks); - To identify characteristics of structure and operationalization of export consortia in Brazil; - To verify the exporter performance of export consortia in Brasil.The case study method was used (YIN, 2001) to analyse: the consortium Brazilian Health Products (BHP) ? Medical-Odontological industry, established in Ribeirão Preto ? S.P., the consortium Components & Machinery by Brasil ? Components for Leather Shoes industry, established and operating in Franca ? S.P. and the Integrated Sectorial Project (ISP) which originated from a consortium, Wines from Brazil ? Wine industry, established in Bento Gonçalves - RS. Semi-structured interviews and documental analysis were conducted as part of the process to elaborate the study cases. Complementary interviews were conductcted at APEX-Brasil, aiming to get further information about export consortia in Brasil. As some results, we can mention: - the export consortia are an important strategy to insert small and medium industries in the international market; - the financial add offered by APEX-Brasil is fundamental to the consortia development; - the consortia studied have a very good export performance; - the Brazilian Government (APEX-Brasil) has been redirecting its export promotion strategy from export consortia to the ISP. (AU)