Inovação tecnológica e estratégias de coordenação na cadeia agroindustrial dos queijos finos: uma análise da interface fornecedor-indústria

Abstract

The research aimed at identifying, at the special cheese agro industrial chain in South Minas Gerais, the relations among corporative strategies, governance structures, and technological trajectories, mostly regarding the relationships between firms and their milk suppliers, focused on the search of increasing competitiveness and the transformations in this industry. The study was formatted as a classical case study, in other words, a deep research of the peculiar reality of a dairy company, a group of milk producers, and their project of implementing a communitarian milk reservoir. It also aimed at obtaining as numerous and detailed information as possible, seeking the understanding of the situation in its totality. Though, the research was developed using mostly qualitative techniques, although some quantitative information has outcome as beneficial in rich data interpretation. The technological profile of the milk producers was identified as highly amateur and presented low productivity, in opposition to the differentiation strategy of the firm. This situation, in with the transaction costs were identified and classified as very high, leaded the firm to develop a partnership with the milk producers in order to change the governance structure to a most innovation supporting and strategy compatible one. It was accomplished, also, that results were not fully sufficient, mainly because the lack of formal contraction instruments, poor firm commitment with the project, and turbulences in the economical and political environments in the country.