Critical theory and research

In his book “Tem razão a Administração?” Fernando Guilherme Tenório shows that the term Critical Theory was used by Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) to establish a difference from the proposal of the Frankfurt School, or the Traditional Theory as he called it. The traditional theory is related to the knowledge based on natural sciences and on the pursuit of general laws, emphasizing empiricism and knowledge to the detriment of action, which is a positivist approach.

On the other hand, “critical theory {...} is concerned with exploring the interconnections of social phenomena and observing them in a direct relation with the historical laws of the society studied at that moment” (TENÓRIO, 2016). According to the author, in Brazil the work of Alberto Guerreiro Ramos (1915-1982) was crucial to disseminate the critical and analytical thinking, which proposes the emancipation of individuals based on their understanding of the social relations they are inserted in, as well as the emancipation through the improvement of the individuals’ capacity of interpretation. Teaching and research have the role of contributing to such improvements.

In the same line of thought, the first article of this issue deals with the analysis of the concepts of public administration and its interface with social management based on Jürgen Habermas’ work. The second discusses processes of organizational identification and social identity of administrators of a Brazilian federal university. The third article critically analyzes the Brazilian federal government’s policy of Vale-Cultura and its social impacts, and the fourth presents the contribution of the Actor-Network Theory to the field of research on consumption in Brazil, a new perspective of research in this area. The fifth article shows how emotion can also be analyzed in its ideological dimension. Two articles presented in this issue critically analyze the Brazilian scientific production in the areas of people management and labor relations.

Regarding the theme of social inclusion and sustainability, the issue brings articles discussing agro-industrial cooperatives and the feasibility of a sustainable management model for crafts in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, aiming at actions of social inclusion. In addition, one of the works presented is a theoretical essay on this subject.

We wish you a pleasant read!

Isabella F. Freitas Gouveia de VasconcelosHélio Arthur Reis Irigaray

REFERÊNCIA

• TENÓRIO, F. G. Tem Razão A Administração?: Ensaios de Teoria Organizacional e Gestão Social. 4. ed. Ijuí: Unijuí, 2016.

• Article 1 “Understanding the concept of public sphere in social management: ideas for an empirical-descriptive and normative reconstruction”, by André Spuri Garcia, José Roberto Pereira, Valderí de Castro Alcântara and Elaine Santos Teixeira Cruz, shows that the concept of public sphere has undergone criticisms and reformulations in the works of Habermas (1962, 1981, 1992) and that the current concepts cover a plurality of publics, interests and opinions, as well as conflicting dimensions and oppressive potentials. It shows that reconstruction defends the descriptive, normative and critical potential of public spheres.
• Article 2, “The performance of business managers in public agencies: organizational identification in the face of a business-oriented background”, by Denise Gutierrez Castro, Edson Keyso de Miranda Kubo and Milton Carlos Farina, analyzes the configuration of the organizational identification of public servants in administrative positions of a federal university.
• Article 3, “Archeology of the narrative about voucher for culture in Brazil: political performance in formulating the program’s legal framework”, by Hérrisson Fábio de Oliveira Dutra, Sérgio Carvalho Benício de Mello and Anderson da Trindade Marcelino, is part of the Labor Culture Program, launched in 2012 by the federal government. It is a public policy aimed at encouraging cultural consumption through a benefit commonly called Vale-Cultura. Conclusions are presented on two discursive formations hat emerged from the analysis of this program: “Commercialization of Culture” and “Social Inclusion”.
• Article 4, “Actor-network theory: new perspectives and contributions to consumption studies”, by Camila Braga and Maribel Suarez, presents the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and indicates how it can contribute to the field of research of consumption in Brazil, in order to improve the research in the area of marketing.
• Article 5, “The ideological dimension of emotion in the management of cosmetics sellers in a multinational company”, by Rossana Cristine Floriano Jost, Yára Lucia Mazziotti Bulgacov and Denise de Camargo, reveals and analyzes the ideological dimension of emotion in the management practice of informal cosmetic vendors in a multinational organization in Curitiba, Brazil.
• Article 6, “Human resource management policies and practices in organizations: scenario of the national production in high-quality journals and research agenda”, by Gisela Demo, Natasha Fogaça and Ana Carolina Costa, consists of a bibliometric review of works related to people management published in the main Brazilian journals in Administration and Psychology (classification of B1 or higher in Qualis Capes) from 2010 to 2016.
• Article 7, “A Proposal for a Model of Sustainable and Competitive Craft Management”, by Anderson Aquiles Viana Leite and Simone Sehnem, has the objective of identifying the characteristics necessary to propose a sustainable and competitive management model for crafts managed by a public entity in a municipality of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
• Article 8, “Enterprises operating in the bottom of the pyramid and their contributions to sustainability: framework of analysis and empirical evidences”, by Rodrigo Luiz Morais-da-Silva, Farley Simon Nobre and Thálita Anny Estefanuto Orsiolli, shows that discussions about the theoretical perspective of the bottom of the pyramid - BoP have gained ground in research on Administration. Given the theoretical gap identified, the article aims to analyze the performance of companies in BoP and its contributions to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.
• Article 9, “Absorptive capacity on rural properties of farmers associated with an agroindustry cooperative”, by Merylisa Furlan, Juliane Sachser Angnes and João Francisco Morozini, studies a cooperative of farmers in the center-south of Paraná applying the Theory of Dynamic Capabilities and the management of knowledge to improve productivity and profitability in agriculture.
• Finally, article 10 “Meaning and Significance of work: a review of articles published in journals associated with the Scientific Periodicals Electronic Library”, by Diana Rebello Neves, Rejane Prevot Nascimento, Mauro Sérgio Felix Jr., Fabiano Arruda da Silva and Rui Otávio Bernardes de Andrade, analyses (during the period 2008-2015) how studies by Brazilian researchers focus on the terms sense and meaning in the area of Administration.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  June 2018