FONTES EXTERNAS DE TECNOLOGIA: O CASO DE UMA INDÚSTRIA DE CERÂMICA VERMELHA

Abstract

Competitiveness is one of the main issues in business nowadays. The entrepreneur’s economic environment requires the ability to leverage the productive resources available. This paper aims to study the stage of identifying external sources of technological information in a red ceramic industry. Initially, we made a comprehensive review of the literature about strategy, management and sources of technology. In addition, we made a contextualization of the ceramic sector in Brazil. Then, we applied a case study in a red ceramic industry in the state of Piaui through an interview with one of the directors of the company and the quality manager. The study of this case can be classified as exploratory because it increased the understanding on the phenomenon studied. The literature review indicated the existence of low technology content in the ceramic industry in Brazil. The sector of red ceramic industry is not very dynamic with regard to the development of new products. However, the company studied seeks to improve the quality of the PROFUTURO: PROGRAMA DE ESTUDOS DO FUTURO Editor cientifico: James Terence Coulter Wright Avaliacao: Double Blind Review pelo SEER/OJS Revisao: Gramatical, normativa e de formatacao Future Studies Research Journal ISSN 2175-5825 Sao Paulo, v. 4, n. 1, pp. 03 – 30, jan./jun. 2012 5 products offered and develop new processes, not only through incremental changes, but also through innovative projects. In order to be successful, the company systematizes the management of external sources of technological information.