126
M. M. C. Moura and U. Tortato
3 Results
Regarding the results found in the literature review, in the first search stage, 1674
articles were found. Secondly, when four more restrictions were applied, regarding
language, research area (business, management and accounting), time and type of
publication, 358 publications were found. By restricting to the journal, Journal of
Cleaner Production, the number of articles dropped to 36. When it was specified
that the terms “sustainability” and “competitive advantage” should appear in the
keywords, 18 publications were found. Subsequently, when selecting only articles
that already had more than ten citations, 7 articles remained. But, despite all the
filters, one of them did not fit the theme sought, so the discussion of this work was
based on 6 articles from the Scopus database.
The articles analyzed are in the Table 1:
Analyzing the results referring to the online search in the cooperatives websites,
it was observed that eleven, of the seventeen cooperatives analyzed, provide information regarding the actions of social responsibility and sustainability. The other six
cooperatives do not provide information on the topic.
Analyzing the results related to the literature review, it can be observed that the
articles found spread all over the world, without predominance of a specific country.
The main themes studied were efficient practices, industrial ecology, sustainable
performance and competitiveness, sustainable practices and financial performance
and adoption of supply chain management practices, always relating these themes
to competitive advantage.
Beginning the discussion with the article from Alves and Medeiros (2015), it is
noted that small changes in daily life can generate large savings. By analyzing a small
company, these authors concluded that changes such as repair of the hydraulic system
where there were leakage points, replacement of taps for alternatives that restricted
the flow of water, installation of reservoirs to store rainwater, installation of transparent tiles to take advantage of Sunlight, purchase of energy-efficient fluorescent
lamps, and collection of materials for external recycling can lead to improvements in
the company’s financial income. With the adoption of these changes, the company’s
productivity has increased and employee well-being has achieved significant results.
This has led to significant revenue growth and cost savings. An important point raised
by the authors is the participation of staff and owners throughout the implementation
and evaluation of new practices.
The second article, from Sullivan et al. (2018), deals with industrial ecology
and sustainable development. According to these authors, industrial ecology is very
important for business strategy and sustainable development as it brings to companies concepts such as innovation, partnerships and strategic positioning. Industrial
ecology also aims at the efficient use of energy and resources, a fact that was considered relevant for adaptation in changing environments, where companies often find
themselves, and the authors comment that the efficient use of energy and resources
M. M. C. Moura and U. Tortato
3 Results
Regarding the results found in the literature review, in the first search stage, 1674
articles were found. Secondly, when four more restrictions were applied, regarding
language, research area (business, management and accounting), time and type of
publication, 358 publications were found. By restricting to the journal, Journal of
Cleaner Production, the number of articles dropped to 36. When it was specified
that the terms “sustainability” and “competitive advantage” should appear in the
keywords, 18 publications were found. Subsequently, when selecting only articles
that already had more than ten citations, 7 articles remained. But, despite all the
filters, one of them did not fit the theme sought, so the discussion of this work was
based on 6 articles from the Scopus database.
The articles analyzed are in the Table 1:
Analyzing the results referring to the online search in the cooperatives websites,
it was observed that eleven, of the seventeen cooperatives analyzed, provide information regarding the actions of social responsibility and sustainability. The other six
cooperatives do not provide information on the topic.
Analyzing the results related to the literature review, it can be observed that the
articles found spread all over the world, without predominance of a specific country.
The main themes studied were efficient practices, industrial ecology, sustainable
performance and competitiveness, sustainable practices and financial performance
and adoption of supply chain management practices, always relating these themes
to competitive advantage.
Beginning the discussion with the article from Alves and Medeiros (2015), it is
noted that small changes in daily life can generate large savings. By analyzing a small
company, these authors concluded that changes such as repair of the hydraulic system
where there were leakage points, replacement of taps for alternatives that restricted
the flow of water, installation of reservoirs to store rainwater, installation of transparent tiles to take advantage of Sunlight, purchase of energy-efficient fluorescent
lamps, and collection of materials for external recycling can lead to improvements in
the company’s financial income. With the adoption of these changes, the company’s
productivity has increased and employee well-being has achieved significant results.
This has led to significant revenue growth and cost savings. An important point raised
by the authors is the participation of staff and owners throughout the implementation
and evaluation of new practices.
The second article, from Sullivan et al. (2018), deals with industrial ecology
and sustainable development. According to these authors, industrial ecology is very
important for business strategy and sustainable development as it brings to companies concepts such as innovation, partnerships and strategic positioning. Industrial
ecology also aims at the efficient use of energy and resources, a fact that was considered relevant for adaptation in changing environments, where companies often find
themselves, and the authors comment that the efficient use of energy and resources