Objective: this essay offers a critical reflection on the epistemological and existential condition of Brazilian administrative science. Provocation: it argues that the field lives under a paradox between the demand for originality and a formation grounded in repetition, resulting in theoretical production that is formally abundant but poor in substance. It discusses how the hegemony of formal rationality, an heir to positivism and managerial logic, turns method into a fetish and efficiency into a moral criterion, emptying knowledge of its ethical and political potential. By analyzing the symbolic structures and mechanisms of legitimation that sustain the scientific field, it becomes evident how academic productivism and the pursuit of international recognition reinforce epistemological hierarchies and naturalize forms of symbolic domination. Conclusion: in response, the essay proposes the reconstruction of a symbolic–substantive rationality: a way of thinking that integrates ethics, power, and context, recognizing the interpretive, situated, and political nature of all scientific practice. This rationality calls for dialogue between theory and life, between reflection and experience, restoring the human and the social to the center of knowledge production. In doing so, it points to the need for an Administration capable of thinking from a reality rooted in Brazilian existence, with theoretical autonomy, epistemological courage, and a commitment to social transformation.
Objective: this study investigates the mechanisms driving Indonesian consumers to switch from fast to sustainable fashion, with particular attention to the intention–behavior gap. Theoretical approach: the research extends the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by integrating an affective dimension (environmental guilt), a cognitive dimension (perceived deception linked to greenwashing), and a habitual dimension (perceived inertia moderating the intention-behavior link), drawing on cognitive dissonance and habit theory. Method: data were collected through an online survey of Indonesian consumers (N = 357) distributed via social media. The responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4, which enabled assessment of the measurement quality and structural relationships. Results: the findings reveal that environmental guilt strongly enhances pro-environmental attitudes and directly increases switching intention, while perceived deception also reinforces pro-environmental attitudes. Pro-environmental attitude further predicts switching intention and partially mediates the influence of environmental guilt, suggesting that emotional discomfort and evaluative adjustment jointly shape behavioral motivation. Switching intention significantly translates into behavioral switching, but this pathway is weakened by perceived inertia, reflecting the limiting force of habitual resistance. Conclusions: overall, the study refines TPB by embedding affective, cognitive, and habitual elements, thereby deepening the theoretical understanding of sustainable consumption in emerging markets. Practically, the results underscore the importance of credible sustainability communication and interventions that reduce behavioral frictions to help convert sustainability intentions into consistent sustainable fashion behavior.
Objective: this article explores how skilled Brazilian immigrant women in Portugal use humor as a coping mechanism against daily aggressions. Theoretical approach: these acts of violence are often camouflaged within discourses that evoke a colonial imaginary, projecting stereotypes related to the eroticization of bodies, celebratory culture, and exotic nature. Method: the study analyzed 74 interviews conducted before and during the pandemic with Brazilian women who migrated to Portugal. An initial round of 46 interviews revealed the pervasive influence of this colonial imaginary and its associated aggressions, highlighting the psychological burdens placed on these women. It became evident that they engaged in subtle, temporary resistance movements to navigate these daily realities. A subsequent round of 28 interviews delved deeper into how this resistance manifests. Results: findings revealed three key analytical categories: the eroticized body, the dynamic between colonizer and colonized, and the Brazilian accent and humor as forms of resistance. Significantly, humor emerged as a transversal strategy across all age groups, underscoring its intergenerational capacity to disrupt colonial and gendered aggressions. Conclusions: this study’s primary theoretical contribution is its examination of humor as a strategy against colonial violence, particularly for women migrating from a previously colonized nation to a colonizing one. This persistent colonial imaginary perpetuates power imbalances and hostility through camouflaged expressions that target the ‘exotic,’ ‘carnal,’ ‘tropical,’ and ‘religious’ aspects of the colonized individual.
RESUMO Objetivo: investigar os mecanismos comportamentais, cognitivos e contextuais que influenciam as decisões estratégicas no nível da alta gestão de uma instituição educacional brasileira. Marco teórico: o estudo articula a Teoria do Alto Escalão e a Estratégia Comportamental para compreender as influências comportamentais sobre a formulação estratégica. Método: adotou-se abordagem qualitativa e exploratória, mediante estudo de caso único com 16 gestores estratégicos. As entrevistas foram submetidas à análise de conteúdo, com apoio do software NVivo. Resultados: fatores como diversidade da alta gestão, discricionariedade gerencial, controle externo e julgamento subjetivo interagem dinamicamente, moldando percepções e respostas em quatro dimensões do processo decisório: ambiental, organizacional, cognitiva e específica da decisão. Propõe-se um modelo teórico original que amplia a compreensão das influências comportamentais sobre a formulação estratégica e supera limitações das abordagens demográficas tradicionais. Conclusões: teoricamente, o estudo aprofunda a compreensão da ‘caixa-preta’ do processo decisório ao articular racionalidade limitada e intuição estratégica em contextos de elevada complexidade. Os achados oferecem subsídios aos gestores educacionais para aprimorar estratégias por meio da valorização da diversidade, coordenação interorganizacional e do uso crítico da autonomia decisória. O estudo examina dilemas contemporâneos da gestão, particularmente no campo educacional, e o equilíbrio entre sustentabilidade financeira, qualidade acadêmica e demandas sociais, em consonância com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Nações Unidas, especialmente os ODS 4 e 16.
Objectives: to analyze Brazilian federal public policies (2003-2024) regarding Unpaid Care Work (UCW), investigating how the sexual and racial division of labor is addressed throughout this period. Theoretical approach: grounded in the lens of Intersectionality combined with the principles of Recognition, Redistribution, and Representation (the 3Rs) of social justice. Method: a qualitative approach based on documentary and content analysis of Multi-Year Plans (PPAs), legislation, and federal decrees (2003-2024), utilizing the 3Rs and Intersectionality as a priori analytical categories. Results: the findings indicate a discursive evolution over the period, culminating in the National Care Policy of 2024, which recognizes care as a right and essential work and formally adopts the 3Rs. However, critical analysis reveals that this progress remains insufficient, as policies fail to effectively articulate the 3Rs through an intersectional perspective, perpetuating the disproportionate burden of UCW on Black women and low-income women. Conclusions: the analyzed public policies lack a genuine commitment to social justice, as they focus predominantly on the Redistribution dimension without giving due weight to Recognition and Representation.
