Vol. 3 No. 1 (2010): January - June

This edition of the Journal of Operations and Supply Chain Management bears a special meaning, since it marks the start of its third year of publication. 

JOSCM was born in 2008. After two years of life, it has ceased to be a dream and has become a reality. The initial project has transmuted into a regular activity. 

Much credit must be given to its first editor-in-chief - Professor Mauro Sampaio, Ph.D., for having assumed the heavy burden of shaping the journal, creating the rules for the selection and approval of papers, defining the processes and inviting most of the 14 associate editors, the 8 members of the editorial support staff and the 57 reviewers. 

After its first year, when 15 papers were published, the post of editor-in-chief was inherited by Professor Fernando Coelho Martins Ferreira, Ph.D., who supervised successfully the publication of 15 more papers. 

To these pioneers editors and to all the people who helped to give life to this so important Brazilian journal in the field of Production, Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain, Sustainable Development and related fields, to the associate editors, the members of the board, the FGV directors, the editorial staff, the reviewers, the assistants and, last, but not least, to our Authors, we want to express here our admiration and respect. 

The publication of a journal like JOSCM is a collective undertaking, a team work, which requires abnegation on the part of authors, editors, reviewers, staff, and editorial, graphic and administrative assistants, who work most of them voluntarily, many of them anonymously, for the advancement of management theory and practice, that is, for the economic development and progress of this and other countries. We are much indebt to them, they deserve our unrestricted gratitude. 

The present JOSCM edition contains seven papers. The paper entitled: "Investing in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Projects in Brazil" by Luiz Carlos Jacob Perera, Roberto Borges Kerr, Herbert Kimura and Fabiano Guasti Lima, explores the potential of Brazilian enterprises to sell carbon credits in accordance to the CDM conceived by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Nine executives linked to environmental issues were interviewed and indicated there is a promising future for carbon credits in Brazil. The paper has much to offer to all people interested in the reduction of harmful gases, forests conservation and the obtation of a healthier planet. 

"The Stigma of Failure in Organizations", by Geraldo Ferrer and Nicholas Dew, addressed a much debated question, namely, how to build an innovative organization. Based on an early study by A. Landier (2005), the Authors developed models for different types of organizational culture and reached the conclusion that companies which do not reject executives on account of some failure are more favorable to innovation than bureaucratic organizations which stigmatize managers who failed. 

The paper "Establishing the relationship between logistics complexity and supply chain objectives and decision areas in large companies operating in Brazil", by Peter F. Wanke, Henrique Luiz Correa, Maria Fernanda Hijjar, studies the relationship between logistics complexity and supply chain management objectives and decision making in 108 large manufacturing companies. Results show that such a relation indeed exists. To the question: "What is the right supply chain for my company, for my products, each logistics manager has to find his own answers. 

The research reported in "Transport management in small and medium-sized ENTERPRISES in Brazil", by Ricardo S. Martins, Wescley Silva Xavier, Osmar Vieira de Souza Filho and Guilherme S. Martins looks at 450 small industrial companies logistics strategy. The results indicate that transportation is not used an area for competitive advantage in those companies. Instead, transportation is seen by them as a commodity, not a factor of differentiation. 

The "Study on the Configuration of Distribution Channels for New Automobiles", by Ubiratã Tortato and Roberto Marx, relates the results of a research based on interviews conducted with dealers and automakers, concerning dealership strategy. A finding was that the three variables which most influence dealers' strategies are: dealer size, consumer behavior and legal environment. This article sheds an interesting light over car dealers, a scarcely studied economic segment in Brazil. 

The paper "Supply chain mapping initiatives in the Brazilian automotive industry: challenges and opportunities", by Dario Ikuo Miyake, Alvair Silveira Torres Junior, Cleber Favaro, is an in-depth report of the initiative of three manufacturers, situated in different links of automotive supply chains, who undertook the difficult task of mapping the processes of their chains. Drawing the flow charts of materials, procedures and information is not easy in a company, let alone in a supply chain. Several techniques of process mapping are described in the paper. This methodology, essential for cost reduction and productivity improvement has not yet been much mentioned in the supply chain context. 

The seventh paper of this series is "Operations and Technology Strategy Trajectories followed by automotive engine manufacturers set up in Brazil", by Jonas Lucio Maia, Aline Lamon Cerra and Alceu Gomes Alves Filho. It addresses a topic related to operations and technology strategies trajectories followed by two engine assembly plants in Brazil. The results show that the mature company has made efforts to increase quality and flexibility, while the newcomer has prioritized cost reduction and quality enhancements. 

Now an important notice: authors can send us their papers through the site: www.joscm.com.br instead of by using our e-mail. This should make easier the submission of papers, and help JOSCM to receive an evergrowing number of them. 

Ely Laureano Paiva 
JOSCM Editor-in-chief