Ensaios sobre business groups: Perdigão e Sadia e a consolidação de grupos econômicos no Brasil (1934-2009)

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to qualify Perdigão and Sadia as typical cases of business groups formed in Brazil between 1934-2009. Both companies began their expansion trajectories in the Midwest of Santa Catarina. Perdigão was founded by brothers Ponzoni and Brandalise in 1934 and Sadia by Attílio Fontana in 1944. The association between the two companies took place only in 2009, when the groups unified their operations, thus performing one of the stages of the merger process. Two years later it would be approved by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), enabling the creation of Brasil Foods - BRF, one of the largest food companies in the world. It is believed that these events alone explain why the period of study was delimited between 1934-2009. From the interpretations of scholarly authors, this paper defined the Perdigão and Sadia structures as Business Groups by arguing that driven by the desire to grow more and more, either through family administration or through professionalized management, these groups faced structural and social difficulties inherents in the less developed economies, always seeking to maintain associative ties with their employees, since their managers understood that the success of the projects depended on a good relationship with people that were able to exercise their potential with creativity and satisfaction. In addition, Perdigão and Sadia adopted strategies aimed at vertical integration, diversification of products and activities, technological adaptations and insertion in the international market. These strategies were adopted in view of the perception that territorial boundaries did not present an ideal size for the growth of companies as industries. In addition, its managers wished to establish new activities, which would promote related complementary activities and intersectoral synergies that would increase the scope of their business and occupation in the domestic market. Perdigão and Sadia have always tried to stay ahead of their competitors and reduce the risks to be assumed due to the unstable institutional environment. More detailed analyzes on characteristics and strategies were developed from three essays (articles). The first, “Business Groups: Theoretical Review and Propositions on the Characteristics and Strategies of Economic Groups in Latin America”, presented the characteristics and strategies that help define business group models globally. Thus, the theoretical bases were established so that from the following essays, “Perdigão: Consolidated Business Group in Brazil (1934-2009)” and “Sadia as a Business Group Model in Brazil (1944-2009)”, the respective economic groups could be characterized as models of Business Groups and consolidated among the most important in the country.