Inovação no setor de malharia retilínea : uma análise nas indústrias de Caxias do Sul

Abstract

The practice of innovation contributes to economic development by creating the opportunity to develop new markets and improve the existing markets, generating benefits for producers and consumers of products and services news or improved by innovation. The textile sector encompasses a set of activities that provide the appearance of various segments of textile industries, since the origin of raw material, natural or artificial, to the finish of the final product. This dissertation aimed to investigate the innovations of the flat knitting sector occurred on the period 2008 to 2011, and through the literature review identify the changes in the industry since the 80’s, in Brazil, to the innovations of the industrial flat knitting of Caxias do Sul, by the four dimensions of innovation, according to the Oslo Manual (2005): product innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation and organizational innovation. The research method used has qualitative and quantitative approach, using the applied nature, exploratory and descriptive purposes. The technique proceeding used was the multiple case study, and the qualitative phase used exploratory and descriptive methods. In the quantitative phase, it was used a survey with a structured questionnaire as an instrument for data collection, which was applied to managers and/or owners of industries of rectilinear mesh of Caxias do Sul, associated to FITEMASUL of Caxias do Sul, with a total population of 23 companies. The data analysis took place in two stages, in the qualitative phase, we used the content analysis of the interview and the quantitative stage, it was used descriptive quantitative analysis, through the correlation of the data, in order to identify the level of relationship between variables of the theoretical construct. The results of the qualitative phase identified that the flat knitting sector of Caxias do Sul invests in innovation, according to the market demands and fashion trends. The quantitative results, aimed to verify relationships between variables of innovation and industry identified correlations between the variables of innovation. In moderate positive correlations (0,5 ≤ p < 0,8) it was identified a correlation between the variable: annual revenues, with the variables: number of employees and amount invested in marketing innovation, the variable: number of employees with variable: amount invested in marketing innovation, the variable: skilled labor with the variables: amount invested in product innovation and value invested in organizational innovation, the variable: amount invested in product innovation with the variable: value invested in marketing innovation, the variable: amount invested in product innovation with the variable: amount invested in organizational innovation. In the weak positive correlations (0,1 ≤ p < 0,5) it was identified correlation between the variable: number of employees with variables: amount invested in product innovation, value invested in organizational innovation and the variable: skilled labor.