Mudanças ambientais e ações competitivas: um estudo no setor supermercadista de Campina Grande – PB.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to analyze the impacts of environmental changes on the competitive strategies of companies in the supermarket sector of Campina Grande/PB from 2013 to 2017. The theoretical basis used dealt with the competitive strategies, specifically the competitive dynamics, focusing on the types of competitive actions and ways of competing in the market, considering the proposals of USERO & FERNÁNDEZ (2003), SILVA & FREITAS (2006), and FERRIER & LEE 2002). As for the methodological procedures, the research is qualitative in nature and three cases were used for study. Primary and secondary data were used. The primary data were obtained from interviews with the respective managers of the supermarkets under study and the secondary ones in the literature and studies on the sector. The results showed that of the 10 environmental changes occurred in the sector at national level 7 presented in the local sector with high intensity and 3 with low intensity. These changes impacted on the competitive strategies of the companies studied, leading them to adopt various innovation actions and tactics. Of the 10 innovation actions considered, 8 were used with greater intensity and 2 with less intensity. In relation to the 7 tactical actions, 4 were used with higher intensity and 3 with low intensity. As to the way of competing, it was verified that these companies presented aggressiveness and complexity, but did not present heterogeneity and unpredictability, maintaining the same form already identified in the period from 2003 to 2005 by SILVA & FREITAS (2006).