Editorial

Abstract

Dear Internext readers and collaborators,

We are pleased to release the second issue of volume 12 of Internext, the first in which the magazine is rated as B2 by, Qualis Periodicos.

In this issue, we have six articles that all carry, I believe, important theoretical and managerial contributions, as well as suggestions of new research questions. I highlight some of these contributions this editorial.

In "THE PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY MANAGER OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN BRAZIL", Fernanda Geremias Leal, Rafaela Ribeiro Céspedes and Luciane Stallivieri outline the profile of the international cooperation managers of the Brazilian federal public universities. From the data analysis of 46 of these institutions, they identify the positive aspects and the problems of the positioning of the international relations department in the university structure. It also analyses the personal experience of managers with activities of an international nature. Given the relevance and timeliness of the theme of internationalization of universities in the exchange of students and professors among others, and given the lack of information about these activities in Brazilian universities, this is a timely and essential contribution for those who research university management in general and its internationalization in particular.

In POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES OF RELATIONSHIP NETWORKS TO INTERNATIONALIZATION OF FIRMS IN AN EMERGING COUNTRY, Jefferson Marlon Monticelli, Silvio Luís de Vasconcellos e Ivan Lapuente Garrido analyze, using the political perspective of neo-institutionalism, how institutions, especially government, influence the internationalization of Brazilian Wine sector They contribute to the understanding of how the political relationship takes within the economic sectors and between government and business sectors occur. Hardly any academic contribution could fit in better than this the Brazilian institutional context today.

EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF ‘LEVEL OF COMFORT’ AMONG INTERNATIONAL WORKERS MULTINATIONAL FIRMS, by Vijesh Jain and Susana Costa e Silva develops a measurement instrument of the comfort level of multinational workers in working with people of different national cultures. The authors apply this instrument to a sample of 550 workers from 14 nationalities and develop a ranking of the levels of comfort of these workers in interacting with nationals of other cultures. In addition to providing a useful instrument for researchers and companies wishing to assess comfort level, the article elaborates the concept of cultural comfort and its relation with cultural competence and the dimensions of Hofstede, Trompenaar's and Globe.EXPANSION MODE CHOICES: THE CASE OF US MULTINATIONALS IN BRAZIL, by Juliana Carvalho Sampaio Tourinho and Hsia Hua Sheng analyze the decisions taken by 10 large and experienced multinationals in Brazil, between 2004 and 2013, identifying the possible reasons for these decisions. The study finds evidence supporting Jean-François Hennart's complementary asset theory that states that complementary local assets have owners and that access to them entails transaction costs. The article adds details to the theory, one of the classic forms of case study contributions (Ridder, Hoon, & Mccandless, 2009).

In ‘IF I HUFF AND I PUFF’, FOUNDATIONS FOR BUILDING BRAZIL’S IMAGE: EVIDENCE FROM AN INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Fabiana Gondim Mariutti, Ralph Tench, Maria Gabriela Montanari and Janaina de Moura Engracia Giraldi carry out a systematic review of the literature on the country image construct and its relation with the country of origin theory. They relate these issues with recent changes in the Brazilian economic, political and social situation. They conclude that there is still great potential for research that advances the theoretical and methodological knowledge about the image of countries in general and of Brazil in particular.

COMPETITIVENESS LEVEL OF PRODUCTS EXPORTED BY MINAS GERAIS, Felipe Lopes Vieira Vasconcelos, Elisa Maria Pinto da Rochaand Jane Noronha Carvalhais, using the Revealed Competitive Advantage Index, the competitiveness of exports and regions of the Minas Gerais state, demonstrating that several of these products and territories may have their exports stimulated. The study reinforces the importance of Ricardian theory for the development of localities and has implications for managers and policy makers that formulate development policies, as it proposes and exemplifies a procedure on how to calculate the international competitiveness of products and locations.

Good reading to all.

Ilan Avrichir

Editor in chief