Older Restaurant Managers 'More Risk Averse', Study Finds
UFSC study shows prolonged tenure leads managers to favour conservative actions.
Tempo previsto
16/4/2025
Report inspires study valuing Amapá quilombola women's ceramic art.
News is an incredible way to popularize subjects, to simplify the complex, to expose varied themes through texts, images, and sounds. This is the magic of journalism, to reach where we cannot and to echo events. As a social science, journalism has a social function to popularize information, and thus, awaken curiosity in recipients, listeners, and viewers.
This happened to me when I still didn't know the Potters of Maruanum. It was in a news report that the click of curiosity was triggered. I remember very well when I first heard about the Potters of Maruanum, I immediately decided that I needed to meet them, and I went to research.
With theoretical knowledge and a field visit in 2011, it was decided: I would research the cultural heritage of the Potters of Maruanum. I had just entered the master's program with a research proposal on the clay tradition in Maruanum.
From a news report came my research theme, which for two years would be the center, the objective to be achieved, with a focus on the principle of intergenerational equity. The potters of Maruanum are quilombola, Amazonian, and ceramist women who reside in the District of Maruanum, belonging to the municipality of Macapá in the State of Amapá.
They received from past generations the tradition of the create-know-how of clay pottery, of Maruanum ceramics. All stages of making clay pottery are carried out according to intergenerational teachings based on rituals, beliefs, and with deep respect for nature.
Thesis on the Potters of Maruanum After the master's degree, the challenge would be another: the doctorate. The research on the Potters of Maruanum continued for another four years. As a researcher, since that time I have sought to give visibility to the cultural heritage of the Potters of Maruanum.
It was in the doctoral thesis that I proposed educational strategies for the conservation of the ceramic tradition of Maruanum. Thus, this scientific research played a fundamental role in offering alternatives to the resolution of a problem of the communities holding this cultural heritage.
I return to the defense that journalism has a social function in the dissemination of research in cultural heritage. So much so that I seek opportunities in the press for the Potters of Maruanum to speak about the ceramic tradition, for me to speak about the research, and for there to be a reverberation of the matriarchal ancestral knowledge that is the pottery of Maruanum. Because it is not enough to research and defend the thesis. Scientific research, like journalism, also has a social function with the communities involved.
Leia insights sobre a interação de humanos com modelos de linguagem de IA, e sobre os ODS no Brasil. Lab Educação 2050 Ltda, que mantém este site, é signatária do Pacto Global das Nações Unidas.
News drives deeper inquiry, uniting groups and creating concrete knowledge.
Sharing lore builds ties, fostering greener, more inclusive urban areas.
UFSC study shows prolonged tenure leads managers to favour conservative actions.
A recent study published in the *Revista Turismo, Visão e Ação* (RTVA) reveals that older managers with longer tenures in restaurants tend to be more risk-averse in their corporate decisions. The research, conducted by researchers at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), analyzed data from over 2,000 restaurants in Europe between 2014 and 2016.
The study, titled "Influence of Management Team Characteristics on Risk Decision-Making: Evidence from the Restaurant Sector," utilized the Amadeus database and employed the least squares method to analyze the relationship between manager characteristics – age, tenure, gender, and team size – and the companies' level of financial leverage, used as a risk-taking indicator.
The results showed a significant negative correlation between the age and tenure of managers and their propensity for risk. Older managers and those who had held the same position for a longer period demonstrated a preference for more conservative decisions, opting to maintain the status quo rather than adopting innovative or risky strategies.
Contrary to some expectations, the study found no significant relationship between the size of the management team or female participation and risk-taking. Although previous research has suggested a possible influence of these factors, the data analyzed did not confirm this hypothesis in the specific context of the restaurant industry.
The authors suggest that the risk aversion demonstrated by more experienced managers may be related to the prioritization of stability and the reputation built throughout their careers. Familiarity with the sector and a concern to preserve accumulated gains may lead them to avoid decisions that represent potential threats to the business.
The study's findings have significant implications for restaurant management. The research suggests that the composition of the management team can directly influence the strategy and performance of companies. Restaurants with younger managers may be more willing to innovate and take risks, while those led by more experienced managers may prioritize stability and financial security.
The researchers highlight the need for further studies to deepen the understanding of the relationship between manager characteristics and decision-making in restaurants. Investigating psychological factors, such as individual risk tolerance, and analyzing data from a longer period could enrich the discussion and provide more precise insights for the sector.
Lack of updates and context erodes reader trust.
A journalistic suite is the continuation of a news story in new articles that update previous ones. Something like: "Two people were injured in an accident"; then, "Men injured in accident undergo surgery"; further, "Men injured in accident discharged from hospital"; and finally, "Company responsible for accident involving injuries fined." All these sensational headlines relate to the same original event.
Not every type of news warrants a continuation. Some events and accomplishments have the momentum for a single appearance. However, to appear once or several times in the newspaper, the "thing" must truly be news, which basically means it's not advertising or propaganda – but that's a topic for another time.
In terms of format, a suite is no different from a new news story. After all, a continuation only exists when a new fact is revealed. But it's in style, from what I've observed, that the "marmita das suítes azedou" – meaning why they've lost momentum in recent years. ("Marmita das suítes azedou" is an idiom meaning roughly that the suites have gone stale or lost their appeal).
Let's take a police investigation as an example. Journalism of both good and poor quality is interested in criminal stories. However, in both types of quality, a flavor of vice remains, perhaps originating from the pleasure of "scooping" (when a journalist is the first to report something). It's a haste that hinders more than it helps: not infrequently, versions are presented that collaborate with a story one wants to tell, which may have nothing to do with what actually happened.
In the case of Armed man threatens Black youth in São Paulo, and police officer refuses to act because she's 'off-duty'; watch video (sense-based translation), for example. This is a story that quickly captured the attention of journalists and the public because a video proves not only the omission of a police officer but also her aggression against a young man. Here, whether the police officer was right or wrong is not under discussion. At the same time, due to the lack of suites, the broader context of the three-minute video was missing.
A story told because of its intriguing nature can yield minutes of viewership and an increase in website visitors. However, without continuity, it's shooting oneself in the foot. In 2023, the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report identified that Brazilians' trust in journalism is 43%, a decrease of 19 percentage points since 2015. Statistically, the downward trend may reach 41% in 2024. In this scenario, all resources of intelligence and integrity are welcome to improve these numbers.
Suites are an opportunity to assure the public that editorial choices represent, even if against the majority view, the vehicle's commitment to a story told from beginning to end, with all its nuances. For this, the editorial line as a whole, and even more so the reporters and editors, must approach investigative activity with the detachment of recounting things as they are, and not as they should be.
