PurposeThis paper aims to investigate factors that induce entrepreneurial orientation (EO), i.e. what influences the manifestation of its fundamental attributes (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking).Design/methodology/approachThis study focuses on religious entrepreneurship in an emerging economy, employing a single case study approach. A total of 17 shepherd-entrepreneurs and 4 parishioners were interviewed.FindingsThe results suggest that two key driving factors influence religious entrepreneurs’ EO: the search for the discovery of opportunity (a finding that strengthens current literature); and both the search for the creation of opportunity and overcoming challenges associated with the need for survival.Practical implicationsThis paper allows entrepreneurs to understand better the factors and motivations that affect their entrepreneurial behavior. It is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs embedded in emerging and developing countries, in which the interchange between opportunity and need contexts is apparent. Further, this paper sheds light on significant dimensions for entrepreneurs’ education and training programs. It also suggests elements capable of bolstering public policies.Originality/valueThe contributions of this paper are fourfold: it supports an integrative view of creation and discovery theories; it reinforces the alternating character of entrepreneurial motivations; it expands the literature by arguing that creating opportunity and the need for survival also influence entrepreneurs' innovativeness, proactivity and risk-taking; and it stresses the neo-Pentecostal shepherds' entrepreneurial propensity.

Vibro-fluidized beds are widely used in drying sticky powders and agglomerated materials as milk powder. Using a vibro-fluidized laboratory scale dryer, this work is aiming at analyzing preliminarily the effect of its operational variables on the drying kinetics and characteristics of whole milk powder. The full-factorial design technique with three replications at the central point has been employed to generate data and correlations to quantify the effect of inlet air temperature, air flow rate, and vibration bed amplitude on the drying curves and the milk powder properties related to its faster reconstitution in water (as tapped density, Hausner cohesion ratio, agglomerate size distribution, and internal pore concentration). Results obtained are analyzed and discussed to identify the adequate operation condition for final drying whole milk powder in vibrofluidized beds, assuring a high product quality.

ResumoO fenômeno religioso no Brasil vem atraindo crescente atenção da academia, impulsionado, em grande parte, pela expansão das seitas protestantes no país, sobretudo de vertente pentecostal. Na esteira dessa transformação, um tema, em particular, reveste-se de especial importância. Trata-se do papel dos chamados empreendedores religiosos aqui compreendidos como os novos pastores evangélicos. No entanto, tais atores não vêm sendo muito estudados. O presente trabalho busca preencher essa lacuna. Recorre-se, para isso, às contribuições teóricas clássicas derivadas de Weber, em associação às contribuições contemporâneas originárias de Granovetter, em particular, sobre acoplamento e desacoplamento. Conclui-se o trabalho propondo um novo referencial para a análise de certas dimensões do empreendedorismo religioso.Palavras-chave: Acoplamento. Desacoplamento. Redes Sociais. Empreendedor. Religião. AbstractThe religious phenomenon in Brazil is attracting increasing attention from academia, driven largely by the growth of Protestant sects in the country, particularly Pentecostal strand. Following this transformation, a theme in particular is of special importance. It is the role of so-called religious entrepreneurs, here understood as the new evangelical pastors. However, these actors have not been much studied. This paper seeks to fill this gap. Uses for this, the theoretical contributions derived from Weber, in association with contemporary contributions originating from Granovetter, in particular, coupling and decoupling. Concludes by proposing a new framework for the analysis of certain religious dimensions of entrepreneurship.

Conquanto a temática da capacidade absortiva tenha atraído, nas últimas décadas, crescente atenção da academia, uma de suas vertentes, relacionada à associação com a literatura das redes organizacionais, em particular, não tem, no entanto, recebido o impulso necessário por parte dos pesquisadores. Este ensaio teórico insere-se justamente neste contexto. Baseado na combinação das proposições de ambas as áreas, propõe um modelo teórico inédito, capaz de ampliar a atual compreensão das dimensões e dos componentes da capacidade absortiva. O trabalho projeta luzes para a necessidade de se incorporar reflexões derivadas da literatura das redes nos trabalhos sobre capacidade absortiva.