General Enterprising Tendency (GET) in Brazilian Taxi Drivers: Alternative to Unemployment or Form of Action?/TENDENCIA EMPRESARIAL GENERAL EN LOS TAXISTAS BRASILENOS ?ALTERNATIVA AL DESEMPLEO O FORMA DE ACCION?/TENDENCIA EMPRESARIAL GERAL NOS TAXISTAS BRASILEIROS: ALTERNATIVA PARA O DESEMPREGO OU FORMA DE ACAO?/LA TENDANCE GENERALE DES AFFAIRES CHEZ LES CHAUFFEURS DE TAXI BRESILIENS. UNE ALTERNATIVE AU CHOMAGE OU UNE FORME D'ACTION?
| Autor | Silva, S |
Introduction
Global economy is undergoing deep transformations, being Information and Communication Technology (ICT) one of the factors that have provided a real revolution in social relations around the world, especially in relation to the emergence of new applications (software) for mobile phones (smartphones). One of these applications is Uber platform (Uber, 2015), which offers people-to-people transport service with the particularity that any properly qualified driver can offer a "ride" and gain value for that service. The service has the philosophy of increasing mobility within cities. At the same time, it provides an "extra" compensation for drivers who often come and go with their empty cars. Moreover, sharing services, as in this case, increases mobility and better harness natural resources (G1, 2015; Olhar Digital, 2015). However, this application encountered resistance from a social actor called "taxi drivers", who proclaim that Brazilian law restricts this activity within the category (contran, 2004), bringing the issue to the spotlight of government entities (G1, 2015).
It is observed that the border of the discussions is in "hitchhiking" without remuneration. Theoretically, a ride is not charged, and the argument is that if a figure is charged in consideration of services then it should follow local law; being Law 12.587/2012 in the case of Brazil (Governo federal do Brasil, 2012). Faced with such situation, taxi drivers will need to develop new skills to co-exist with technological innovations. One of those is entrepreneurial skills within the professional activity.
In this scenario, the authors present the following research question: What is the level of entrepreneurial skills of Brazilian taxi drivers? It is observed that such a traditional activity, regulated in several countries, is faced with a challenge of reinventing itself or running the risk of becoming history. With that in mind, the aim of this study is to provide an assessment of the degree of entrepreneurship of taxi drivers so that these social actors can continue to secure their place in society. The object of the research is the perception taxi drivers have about their entrepreneurship characteristics. In this dynamic, the study does not intend to be "essentialist" like those of Christensen and Carlile (2009); Flores, Gomes, and Santana (2014); Gartner (1988); or Shane and Venkataraman (2000). Therefore, the researchers of this study believe that participating subjects used their past and present life trajectory to answer the questions. Thus, by studying taxi drivers organized in the form of a cooperative, linked to a methodology already known in the academic environment--such as the General Enterprising Tendency model (GET) by Caird (1991)--it broadens the knowledge about the entrepreneurial features of taxi drivers.
This research is justified by the limited number of studies on this important actor in society, that is, taxi drivers. In this way, the study can serve for suggesting public policies aimed at enriching the entrepreneurial activity of these actors. The results of this exercise could become propellers of training programs of various organizations to support entrepreneurs. Taxi drivers are important actors when it comes to solidarity economy in a society that gives more attention to environmental management and social responsibility issues. The article is divided into five sections: introduction, literature review, research methodology, discussion of results, and final considerations.
Theoretical reference
The research proposal reveals three important points for this study: taxi drivers, entrepreneurship, and the method for evaluating entrepreneurship.
Working Conditions of Taxi Drivers: Characteristics
The service called "taxi" refers "to the individual passenger transport, with rental vehicle provided with taximeter" (Portaria 292, 2008). In this mode of transport, the passenger allocates the car and the driver to a certain route. Nobrega (2008) records that to be a taxi driver it is necessary to have a government authorization for the exercise, known as a "license" (Dias, 2007), which is granted by the municipal government (Lei 12.587 de 2012). To be a taxi driver, the interested party must undergo a training program dictated by the National Traffic Council (CONTRAN) that includes 28 hours of classes (Resolução 168, 2004).
Di-Muro-Perez (2001) emphasizes the social importance of taxi drivers, since they offer transportation with safety and comfort to the users/passengers. In this scenario, it is required of the professional taxi driver, besides to safety and comfort, to show ethical attitude and special care with personal marketing, considering that the ability to serve is highlighted by Castelli (2006) as an important attribute in the performance of the activity. The ability to express themselves well in their language, as well as in other languages, besides the monitoring of technological evolution, are also important attributes to this social actor.
The monthly remuneration for taxi services by holders is around BRL 5,000.00 (USD 1,327.422). The taxi drivers who do not have the "license" can "rent" (around BRL 200.00 or USD 53.07) the cars of the taxi drivers who hold the license. In this case, they are called "assistant taxi drivers".
Nobrega (2008) points out that generally taxi drivers hold higher education than the secondary level. Many of them have a college degree. This author also mentions that taxi drivers enter the profession after losing their original jobs; that is, the occupation of a taxi driver is a secondary and not a primary option of occupation. The author reveals in his research that the majority of respondents have become professional taxi drivers because of the process of downsizing in organizations.
Moreover, Veloso, Oliveira-Filho, and Medeiros (2009) seek to describe the identity perceived by these professionals. The results of the survey carried out by these researchers show that taxi drivers are disillusioned with the profession as they conceive it as decadent but necessary to ensure their survival. The interviewees portray themselves and the group to which they belong as workers struggling to survive, thus legitimizing the need to choose alternative transportation. This survey also highlights that most respondents report that before they entered the profession of taxi drivers their financial situation was more stable. In addition, Rosa (2012) reinforces the image of "survival" by taxi drivers when he states: "[...] even with the fear of crime and the factors that aggravate their health problems, the best remuneration becomes practically the only justification for such preference (as a taxi driver)" (p. 542).
The work of the taxi driver is carried out in the open public environment, so these professionals do not have a restricted and defined place to carry out their tasks. They work outside the walls of the organizations, being subject to conditions such as bad weather, traffic jams, and the route of urban roads (Battiston, Cruz, & Hoffman, 2006). In the violence aspect, Silva-Neto (2011) and Nascimento (2010) studied mechanisms (signs, gestures, and looks) used by taxi drivers as mitigation to vulnerability in their working day. Gany, Gill, Ahmed, Acharya, and Leng (2012) point out that six out of ten taxi drivers in large cities report increased working hours of or equal to twelve hours daily. This fact increases the risk of high blood pressure (Vieira, 2009). Barros et al. (2013) and Lopes and Simony (2013) observed a high level of alcohol consumption, smoking, high risk of obesity, consumption of energy drinks, and high risk of developing diseases such as disc herniation, what was also observed by Chanffin and Andersson (2001). However, the stress factor is institutionalized among professionals, according to Braga and Zille (2015).
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship has attracted significant interest from many researchers. Several areas of entrepreneurship knowledge have been studied, such as psychology, economics and business administration (Carlsson et al., 2013; García-Cabrera & García-Soto, 2008). Serafim and Feuerschutte (2015) note that discussions on entrepreneurship arose from the early works of Richard Cantillon and Jean-Baptiste Say (Carrasco & Castaño, 2008). These authors report Schumpeter's ideas (1883-1950) on entrepreneurship as "an agent that, by promoting new combinations of factors of production, promotes economic development" (p. 168), and compare the desire of the entrepreneur to the desire to set up a "private realm", "will to win", the satisfaction of creating, and developing and implementing innovations (Kreiser, Marino, Dickson, & Weaver, 2010; Lim, Morse, Mitchell, & Seawright 2010). In fact, we are talking about entrepreneurship through business opportunity (Acs & Amorós, 2008; Valliere & Peterson, 2009).
Since then, the economic scenario of the first studies on entrepreneurship has changed. One of the elements of this transformation is the unemployment rate. This aspect is motivated by the recent economic crises and the technological advancements that increase production combined with the need for fewer people (Esther, 2014).
Additionally, Nassif, Ghobril, and Amaral (2009) recorded the perceptions of unemployed individuals who became entrepreneurs, highlighting the following: (i) the feeling of lack of perspective; (ii) feeling of rejection by certain social groups; (iii) deep sense of lack of opportunities; (iv) helplessness; (v) feeling of helplessness when facing situations previously experienced; and (vi) feeling of living a difficult time. This perspective leads to the only option of undertaking not to fail even more. In this context, according to Nobre (2012), public policies encourage entrepreneurship as the preferred way of survival in Brazil, and Europe as well. Thus, entrepreneurship is a means of regaining the right to work...
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