Changes in tourism business networks from the perspective of the social theory: the Paranapiacaba Village case study - SP

Abstract

This study analyzes the changes in business networks in the economic, technical and social dimensions, exemplified through the tourism business, supporting the thesis that the forms and contents of relations change according to economic and political objectives. It is possible to state that networks evolve over time, with the emergence of new structures and forms of relationships with several levels of flexibility, innovation and culture, as opposed to the life cycle perspective. In order to sustain this statement, this research analyzes the evolution of the organizational field of Paranapiacaba Village, in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil - since its creation up to the present - through documental and bibliographical data and local observation, concluding that the village has gone through four different network configurations. Nowadays, tourism activities, which regulate the business and social relations, are predominant. Historical data analysis based on four structuring factors support the statement of networks evolution.