Editorial

Abstract

I am pleased and honored by the great challenge of replacing Dr. Alexsandro Broedel Lopes as editor-in-chief ofBBR - Brazilian Business Review. In its first five years of existence, under the apt guidance of my predecessor, BBR has been dedicated to the construction and updating of knowledge in business administration and related fields, by publishing theoretical and empirical articles, technical essays and other works of recognized scientific quality. Statistics on access indicate that the magazine has consolidated its position as a periodical for dissemination of knowledge in its areas of specialization. In 2008 there were 46,967downloadsof its articles and 59,272 accesses by readers, for a monthly average of 4,939 accesses. These numbers speak for themselves and demonstrate the service provided by BBR in democratizing access to knowledge. The success of a periodical like BBR unquestionably mainly involves the voluntary work of a group of qualified people, consisting of its reviewers and assistants. But the responsibility of the editor is certainly no less important. The editor must direct the publication process and maintain the necessary scientific quality. Added to this is the concern for confidential, objective and impartial evaluation of the manuscripts submitted, as quickly as possible. In practice, some questions are fundamental involving editorial management: How can the secrecy and impersonality of evaluating papers be assured in a close-knit scientific community dedicated to business administration and related fields, as is the case in Brazil? How can it be assured that the reviewers produce careful and timely opinions? And finally, how can manuscripts be processed so they can be published before becoming outdated in today's rapidly changing world? These challenges are great, but I believe the complexity of the editorial task only motivates the efforts of those entrusted with this responsibility. In this sense, my firm purpose is to collaborate for the continuing excellence of BBR, always in line ...