Decision-making supported by reverse logistics concepts in the post-consumption channel

Abstract

In this article, several topics were addressed, highlighting the relevance of information in organizational decisions. Identified information gap in reverse logistics activities and decisions related to the return of products to their point of origin, this study investigated which information generated in the post-consumption channel, pharmaceutical industries located in the state of Paraná, consider relevant in decision making. The research assumed a qualitative characteristic in relation to the methodological purposes, a factor that made it possible to interpret the data obtained. As for the investigative methods, the case study was adopted, covering two companies that agreed to participate, identified as company A (from the interior of Paraná) and company B (from the capital). For data collection, a questionnaire was applied by e-mail, using the Google Forms^® platform as a basis, which provided data extraction and processing, using content analysis as a technique. As a technological resource, ATLAS.TI^® software was used, as well as Excel^® software for tabulation and interpretation of data. With this, the researchers concluded that the decisions, involving information related to the reverse flow of medicines located in the post-consumption in pharmaceutical industries of Paraná that participated in the research, are supported by different mechanisms, among them are the information systems, responsible for processing data related to current legislation, the costs of each reverse logistics process, in which the decision maker adds ethics as a guide in his decision making.