STRATEGY OF STUDENT ASSISTANCE FOR THEIR EMPOWERMENT, SOCIAL INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

This study uses the Theory of Bureaucracy as the basis for defining innovation in the care procedures offered in the Amazon region. This is seen from the perspective of development and sustainability. The general objective is to study the main procedures of assistance to students of a public institution of higher education. The specific objectives are to characterize the methods of student assistance related to the institution studied; to perform a SWOT analysis of the practices adopted in the institution under scrutiny; and to propose actions and/or innovation strategies to optimize the internal processes. The methodology consisted of a Case Study and takes a qualitative approach. The procedures adopted for the data collection were an on-site visit and an interview with the civil servants involved. The confrontation between practice and theory was theoretically and conceptually surveyed. The central concepts are based on work by Santos, Pereira & Tidd and Bessant, together with an analysis of the program of student assistance in federal institutions. As a result, it was found that student aid policies and actions reduce academic dropout. It is assumed by the data that dropout results from the financial insufficiency of the people served. However, student aid policies and actions are little publicized in the research institution, limiting the attendance. It is proposed that the methodology of process innovation should be used to reduce the time and bureaucracy at present required, in addition to increasing productivity. As a way of reaching the greatest possible number of students requiring aid, the innovation of sustainable empowerment with a social, economic and environmental focus was adopted. This study will serve those interested in innovation management strategy and sustainability as well as d those involved in the approach addressed here.