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This research analyzes cross-sector partnerships as a new and powerful form of collaboration that encourages the development of social innovation practices. The study focuses on business-nonprofit partnerships and evaluates their influence on the nonprofit's development of innovations, capability building, and performance. Empirical research is based on a survey of a representative sample of 325 Spanish foundations. Structural equation techniques and multisample analysis served to analyze the data. The results show that close relationships based on trust and commitment foster the nonprofit's development of innovations, although the intensity of this effect depends on the type of firms' contribution to the partnership.

In the current environment of technological change and increased competition, it is more important than ever for small- and medium-sized enterprises to develop competitive advantages that enable them to consolidate their market position. This research analyses the links among organizational learning (OL), operational marketing capability, and performance in such organizations. In particular, interpersonal trust may moderate the positive impact of OL on the development of marketing capabilities. This study is based on a nationwide survey of 163 small- and medium-sized Spanish industrial firms. The results confirm the existence of the moderating effect, as well as the positive influence of OL on performance.

Social networks are an opportunity to foster and strengthen dialogue between companies and their audiences and also to integrate social expectations into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. This research analyses communication on CSR on Twitter and its main objectives are: 1) to analyze if there are CSR concepts which can lead the conversation among Twitter users and companies when discourse is limited to CSR related concepts; and 2) to detect those concepts which might create engagement (underlying conversations) between companies and Twitter users. Our research is focused on insurance companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). The methodology used is qualitative and the sample comprises more than 8,500 tweets which include a set of keywords related to CSR, that were published by the companies in the sample and/or mentioned those companies. The results show that industry-related words, financial performance messages and the local activities of the company are opportunities to spread the CSR commitment. We concluded that communication is scarce between companies and users related to CSR. In general, companies and users shared interests, but these were not related to a real conversation about CSR and sustainability.

The objective of this research is to determine the extent to which the effects of a business–nonprofit partnership (BNPP) go beyond those associated with their traditional roles of donor and beneficiary. Specifically, the study focuses on foundations as a distinct, fast-growing type of nonprofit, and evaluates the influence of engaging in partnerships with businesses on the not-for-profit organization’s (NPO) development of innovations, capacity building, visibility, scale of operations, funding, and mission accomplishment. We propose that stable relationships based on greater perceived value, communication, lower conflict, trust, and commitment improve innovation in nonprofits and give rise to a process of capacity building and better performance indicators. Empirical research is based on a survey of a representative sample of 325 Spanish foundations. Structural equation techniques served to analyze the data. The results confirm the positive effects of this type of BNPP.