This paper analyses empirical evidence of efforts to enable Spanish micro and small manufacturing companies to boost their labour productivity rates through the development of the main pillars of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies. This study aims to develop new approaches and sensibilities towards work from an ethical, values (virtues) and CSR perspective, showing how internal dimensions of CSR, such those related to relationships with employees and responsibility in processes and product quality, can improve labour performance and labour efficiency, thereby contributing to a better society. The results of a sample of 929 small businesses indicate that the social responsibility policies that most contributed to a short-term increase in labour productivity are those related to internal aspects of the company, in particular its involvement in the quality of processes and products, promotion of innovation and employee care. However, the impact on labour productivity of CSR policies related to external factors, such as relationship with stakeholders and environmental concern, could not be empirically proven in this paper.
This study examines the relationship between one of the most important policies of social responsibility in manufacturing: the protection of the environment and cooperative business relations in small businesses (fewer than 50 employees). For this, we performed a literature review and an empirical study of 930 small manufacturing firms in Spain. Results indicate that small businesses that maintain and improve their cooperative relations through business networking with universities, competitors, suppliers and customers spend more on environmental protection than those which do not. The managerial, practical, research and policy implications of the obtained research findings are discussed.
This study focuses on the factors that may influence Spanish family owned businesses to decide to export and move towards internationalization, posing their level of debt as a possible determining factor. To do so, a review of publications on the subject has been carried out, as well as an empirical study using a sample of 1,846 businesses, which include both family and non-family firms. The results seem to show that the debt level of businesses whose propriety and management are handled by a family differs from that of those that do not fit this characteristic, especially where the decision whether or not to export products abroad is concerned.
In this paper the authors study the relationship between the use of external advice and the size of a Spanish family business, focusing especially on the advice on legal matters and human resources, due to the importance of these particular issues for family firms. To fulfill this objective, an in-depth review of the literature has been performed, as well as an empirical study. The results show that a family nature of business has a positive impact in the use of human resources management external advice. Nevertheless, for legal advice no relationship can be found. Finally, in line with the literature and the results of the analysis, no positive relationship has been found between family business size and the use of external advice, in comparison to the results for companies in general. The scarcity of published work about the issue and the results obtained, especially those related to the use of legal advice for family business managers, make this paper useful for researchers and businesses managers.
Purpose-This paper aims to study the differences between family and non-family firms when establishing cooperation agreements. Design/methodology/approach-The empirical research was conducted using a sample of 1,848 firms, of which 828 are family firms. The use of statistical regression estimation is based on the binary logistic model. Findings-The results show important differences between family and non-family firms in relation to interfirm cooperation and the innovation capacity of the firms, their quality concerns, and their ability to develop external relationships. Originality/value-This paper contributes to the literature by offering new insights in relation to cooperation strategies in family firms, analyzing the effect on the different types of cooperation due to the diverse nature of the chosen partner, as well as the effect of certain internal capabilities of the firm.
El abandono académico en España, en especial en la rama de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, genera una gran preocupación a las autoridades educativas. Se trata de un problema relevante, el cual supone un freno para el desarrollo personal del estudiante, además de ocasionar un impacto social y económico sustancial, tanto para las familias como para la comunidad en general. Por ello, el presente trabajo pretende profundizar en la deserción de los estudios universitarios y sus causas. Así, se centra en la identificación de los factores que llevan al alumnado a dicho abandono de la titulación que actualmente está cursando. Con este propósito, se lleva a cabo un análisis empírico de carácter exploratorio y descriptivo con una muestra de 430 estudiantes, en el que se analiza, en particular, la relación entre la intención del estudiante de dejar la carrera con una serie de variables tales como: la posición que le otorgó al grado en el que finalmente se matriculó al rellenar el documento de preinscripción para el acceso a la universidad; las razones que motivaron su elección; el propio grado y el curso en el que se encuentra actualmente; así como la titularidad del centro docente de estudios secundarios del que procede. Los resultados confirman una relación entre las variables estudiadas, mostrando que un 7,2 por ciento de estudiantes abandonará la carrera en el presente curso, siendo probable una mayor tasa de abandono no explorada.
Scholars have dedicated significant efforts to understanding the factors that influence the environmental strategy of a firm, in order to mitigate the negative impacts on the ecosystem. Learning more about the factors that encourage environmental behavior allows managers and policy makers to improve action and advance correctly in this direction. Despite this academic interest, the literature regarding family business has undertaken limited attention over the issue. Hence, our paper aims to advance in this line of research, by empirically examining the relationship between government support in family firms and their investment in environmental protection. Specifically, we intend to analyze whether the family nature, and the government financial support, influence their environmental strategy. The empirical analysis is developed with a sample of 1802 manufacturing firms in Spain, using a binary logistic regression to evaluate the existence of dependency relationships between the analyzed variables. The results show this dependency, confirming family nature and government support as significant factors for a proactive environmental strategy, funding the idea that family character positively affects environmental performance in line with the socio-emotional wealth approach, and these differences are greater if the company operates mainly in a local area. Likewise, family firms that receive state direct and indirect funding, invest more in environmental issues to mitigate negative external impacts. The practical implications of the results obtained are especially useful for managers of family businesses as well as for central governments and local institutions as a matter of reflection. To reduce administrative processes and costs for family firms in terms of direct and indirect support is of great importance, as an inadequate process may become a barrier to develop environmental strategies.
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