Structured AbstractCategory of the paper: Research paper Purpose: Firstly, to analyse the effects of lean production (LP) on the policy of human resource management (HRM). The second goal of this research is to determine whether or not implementation of HRM practices associated with LP explain the differences in organizational performance between manufacturing plants.Design/methodology/approach: We developed a questionnaire for data collection.Findings are presented from 76 establishments (79.17% of the total sample) that specialise in single-firing ceramic tiles in Spain.Findings: Companies that make the most of LP practices are also those that take care to train workers in using these practices as well as improving their employment security.However, the same is not true for the pay for performance system. The combination of 2 LP with HRM practices reduces inventory and boosts productivity but does not appear to affect the other performance variables analysed.Research limitations/implications: For certain variables we found very little variation between the plants in our samples. The data are cross-sectional, so causality cannot be definitively determined.Practical implications: This paper indicates the HRM practices associated with the LP and the results obtained. It can thus be used to help human resource and production departments in improving organizational performance.Originality/value: We extend the work of other researchers by focusing on a sector and a country that have been very little studied to date. The sample consists of a set of plants that are fairly homogeneous, which facilitates the analysis of the relationships between the selected variables while keeping other variables controlled.

Purpose -To determine the degree of use of some of the most representative lean production (LP) practices in the Spanish ceramic tile industry, their relationship with plant size and their effect on the operational performance of the companies in the sector. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire was developed for data collection. Findings are presented from 76 companies (79.17 per cent of the total sample) that specialise in single firing ceramics. Findings -In the sector under study, there is one set of practices that have as yet scarcely been implemented (group technology, kanban, reduction of set-up time, development of multi-function employees and visual factory) and another set whose use is fairly widespread (standardisation of operations, total productive maintenance and quality controls). The degree of their respective use depends on a firm's size. Very few correlations appear between the degree of use of any specific LP practice in isolation and the operational indicators. Research limitations/implications -For certain variables we found very little variation between the firms in our sample. Moreover, many firms did not have available the data needed for calculating capacity utilisation, and hence we have not been able to check its effects in our analysis. Practical implications -The paper presents data for reflecting on the application of different LP practices in isolation and on the impediments limiting the use of some of them in the sector. Originality/value -The paper extends the work of other researchers by focusing on a sector and a country that have been very little studied until now. The sample consists of a set of firms that are fairly homogeneous; this facilitates analysing the relationships between the selected variables while keeping other variables controlled.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to show a real experience of how a scheme of continuous improvement has been gradually transformed, from a very unsuccessful start, passing through different phases and finally delivering results for the firm. Design/methodology/approach -The authors analyse the evolution of the formal programs of continuous improvement of a firm in a traditional sector (food). The data for the research were gathered by means of participatory observation over the course of 18 months spent in the firm attending the meetings of the improvement teams. Findings -Both programs (individual and group) have proved to be very profitable for the company. However, there is no magic formula for the correct operation of the system of continuous improvement. The existing system has to be continually improved, correcting faults and trying always to contribute something new to re-launch the system regularly.Practical implications -This study has also permitted the authors to highlight the importance of continuous improvement in the firm from both the economic point of view and that of worker development. Originality/value -The investigation aims to help to cover the lack of longitudinal case studies of continuous improvement.

En este estudio se presentan los resultados de la adaptación a grupos I+D universitarios de habla hispanade la encuesta sobre cultura organizacional de Denison. Este cuestionario, compuesto por 60 ítems que identifican 12 tipos culturales, que a su vez se agrupan en cuatro dimensiones, ha demostrado su influencia para aumentar la efectividad organizacional. La adaptación al castellano que aquí se propone ha sido aplicada a 488 personas pertenecientes a 39 grupos de I+D tecnológicos de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Los resultados obtenidos muestran unas propiedades psicométricas adecuadas para la adaptación realizada en cuanto a validez y fiabilidad, que replican casi en su totalidad la estructura del modelo de la versión original.

Unethical behaviors such as corruption pose an important challenge for students, professors, and other university members. We aimed to clarify students' willingness to engage in corruption in a Spanish public university. In all, 3,475 undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students completed an online questionnaire assessing four corruption scenarios: favoritism, bribery, fraud, and embezzlement. Multiple regression analysis suggested that justifiability, risk perception, and perceived corruption played a key role in explaining corrupt intention. Behavioral intention to engage in corruption is a complex phenomenon explained by not only peers' behaviors, but also individuals' justifications of their acts and risk perceptions.

This article analyzes, under several dimensions, if collaboration contributes to the production of high quality scientific results. It examines the proportion of scientific quality (measured by impact and relevance) gained by ISI publications considering the presence of a particular form of collaboration. As an application case, this paper offers a micro-level analysis of the academic research groups (ARGs) of a technical university. Results indicate that there are positive and significant benefits in scientific quality, received by ARGs as product of the international and inter-sector collaboration, and in a broader sense, from the presence of the inter-institutional collaboration.

This article presents a description of employee participation in Spain. The number of published papers in English about Spain regarding this subject is very low, and even lower by Spanish authors. In short, we can say that there is hardly any knowledge regarding employee participation in Spain in both the European and American settings. This paper summarized the results of a research project we carried out whose objective was to compare employee participation using samples from large American and Spanish companies following the works of Edward E. Lawler and his team. Our aim is to have professionals and researchers throughout the world better understand the actual situation in our country.Keywords: participation in decision-making (PDM), financial/economic participation, direct and indirect participation * We would like to thank the Foreign Language Co-ordination Office at the Polytechnic University of Valencia for their help in translating this article. †