90,576 research outputs found
Coopetition and innovation. Lessons from worker cooperatives in the Spanish machine tool industry
This is an electronic version of the accepted paper in Journal of Business & Industrial
Marketing[EN] Purpose –
This paper aims to investigate how the implementation of the inter-cooperation principle
among Spanish machine-tool cooperatives helps them to coopete–collaborate with
competitors, in their innovation and internationalization processes and achieve collaborative
advantages.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a multi-case approach based on interviews
with 15 CEOs and research and development (R&D) managers, representing 14 Spanish
machine tool firms and institutions. Eight of these organizations are worker-cooperatives..
Findings – Worker -cooperatives achieve advantages on innovation and internationalization
via inter-cooperation (shared R&D units, joint sales offices, joint after-sale services,
knowledge exchange and relocation of key R&D technicians and managers). Several mutual
bonds and ties among cooperatives help to overcome the risk of opportunistic behaviour and
knowledge leakage associated to coopetition. The obtained results give some clues explaining
to what extent and under which conditions coopetitive strategies of cooperatives are
transferable to other types of ownership arrangements across sectors.
Practical implications – Firms seeking cooperation with competitors in their R&D and
internationalization processes can learn from the coopetitive arrangements analyzed in the
paper.
Social implications – Findings can be valuable for sectoral associations and public bodies
trying to promote coopetition and alliances between competitors as a means to benefit from
collaborative advantages.
Originality/value – Focusing on an “ideal type” of co-operation -cooperative organisationsand
having access to primary sources, the paper shows to what extent (and how) strong
coopetitive structures and processes foster innovation and internationalization
Cooperative Longevity and Sustainable Development in a Family Farming System
This paper focuses on small holding, family farming in Southeast Spain where agricultural economic activity is predominantly organized around cooperative business models. A variety of diverse studies on the AlmerĂa agricultural and credit cooperative sector and the exploration of social-economic and eco-social indicators, in addition to economic-market indicators are presented. Each correspond to a cooperative “logic” that spans theoretical perspectives from the dominant economic-market model, new institutionalism, and an eco-social approach, echoing theories on collective coordination governance, and the avoidance of the “tragedy of the commons”. The latter is of particular importance given environmental challenges and scarce resources for agricultural activity. The cooperatives in AlmerĂa have increasingly relied on collective collaboration and coordination in order to meet social-economic and social-ecological challenges, transforming their role from that founded on a market dominant logic to that of cooperation as a coordination mechanism based on the mutual benefit of the community and environment. In turn, their ability to meet a wide range of needs and challenges of members and the community leads to their longevity. Cooperatives are able to act as both a market and non-market coordination mechanism, balancing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions, such that neither market nor non-market logics are dominant or exclusive
Organisational change and the computerisation of British and Spanish savings banks, 1965-1985
In this article we explore organisational changes associated with the automation of financial intermediaries in Spain and the UK. This international comparison looks at the evolution of the same organisational form in two distinct competitive environments. Changes in regulation and technological developments (particularly applications of information technology) are said to be responsible for enhancing competitiveness of retail finance. Archival research on the evolution of savings banks helps to ascertain how, prior to competitive changes taking place, participants in bank markets had to develop capabilities to compete
Competition, regulation, and pricing behavior in the Spanish retail gasoline market
The restructuring of the Spanish oil industry produced a highly concentrated oligopoly in the retail gasoline market. In June 1990 the Spanish government introduced a system of ceiling price regulation in order to ensure that "liberalization" was accompanied by adequate consumer protection. This paper examines the pricing behavior of the retail gasoline market using multivariate error correction models over the period January 1993 (abolishment of the state monopoly)-December 2004. The results suggest that gasoline retail prices respond symmetrically to increases and decreases in the spot price of gasoline. However, one the ceiling price regulation was abolished, the "collaboration" between the government and the major operators, Repsol-YPF and Cepsa-Elf in order to control the inflation rate results in a slower rate of increase (decrease) of gasoline retail prices when gasoline spot prices went up (went down) than elsewhere in the European Union. Finally, retail margins were by the end of our timing period of analysis, as in the first years after the abolishment of the state monopoly, well above the European ones.regulation, pricing behavior, competition, gasoline market
Towards a Taxonomy of Firms Engaged in International R&D Cooperation Programs: The Case of Spain in Eureka
El proceso innovador enfrenta una serie de fallos de mercado y por esta razĂłn – y por ser considerado uno de los principales agentes del crecimiento econĂłmico en el mundo – un significativo nĂşmero de polĂticas gubernamentales y supra-nacionales son diseñadas para promover el progreso tecnolĂłgico. En Europa la situaciĂłn no podrĂa ser diferente y la “Paradoja Europea” es utilizada como principal argumento para la implementaciĂłn de iniciativas relacionadas a la innovaciĂłn. Junto con estas polĂticas hay una creciente preocupaciĂłn con su continua evaluaciĂłn, teniendo como objetivo proveer feedbacks para la adaptaciĂłn y adecuaciĂłn de estos programas con las necesidades de los agentes involucrados. En este sentido, el presente paper desarrolla una evaluaciĂłn de los impactos del Programa Eureka para el caso de las empresas españolas participantes en esta iniciativa y con proyectos concluidos entre los años 2000-2005 (a travĂ©s de análisis de los informes finales de los proyectos). Un total de 77 empresas fueron abordadas con mĂ©todos cuantitativos (correlaciones, testes chi-cuadrado, análisis discriminante y análisis de cluster). Los resultados demuestran que la participaciĂłn española en Eureka suele tener altos niveles de logros tecnolĂłgicos. Los logros comerciales parecen estar definidos por la calidad del funcionamiento del proyecto y por la capacidad de las empresas en explotar sus resultados en el mercado ya antes del fin del proyecto. Una tipologĂa introductoria de los participantes es propuesta en 3 conglomerados: (1) Risky Innovators; (2) Inventors; y (3) Consistent Innovators.Innovation is a process that faces several “market failure” situations and for this reason – and for being considered one of the main drivers of economic growth throughout the world – a large number of governmental and supranational policies are designed to foster technological progress. In Europe this situation could not be any different and the “European Paradox” is used as the main argument for the implementation of innovation related initiatives. Along with these policies, there is an increasing concern with their continuous evaluation aiming at providing valuable feedback for these program’s adaptation and adequacy to the player’s needs. In this sense, this paper develops an evaluation of Eureka Programme’s impact for the case of Spanish companies participating in this initiative and that had projects finished in the period 2000-2005 (analysis performed through the information contained in Eureka’s Final Reports). A total of 77 firms were assessed through quantitative methods, namely correlations, chi-square tests, discriminant models and cluster analysis. Findings show that Spain participates in Eureka mainly through SMEs, and that the overall rate of technological achievements is impressively good. Commercial achievements seem to be influenced mainly by the quality of the project’s functioning and the capacity of firm’s exploiting results in the industry by the end of the project. A basic typology of participants is offered in which three clusters are built: (1) Risky Innovators; (2) Inventors; and (3) Consistent Innovators.Innovation Policy; Eureka Programme; Spanish Innovation System; R&D Collaboration, PolĂticas de InnovaciĂłn; Programa Eureka; Sistema de InnovaciĂłn Español; ColaboraciĂłn en I+D.
Can the University of Maine afford to concede to its regional competitors? A 21st century road map for postsecondary language education
The University of Maine Flagship Match program is designed to recruit students from neighboring states and offset enrollment declines. However, language faculty retrenchment at the university a decade ago, combined with the effective double-degree programs with languages, STEM, and other subjects that other regional flagships offer and recent changes in New England’s K–12 graduation options, makes it harder for UMaine to attract high-performing students. If the university wants to compete with others in New England and attract students who focus on global professional issues, it has an opportunity it cannot afford to miss. Adapting one of the language education models other universities have successfully implemented may be the way to move forward in the twenty-first century, making the University of Maine an important regional player.Accepted manuscrip
Absorptive capacity and relationship learning mechanisms as complementary drivers of green innovation performance
This paper aims to explore in depth how internal and external knowledge-based drivers actually affect the firms\u2019 green innovation performance. Subsequently, this study analyzes the relationships between absorptive capacity (internal knowledge-based driver), relationship learning (external knowledge-based driver) and green innovation performance.
This study relies on a sample of 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector (ACMS) and uses partial least squares path modeling to test the hypotheses proposed.
The empirical results show that both absorptive capacity and relationship learning exert a significant positive effect on the dependent variable and that relationship learning moderates the link between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.
This paper presents some limitations with respect to the particular sector (i.e. the ACMS) and geographical context (Spain). For this reason, researchers must be thoughtful while generalizing these results to distinct scenarios.
Managers should devote more time and resources to reinforce their absorptive capacity as an important strategic tool to generate new knowledge and hence foster green innovation performance in manufacturing industries.
The paper shows the importance of encouraging decision-makers to cultivate and rely on relationship learning mechanisms with their main stakeholders and to acquire the necessary information and knowledge that might be valuable in the maturity of green innovations.
This study proposes that relationship learning plays a moderating role in the relationship between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance
Corporate strategy in turbulent environments: Key roles of the corporate level
This paper analyzes the evolution during the period 1986-2002 of the corporate strategy of Lujan, a highly successful car components manufacturer headquartered in Spain, as a way to explore how the corporate level influences the successful evolution of a company exposed to a "turbulent" environment over a long period. We find that the corporate level plays three key roles. First, it drives a firm's evolution by developing a cognitive representation of the firm's competitive landscape. Second, it paces the company's evolution by alternately shifting the balance of organizational initiatives between static efficiency-based "local search" strategies, chosen in times of stability or economic slowdown, and dynamic efficiency-based "long jump" strategies, adopted during periods of major environmental turbulence. Long-jump corporate strategies, carried out through limited downside strategic initiatives such as real options and strategic alliances ("off-line long-jumps"), are particularly frequent in these circumstances. The third role consists of developing an organizational architecture that frames the self-organized coordination of the different business divisions. The Lujan story clearly illustrates the important role of corporate strategy in a firm that must undergo radical transitions as a result of major environmental changes.corporate strategy; turbulent environments; complexity theory; car components;
A holistic approach to enhance the use of neglected and underutilized species: the case of Andean grains in Bolivia and Peru
The IFAD-NUS project, implemented over the course of a decade in two phases, represents the first UN-supported global effort on neglected and underutilized species (NUS). This initiative, deployed and tested a holistic and innovative value chain framework using multi-stakeholder, participatory, inter-disciplinary, pro-poor gender- and nutrition-sensitive approaches. The project has been linking aspects often dealt with separately by R&D, such as genetic diversity, selection, cultivation, harvest, value addition, marketing, and final use, with the goal to contribute to conservation, better incomes, and improved nutrition and strengthened livelihood resilience. The project contributed to the greater conservation of Andean grains and their associated indigenous knowledge, through promoting wider use of their diversity by value chain actors, adoption of best cultivation practices, development of improved varieties, dissemination of high quality seed, and capacity development. Reduced drudgery in harvest and postharvest operations, and increased food safety were achieved through technological innovations. Development of innovative food products and inclusion of Andean grains in school meal programs is projected to have had a positive nutrition outcome for targeted communities. Increased income was recorded for all value chain actors, along with strengthened networking skills and self-reliance in marketing. The holistic approach taken in this study is advocated as an effective strategy to enhance the use of other neglected and underutilized species for conservation and livelihood benefits
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