Can National Innovation Substitute The Role of Environmental Regulation to Improve Corporate Environmental Performance?

Environmental regulatory uncertainty has attracted extraordinary attention among scholars, managers, policy-makers and other members of society. Despite this increasing attention, the impact of environmental regulatory uncertainty on the environmental approaches of firms is difficult to estimate in the business context. Considering that environmental regulations are not the only mechanism enabling firms to develop proactive environmental management practices, we show that the national institutional profile delineates a firm’s environmental progress. Specifically, we argue that the national level of innovation is an essential institutional condition that can encourage firms to develop advanced environmental approaches and even overcoming the effect of environmental regulatory uncertainty on corporate environmental performance. Using a sample of 1,912 firms from 19 countries, we developed different scenarios that combine the effects of environmental regulatory uncertainty and the national level of innovation. Knowledge of these different situations illustrates how managers cope with environmental regulatory uncertainty.Environmental Regulatory Uncertainty; National Level of Innovation; Corporate Environmental Performance

Gestión integral de recursos humanos: estudio bibliométrico

En este trabajo se hace una revisión de la literatura sobre la Gestión de Recursos Humanos. Se analizan los distintos tópicos que han sido tratados por los investigadores durante el periodo comprendido entre los años 2000 y 2006. Para ello, han sido objeto de estudio los números de las revistas Human Resource Management y Capital Humano durante dicho periodo. El método para clasificar los artículos en cualquiera de los tópicos considerados, consiste en analizarlos a partir del título, palabras claves, abstract y, en algunos casos, incluso ha sido necesaria la lectura del artículo. Una vez terminada la primera clasificación, se realizo otra segunda, de manera autónoma, de forma que en esta última no se tengan en cuenta los resultados obtenidos en la primera de ellas. Posteriormente, aquellos artículos que presentaban discrepancias o habían sido recogidos en grupos distintos tras las primeras revisiones, han sido sometidos a una tercera clasificación. Este estudio nos ha permitido conocer cual ha sido la evolución del modelo español de Gestión de Recursos Humanos. Se denota un incremento de los tópicos recientes como por ejemplo gestión del conocimiento o nuevas tecnologías, pero sin olvidarse de los tradicionales, como son la formación del personal. Cada vez es más importante el papel que juega el Departamento de Recursos Humanos y sus líderes en el mundo empresarial actual. Por ello, muchas empresas están cambiando la forma de concebir el mismo. Dicho departamento tiene una influencia y repercusión directa en las políticas y estrategias llevadas a cabo en la organización, siendo necesario que participe en la toma de decisiones, en la planificación, implantación y en el control de la estrategia organizativa. Junto a ello, el presente estudio bibliométrico permite conocer en mayor detalle cuáles han sido las principales preocupaciones de los investigadores en los últimos años, sirviendo de base para futuras investigaciones sobre dicho ámbito. El trabajo se divide en cuatro apartados; una primera parte, de carácter introductorio y general donde planteamos el objetivo del estudio; en la segunda, se expone la metodología empleada así como la clasificación propuesta de tópicos; la tercera parte analizan los resultados obtenidos y finalizamos con las conclusiones.In this paper we undertake a theoretical review about the Human Resource Management. We analyze the various issues that have been treated by the investigators during the period 2000-2006. Two very important magazines have been studied. The first one is an international magazine; Human Resource Management. The second one is a Spanish magazine; Capital Humano. The method we have followed to classify the articles in any of the topics considered is based on analyzing their titles, keywords, abstract, and, in some cases, it was required to read the article. Once the first screening has been made, we repeated the same process again, but not taking into account the results obtained in the first round. Subsequently, those items that had been classified in different groups after both reviews have been submitted to a third classification. This research contributes to appreciate the evolution of the Spanish model of Human Resource Management, which includes more recent topics such as knowledge management, new technologies, but considering the traditional aspects such as formation of employees. The role of the Human Resource Department is having more importance everyday. Thus, many firms are changing their perception about it. This department has a great influence and repercussion in the companies corporate policies and strategies undertaken by the organization. In addition to this, this paper contributes to know with more details which have been the most important topics that have been analyzed by researchers during last years and, at the same time, it helps as a theoretical framework for future studies about Human Resource Management. The paper is divided in four parts. First, a general introduction regarding the main features of the modern model of Human Resource Management; the second one describes the methodology and the proposed classification of topics; the third part analyzes the results and, finally, we finish with the conclusions

LA INFLUENCIA DE LA DIVERSIFICACIÓN Y EXPERIENCIA INTERNACIONAL EN LA ESTRATEGIA MEDIOAMBIENTAL PROACTIVA DE LAS EMPRESAS

RESUMENEste trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar la influencia que la internacionalización puede tener sobre la adopción de una estrategia medioambiental más proactiva por parte de las empresas. Para conseguir este objetivo realizamos 103 entrevistas personales a los directores generales de empresas exportadoras españolas pertenecientes al sector de la alimentación. Nuestros resultados muestran que un alto grado de diversificación internacional favorece el desarrollo de una estrategia medioambiental más proactiva. Además, la experiencia internacional de las empresas contribuye también a la adquisición de capacidades medioambientales valiosas. Por tanto, la internacionalización permite a las empresas desarrollar una estrategia más avanzada en gestión medioambiental. Finalmente, recogemos una serie de implicaciones de carácter práctico para directivos y reguladores públicos.ABSTRACTWe analyze the influence of the firms' internationalization process of firms on the adoption of a proactive environmental strategy. Using direct interviews with the CEOs of 103 export Spanish firms from the food industry, we show that a high degree of international diversification encourages these firms to take advantage of different environmental competitive advantages from the different regions where they operate. In addition, firms' international experience contributes to acquiring valuable environmental capabilities. Thus, our results support that internationalization leads firms to develop an advanced posture to environmental issues and adopt a proactive environmental strategy. Our paper discusses implications for managers and policy-makers

How Do Technological Skills Improve Reverse Logistics? The Moderating Role of Top Management Support in Information Technology Use and Innovativeness

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of human resource management on reverse logistics (RL) in the context of high-tech firms. Using the resource-based view of the firm, we analyzedthe effect of employees’ technological skills on RL. The study also investigated whether top management support (TMS) for information technology (IT) and innovativeness moderate this relationship. We collected data from European high-tech firms from May to September 2010, obtaining 160 responses representing a 17.7% response rate. Multivariate regressions were used to assess all of the relations established. The results indicated that technological skills have direct and positive effects on RL in high tech-firms. The authors also report that both TMS for IT and innovativeness act as positive moderators in the relationship between technological skills and RL. This study suggests the importance of considering two important organizational variables that enhance the effect of technological skills on RL in high-tech firms. First, using TMS for IT not only provides tangible resources but also strongly supports employees’ technological development in RL. Second, a high level of firm innovativeness leads high-tech firms to create the right conditions to take advantage of their technological skills to improve their RL. Moreover, theresults indicate the contingent role of innovativeness and TMS for IT use in the relationship between technological skills and RL.This research was funded by Andalusian Regional Government [Research Project P11.SEJ.7988], the Ministry of Economy and Competence of Spain through Project [ECO2016-75909-P; ECO2017-88222], project of the University of Granada [PPJI2017-01], and the program of the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the University of Granada for the revision of scientific texts

The influence of internationalization on firm corporate social performance

[ES] Recientemente estudios previos han comenzado a plantear la posible relación entre el fenómeno de la internacionalización y responsabilidad social corporativa de las organizaciones. En este trabajo analizamos en qué medida la internacionalización contribuye a una mejora sustancial del desempeño social de las empresas. Usando una muestra de 102 empresas estadounidenses de los sectores químico, energético y de maquinaria industrial, nuestros resultados muestran que no todas las dimensiones de la internacionalización permiten a las empresas adquirir conocimiento valioso que conduzca a una mejora de su desempeño social. Concretamente, comprobamos que, mientras el porcentaje de ventas en mercados extranjeros y la diversificación internacional cultural favorecen la puesta en marcha de prácticas de responsabilidad social corporativa avanzadas que redundan en un mejor desempeño social (cumpliendo con las demandas sociales de los grupos de interés de los distintos mercados donde operan), la diversificación internacional geográfica no tiene efecto directo en el desempeño social de las empresas. Por tanto, no es tan importante el número de mercados donde la empresa actúa, sino el grado de diferenciación cultural existente entre los mismos lo que hace que la propia empresa mejore su desempeño social. El presente trabajo incluye implicaciones relevantes para el mundo académico, directivos y reguladores públicos.[EN] Recently, previous literature has paid special attention to study the relationship between firm internationalization and corporate social responsibility. In this research we examine the impact of internationalization on corporate social performance. Using a sample of 102 U.S. firms from the chemical, energy and industrial machinery industries, our results show that not all the dimensions of internationalization lead firms to enhance their level of social performance. Specifically, we can see that, whereas percentage of sales in foreign markets and cultural international diversification help firms to improve their level of social performance (complying with the different stakeholders social needs in each country where they operate), geographical international diversification is not related to corporate social performance. Thus, the number of geographical areas is not an important issue, but the degree of cultural international diversification between these areas what really influences firms corporate social performance. We discuss important implications for academia, managers and policy-makers as well.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (proyecto ECO2010-20483) y la Junta de Andalucía (proyectos de excelencia: P08-SEJ-0457 y P10-SEJ-6765)

Environmental performance in multinational enterprises: the influence of the institutional distance between countries

Este trabajo analiza la influencia que ejerce la distancia institucional entre el país de la matriz y el de la subsidiaria sobre la estandarización en el desempeño medioambiental en la empresa multinacional. La distancia institucional es analizada considerando tres dimensiones ampliamente aceptadas en el marco de la teoría institucional: regulatoria, cognitiva y normativa. Bajo la perspectiva institucional de las organizaciones observamos que, mientras que una elevada distancia institucional en términos regulatorios favorece el que dichas empresas cuenten con desempeños medioambientales diferenciados suficientes a las peculiaridades de cada entorno en el que la empresa se ubica, una elevada distancia institucional en términos cognitivos y normativos contribuirá positivamente a que las empresas estandaricen su desempeño medioambiental en todas sus ubicaciones, con independencia de los países donde estén ubicadas. Este último hecho viene motivado por un fortalecimiento del perfil institucional interno de dichas empresas.In this paper we analyze the influence that the environmental institutional distance between countries has on the degree of environmental performance’s similarity within the multinational enterprise (MNE). We break down the institutional distance between the host and the home country into distances in relation to the regulatory, cognitive, and normative dimensions of institutions. Building upon the institutional approach, we show that not all the national institutional dimensions have the same influence on the environmental performance’s similarity within MNES. Whereas a high regulatory distance between countries leads MNEs' units to have a different environmental performance according to each country’s legal requirements, the cognitive and normative distances encourage these firms to standardize their environmental performance, independent of the countries where their units are based.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente cofinanciado por diversas becas de investigación concedidas por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y por el Proyecto de Excelencia con código P06-SEJ-2356 de la Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa de la Junta de Andalucía

Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Internationalisation Strategies: A Descriptive Study in the Spanish Context

57Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a voluntary competitive strategy that is based upon social, economic, and environmental improvement in which the organisation is involved. Internationalisation, a type of corporate strategy, is a set of processes that help companies to expand globally to achieve the aim of improving their competitive position. Both of the strategies have become more important due to ever increasing globalisation, whose consequences modify economic and business environments, thus causing them to be more dynamic and competitive. This directly affects business management, thus companies increasingly consider the opinion of society, attempting to gain stakeholders’ trust through effective CSR management. In this context, this paper aims to analyse CSR and internationalisation strategies and their possible connection from a theoretical viewpoint. From a practical viewpoint, the relationship between both strategies is analysed while using a sample of Spanish listed companies.S

Institutional Determinants of Environmental CorporateSocial Responsibility: Are Multinational Entities Taking Advantage of Weak Environmental Enforcement in Lower-Income Nations?

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are often accused of taking advantage of lax environmental regulations in developing countries. However, no quantitative analysis of the impact of doing business in nations of different income levels on environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) has been done prior to this study. Incorporating institutional factors in our approach, we argue that endoisomorphic and exoisomorphic pressures relating to ECSR impact MNEs differently according to the MNEs\u27 level of activity in low‐, lower‐middle‐, upper‐middle‐, and high‐income nations. We predict and, using data from 113 companies, find that selling in poorer nations is positively associated with increased levels of ECSR. Our research suggests that MNEs may not be participating in a “race to the bottom” but may instead be responding to global institutional pressure by exceeding local norms for environmental stewardship. Alternative interpretations of our findings are discussed

Does firm size matter? Evidence on the impact of the green innovation strategy on corporate financial performance in the automotive sector

In the past few years, there has been increasing awareness regarding the significance of the Green Innovation Strategy (GIS) in the academic and practical fields. Hence, it becomes important to determine the correlation between the GIS and the Corporate Financial Performance (CFP). This study attempted to determine the dynamic correlation between the GIS and the CFP, with regards to the firm size. For this purpose, this study has collected data for 163 international automotive firms, from the CSRHub database, for the period ranging between 2011 and 2017. Furthermore, we also used the dynamic panel data system, i.e., the Generalised Method of Moment (GMM) method, for estimating this relationship. The empirical results indicated that the GIS positively affected the CFP. Interestingly, we also uncovered that the firm size moderated the negative correlation between the GIS and the CFP. The small-sized firms showed higher green innovation investments return than the larger-sized firms, which indicated that these smaller firms were more prone to seek variation and visibility, for accessing better resources. Furthermore, due to the extensive scrutiny of the stakeholders, these small firms could generate higher profits. The implications for managers and the theories in this regard are then discussed