La cultura como motor de la innovación social corporativa: descifrando sus factores clave

This work studies the organizational culture as the motor to promote the corporate social innovation in companies. Through a systematic literature review, the main academic contribution is the design of a theoretical framework that allows defining the most appropriate characteristics of the organizational culture for the development of CSI activities and the role of the key factors to promote it. This proposal aims to become a guideline to managers and professionals in order to develop organizational cultures prone to social innovation inside firms.Este trabajo estudia la cultura organizacional (CO) como motor para impulsar la innovación social corporativa (ISC) en las empresas. Con una metodología basada en la revisión sistemática de la literatura, la principal contribución académica es el diseño de un marco teórico que permite dilucidar qué tipo de CO es la más adecuada para albergar la ISC, así como una propuesta original de factores clave para promover dicha cultura. Esta propuesta pretende también ser una guía para directivos y profesionales a fin de implantar culturas organizacionales proclives a la innovación social en sus empresas

Transitioning to English medium instruction in operations management courses taught on Spanish business degrees: Perceptions and diagnosis

Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees. Design/methodology/approach: we present an overview of research so far into the effects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) on teaching and learning Operations Management in Business degrees of Spanish universities. Empirically, a survey was administered to 20 EMI lecturers in the area of Operations Management, and s the results in the light of both the bibliography on EMI and the empirical results were discussed. Using online questionnaires, information was obtained from a sample of EMI lecturers in thirteen Spanish Universities. Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation. Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM are consistent with previous research in the area of EMI in other fields, but also provide some ideas that may pave the way for further research and development

Action research as a meta-methodology in the management field

Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action research study and its relationships. More specifically, the aim of this study is to underscore the definition of action research as a meta-methodology that encompasses different ways of carrying out empirical research. To this end, we perform a meta-analysis of articles discussing empirical research that used an action research methodology. The meta-analysis is based on a systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2018. The main findings suggest that action research may be regarded as a multidisciplinary method and that it can be implemented jointly with other methodologies; not just qualitative methods but also quantitative research. Consequently, action research may now be defined as a meta-methodology or an umbrella process. In this way, action research is a tool whose implementation ought to be promoted in the business/management field as a way of enhancing relevant, rigorous empirical studies and serving as a framework reference in projects based on research and practice contribution as well as active collaboration between researchers and practitioners

Action research as a meta-methodology in the management field

Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action research study and its relationships. More specifically, the aim of this study is to underscore the definition of action research as a meta-methodology that encompasses different ways of carrying out empirical research. To this end, we perform a meta-analysis of articles discussing empirical research that used an action research methodology. The meta-analysis is based on a systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2018. The main findings suggest that action research may be regarded as a multidisciplinary method and that it can be implemented jointly with other methodologies; not just qualitative methods but also quantitative research. Consequently, action research may now be defined as a meta-methodology or an umbrella process. In this way, action research is a tool whose implementation ought to be promoted in the business/management field as a way of enhancing relevant, rigorous empirical studies and serving as a framework reference in projects based on research and practice contribution as well as active collaboration between researchers and practitioners

Transitioning to English medium instruction in operations management courses taught on Spanish business degrees: Perceptions and diagnosis

Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees. Design/methodology/approach: we present an overview of research so far into the effects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) on teaching and learning Operations Management in Business degrees of Spanish universities. Empirically, a survey was administered to 20 EMI lecturers in the area of Operations Management, and s the results in the light of both the bibliography on EMI and the empirical results were discussed. Using online questionnaires, information was obtained from a sample of EMI lecturers in thirteen Spanish Universities. Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation. Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM are consistent with previous research in the area of EMI in other fields, but also provide some ideas that may pave the way for further research and development

Specific factors influencing operations management courses taught in English in Spanish business degrees

Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees. Design/methodology/approach: we present an overview of research so far into the effects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) on teaching and learning Operations Management in Business degrees of Spanish universities. Empirically, a survey was administered to 20 EMI lecturers in the area of Operations Management, and s the results in the light of both the bibliography on EMI and the empirical results were discussed. Using online questionnaires, information was obtained from a sample of EMI lecturers in thirteen Spanish Universities. Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation. Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM are consistent with previous research in the area of EMI in other fields, but also provide some ideas that may pave the way for further research and development

Specific factors influencing operations management courses taught in English in Spanish business degrees

Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees. Design/methodology/approach: we present an overview of research so far into the effects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) on teaching and learning Operations Management in Business degrees of Spanish universities. Empirically, a survey was administered to 20 EMI lecturers in the area of Operations Management, and s the results in the light of both the bibliography on EMI and the empirical results were discussed. Using online questionnaires, information was obtained from a sample of EMI lecturers in thirteen Spanish Universities. Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation. Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM are consistent with previous research in the area of EMI in other fields, but also provide some ideas that may pave the way for further research and development

Creating New Knowledge while Solving a Relevant Practical Problem: Success Factors for an Action Research-Based PhD Thesis in Business and Management

This paper focuses on university–firm relationships in terms of individual interactions between researchers and practitioners. More specifically, we focus on an analysis of the main factors that influence the use of the action research (AR) to achieve a successful doctoral thesis. In order to achieve this, we developed a Delphi study with 15 panelists whose common characteristic is that they defended or supervised an AR-based thesis in the field of business and management. The primary contribution of the research is the development of a reference framework that should be considered in the design of a doctoral thesis for which an AR methodology is put into practice. Four dimensions were defined: profiles of both the PhD candidate and supervisor, PhD program/university, and firm/organization. Three main conclusions were reached. First, it is crucial to have a cooperative “eye-to-eye” relationship between the university and the company. Second, the AR process must respond unequivocally to its own dichotomous nature. Third, there must be a straightforward academic process for the PhD thesis. We believe that this study may impel the development of doctoral theses based on AR as a tool to potentiate collaborative university–firm relationships

ECO-labels as a multidimensional research topic: Trends and opportunities

This study analyzes the importance of ecolabels as an eco-innovation tool that can contribute to the sustainable design, production and consumption of products. Our research has a dual objective. The first is to build a theoretical framework that explains the relationship between ecolabels and eco-innovation, their determinants (demand, supply; and institutional and political influences) and the dimensions that arise from them. Second, according to this framework, a systematic literature review was carried out to identify the trends and opportunities in ecolabeling as a multidimensional topic, from empirical, geographical and sectorial perspective. The main contributions of this paper are a proposal for cyclical ecolabeling innovation process, an understanding of the ecolabeling dimensions according to the studies analyzed, and ecolabel performance in the market. Additionally, the systematic literature review revealed that ecolabels have been mainly explored in food sectors and, developed countries, and researchers tend to assess their performance from the dimension of market dynamics

Modelo mejorado de evaluación de la sostenibilidad de los proyectos de infraestructuras

El impacto a largo plazo, en el plantea y en las personas que lo habitan, causado por la construcción y la explotación de las grandes infraestructuras preocupa cada vez más a la sociedad. Y en particular preocupa a los ingenieros civiles, responsables de encontrar soluciones eficientes a los problemas de movilidad, transporte de mercancías, abastecimiento de agua, suministro de energía, telecomunicaciones, etc. de una población global creciente. Este trabajo analiza los tres modelos de evaluación de la sostenibilidad de los proyectos de infraestructuras más extendidos en el mundo, en sus versiones actualizadas: Ceequal v6 (UK, 2019), Envision v3 (USA, 2018), e Infrastructure Sustainability v2.0 (Australia, 2018), así como su alineación con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Agenda 2030 de Naciones Unidas, para comprobar si dichos modelos proporcionan a los responsables, públicos y privados, de la toma de decisiones información suficiente para adoptar la mejor solución posible para cada proyecto. El objetivo principal de esta investigación es el desarrollo, a nivel conceptual, de un modelo mejorado de evaluación de la sostenibilidad de los proyectos de infraestructuras (MMESI), que cubra los déficits identificados en las metodologías existentes. Los elementos principales incorporados al nuevo modelo son los siguientes: la selección de los cuatro pilares de la sostenibilidad -ambiental, social, económico y gobernanza- como sus temas generales; el establecimiento de una puntuación mínima en cada pilar para que un proyecto pueda ser considerado sostenible; la cuantificación de los posibles impactos negativos del proyecto; la inclusión de nuevos créditos relacionados con la financiación de las infraestructuras y con las metas de los ODS y; finalmente, la ponderación del resultado de cada pilar mediante una función de valor de doble curvatura que, por un lado, incentive la incorporación de estrategias básicas de sostenibilidad y, por otro, discrimine las actuaciones buenas de las excelentes. Para concluir, se verifica la validez del modelo MMESI mediante su aplicación a un caso de estudio, la Zona Regable del Canal de Navarra. La comprobación realizada muestra que la nueva metodología proporciona resultados válidos, que pueden ser incluso más robustos que los obtenidos con los modelos de referencia citados.The long-term impact on the planet and the people, derived from the construction and operation of large infrastructures, is a growing concern for society. In particular for civil engineers, mandated to find and implement efficient solutions to the ever growing problems of a global population`s mobility, transport, telecommunications, water and energy supply, etc. This work analyses the updated versions of the three most widespread infrastructure sustainability assessment frameworks: Ceequal v6 (UK, 2019), Envision v3 (USA, 2018), and Infrastructure Sustainability v2.0 (Australia, 2018), together with the United Nations 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals, to examine whether the former provide enough information -to public and private decision makers- to adopt the best possible solution for each project. The main objective of the research is to develop an improved infrastructure sustainability assessment conceptual model (MMESI) that may cover the identified areas of improvement within the existing methodologies. The main elements embodied in the proposed framework are: the embracement of the four sustainability pillars -environmental, social, economic and governance-, as the model`s general themes; the establishment of a minimum score in each pillar for a project to be considered sustainable; the valuation of possible negative impacts of a given project; the incorporation of new credits related to the infrastructure financing and to SDGs goals and; finally, the weighing of each pillar`s results through a double curvature value function which, on the one hand, encourages the incorporation of basic sustainability strategies to the project and, on the other, discriminates good performances from excellent ones. Lastly, the work validates the MMESI model through its application to a case study, the Canal de Navarra Irrigation Zone. The results show that the new methodology can provide valid outcomes, which are even more robust than those obtained with the aforementioned infrastructure assessment frameworks