Stakeholders’ environmental influence. An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry

We draw on the insights of stakeholder theory to explore the extent to which environmental management practices are driven by (i) an attempt to enhance a firm’s legitimacy, and (ii) a response to pressures arising from powerful stakeholders. The material for this investigation has been gathered from a sample of 279 Spanish hotels. The hotel industry which is only marginally affected by environmental regulation and is thus a widely neglected setting in this context, could be a particularly interesting subject for investigation, able to throw some light on the extent to which firms produce different responses to the environmental concerns of their stakeholders. Our results reveal that corporate environmental management practices may be a response to genuine environmental concerns, and we then speak of explicit environmental management, or there may also be reasons different from the environmental, in which case we speak of tacit environmental management. Our findings suggest that explicit and tacit environmental management account for a variety of organizational responses to the environmental demands of stakeholders, depending on (i) the stakeholders’ power regarding environmental issues, (ii) the stakeholders’ use of power to protect the environment, and (iii) the perceived economic advantages of environmental management activities.Publicad

Stakeholders’ environmental influence. An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry.

We draw on the insights of stakeholder theory to explore the extent to which environmental management practices are driven by (i) an attempt to enhance a firm’s legitimacy, and (ii) a response to pressures arising from powerful stakeholders. The material for this investigation has been gathered from a sample of 279 Spanish hotels. The hotel industry which is only marginally affected by environmental regulation and is thus a widely neglected setting in this context, could be a particularly interesting subject for investigation, able to throw some light on the extent to which firms produce different responses to the environmental concerns of their stakeholders. Our results reveal that corporate environmental management practices may be a response to genuine environmental concerns, and we then speak of explicit environmental management, or there may also be reasons different from the environmental, in which case we speak of tacit environmental management. Our findings suggest that explicit and tacit environmental management account for a variety of organizational responses to the environmental demands of stakeholders, depending on (i) the stakeholders’ power regarding environmental issues, (ii) the stakeholders’ use of power to protect the environment, and (iii) the perceived economic advantages of environmental management activities.Environmental management; Stakeholder theory; Hotels; Service industry;

Analysing inter-relationships among water, governance, human development variables in developing countries

The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 42 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality, and finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. Based on 25 relevant variables, the relationships between variables are described and organised into five factors (HDP – Human Development against Poverty, AP – Human Activity Pressure on water resources, WR – Water Resources, ODA – Official Development Aid, CEC – Country Environmental Concern). Linear regression methods are used to identify key variables having influence on water supply and sanitation. First analysis indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor negatively influencing the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children's health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Irrigation is also enhancing Water Supply service thanks to multi-purpose infrastructure. Five country profiles are also created to deeper understand and synthetize the amount of information gathered. This new classification of countries is useful in identifying countries with a less advanced position and weaknesses to be tackled. The relevance of indicators gathered to represent environmental and water resources state is questioned in the discussion section. The paper concludes with the necessity to increase the reliability of current indicators and calls for further research on specific indicators, in particular on water quality at national scale, in order to better include environmental state in analysis to WSS

Estrategia de negocio y prácticas de recursos humanos en las cooperativas

This paper analyses the fit between business strategy and human resources strategy, and its implications and effect on performance. A sample of 121 Andalusian co-operatives (small and medium sized firms) is used to evaluate the hypothesis through a questionnaire. Our findings reveal some support for the fit hypothesis, though with some qualifications which are also discussed.Business strategy, Human resources practices, Fit, Co-operatives.

¿Hay hoteles verdes en España? Un análisis exploratorio

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio exploratorio para definir las estrategias medioambientales de operaciones entre los establecimientos hoteleros. Para ello, tras una breve revisión teórica, donde se expone la necesidad de integrar las cuestiones ambientales en la estrategia de operaciones, se proponen las principales dimensiones que ayudan a explicar la respuesta de la empresa a estas consideraciones: la presión del entorno hacia la protección ambiental, la gestión ambiental mínima, la gestión ambiental diferenciadora, los años de experiencia en implantar medidas de protección ambiental, la utilización de las técnicas de la Dirección de Operaciones y la formalización de los planes y programas ambientales. Asimismo, se diseñan escalas de medida para recoger estas dimensiones, las cuales se utilizan para detectar el patrón que siguen más de 240 establecimientos hoteleros españoles de tres, cuatro y cinco estrellas. Finalmente, se contrastan los resultados de aplicar la tipología propuesta con los obtenidos en otras investigaciones, se sintetizan las principales aportaciones y se plantean líneas futuras de investigación

Estrategia medioambiental, contexto organizativo y rendimiento: los establecimientos hoteleros españoles

En el presente trabajo se realiza un estudio de las estrategias ambientales que adoptan los establecimientos hoteleros españoles y se discute si existen diferencias significativas en algunas características organizativas en función de la estrategia ambiental adoptada. Para ello, y en armonía con las principales tipologías de estrategias ambientales detectadas en la literatura, se clasifican los establecimientos hoteleros españoles en cuatro grupos: Proactivos, Defensivos, Acomodativos y Reactivos. Asimismo, se comprueba que estas diferentes estrategias ambientales se explican por distintas características de la organización, tales como la intensidad de la presión social que ejercen los grupos de interés sobre el establecimiento y la posesión de determinadas capacidades organizativas. Adicionalmente, se puede observar que las empresas de los grupos con una estrategia ambiental más desarrollada se asocian a un rendimiento económico superior. Finalmente, se comparan los resultados obtenidos en este estudio con otras investigaciones precedentes y se discuten las implicaciones que se desprenden de este trabajo, tanto en el ámbito académico, como en el profesional

Do high-performance human resource practices work? The mediating role of organizational learning capability

This study explores the relationship between high-performance human resource practices and organizational outcomes, using organizational learning capability as a mediating variable. By analyzing a sample of 85 Spanish companies in the chemical industry, the results suggest that the application of high-performance human resource practices is positively related to the development of organizational learning capability. This, in turn, is positively related to the financial and non-financial firm’s performance. The mediating role of learning capability is useful and should be considered in studies that analyze the link between human resource practices and performance, a central topic in the literature on strategic human resource management. Additionally, this study provides indications which can help companies design suitable conditions for promoting organizational learning capability, which is directly related to the development of human resource systems

Absorptive capacity as a confounder of the process of supply chain integration

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore and advance on existing knowledge regarding supply chain integration and absorptive capacity. On the one hand, new elements, such as high-performance human resource practices and internal integration are proposed to foster absorptive capacity within the supply chain. On the other hand, the study proposes a model and hypotheses to analyze the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the relationship between external supply chain integration and performance. Design/methodology/approach – Four hypotheses are formulated based on relevant literature. Data was collected from the horticultural marketing sector, using two different sources, a survey, and archival data. A total of 99 responses were analysed. Hierarchical multiple regressions were carried out to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The results confirm that high-performance human resource practices are a crucial element when trying to increase the level of absorptive capacity. In addition, the results show that absorptive capacity has a moderating effect on the relationship between supply chain integration and performance (both economic and financial). Absorptive capacity moderates the relationship between customer integration and economic performance. Originality/value – This study examines the potential causes for the differences that exist in a firm’s ability to develop absorptive capacity. Thus, on the one hand, high-performance human resource practices and internal integration are proposed as triggers of absorptive capacity, and on the other, absorptive capacity is proposed as a moderator in the relationship between supply chain integration and performance

Examining the moderating role of HIHRP in the relationship between external integration and productivity

Purpose – Based on the human resource (HR) and supply chain integration (SCI) literature, we argue that high-involvement human resource practices (HIHRP) work as a complementary capability for SCI, and thus, HIHRP moderates the relationship between SCI and firm productivity. This moderating role is analyzed through the following HIHRP dimensions: ability-enhancing, motivation-enhancing, and opportunity-enhancing practices (AMO framework). Design/methodology/approach – Using empirical data collected from a survey of the agri-food sector (horticultural firms of southern Spain), the moderating effects of HIHRP on the relationship between supply chain external integrations (with customers and suppliers) and productivity are examined. A hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The results support that HIHRP have a moderating effect on the SCI/productivity relationship. However, these results are only significant in the case of supplier integration. Originality/value – This study analyzes HIHRP as a complementary asset in the context of SCI and makes both theoretical and managerial contributions to the SCI literature by empirically analyzing the role of HR practices in enhancing the relationship between SCI and performance