La cultura estratégica: factor clave del éxito empresarial

Analiza la cultura organizativa de las empresas canarias desde un punto de vista estratégico. Contiene una revisión teórica que integra las diversas perspectivas de estudio existentes, y es coherente con la realidad actual de las empresas al relacionar la cultura con aspectos tales como los procesos de cambio, el entorno, la estrategia empresarial y la obtención de ventajas competitivas. El análisis de las distintas aproximaciones y modelos, permite identificar las variables que mejor representan el concepto de cultura organizativa. Estas dimensiones, tras realizar análisis factorial, quedan agrupadas en torno a cuatro componentes, interpretados como tipos de cultura: participación, compromiso, adaptación y formación. Del estudio de la influencia de una serie de factores internos y externos a la organización en la orientación cultural, se extrae que las empresas analizadas ejercen en menor medida la cultura de adaptación, lo cual implica que no poseen la predisposición abierta al cambio que sería necesario en un entorno altamente cambiante como el actual. El que sólo las empresas pequeñas favorezcan el compromiso interno, y que la cultura más ejercida sea la de formación, orientada a lo operativo, hace que la cultura de las empresas canarias difícilmente pueda convertirse en ventaja competitiva y conducir en último caso a mejorar los resultados, pues no resulta lo suficientemente flexible para favorecer el preceso de cambio en un entorno altamente dinámico como es el actual

An inventory model for multiple items assuming time-varying demands and limited storage

Producción CientíficaA model for inventory systems with multiple products is studied. Demands of items are time-dependent and follow power patterns. Shortages are allowed and fully back logged. For this inventory system, our findings provide the efficient inventory policy that helps decision-makers to obtain the initial inventory levels and the reorder points that maximize the profit per unit time. Moreover, when it is assumed that the warehouse used for the storage of products has a limited capacity, the optimal inventory policy is also developed. The model presented here extends some inventory systems studied by other authors. Numerical examples are introduced to illustrate the applicability of the theoretical results presented.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades cofinanciado por la Comunidad Europea (FEDER) (project MTM2017-84150-P)Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Optimal price and lot size for an EOQ model with full backordering under power price and time dependent demand

Producción CientíficaIn this paper, we address an inventory system where the demand rate multiplicatively combines the effects of time and selling price. It is assumed that the demand rate is the product of two power functions, one depending on the selling price and the other on the time elapsed since the last inventory replenishment. Shortages are allowed and fully backlogged. The aim is to obtain the lot sizing, the inventory cycle and the unit selling price that maximize the profit per unit time. To achieve this, two efficient algorithms are proposed to obtain the optimal solution to the inventory problem for all possible parameter values of the system. We solve several numerical examples to illustrate the theoretical results and the solution methodology. We also develop a numerical sensitivity analysis of the optimal inventory policy and the maximum profit with respect to the parameters of the demand function.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (Project MTM2017-84150-P

Managing communication and participation in Canary Island firms

Business organizations and management encompass a wide range of aspects requiring research and analysis. Two key issues are communications management and employee participation promotion within firms. This study focused on the variables of communication and participation in organizational structure, business decision making, transmission of orders, supervision, and control in small and micro-enterprises in the Canary Islands, Spain. The research examined the two variables’ ability to generate increased involvement in and employee identification with their firm. The analytical framework applied sought to investigate Canarian managers’ criteria and priorities regarding using communication and participation as management tools. The methodology included the Rasch analysis technique. The study analyses seven variables considered relevant in relation to communication that are communication between management and workers, fluid and informal communication, use of information technology in internal communication, access of all workers to new information technology, linking/relationship systems between units of the same level, linking/relationship systems between units of different levels and the existence of information disseminated as a tool. Likewise, among the variables related to participation, twelve variables recognized as relevant in the literature are analysed. These variables are setting specific objectives for workers, individual initiative, cooperation, decentralization of decision making, control, participation in decision making, participation in setting objectives, workers’ autonomy in decision making when carrying out their work, initiative in their work, control of their work, commitment and involvement of managers in daily work and delegation of authority to lower levels. The predominance of small businesses, in many cases managed by their owners, allows us to appreciate a vertical communication based on direct supervision, from top to bottom. The results reveal a poorly balanced combination of communication and participation systems in Canarian firms. These marked imbalances have consequences for managers’ coordination mechanisms and potential for effectively managing their firms

Profit maximization in an inventory system with time-varying demand, partial backordering and discrete inventory cycle

Producción CientíficaIn this paper, an inventory problem where the inventory cycle must be an integer multiple of a known basic period is considered. Furthermore, the demand rate in each basic period is a power time-dependent function. Shortages are allowed but, taking necessities or interests of the customers into account, only a fixed proportion of the demand during the stock-out period is satisfied with the arrival of the next replenishment. The costs related to the management of the inventory system are the ordering cost, the purchasing cost, the holding cost, the backordering cost and the lost sale cost. The problem is to determine the best inventory policy that maximizes the profit per unit time, which is the difference between the income obtained from the sales of the product and the sum of the previous costs. The modeling of the inventory problem leads to an integer nonlinear mathematical programming problem. To solve this problem, a new and efficient algorithm to calculate the optimal inventory cycle and the economic order quantity is proposed. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate how the algorithm works to determine the best inventory policies. A sensitivity analysis of the optimal policy with respect to some parameters of the inventory system is developed. Finally, conclusions and suggestions for future research lines are given.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad y fondos europeos FEDER (research project MTM2017-84150-P