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

Geología y control hidroquímico del salar Aguas Calientes Sur, II Región de Antofagasta, Chile: relación con el desarrollo de sus facies evaporíticas

Tesis (Geólogo)El salar Aguas Calientes Sur se caracteriza por la poca cantidad de información respecto a su comportamiento geológico e hidrogeológico debido a que es un área protegida. Sin embargo, de acuerdo con trabajos previos y junto con el uso de metodologías de carácter remoto y nuevos datos obtenidos en terreno, el depósito salino está geológicamente caracterizado por situarse en una cuenca rodeada principalmente por material volcánico y sedimentario de edad Mioceno Superior-Holoceno, presentando una composición mineralógica mixta y cuya distribución se basa en la ocurrencia de dos facies principales, una de mayor distribución superficial y conformada por halita, yeso, nitratos, boratos y material detrítico, seguida por una segunda facies constituida por un alto enriquecimiento en sulfatos (yeso y otros), concentraciones subordinadas de carbonatos, cloruros y material detrítico de origen volcánico. Tal rasgo, así como el comportamiento hidroquímico dominantemente sódico-clorurado del depósito salino, podrían estar relacionados tanto con las variaciones climáticas dentro del sector altoandino como bien al aporte iónico de las sales evaporíticas producto de procesos continuos de disolución y precipitación.The salar of Aguas Calientes Sur is characterized by the limited amount of information regarding their geological and hydrogeological behavior because it’s a protected area. However, according to previous work and together with the use of remote methodologies and new field data, the saline deposit is geologically characterized to be in a basin surrounded of Late Miocene-Holocene volcanic and sedimentary material, presenting a mixed mineralogical composition and which it’s distribution is based in the occurrence of two main facies, one with a higher superficial distribution and conformed by halite, gypsum, nitrates, borates and detritic material, followed by a second facies constituted by a higher sulfate enrichment (gypsum and others), subordinated carbonate and chloride concentrations and detritic material with volcanic support. Such feature, as well as the dominant sodic-chloride hydrochemical behavior of the deposit, could be related both to climatic variations inside of the High-Andean sector and to the ionic contribution of the evaporitic salts product of continuous processes of dissolution and precipitation

Los mundos real, de referencia y posible en las narraciones de canciones ecuatorianas y bolivianas

In a relation between communication and culture from a semiotics perspective, this paper analysis the narrative of songs as a possible world that refers to a real world using song versions built from references of the andean indigenous cultures: the Kichwas in Ecuador an the Aymaras from Bolivia.En una relación entre comunicación y cultura desde una perspectiva semiótica, se analizan las narraciones de canciones como mundo posible que remiten a un mundo real a partir de versiones construidas desde mundos de referencia de las culturas indígenas andinas kichwas de Ecuador y aymaras de Bolivia como actores sociales

Plan de mejoras técnicas para la manipulación y conservación de alimentos en el mercado municipal de durán (sector nave 2)

El presente trabajo propone establecer sistemas de buenas prácticas de manipulación y conservación de alimentos, así como brindar las recomendaciones técnicas que ayuden a mejorar la comercialización de los mismos en los diferentes mercados del país. . Para lograr el objetivo se hizo un acercamiento con la M.I. Municipalidad del cantón Durán permitiendo iniciarse la evaluación de su situación inicial. Considerando la distribución y requerimientos sanitarios para el expendio de alimentos, se diseñó un plan de mejoras referente a una redistribución de los locales con el fin de evitar la contaminación cruzada; un plan de limpieza adecuado según el tipo de alimento que se comercializa, además se consideró el diseño sanitario tomando en cuenta los requerimientos de servicios como agua para limpieza y correcto funcionamiento del mercado; la propuesta incluye asimismo el diseño de una cámara de frio con el fin de alargar el tiempo de vida útil de los alimentos. Adicionalmente, se hicieron capacitaciones direccionadas a los comerciantes de diferentes grupos de alimentos con el fin de proponer aspectos técnicos que disminuyan las pérdidas por una manipulación incorrecta. Finalmente se realizó una estimación en cuanto al costo de implementación del proyecto

El bilingüismo escolar

Niños cuya lengua materna es el euskera cuando acuden a la escuela no se pueden comunicar con los maestros al carecer éstos de los conocimientos de la lengua. El problema ha de solucionarse como en otros países bilingüesChildren whose mother language is Basque when they attend school cannot communicate with the teachers because they lack a sufficient knowledge of the language. The problem there has to be solved in a similar way to that in other bilingual countrie

Análisis de la eficacia del coaching ejecutivo: un estudio desde la perspectiva del coachee

[EN] Executive coaching has become one of the principal leadership development strategies of our time. However, this is a field of HRD that has been discussed far more often in professional than academic literature and further research is required. This work analyses the relation existing between the main explanatory factors of executive coaching effectiveness and the different types of results that can be achieved. This study also provides an empirical test of the effectiveness of executive coaching using the first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (1975). Responses from 176 executives are analyzed, assessing their perceptions of their latest experience of executive coaching. Structural modelling is used to match factors affecting the success of executive coaching to its results. The resulting model highlights the influence exercised by the coach, and to a lesser extent the coachee and the process, on coachee satisfaction. It also shows how the coach influences the coachee’s learning. The results also suggest that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction, learning and behavioral change, as Kirkpatrick suggests. The development of a final focus group, in which human resources managers, coachees and coaches took part, contributed to improvements in the discussion and interpretation of the results. In the light of these results, the implications for the professional and academic area are considered.[ES] El coaching ejecutivo se ha convertido en una de las principales estrategias de desarrollo directivo de nuestros tiempos. Sin embargo, es un campo del área de desarrollo de RR.HH. en el que predomina la literatura profesional sobre la académica y que está necesitado de más investigación. Este trabajo analiza la relación existente entre los principales factores explicativos de la eficacia del coaching ejecutivo y los diferentes tipos de resultados que se pueden alcanzar. Este estudio aporta además una prueba empírica de la eficacia del coaching ejecutivo utilizando los tres primeros niveles del modelo de evaluación de Kirkpatrick (1975). Se analizan las respuestas de 176 directivos valorando sus percepciones acerca de su última experiencia de coaching ejecutivo. Se utiliza modelización estructural para relacionar factores que inciden en el éxito del coaching ejecutivo con los resultados del mismo. El modelo resultante pone de relieve la influencia que ejercen el coach, y en menor medida el coachee y el proceso, sobre la satisfacción del coachee. También muestra cómo se materializa la influencia ejercida por el coach sobre los aprendizajes del coachee. Asimismo, los resultados sugieren la existencia de una relación positiva entre satisfacción, aprendizaje y cambio de comportamiento, tal y como sugiere Kirkpatrick. Un focus group final en el que han tomado parte directivos de recursos humanos, coachees y coaches ha contribuido a la mejora de la discusión e interpretación de los resultados. A la luz de estos resultados, se plantean implicaciones para el ámbito profesional y académico.We wish to express our most sincere thanks to all the managers and coaches who collaborated in this research, either by answering the questionnaire, or through their active participation in the validation stages of the questionnaire, the pre-test and testing of results. The authors received financial support for the research from the University of the Basque Country, University-Society grant (Ref.: US12/07), FESIDE foundation (Research grant, 2015) and the European Coaching School

Implementation of a nursing competency assessment system in public hospitals

Numerous problems are frequently observed when nursing competency assessment systems (NCAS) are implemented. How to effectively implement a nursing competency assessment system, according to academic and practical contributions, is poorly reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a set of recommendations for public hospitals and nursing management in order to facilitate the implementation of a NCAS. To achieve this objective we have revised the existing literature and conducted a Delphi study with nursing managers and human resource managers of the public hospitals of the Basque Health Service. The results are that the implementation of a NCAS requires a well-planned strategy that managers must consider before implementing any NCAS. This strategy must include, at minimum, the following aspects: communication, training, leadership, and content where the NCAS is concerned. The context of the organisations and the cultural dimensions may also influence the results of the application of the system

The effect of cultural context on the efficiency of best practices in human resource .

The efficiency of High Performance Work Systems has been a special object of study for the last two decades. Analysis of their behaviour has involved the consideration of Several factors that supposedly moderate their efficiency, among which internal company factors stand out. However, contextual perspective has not been considered in great detail. In this regard, we go about our analysis incorporating cultural context as a possible moderating variable. From a sample of foreign affiliates of Spanish multinational companies, the results recommend that this variable be more closely considered in future investigations.Best practices; HPWS; human resources; cultural context; multinational enterprises

Collaborative relationships with customers: generation and protection of innovations

This is an electronic version of the accepted paper in Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing[EN]Purpose: To discover the key elements for generating and protecting innovations based on the customer‐supplier relationship in industrial sectors Methodology: Exploratory qualitative study performed using semi‐structured interviews with CEOs and innovation managers of 22 industrial firms and institutions from the machine‐tool (MT) industry Findings: Key forms of knowledge must be shared by the two agents. Producers have to obtain in‐depth knowledge about customers’ needs and customers need knowledge on producer's absorptive capacity. Producers distinguish between three types of customer: reference customers, necessary for innovations with greatest scope, clientes amigos or test users, required to test innovations currently being developed, and traditional customers, associated with incremental innovations. The traditional means of protecting innovations is the detailed contract between customer and supplier; patents are used for innovations of greater technological scope, as a form of defense against third‐party patents and as a signaling element of absorptive capacity. Originality: The paper draws on the direct experience of executives from companies whose innovation is based on a close relationship with customers, in order to answer questions to which the literature has yet to provide definitive answers: What sort of information to be shared is relevant for the generation of innovations? Are all customers equal or are there profiles that contribute more effectively to the development of innovations? What attitude and mechanisms are most effective for protecting the knowledge and competitiveness generated through knowledge‐sharing