The Management of Internal Marketing and Organizational Commitment in Co-operativism in Ecuador

El marketing interno y el compromiso organizacional son constructos orientados al logro de las metas empresariales a través de la gestión eficiente de sus recursos humanos. Ambos favorecen que los directivos y responsables conozcan y motiven a su personal, de tal manera que sientan apego y compromiso hacia la organización. No obstante, a pesar de ser objeto de diversas investigaciones alrededor del mundo, existe un importante déficit en el estudio de estos constructos a nivel de Latinoamérica y, más aún, en el sector de la economía social. En este sentido, la presente tesis doctoral se propone presentar evidencias empíricas acerca de la relación entre dichos constructos, en un ámbito importante de la economía social y en un país en vías de desarrollo, concretamente en el cooperativismo de Ecuador. Para ello se analizan las diferentes teorías que han profundizado en el estudio y medición del marketing interno y el compromiso organizacional a través del tiempo, y que posibilitaron justificar la elección de los modelos teóricos de Jaworski y Kohli, (1993) y Lings (1999), para el primer constructo; y de Porter, Steers, y Mowday (1974), para el segundo. En todo caso, considerando que las escalas seleccionadas corresponden a otras realidades y ámbitos de aplicación, en primer lugar, se efectúa su adaptación al sector de las cooperativas ecuatorianas. De igual manera, se realiza la validación estadística de las escalas propuestas, a través de análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios, mediante modelos de ecuaciones estructurales basados en la covarianza (CB-SEM). Todo ello da como resultado fundamental que, en el cooperativismo ecuatoriano, el marketing interno puede ser medido mediante una escala de veintidós ítems y seis dimensiones y, por su parte, el compromiso organizacional puede ser mesurado por una escala unidimensional de 15 ítems. En la investigación desarrollada se propone además el estudio de las relaciones entre los constructos, con el fin de establecer el posible efecto de las dimensiones del marketing interno en el compromiso organizacional. Para determinar el efecto mediador de las variables investigadas, se aplicó un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple jerárquica. Respecto a los resultados del análisis entre los dos constructos, se pudo determinar que las dimensiones del marketing interno tienen un efecto significativo en el compromiso organizacional, obteniendo mayor correlación la dimensión de comunicación interna, con un porcentaje de varianza explicada del 42.1%. A dicho modelo se adicionaron determinadas variables sociodemográficas y del puesto de trabajo, demostrando que se producen mayores niveles relacionales cuando el empleado tiene el estado civil de casado, posee estudios superiores y su relación laboral es de carácter temporal.Internal marketing and organizational commitment are constructs aimed at achieving business goals through the efficient management of its human resources. Both encourage directors and managers to get to know and motivate their staff, in such a way that they feel attached and committed to the organization. However, despite being the subject of various investigations around the world, there is a significant deficit in the study of these constructs at the Latin American level and, even more so, in the social economy sector. In this sense, this doctoral thesis aims to present empirical evidence about the relationship between these constructs, in an important area of the social economy and in a developing country, specifically in the cooperative movement in Ecuador. For this, the different theories that have deepened in the study and measurement of internal marketing and organizational commitment over time are analyzed, and that made it possible to justify the choice of the theoretical models of Jaworski and Kohli, (1993) and Lings (1999), for the first construct; and from Porter, Steers, and Mowday (1974), for the second. In any case, considering that the selected scales correspond to other realities and areas of application, they are adapted to the Ecuadorian co-operative sector. Similarly, the statistical validation of the proposed scales is carried out, through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes, using structural equation models based on covariance (CB-SEM). All this gives as a fundamental result that, in Ecuadorian co-operatives, internal marketing can be measured using a scale of twenty-two items and six dimensions and, for its part, organizational commitment can be measured by a one-dimensional scale of 15 items. The research carried out also proposes the study of the relationships between the constructs, in order to establish the possible effect of the dimensions of internal marketing on organizational commitment. To determine the mediating effect of the investigated variables, a hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was applied. Regarding the results of the analysis between the two constructs, it could be determined that the internal marketing dimensions have a significant effect on organizational commitment, with the internal communication dimension obtaining the highest correlation, with a percentage of explained variance of 42.1%. Certain sociodemographic and job position variables were added to this model, demonstrating that higher relational levels occur when the employee has the marital status of married, has higher education and his / her employment relationship is temporary

Study of Corporate Sustainability Dimensions in the Cooperatives of Ecuador

This research has the aim of analysing corporate sustainability dimensions in the cooperativism of a developing country such as Ecuador by means of a valid and reliable measuring scale. These institutions, as part of the social economy, should be focused on a balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects, which are the central axis of corporate sustainability. The literature review and analysis led to the development of a research questionnaire that was applied to 2042 people, among them managers, employees and members of the Ecuadorian cooperatives. In order to validate the dimensional structure and consistency of the scale, an exploratory factorial analysis was performed, followed by a confirmatory analysis using structural equations. The results show a consistent measuring scale based on the traditional dimensions of corporate sustainability (economic, social and environmental) and also presenting a new dimension of corporate identity

Analysis of the Internal Marketing Dimensions in Social Economy Organizations: Study Applied to Co-operativism in Ecuador

Internal marketing involves the development of organizational strategies that promote the welfare of the employees who, in turn, play a transcendental role in achieving institutional goals. Ecuadoran co-operativism lacks relevant studies of this construct and, because of this, this research intends to analyze the dimensions of internal marketing, through the validation of a measuring instrument that has been adapted to this sector of the social economy, in a developing country. The methodology is based on the completion of field work, where a structured questionnaire for a representative sample of 2,499 employees and officers of the operatives of Ecuador was applied. The suitability of the scale was determined through the means of a model of Ecuadoran structural equations. The results show that internal marketing is a multi-dimensional construct and it can be measured in six dimensions: Identify Value Exchange (IVE), Internal Market Segmentation (IMS), Internal Communication (IC), Management Concern (MC), Training (TR), and Work/Family Balance (WFB)

Analysis of the Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Study Applied to Co-operativism in Ecuador

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) involves activities carried out by businesses based on the principles of transparency, ethical, moral and environmental values. Despite the growing interest in this area of study, there is no universally recognised definition, which, in turn, affects the measuring of these activities. The aim of this research is to analyse the dimensions of CSR, through a valid and trustworthy measuring scale of co-operativism in Ecuador. The research questionnaire was developed from the theoretical analysis of the construct and it was given to 2042 individuals, among them managers, employees and members of Ecuadorian co-operatives. In order to determine and evaluate the factorial structure, convergent validity and to discriminate the measuring scale, an exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis was conducted with covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). The results show that the suggested scale is reliable and consistent with the pursued goals. In this sense, and in relation to the viability of the factorial analysis performed, 86.2% of the correlations have a score greater than 0.3. Because of this, it can be confirmed that CSR can be measured in the four dimensions analysed: Economic, Legal, Ethical and Philanthropic

Analysis of the relationships between corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability: empirical study of co-operativism in Ecuador

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability have been subject to wide academic debate in recent times. However, publications that connect both constructs in most parts are clearly theoretical. The aim of this work is to analyse the possible relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability in Ecuadorian co-operatives. These approaches lead to focusing this study on the perceptions of internal and external stakeholders. For this, a sample of 2,042 individuals from these social economy institutions was used. Various covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) examples were developed in order to determine the effect of the dimensions of the CSR within the dimensions of corporate sustainability. The main findings of this research allowed for the determination that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the dimensions of these constructs. In any case, within the relationships of the four CSR dimensions identified (economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic), the greatest link among them with the social dimension of corporate sustainability is highlighted. This model explains 30.2% of the variance of this dimension. Specifically, its link with the economic dimension (γ = 0.27, p < 0.001) and the legal dimension (γ = 0.11, p < 0,001) of CSR stands out

Influence of Internal Marketing Dimensions on Organizational Commitment: An Empirical Application in Ecuadorian Co-Operativism

Internal marketing involves planning, implementing, and assessing strategies focused on the internal customer (employee), who, at the same time, looks to strengthen their organizational commitment. In this context, leaders and managers should focus on human capital through policies which encourage the motivation and satisfaction of employees, in a way that they feel committed to the institution which, at the same time, will help the achievement of organizational targets. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to analyze internal marketing dimensions and their possible relationship with organizational commitment. To do so, fieldwork based on a research questionnaire has been developed, aimed at a very important area of the social economy: co-operativism in a developing country. A total of 2,499 surveys were distributed among employees, leaders, and managers of Ecuadorian cooperatives. To describe the possible mediating effect of the research variables, a hierarchical, multiple linear regression analysis was applied. The results reveal that the internal marketing dimensions present statistically significant correlations with the organizational commitment, with the internal communication dimension being its maximum relational exponent. It is also extracted from the study that sociodemographic and works position variables positively influence the relationship between both constructs, presenting higher relational levels when the employee is married, has higher studies and their work contract is temporary

Analysis of organizational commitment in cooperatives in Ecuador

Purpose – The objective of this research is to analyse the affective organizational commitment in cooperatives in Ecuador. This was done by adapting and testing a measurement scale based on the one-dimensional model proposed by Porter. Design/methodology/approach – Field work was carried out, with a structured questionnaire being given to a significant sample of workers in Ecuadorian cooperatives (2,499 employees and heads of department). The scale was adapted through a structural equation model. Findings – The results show that the adaptation of the measuring scale for affective organizational commitment using a one-dimensional vision is consistent for the cooperative sector. In addition, the analysis of the socio-demographic variables and the work position show that some of them have a statistically significant relationship with organizational commitment. Practical implications – The proposed scale can contribute to the management of human capital in cooperatives in Ecuador. It can also be used as a tool to support the national agency in charge of the cooperative sector in this country (Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria, “Superintendency of Popular and Solidarity Economy”). By applying this tool, social economy organizations in Ecuador can measure the level of their employees’ affective commitment with the institution they work in. Using the results, the people in charge and the leaders of the organization shall be able to introduce strategies to develop this organizational variable that is crucial for the proper management of human resources and, therefore, to help to obtain the institutional purposes. Originality/value – This research project presents a measuring tool that can discover the unique features of the cooperative sector in a developing country such as Ecuador as it provides a special framework for managing human resources in this sector. Additionally, in a cooperative organization many employees have different roles in the same company. This tool can be adapted for other kinds of cooperatives with different activities (financial and non-financial activities) in different sectors