Temporary factors that condition innovation: comparison between family and non-family businesses

Studies conducted on innovation in family businesses have offered very diverse and sometimes contradictory results. The objective of this paper is to analyze the influence of time-related variables on the innovative behavior of companies. Furthermore, we compare the behavior of family and non-family companies, the influence of the generation and the transference of management. To do this, companies are classified according to the stage of life in which they are and are compared using a mean difference test (Anova). Subsequently, already focused on family businesses, the effects of generating control in the case of family businesses are analyzed, considering the foundational and subsequent periods. The results show that the behavior towards the innovation of family businesses is conditioned by the temporal dimension

The human resources development through mentoring: the Spanish case

Objeto: El mentoring es una práctica para favorecer el desarrollo de los recursos humanos cada día más utilizada por las empresas. Sin embargo, la investigación sobre el tema presenta aún numerosos aspectos que no se han abordado lo suficiente. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer esta práctica, analizar sus efectos y conocer que beneficios que reporta a los individuos y a las empresas que la utilizan, exponiendo una serie de indicaciones prácticas para que su aplicación resulte efectiva. Posteriormente, procedemos a contrastar los planteamientos anteriores, analizando el impacto del mentoring en el rendimiento, tanto a nivel organizacional como a nivel individual, en una muestra de empresas españolas. Los resultados reflejan que existe una relación causal directa entre el empleo de los programas de mentoring y el crecimiento de la empresa y su capital humano. Diseño/metodología/enfoque: Tras el planteamiento teórico se procede a contrastar las hipótesis mediante la metodología de ecuaciones estructurales, realizando previamente un análisis factorial confirmatorio de las escalas de medida. Aportaciones y resultados: Los resultados muestran la existencia de un efecto causal y directo de la aplicación del mentoring y el rendimiento de las empresas de la muestra. De este modo validamos los planteamientos teóricos formulados y contribuimos a un conocimiento más profundo de esta práctica, sus condiciones de efectividad y los beneficios que reporta a la empresa. Implicaciones prácticas: El mentoring se inicia con la incorporación del pupilo, un empleado con posibilidades de promoción y mejora, cuyo plan de carrera contempla la utilización de esta técnica. A partir de este instante, el siguiente paso será elegir el mentor, normalmente una persona con más experiencia y conocedora de la organización. Gran parte del éxito del mentoring se basa en la adecuada elección del mentor, por ello debe ser analizado de manera minuciosa, de manera que la pareja mentor-pupilo tenga afinidad, confianza y se desarrolle en un clima propicio. Por otro lado, el mentoring ayuda a incorporar y socializar nuevos empleados, pues el mentor actúa como trasmisor de conocimiento e información de la cultura de la compañía, sus valores, normas estrategias, prepara los profesionales que proceden o son destinados a otros países, mejorando adaptación y conocimiento del país. El pupilo que interviene en el proceso de mentoring conseguirá estar preparado para alcanzar posiciones de mayor responsabilidad en la empresa, de acuerdo con sus planes de carrera y estrategia de la organización. Originalidad / Valor añadido: Este trabajo permite el avance en el conocimiento del mentoring en el ámbito empresarial y proporciona evidencia empírica de su utilidad para los directivos de recursos humanos.Purpose: Mentoring is a practice to encourage the development of human resources increasingly used by companies. However, research on the subject still presents many aspects that have not been sufficiently addressed. Thus, the aim of this study is analyze the effects of this practice and its benefits in individuals and businesses, exposing a series of practical guidelines for its use to be effective. Then, we proceed to contrast the previous approaches, analyzing the impact of mentoring on performance, both organizational and individual levels in a sample of Spanish companies. The results show that there is a direct causal relationship between the use of mentoring programs and growth of the company and its human capital. Design/methodology: Following the theoretical approach we proceed to test the hypotheses using structural equation methodology and confirmatory factor analysis of the measurement scales. Findings: The results show the existence of a causal and direct effect of the implementation of mentoring and businesses performance. This validated the theoretical approaches formulated and contribute to a deeper understanding of this practice, its conditions of effectiveness and benefits of the company. Practical implications: Mentoring begins with the incorporation of the protégé (an employee with capacity for promotion and improvement and his career plan includes the use of this technique). From this moment, the next step is to choose a mentor, usually someone more experienced and knowledgeable about the organization. Much of the success of mentoring is based on the proper choice of the mentor, must be analyzed so thoroughly, so that the mentor-mentee pair has affinity, trust and develop in a climate. On the other hand, helps to provide mentoring and socializing new employees, as the mentor acts as a transmitter of knowledge and information about the company culture, values, norms, strategies, prepares professionals coming or for other countries, improving adaptation and knowledge of the country's pupil involved in the mentoring process, get ready to rise to positions of increasing responsibility in the company, according to their career plans and strategy of the organization. Originality/value: This work enables the advancement in knowledge of mentoring in business and provides empirical evidence of its usefulness to staff of human resources.Peer Reviewe

How to convince players in construction market? Strategies for effective implementation of circular economy in construction sector

Excessive and progressive industrialization is creating significant economic gaps, whereas large quantities of natural resources are used, and a lot of waste is created. Circular Economy (CE) aims to convert the so-called linear economy paradigm. Changes in legal regulations, business models, and construction methods are necessary for an effective CE implementation. This article aims to attract the attention of key players of the construction sector to a phenomenon of the CE. Basic conditions, a company should meet to perform an effective transformation towards the CE, were described. A hybrid, qualitative-quantitative methodology was used to research. First, a literature review is performed to describe a specificity of the construction industry and features of the construction companies in Poland. Second, a conceptual framework is developed to describe emerging CE business models. Third, a simulation-based analysis is developed to check a propensity of the construction companies to implement the CE and enhance its meaning in different types of economiesThis work was supported by the Statutory research for scientists at the UTP University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Architecture under Grant No. BSM-61/2018

Transition to the Circular Economy in the Fashion Industry: The Case of the Inditex Family Business

Society is increasingly concerned about aspects of work related to sustainability. This leads organizations to reflect on the economic, environmental, and social problems that affect both current and future generations. When companies identify an environmental problem, they try to respond to it through changes in their environmental policies, aiming at the transition towards sustainability. In this context, the circular economy appears as a regenerative industrial system that replaces the concept of “end of life” with that of “restoration”. It is oriented to the use of renewable energies, eliminating the use of toxic chemicals, which are harmful to reuse. The theory of socio-emotional wealth describes the behavior patterns of family businesses in response to the environmental changes that occur and the reasons derived from the family character that make them move towards the circular economy model. This article studies the case of the Spanish textile manufacturing and distribution multinational Inditex, analyzing the information collected in its environmental balances in the period 2013–2018. The analysis allows us to observe the speed of Inditex’s transition to the circular economy. For this, transition speed indicators were formed in each of the dimensions of the circular economy model. The results of the study indicate areas in which the company is moving faster and those in which more effort is needed. Finally, a collection of good practices related to the CE used by Inditex is provided

Prediction of the impact on air quality of the cities receiving cruise tourism: the case of the Port of Barcelona

Supplementary content related to this article has been published online at https://doi. org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01280.The cruise tourism industry has experienced significant growth in recent years and has a very positive outlook for the future. However, its environmental impact requires a review of its sustainability, including the analysis of its social, economic and environmental balance, and the evaluation of its impact on port cities receiving cruise ships. The purpose of this document is twofold: First, to analyze the relationship between air quality, as an environmental variable, and the volume of cruise ships and passengers that visit a port with the aim of generating information. Secondly, it is intended to develop an index, based on the information already available that allows cities to predict the impact of this activity, so that decisions are made to alleviate these effects. Methods: The primary data taken monthly for the period 2006–2017, related to the level of emissions and the number of cruises and passengers, are used as a basis. A regression analysis is performed to determine the relationship between air pollution and the number of tourists coming from the cruise ships. As a contribution, the results show the influence of this type of tourism on environmental indicators. In addition, in an original way, a regression function is established that allows estimating the future impact of the cruise industry in the ports cities. So that, cities can prevent this type of environmental impact. This will make it easier for the cruise tourism industry to develop more sustainable models in the long term.This work was supported by Research Project ECO2017-84138-P MINECO , AGENCIA ESTATAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN and FEDER (EU)

Inercia e innovación en la empresa familiar: una primera aproximación

Las particularidades de la innovación en el ámbito de la empresa familiar suponen un aspecto aun escasamente desarrollado en los estudios sobre estas organizaciones y, más específicamente, existen numerosas cuestiones por resolver en relación con las barreras a la innovación en la empresa familiar. La aplicación del modelo de las cinco fuerzas inerciales de Rumelt (1995) al caso concreto de la empresa familiar permite hacer una primera aproximación al estudio de los obstáculos que dificultan la innovación en la empresa familiar. Del análisis realizado se derivan una serie de proposiciones, como punto de partida para una investigación más amplia

EL RETO DE LA DIRECCIÓN DE RECURSOS HUMANOS PARA LAS EMPRESAS FAMILIARES: ESTADO DE LA CUESTIÓN

El estudio de los recursos humanos dentro de la empresa familiar se ha realizado de manera muy fragmentada, en parcelas concretas y sin profundizar en las particularidades de estas organizaciones. Por ello, se hace necesario un análisis del estado en el que se encuentra este tema para establecer un marco de referencia y los principales temas de interés para los investigadores, lo que constituye el objetivo general de este trabajo. La metodología empleada para ello es la revisión y análisis sistemático de las publicaciones de ámbito internacional especializadas en la materia. Las conclusiones nos permiten situar el estado de la cuestión, mostrando los factores diferenciadores más relevantes de estas organizaciones. Esta investigación ofrece una serie de recomendaciones de utilidad para las propias organizaciones que ayudan a cubrir algunas de las lagunas detectadas

Intention to purchase sustainable craft products: a moderated mediation analysis of the adoption of sustainability in the craft sector

In the modern world, the management of companies has evolved from a model characterized by the extraction, transformation, and generation of waste towards a more sustainable model. This transition affects even more traditional sectors, such as crafts. A key aspect of the transition towards more sustainable models is knowledge of the disposition of consumers with respect to these new artisan products. To date, few works have addressed this research problem, so this paper analyses consumer behaviour towards sustainable craft products empirically. To accomplish this goal, the effect of the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers on their purchase intention is studied. Attitudes towards sustainable crafts, purchase intention, degree of consumer involvement and degree of knowledge concerning sustainability are considered as moderating variables. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of handicraft consumers, and confirmatory factor analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model were used to study the data thus obtained. The results showed that the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers influences their purchase intentions. In addition, this influence is increased when consumer attitudes towards and involvement with sustainable craft products increase. The results of this study can be useful for the sustainable crafts sector with respect to incorporating more sustainable products and designing marketing and communication strategies to help consumers learn about sustainability

Academic literacy and student diversity: evaluating a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom

The sustainability of universities is based, among other aspects, on their ability to adapt to changes and the needs of students, an increasingly diverse population. In this sense, Academic literacy provision at universities tends to be centralized and to offer language support for general academic literacy purposes rather than language development that responds in a more nuanced way to the particular literacy needs of students’ disciplines. Yet, in recent years, several studies have supported the integration of academic literacy into subject teaching outlining the principles of an inclusive model of academic literacy instruction. This paper draws on a theoretical framework developed by Wingate to evaluate a curriculum-integrated inclusive practice intervention in the United Kingdom with students from a first-year credit-bearing module at Middlesex University Business School. The study used a mixed methods approach that includes a literature review, secondary data, feedback questionnaire and a focus group to evaluate our teaching method and reflect on the collaboration of the team members to develop this inclusive pedagogical approach. The findings suggest that, on the whole, this intervention was perceived by both the module teaching team and students as positive, welcoming and often crucial for supporting undergraduate students into the disciplinary discourse of their subject of study. Yet, recommendations were made with respect to developing better guidelines for subject lecturers on how to deliver the integrated academic literacy as well as the importance of the participation of students, student learning assistants and graduate teaching assistants in the design of the intervention. This study contributes to the literature on inclusive practice intervention and pedagogical approaches to integrating academic literacy into subject teaching for a diverse student population, contributing to the social sustainability of the universities

The Use of Led Technology and Biomass to Power Public Lighting in a Local Context: The Case of Baeza (Spain)

The impact of public lighting on consumed energy, financial cost, use of raw materials, and the environment is a major concern nowadays. The high amounts of energy needed to satisfy the increasing demands of cities around the world has led researchers to look for alternatives to classical fossil sources, with low implementation in public lighting up to date. In this context, circular economy (CE) proposes a new perspective of engineering based on smart design for the future life of products where even wastes have an added value as technological nutrients for other applications. A convergent consideration of CE and the urgent necessity of more sustainable public lighting leads to this proposal. The ad hoc use of a local biomass plant for powering the public lighting of one small city is considered, and important conclusions reinforcing the link between lighting and CE are presented.This research was supported by the European Regional Development Fund (European Union), the Government of Spain (Research Project ECO2013-47027-P and ECO2017-84138-P), the Regional Government of Andalusia (Research Project P11-SEJ-7294), and SEJ 232 Research Group Management and Organization for Competitiveness