Are small and medium enterprises defining their business models to reach a symbolic or substantive environmental legitimacy?

Involvement of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is critical to the decarbonization of economies; however, legitimacy theory, climate change strategies, and the business model (BM) literature have not addressed this issue in depth. This research analyses whether SMEs define their environmental BMs to achieve substantive legitimacy by reducing their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. We analyze the relationships among environmental value proposition, creation, and capture using partial least-squares structural equation modeling with the data for 695 SMEs. The results show that SMEs’ environmental value proposition takes into account symbolic and substantive environmental legitimacy. This broad definition of the value proposition drives SMEs to undertake environmental value creation initiatives, but these initiatives are not very effective in reducing CO2 emissions. These results indicate that SMEs seek symbolic legitimacy more than substantive legitimacy, which has important implications for managers and policymakers who want SMEs to contribute to the transition to a low-carbon economy.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-106677GB-I0

What Makes Multinationals that Generate Internationally Innovations Different?

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolEste traballo analiza as principais diferenzas que presentan os grupos multinacionais que xeran internacionalmente actividades tecnolóxicas fronte aos que non as xeran, medindo esas actividades a través de patentes da vía europea. Os resultados mostran que existen diferenzas significativas entre os dous tipos de grupos; os que xeran internacionalmente tecnoloxías posúen matrices cun maior volume de vendas e número de empregados e son grupos cun maior número de empresas, están máis diversificados xeograficamente, son máis antigos e posúen un maior volume, diversificación e experiencia tecnolóxica. Por último, de entre todas as variables analizadas, aquelas que diferencian mellor ambos os dous grupos son as relacionadas coa diversificación tanto xeográfica coma tecnolóxicaEste trabajo analiza las principales diferencias que presentan los grupos multinacionales que generan internacionalmente actividades tecnológicas frente a los que no las generan, midiendo esas actividades a través de patentes de la vía europea. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias significativas entre los dos tipos de grupos; los que generan internacionalmente tecnologías poseen matrices con un mayor volumen de ventas y número de empleados y son grupos con un mayor número de empresas, están más diversificados geográficamente, son más antiguos y poseen un mayor volumen, diversificación y experiencia tecnológica. Por último, de entre todas las variables analizadas aquellas que diferencian mejor ambos grupos son las relacionadas con la diversificación tanto geográfica como tecnológicaThis work analyzes the main traits of multinationals which generate innovations internationally. In order to do so, we measure the technological activities through the European patent route. Those that generate innovations are not only older and technologically experienced, but also show more patents which are more widely diffused in different areas. Furthermore, these multinational groups show a larger head ofice in terms of sales and personnel, and own more subsidiaries which are placed in a greater amount of countries. Finally, the most relevant variables to classify the multinational groups are those related to diversification: both geographical and technologicalS

Improving employability through stakeholders in european higher education: the case of Spain

We distinguish four employability strategies and test with a database of 230 Spanish university centers how different stakeholders try to influence them. Academic employability seems to be the main goal of university governors, as they emphasize curricula improvements to introduce practical contents. By contrast, and probably because of their interest in specialized teaching associated with their own research, professors prioritize as an alternative the development of interpersonal management skills and sharing of alumni experiences. Other stakeholders with greater market orientation have a comparatively marginal impact. Reform proposals therefore aim to rebalance the influence of stakeholders, though not necessarily by means of structural reforms in decision-making bodies. In fact, by differentiating several employability strategies, we have observed that governance reforms may generate overly optimistic expectations, as stakeholders may support only a subset of strategies, which may not even be the most important ones.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC2014/021Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. ECO2013-45706-

The role of SMEs’ Green business models in the transition to a low-carbon economy: differences in their design and degree of adoption stemming from business size

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Green Business Models (BMs) established by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can incorporate product and process decarbonization in their components (value proposition, creation and capture) and to what extent this incorporation is affected by SME size. We use a database comprising 1,161 observations of SMEs, 466 in 2014 and 695 in 2016. The results show that SMEs’ value propositions give an intermediate valuation to both legally required and voluntary reduction of environmental impact, irrespective of SME size and the year analyzed. Regarding value creation, SMEs adopt practically no environmental practices, and there are significant differences according to size, with more difficulties than advantages stemming from small size. The study also shows that such environmental practices are not effective in reducing carbon. This diagnosis indicates that SMEs need help from the administration if they are to play a key role in the process of transformation toward a low-carbon economy. Legislative actions involving harsher environmental protection measures might help shape value propositions that place greater importance on reducing environmental impact, whereas training actions on available environmental techniques, promotion of research on how to adapt such techniques to SMEs and the development of specific practices for SMEs might enhance environmental value creation and capture in their BMs.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad | Ref. ECO2016-76625-

Is the hotel industry really committed to the environment? Answering using the business models framework

This paper conceptualizes Environmental Business Models in the hotel industry as the result of a balanced emphasis on several initiatives regarding value proposition, value creation and value capture. It tests how this framework affects 120 Spanish hotel chains by assessing their sustainability reports and websites. The results show that Environmental Business Models are still poorly developed and present uneven progress in their components. This may be a sign that managers are currently using a partial perspective for environmental management with a focus on value creation initiatives that mainly have a marketing or a cost impact.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. 10.13039/501100011033Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Adapting our sea ports to the challenges of climate change: development and validation of a Port Resilience Index

Climate change, which is largely caused by anthropogenic emissions of CO2, is one of the main challenges facing humankind today. In this context, and from the logistics point of view, ports are critical infrastructures not only because of their great vulnerability to such device phenomena, but also because of their key importance in global supply chains. We therefore need indications that will allow us to both determine a port’s resilience to the various challenges posed by climate change and take preventive actions to ensure the port can function correctly over time. This study presents a port resilience index (PRI), which, unlike existing indices, considers all stakeholders to determine the level of operational resilience of port processes. The index was validated in the external port of A Coruna ˜ (Galicia), chosen because of its especially adverse conditions and because in Spain, the effects of climate change are likely to be especially damaging. The results show that this port has an overall PRI of 52% and that its infrastructure and facilities and operational environment against the climate change challenge are especially sensitive. Analysis of the different factors of resilience allows port managers and policy makers to focus their actions on the factors that have the greatest impact of resilience. This should lead to better use of resources and more efficient contingency plans

How can firms’ basic research turn into product innovation? The role of absorptive capacity and industry appropriability

We explain why companies seeking superior product innovation should invest in basic research. Our arguments highlight the role of absorptive capacity and examine how industry appropriability influences these relations. Based on a rich dataset of 8416 firms, we argue that basic research in firms increases their knowledge stock and flows, therefore improving their capacity to identify, assimilate, and exploit external knowledge, which allows them to enhance their product innovation performance. We also verify that strong appropriability regimes not only reduce the effect of basic research on absorptive capacity, but also affect the relation between absorptive capacity and product innovation in two ways. In businesses with a high absorptive capacity, strong appropriability regimes exert a negative influence by reducing product innovation; however, businesses with a low absorptive capacity see their level of product innovation increase. This evidence not only throws into question the attitude of many managers toward basic research; it also calls for open reflection on both the net effect of appropriability on innovative performance and the stages of the innovation process to which public resources should be allocated.Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional | Ref. GRC2014/021Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad | Ref. ECO2013-45706-

Evolución en la generación internacional de actividades tecnológicas: un análisis a nivel de áreas tecnológicas

En tos últimos años se ha detectado una creciente internacionalización de las actividades tecnológicas. Este trabajo se centro en el estudio de la generación internacional de leenologias, que es la fonna de internacionalizar las actividades tecnológicas que presenta no respaldo empírico más dóbil y controvertido. En concreto, estudiamos el nivel de generación internacional de actividades tecnológicas que presentan las mullinacionales, el país de origen de las más internacionalizadas y los países desde donde generan sus patentes internacionales; examinado, en lodo caso, si existen diferencias en las distintas áreas tecnológicas. Para llevar a cabo este trabajo consírnímos una base de datos que recoge las patentes solicitadas en la vía europea, entre los años 1976 y 2000, por los 1.663 multínacionales con actividad en España y por sus 02.928 filiales