The funnel model of firms’ R&D cooperation with universities

[Abstract]: This paper explores the determinants of firms’ attitudes towards R&D cooperation with research groups understanding university-industry cooperation as a sequential process. In so doing, we study the determinants of both firms’ interest in and decision to engage in cooperation agreements. We applied both probit models and regression models for count data on a sample of 375 firms from Spain, Portugal and France. Although most of these firms showed interest in collaborating with universities, actually only 10% of the firms ended up cooperating with them. Our findings firstly indicate that innovative firms tend to show a more proactive attitude towards R&D collaboration. Secondly, within the group of firms interested in R&D collaboration, the firms really involved are the independent or small firms and we also provide evidence that country factors affect firms’ attitudes to R&D cooperation with universities

Oportunidades de la gestión del capital humano en las spin-offs universitarias. Un análisis dinámico

La creació de spin-offs universitàries hauria de constituir un dels pilars sobre els quals s'assentés el desenvolupament del teixit empresarial d'un país. No obstant això, de les anàlisis fetes es desprenen dos factors que en limiten el creixement: les dificultats d'accés a fonts de finançament i la manca d'habilitats de gestió de l'equip emprenedor. Per a poder contribuir a solucionar la segona de les dificultats detectades, s'ha fet una anàlisi destinada a explicar com la implantació de determinades polítiques de recursos humans pot afectar la creació i manteniment del capital humà en les spin-offs universitàries, i amb això contribuir a una gestió més eficient del seu valor al mercat. A partir del diagnòstic de quina és la consideració del capital humà en les spin-offs espanyoles, s'ha desenvolupat una anàlisi causal que planteja l'adquisició i manteniment del capital humà com un dilema estratègic per a aquest tipus d'organitzacions. De l'anàlisi feta s'han derivat una sèrie de polítiques proposades que, tenint en compte les característiques diferencials de les spin-offs universitàries, s'encaminen a afavorir la captació, el desenvolupament i la retenció del seu capital humà com a base de la seva competitivitat empresarial.Creating university spin-offs (USOs) should be one of the cornerstones of a country's business development. Yet a number of studies have identified two factors that limit their growth: access to funding difficulties and a lack of management skills among entrepreneurial teams. In order to identify potential solutions for the latter of those factors, an analysis was performed to determine how the implementation of certain human resources policies affects the creation and retention of human capital in USOs. If successfully implemented, such policies can contribute to a more efficient management of the market value of such organisations. So, after diagnosing what the human capital component of Spanish USOs is considered to be, a causal analysis was performed. The approach taken to the analysis was that acquiring and retaining human capital is a strategic problem for such organisations. The outcome of the analysis is a series of policy proposals that, taking account of the differential characteristics of USOs, aim to foster the recruitment, development and retention of human capital as the basis of such organisations' business competitiveness.La creación de spin-offs universitarias debería constituir uno de los pilares sobre los que sustentar el desarrollo del tejido empresarial de un país. Sin embargo, de los análisis realizados se desprenden dos factores que limitan su crecimiento: las dificultades de acceso a fuentes de financiación y la falta de habilidades de gestión del equipo emprendedor. Para poder contribuir a solucionar la segunda de las dificultades detectadas, se ha realizado un análisis destinado a explicar cómo la implantación de determinadas políticas de recursos humanos puede afectar a la creación y mantenimiento del capital humano en las spin-offs universitarias, y con ello contribuir a una gestión más eficiente de su valor en el mercado. A partir del diagnóstico de cuál es la consideración del capital humano en las spin-offs españolas, se ha desarrollado un análisis causal que plantea la adquisición y mantenimiento del capital humano como un dilema estratégico para este tipo de organizaciones. Del análisis realizado se han derivado una serie de políticas propuestas que, teniendo en cuenta las características diferenciales de las spin-offs universitarias, están encaminadas a favorecer la captación, el desarrollo y retención de su capital humano como base de su competitividad empresarial

Is university-industry collaboration biased by sex criteria?

[Abstract]: This paper studies the attitudes and decisions of research groups led by men or women towards the collaboration with firms in research and development joint projects. We worked with a sample of 420 research groups of eight regions of Spain, France and Portugal in a sequential process. First, we studied the interest of the research groups to collaborate and, then, if the final decision of collaborating with firms changed according to the sex criteria. The results show that women are worse positioned in the social networks of collaboration and commercialization with industry. Research groups led by men have around 10% higher probability of showing interest in R&D cooperation with firms. However, when men and women leaders of research groups have the same motivation to collaborate, they do not differ in their decision of collaborating. These results evidence different initial attitudes towards university-industry collaboration according to sex criteria

Impact of working capital management on profitability for Spanish fish canning companies

Credit restrictions, such as those happening in the current context shaped by the crisis derived from COVID-19, make working capital management (WCM) a driving force behind SME performance. This paper analyses whether WCM policies affect the economic and financial profitability of Spanish companies in the fish canning industry. Spain leads the EU’s production of canned seafood and the seafood industry is a key sector for the Spanish economy. To assess the WCM-profitability relationship, we applied a dynamic panel data methodology in a sample consisting of 377 companies during the period 2010–2018. We can conclude that the economic profitability of fish canning companies is related to the collection period (Days Sales Outstanding or DSO) and the inventory conversion period (Days Inventory Outstanding or DIO). Moreover, empirical evidence reveals the existence of an optimal level of receivables that balances the benefits of increasing sales and the opportunity costs of customer funding. The findings also identify a convex relationship between investment in inventory and economic profitabilityS

Disentangling the Efects of Knowledge Spillovers and Family Firm Nature on Innovative Performance: a Multilevel Approach

The idiosyncrasies of family firms (FFs) may enable or hamper their ability to exploit the region’s knowledge spillovers. To the date, this issue has not been addressed by the literature. The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to explore whether FF nature influences on firm innovative performance by acknowledging the fact that firm innovation happens in a certain location where firms are exposed to knowledge spillovers; and secondly, to analyse whether FF management plays a moderating role in the effects of regional knowledge spillovers on innovative outcomes. We used multilevel modelling and panel data methodology in a sample of 1191 Spanish manufacturing firms over the period 2009–2016. By applying multilevel analysis and panel data methods, the results indicate that being part of a family group increases innovative performance, and this effect seems to be even more important in regions with low technological or human capital resourcesOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NatureS

Mujeres: efecto palanca del empleo en las spin-offs universitarias

[Resumen] En las últimas décadas el número de spin-offs creadas en los sistemas universitarios se ha incrementado considerablemente. El objetivo de este trabajo es contrastar si la presencia de mujeres en el capital social de las spinoffs universitarias españolas ejerce algún efecto sobre su crecimiento. Adicionalmente se contrasta esta misma hipótesis en un grupo de empresas de control no originadas a partir de la investigación universitaria con el fin de identificar posibles diferencias en el efecto del factor mujer. n Europa dende finais do século XIX, analizamos tamén a situació

Economía de la educación. M.J. San Segundo. Madrid: Síntesis. 2001 [319 páginas]

Texto dispoñible en galego e españo

Characteristics of Galician Innovative vs. Non Innovative Small and Medium Sized Firms

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolA innovación é un dos aspectos máis relevantes na análise do nivel competitivo dunha empresa e, por extensión, dunha rexión ou país. Este traballo, centrado no ámbito empresarial galego, é unha primeira aproximación ao estudo da innovación no sector das pequenas e medianas empresas, e o seu principal obxectivo é identificar as principais características das pemes que levaron a cabo innovacións fronte a aquelas que non realizaron ningunha. As empresas que definimos como innovadoras posúen un maior tamaño e unha preocupación superior ante os factores competitivos que se consideraron neste estudo que as empresas consideradas non innovadoras. As innovacións son introducidas por iniciativa propia, mentres que as principais causas aducidas para non realizalas son a escaseza de recursos financeiros e humanos e a complexidade da súa introduciónLa innovación es uno de los aspectos más relevantes en el análisis del nivel competitivo de una empresa y, por extensión, de una región o país. Este trabajo, centrado en el ámbito empresarial gallego, es una primera aproximación al estudio de la innovación en el sector de las pequeñas y medianas empresas, y su principal objetivo es identificar las principales características de las pymes que han llevado a cabo innovaciones frente a aquéllas que no han realizado ninguna. Las empresas que hemos definido como innovadoras poseen un mayor tamaño y una preocupación superior ante los factores competitivos que se han considerado en este estudio que las empresas consideradas no innovadoras. Las innovaciones son introducidas por iniciativa propia, mientras que las principales causas aducidas para no realizarlas son la escasez de recursos financieros y humanos y la complejidad de su introducciónInnovation is one of the most relevant aspects in the analysis of a firm competitiveness and, therefore, of the competitive level of a region or a country. This paper is a first approach to the analysis of innovative levels in a sample of Galician small and medium sized firms (SMFs). The main objective is to identify the features of those considered innovative SMFs and compare them with those considered non-innovative firms. Innovative SMFs show a bigger size and to a certain extent they are more concern about competitive factors than non-innovative firms. The results also show that main causes of not having introduced innovations are the lack of financial and human resources, as well as the complexity of the processS