How Does Each ESG Dimension Predict Customer Lifetime Value by Segments? Evidence from U.S. Industrial and Technological Industries

The aim of this study is to analyse the research gap regarding the relationship between environmental, social and governance dimensions (ESG) of corporate sustainability initiatives and customer lifetime value (CLV). We divide an entire data sample (547 U.S. listed firms from the Refinitiv Thomson Reuters Eikon database) of both industrial and technological industries into three segments, using prediction-oriented modelling segmentation to test the hypotheses and evaluate the predictive validity of a partial least squares (PLS) model. As a result, we show that environmental, social and governance dimensions (ESG) encompass ten sustainability initiatives that, in turn, are the precursors of future financial firm performance, represented by CLV. Moreover, we found different poor-to-medium effects of each ESG dimension on CLV in segment 1. However, a stronger effect of the social dimension on CLV in segment 3 is completed with a poor effect, both positive by governance and negative by environmental dimensions, on CLV, while only the environmental dimension had greater effects on CLV in segment 2. The contribution of this research to the body of literature is twofold. First, it deepens the impact of each ESG dimension instead of considering sustainability initiatives as a whole. Second, it evaluates sustainability initiatives with a customer-based corporate firm valuation approach

Commitment to employees, labor intensity, and labor productivity in small firms

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analyze the potential existence of a concave downward curve between organizational commitment to employees (OCE) and labor productivity in small firms. It also aims to examine the moderating effects of labor intensity on this curvilinear relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a sample of 819 manufacturing small firms from the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Energy's Survey on Business Strategies, and applies hierarchical regression analysis to test its hypotheses. Findings – The results support a non-linear association between OCE investments and labor productivity: the higher the level of OCE, the lower its positive impact on organizational outcomes will be. The results also support the contingent view of strategic human resource management, so that an investment in OCE is more effective in some contexts than in others. Practical implications – The paper concludes that managers and investors should be aware of the fact that investments in OCE are not always correspondingly beneficial. In the small firm setting, not all firms with large profits apply OCE. A high level of OCE investment may be counterproductive. Originality/value – The strategic human resource management literature usually assumes a linear relationship between OCE and organizational outcomes; very few empirical studies have considered a nonlinear approach

Combined effect of human capital, temporary employment and organizational size on firm performance

Purpose – This study aims to examine how temporary employment and organizational size moderate the effect of human capital on firm performance. The authors also analyze the overall effect of human capital, temporary contracts and organizational size on firm performance. This enables them to identify which combination of these three variables leads to the highest levels of profitability. Design/methodology/approach – From a sample of 1,403 Spanish firms, the authors carry out a comparative analysis of the impact of human capital on labor productivity and return on sales among small and large companies with high and low use of temporary employment. Findings – The positive effect of human capital on return of sales is greater in large firms with low temporary employment than in small firms with high temporary employment. In addition, this positive effect is not universal because in some scenarios it is not significant. The most beneficial context is that of large companies with a high level of human capital and a low use of temporary employment. Research limitations/implications – The results should be interpreted within the Spanish manufacturing sector. Practical implications – Decisions about investment in human capital and the use of temporary workers should be taken jointly by personnel managers, in accordance with the size of the firm. If this holistic view is ignored, a full understanding of the impact of human capital on firm performance will be obscured. On the other hand, a common feature that large and small firms share is an incompatibility between human capital and temporary employment. Originality/value – Growing interest has been shown in the degree to which investment in human capital contributes to firm performance; yet limited research attention has been paid to the contextual conditions that moderate this relationship. Investment in human capital can be more beneficial in some scenarios than in others

The impact of hard and soft quality management and proactive behaviour in determining innovation performance

The extant literature has reported mixed results on the relationship between Quality Management (QM) practices and innovation performance. Most of the studies carried out to date have proposed a direct relationship between QM and innovation, while neglecting the potential variables that may influence this relationship. In order to advance in this line of research, this paper develops a model of relationships between QM, understood as a multidimensional construct (hard QM and soft QM), and innovation performance (product and process innovation), which examines the mediator role of employee proactive behaviour in these relationships. The proposed model is examined using empirical data from ISO 9001 certified firms in high technology manufacturing and service sectors. The findings from structural equation modelling show the direct influence of the hard QM dimension on product and process innovation, while the effects of the soft QM dimension are channelled via proactive behaviour. The conclusions of the present study highlight the facilitating role of QM practices and proactivity for innovation

How do remuneration committees affect corporate social responsibility disclosure? empirical evidence from an international perspective

The main goal of this study is to analyze whether the existence of remuneration committees tend to disclose more corporate social responsibility (CSR) information. In addition, we test the moderating role played by the proportion of independent directors on boards of directors with the relationship between the constitution of remuneration committees and CSR disclosure. Previous research does not appear to have addressed these questions. The research questions proposed are tested using an international sample of 28,610 listed companies, and we took into consideration information on industrial companies from the Middle East, developed Asian and Pacific countries, both emerging and developed European countries, Africa, Latin America and North America. These findings provide evidence that the existence of remuneration committees is more likely to disclose CSR information, and the existence of independent board members positively moderates the association between the existence of remuneration committees and CSR disclosure. We expand on earlier empirical literature concerning corporate governance and CSR issues

In search of the optimal proportion of temporary contracts in the Spanish industry

La generalización en España de la contratación temporal como práctica de flexibilidad laboral ha suscitado un intenso debate acerca de si ésta ejerce un efecto positivo o negativo sobre la productividad laboral; existen argumentos teóricos y estudios empíricos que defienden ambos efectos. En este trabajo conciliamos estas dos posturas aparentemente contrapuestas proponiendo la existencia de una relación curvilínea en forma de U invertida entre temporalidad contractual y productividad laboral. Observamos como el uso de contratos temporales produce un efecto positivo sobre la productividad laboral, pero un abuso lo transforma en negativo. Los profesionales de recursos humanos deberían advertir que cuanto mayor es la utilización menor es la utilidad de la contratación temporalThe generalisation of temporary contracts in Spain as a practice designed to bring about labour flexibility has generated lively debate over whether they have positive or negative effects on labour productivity. According to some theoretical arguments and empirical studies, these contracts have both positive and negative effects. In this study we reconcile these two apparently opposing points of view by suggesting that there is an inverted U-shaped curve between temporary contracts and labour productivity. We find that the use of temporary contracts has a positive effect on labour productivity, but their overuse is negative. Human resources professionals should note that the higher is the use; the lower is the usefulness of temporary contract

Contribución de la prensa a la educación científica y tecnológica

El presente trabajo se centra en la posible contribución de la prensa –impresa o digitalal proceso de alfabetización tecnocientífica. En este sentido, hemos estudiado las aportaciones de la investigación en didáctica de las ciencias, e impulsado la elaboración y puesta en marcha de propuestas de profesorado experto y en formación, referentes a las posibilidades del uso de la prensa dentro de la educación formal

Expression of miR159 is altered in tomato plants undergoing drought stress

In a scenario of global climate change,water scarcity is amajor threat for agriculture, severely limiting crop yields. Therefore, alternatives are urgently needed for improving plant adaptation to drought stress. Among them, gene expression reprogramming by microRNAs (miRNAs) might offer a biotechnologically sound strategy. Drought-responsive miRNAs have been reported in manyplant species, and some of them are known to participate in complex regulatory networks via their regulation of transcription factors involved in water stress signaling. We explored the role of miR159 in the response of Solanum lycopersicum Mill. plants to drought stress by analyzing the expression of sly-miR159 and its target SlMYB transcription factor genes in tomato plants of cv. Ailsa Craig grown in deprived water conditions or in response to mechanical damage caused by the Colorado potato beetle, a devastating insect pest of Solanaceae plants. Results showed that sly-miR159 regulatory function in the tomato plants response to distinct stresses might be mediated by differential stress-specific MYB transcription factor targeting. sly-miR159 targeting of SlMYB33 transcription factor transcript correlated with accumulation of the osmoprotective compounds proline and putrescine, which promote drought tolerance. This highlights the potential role of sly-miR159 in tomato plants' adaptation to water deficit conditions

Effects of asymmetric dimethylarginine on renal arteries in portal hypertension and cirrhosis

AIM. To evaluate the effects of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in renal arteries from portal hypertensive and cirrhotic rats. METHODS. Rat renal arteries from Sham (n = 15), pre-hepatic portal hypertension (PPVL; n = 15) and bile duct ligation and excision-induced cirrhosis (BDL; n = 15) were precontracted with norepinephrine, and additional contractions were induced with ADMA (10-6-10-3 mol/L), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Concentration-response curves to acetylcholine (1 × 10-9-3 × 10-6 mol/L) were determined in precontracted renal artery segments with norepinephrine in the absence and in the presence of ADMA. Kidneys were collected to determine the protein expression and activity of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), an enzyme that catabolizes ADMA. RESULTS. In renal arteries precontracted with norepinephrine, ADMA caused endothelium-dependent contractions. The pD2 values to ADMA were similar in the Sham and PPVL groups (4.20 ± 0.08 and 4.11 ± 0.09, P > 0.05, respectively), but were lower than those of the BDL group (4.79 ± 0.16, P < 0.05). Acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation that did not differ, in terms of pD2 and maximal relaxation, among the 3 groups studied. Treatment with ADMA (3 × 10-4 mol/L) inhibited acetylcholine-induced relaxation in the 3 groups, but the inhibition was higher (P < 0.05) in the BDL group compared with that for the Sham and PPVL groups. The mRNA and protein expression of DDAH-1 were similar in kidneys from the three groups. Conversely, DDAH-2 expression was increased (P < 0.05) in PPVL and further enhanced (P < 0.05) in the BDL group. However, renal DDAH activity was significantly decreased in the BDL group. CONCLUSION. Cirrhosis increased the inhibitory effect of ADMA on basal- and induced-release of NO in renal arteries, and decreased DDAH activity in the kidney