La situación de la consultoría de calidad especializada en ISO 9000 en España

El artículo se basa en un estudio empírico del sector de consultoría especializada en ISO 9000 en Cataluña. En primer lugar, se realiza una segmentación de las empresas que acuden a un consultor para obtener asesoramiento en el proceso de implantación de la norma. De esta forma se observa el comportamiento diferenciado de tres tipologías de empresas. Cada tipología persigue distintos intereses en el proyecto de consultoría que les llevará a la certificación. Se analiza también el trabajo del consultor: en primer lugar se mide el grado de satisfacción del servicio prestado. Más adelante, se buscan las dimensiones que definen la calidad en este tipo de servicio. Finalmente, se concluye con listado de puntos en los que las consultorías deben mejorar para aumentar el grado de satisfacción de sus clientes

Supplier-customer negotiation model: The vendor receives a bonus for holding the inventory

This article proposes a model based on economic order quantity (EOQ) for the negotiation between supplier and customer when a benefit is derived to the supplier from taking responsibility for the inventory holding costs. In turn, the customer can afford a smaller batch size since the holding savings enable it to place a greater number of orders. Taking the original situation in which the customer supports both holding and ordering cost as an initial point, the paper analyses the benefits for the supplier and customer in a new situation in which the supplier supports the holding of the inventory. The customer would agree to change to the new scenario due to the savings in the holding cost. The provider would also agree if a bonus is achieved as compensation for the investment in holding costs. The model provides clues for a win-win negotiation between a supplier and a buyer.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Viveros de empresas en Cataluña: tradicionales y especializados

A través del presente estudio empírico se detecta que existen dos tipos de viveros de empresas. Los viveros tradicionales se centran en la promoción de nuevas empresas que desde un buen inicio tengan unas ciertas garantías de éxito. En estos viveros conviven empresas que representan a una amplia gama de sectores empresariales. Los principales requisitos de entrada (obligatorios) son un plan de viabilidad económica y técnica, además de que la empresa sea de reciente creación. Los viveros especializados son aquellos que priman iniciativas empresariales relacionadas con un sector concreto: frecuentemente las empresas relacionadas con las nuevas tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC)

És homogènia la recuperació, després del foc, de les comunitats de plantes i de formigues dels boscos de Catalunya?

Es presenten les principals conclusions de diversos estudis amb l'objectiu d'avaluar la resiliència dels boscos de Catalunya després d'un incendi. Es mostra que hi ha un ventall ampli de respostes, que inclou boscos amb una alta resiliència al foc i que recuperen ràpidament l'espècie o espècies arbòries dominants, però també altres boscos en què l'espècie dominant abans del foc no es recupera i són substituïts per altres formacions boscoses o arbustives. La substitució de les espècies dominants i estructuradores del bosc comporta que tota la comunitat de plantes i de formigues que hi viuen tinguin menor resiliència al foc que les dels boscos que mantenen les mateixes espècies dominants d'abans del foc. Aquests resultats impliquen repensar algunes idees sobre les possibles conseqüències dels focs sobre la biodiversitat i quins han de ser els objectius de la gestió de determinades zones cremades.¿Es homogénea la recuperación, tras el incendio, de las comunidades de plantas y de hormigas de los bosques de Cataluña? Se presentan las principales conclusiones de diversos estudios con el objetivo de evaluar la resiliencia de los bosques de Cataluña después de un incendio. Se muestra que existe un amplio abanico de respuestas, que incluye bosques con una alta resiliencia al fuego y que recuperan rápidamente la especie o especies arbóreas dominantes, pero también otros bosques donde la especie dominante no se recupera y son sustituidos por otras formaciones boscosas o arbustivas. La sustitución de estas especies dominantes y estructurantes del bosque supone que toda la comunidad de plantas y de hormigas que viven tengan menor resiliencia al fuego que las de los bosques que mantienen las mismas especies dominantes antes del fuego. Estos resultados implican replantear algunas ideas sobre las posibles consecuencias de los fuegos sobre la biodiversidad y cuáles deben ser los objetivos de gestión de determinadas zonas quemadas.Is homogeneous the postfire recovery of plant and ant communities in Catalan forests? We presents the main conclusions of different studies to analyze the forest resilience in Catalonia after fire. It shows how there is a sufficiently broad range of responses, which include forests with high resilience to fire and quickly recover the species or dominant tree species, but also other forests where before fire, the dominant species are not recovered and then, are replaced by other types of woodland and shrubs. In these cases, the replacement of dominant species and forest structure means that the whole community of plants and ants that live in these forests have less resilience to fire than forests that maintain the same dominant species before fire. These results imply think about the possible consequences of fires on biodiversity and also what should be the objectives of management of certain areas burned

Fulfilment of expectations on students’ perceived quality in the Catalan higher education system

This study provides an innovative approach to the analysis of the antecedents of satisfaction. A discussion about different types of expectations and their configurations is presented, providing a new classification of services according to two temporal dimensions that affect expectations: (i) how the length of the service lead time has an impact on the assessment of fulfilment of expectations and (ii) how the repetitive purchasing over time updates expectations. We focus the analysis on the study of those cases where expectations cannot be directly assessed. The empirical application considers the case of higher education services. Using a survey of 2,557 undergraduate students who finished their degrees in 2013 at universities located in the Catalonia (Spain), we test a model where fulfilment of expectations is proposed as an antecedent of students’ satisfaction, alongside with perceived quality. The methodological approach uses structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Results reveal that fulfilment of expectations has a high explanatory power and that this antecedent of satisfaction is well explained by the dimensions of perceived quality, evidencing its mediation role between quality and satisfaction.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

What drives project management success in developing countries? The case of Ghana

Many projects in developing countries (DCs) have been recognised as crucial forces for poverty reduction and making people’s lives easier. Despite their relevance, projects in these countries typically fail or are abandoned before completion. Recent calls suggest that projects in DCs are multifaceted, interdependent and of a complex nature; consequently, they are influenced by various factors that are specific to these territories, requiring new research efforts that delve deeper into the particularities of this specific setting. Literature on project management success (PMS) in DCs is very limited, and the existing attempts either rely on PMS factors for developed countries and/or use conventional variable-oriented analyses that are not transferrable to the context of DCs. Aiming to shed new light on the factors that shape PMS in DCs, this study examines both the configurational and the independent influence of three factors that have been emphasised in PM literature as determinants of PMS. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted among 215 project manager practitioners in Ghana. First, we validate the factors’ structure obtained from literature. Next, we examine the configurational influence of these factors on PMS in DCs, complementing the findings with robustness checks. Our results support the existence of distinct pathways, suggesting that there is no unique recipe, but different strategies that can be followed. The study concludes with a series of recommendations that are expected to help engineers and project managers in DCs understand and deal with project management challenges.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Antecedents of online purchasing behaviour in the tourism sector

Purpose – The aim of the paper is twofold. First, it investigates antecedents of on-line purchasing behavior, taking into account the relationships between the constructs of service quality, perceived value and loyalty. Second, the study analyses up to what point men’s and women’s behaviors are similar. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was sent to the general public in Spain. Respondents were required to be consumers of online travel agencies. 1201 valid questionnaires were collected. No gender bias was detected in the sample. The data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to assess the proposed model. To determine non-invariant parameters across the two groups (men and women), a test for invariance was conducted. Findings – Both functional quality and hedonic quality are shown as antecedents for perceived value, and, in turn, perceived value impacts loyalty. The impact of loyalty on purchasing behavior is significant, though weak. Gender differences are also examined and all parameters of the model are found to operate equivalently among men and women, indicating that both groups perform similarly. Practical implications – This paper highlights that the hedonic dimension of quality is important in adding value for customers. Accordingly, managers should reinforce this dimension and include it in their business strategy. Originality/value – Although the link between perceived quality and value-loyalty is well-established, there are still few studies that expand this link upstream or downstream. This paper analyzes the next link in this chain.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Caracterización de las almazaras cooperativas catalanas

En el presente artículo hemos tratado de analizar las características de las almazaras cooperativas catalanas con la finalidad de destacar no solamente sus elementos más importantes de gestión sino también sus principales debilidades. Las cooperativas se consideran instrumentos útiles para acometer políticas de desarrollo económico y bienestar social. A pesar de ello hay un gran debate abierto acerca de la eficiencia de estas organizaciones, que plantean el interrogante de si están en condiciones de competir con éxito en una economía cada vez más abierta, liberalizada y global. A través de las encuestas que hemos realizado al conjunto de las cooperativas oleícolas de Catalunya, hemos podido averiguar sus características distintivas, así como las principales desventajas y problemas a los que se enfrentan. Creemos puede ser de interés analizar las características de estas organizaciones, que tanto desde el punto de vista organizativo como de recursos humanos, como financiero, las hace diferentes de otro tipo de organizaciones pero que sin embargo, han de hacer frente a un mercado cada día más exigente y competitivo.In this article we analyze the features of the catalane olive oil mills cooperatives. The purpose is not only stand out the most important elements, but pointing out as well its main weaknesses. Cooperatives are considered a useful tool to deploy economic development policies and social welfare. In spite of this, there is an open debate about the efficiency of these organizations to operate in a global and liberalized economy. Analyzing the received questionnaires from the cooperatives of Catalonia, we find out their distinctive features and disadvantages and problems they face. We think it will be interesting to find out the differences between cooperatives and other organizations that compete in the same market. These differences are detected in several aspects as the leadership style, financing system o human resource policies.Dans l’article présent nous avons essayé d’analyser les caractéristiques des moulins à huile coopératifs catalans dans le but de pas seulement détacher ses éléments les plus importants de gestion mais aussi ses faiblesses principales. Les coopératives se considèrent comme instruments utiles pour attaquer politiques d’un développement économique et d’un bien-être social. Malgré cela il y a un grand débat ouvert au sujet de l’efficacité de ces organisations, qui posent la question de s’ils sont dans des conditions de rivaliser avec succès en économie de plus en plus ouverte, libéralisée et globale. A travers des enquêtes que nous avons réalisées à l’ensemble des coopératives oleícolas de Catalunya, nous avons pu vérifier ses caractéristiques distinctives, ainsi que les désavantages principaux et les problèmes aunxquels ils s’affrontent. Nous croyons qu’il pert être d’un intérêt d¡analyser les caractéristiques de ces organisations que du point de vue organisant et de recours humains comme financier, il les rend différentes d’autre type d’organisations mais que cependant, ils ont à faire face pa un marché chaque jour plus exigeant et compétitive

UnivQual: a holistic scale to assess student perceptions of service quality at universities

The aim of this study is twofold. First, we validate a scale to assess the quality of the university experienced by students (UnivQual). Three main dimensions are envisioned: (i) “curriculum”, which refers to the quality of the learning methods and the coordination efforts throughout the whole study period; (ii) “skills development”, referring to the skills that students might acquire and (iii) “services and facilities” of the university. Second, we analyze the role of the aforementioned dimensions and their impact on student satisfaction. Results reveal that the “curriculum” dimension is the main antecedent of student satisfaction, whereas “services and facilities” do not play a significant role, although they are necessary to provide good service. The empirical application considers a survey of 2,557 undergraduate students that finished their degrees in 2013 at universities located in the region of Catalonia (Spain). The paper ends with recommendations for university managers and public administration authoritiesPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft