Campus information systems for undergraduate students in Spain: a country-wide cluster classification

The availability of broad characterizations of campus information systems for students can be useful for the strategic information management of higher education centres. First we describe and contextualize a characterization model for on-line campus information systems for undergraduate students. This serves as a framework of conceptual reference for empirical work on Spanish universities. Information was gathered by means of structured visits to institutional websites and structured interviews with undergraduate students. Analyzing the information collected enables us to classify Spanish higher education institutions into three clusters with homogeneous characteristics, in the sense of their information system and organizational aspects. Finally, we discuss future research on this subject

Iniciativa emprenderora e innovación en Barcelona y Montreal. Une comparación del grado de completitud de las políticas

Las políticas de entrepreneuship e innovación han ido convergiendo en los últimos años en el marco de las políticas de apoyo a la competitividad. El presente trabajo utiliza la metodología de la red IPREG para analizar el grado de “completitud”, y las principales características de estas dos políticas a nivel local. Se desarrolla el caso de las ciudades de Barcelona y Montreal, dos ciudades con numerosas características similares, identificadas ambas como polos de “creatividad e innovación”. En políticas de apoyo a la iniciativa emprendedora los resultados evidencian un mayor grado de completitud en Montreal mientras que en innovación se da el caso contrario. Las diferencias más significativas entre las políticas de las dos ciudades se evidencian en tres áreas: el apoyo a grupos objetivo, la educación y la eliminación de barreras.Dans le cadre des politiques de soutien à la compétitivité, les politiques de soutien à l’innovation et à l’entrepreneurship ont subi une convergence ces dernières années. Le travail utilise la méthodologie du réseau IPREG pour analyser le degré de couverture des politiques et les principales caractéristiques de ces politiques au niveau local. Les cas de Barcelone et Montréal sont ici étudiés : deux villes avec beaucoup de traits en commun identifiées comme pôles de créativité et d’innovation. Dans les politiques de soutien à l’entreprenariat, les résultats montrent une plus grande couverture de la part de Montréal, tandis qu’en ce qui concerne le soutien à l’innovation c’est justement le contraire. Les différences les plus significatives se situent au niveau de trois domaines : le soutien à des collectifs spécifiques, l’éducation et la réduction des barrières.Entrepreneurship and innovation policies have developed linkages in competitiveness support policies in last years. This study uses the methodology of IPREG network to analyze the degree of comprehensiveness, and the main characteristics of both policies at the local level. The cases of Barcelona and Montreal are developed, two cities with a great number of similar characteristics, both identified as pools of creativity and innovation. For entrepreneurship support policies, results show a higher degree of comprehensiveness in Montreal while for innovation, the results show the contrary. Main differences among both cities policies are in three areas: support to target groups, education and the elimination of barriers

Campus Information Systems for Undergraduate Students in Spain: a Country-wide Cluster Classification 1 CAMPUS INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN SPAIN: A COUNTRY-WIDE CLUSTER CLASSIFICATION

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Guiding principles of integrated management systems: Towards unifying a starting point for researchers and practitioners

The Integrated Management System (IMS) seems to be a suitable strategy to manage multiple systems that have to meet the needs and expectations of various stakeholders. The main objective of this research is to establish the guiding principles of IMS and the essential elements for its development and maintenance in order to move towards unifying a starting point in the literature. This objective was reached through a systematic content analysis with focus on the content analysis of the most cited articles of Scopus and Web of Science databases from 2006 to 2016. The results indicate the existence of 28 elements for development and implementation of IMS. Through the critical analysis of these elements 6 principles of IMS were systematized: 1) Systemic Management; 2) Standardization; 3) Strategic, tactic and operational integration; 4) Organizational learning; 5) Debureaucratization; and 6) Continuous Improvement. Each principle is a pillar for development and maintenance of IMS. The scientific contribution of this study is that it represents a starting point towards the establishment of the IMS theory. Moreover, taking into account these results one can homogenize the basis of IMS, providing research results with a higher degree of comparability. The results of this work may also help company managers better target their efforts in the management of the IMS, serving as a guideline to assist them in developing and maintaining each one of the abovementioned pillars. The best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to unify the literature

Rethinking the Way of Doing Business: A Reframe of Management Structures for Developing Corporate Sustainability

Corporate sustainability (CS) literature has gone through a period of intense development. The moment is favorable to gather these contributions to consistently advance the state-of-the-art in CS and, also, discuss them in application to real contexts. The main objective of the paper is to systematize, through a literature review using content analysis of the 30 most cited articles from 2007 to 2017, the guiding pillars of CS management. A systematic search for papers was carried out in Scopus and Web of Science, and the initial screening of the papers was assisted by the coding software, MAXQDA 2018, through which the authors structured and analyzed their main insights, contributions, and conclusions. After getting acquainted with the sample, an in-depth reading of the texts was conducted and 60 CS elements were identified. The elements cited in the relevant literature were grouped into six pillars related to corporate sustainability strategy, corporate governance, human resources management, knowledge and innovation management, measurement, disclosure, and independent assurance, and management systems, and integrated management systems. The main contribution of this paper is to identify the management pillars of CS in a systematic way to consistently advance the state-of-the-art in the subject. Also, this study provides understanding to managers on the main aspects that make up the integration of this construct in the companies

Sustainable innovation through management systems integration

In an increasingly competitive world driven by fast changes, companies are challenged to pursue sustainable development through innovation. This matter has led to the discussion about how organizations manage to innovate in a way that they meet the demands of sustainability. Recently, researchers have identified the integration of management systems (IMS) as a potential practice to support both innovation and sustainability. This research aims to contribute to this field by exploring the relationship between IMS and sustainable innovation. European and Latin-American countries are included to contribute to the still scarce empirical evidence analyzing developed and less developed countries. Results suggest that IMS provides the managerial support to foster the adoption of cleaner production technologies. (...

A case study of a simultaneous integration in an SME: Implementation process and cost analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the simultaneous implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) in a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and its impact on costs. Design/methodology/approach Based on a case study, the paper presents and analyzes the implementation of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management system (MS) standards. The organization analyzed is an SME of the heating and air conditioning sector that had no MSs implemented (common in the sector) and decided to implement an IMS based on both function-specific MS standards (MSSs) and also achieving the separated certification. The analysis of expected and real costs is also presented. Findings The results show that a simultaneous integration is possible and the cost analysis evidences the improvement of the organization's efficiency. The certificates for both MSSs were also achieved. These findings help in confirming theoretical statement posed in the literature of the integration of MSs: integration strategy, methodology and level. The organization values this integrated implementation as very positive internally and externally, as this is one of the first organizations of the sector implementing and integrating the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Originality/value Although studies analyzing empirically the integration of MSs have been widely published in recent years, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first papers analyzing the implementation of an IMS directly and analyzing its costs. In addition, this paper provides evidence that those organizations implementing integration later than others, can learn from the beginners' experience

Openness and management systems integration: pursuing innovation benefits

In a global and highly competitive environment, innovation is becoming riskier and costlier. Against this backdrop, firms are challenged to allocate their innovation resources efficiently to obtain the most benefits. To this end, integration of management systems and open innovation are internally- and externally-oriented managerial practices, respectively, that may foster innovation efficiency. However, they have been scarcely researched jointly. Based on longitudinal analyses of 220 Spanish firms, this study concludes that integrating management systems could foster innovation efficiency. Conversely, open innovation might hinder it. It is also evidenced that innovation efficiency is relevant to boost the sales productivity of new products

A qualitative study on integrated management systems in a non-leading country in certifications

The aim of this study is to analyse the integration of management systems (MSs) in a country with low certifications number and growth rate and propose a research agenda towards improving the competitiveness of organisations that implement multiple MSs. The main research questions focus on the implementation process itself and the effect of low level of national certification to the integration process. To serve this research purpose, an exploratory research is designed in Greece (a country with relatively low certification counts and rates to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management standards). A case study approach is employed to enable deeper and comprehensive reasoning. A cross-case analysis is presented to explore patterns, similarities and differences among organisations. Findings show that four out of five organisations analysed are integrating its MSs at different levels, the integration methodology applied is similar for all organisations but audits are the most dissimilar aspect. This study is one of the first that addresses MSs' integration in Greece exploring contingency factors

Functional Quality and Hedonic Quality: A Study of the Dimensions of e-Service Quality in Online Travel Agencies

We attempted to clarify the dimensions of e-service quality and their role in producing perceived value and loyalty among customers of e-commerce websites. We particularly examined whether e-quality consisted of two groups of dimensions: (i) functional; or (ii) hedonic quality. Based on a survey of 1201 online customers of Spanish travel agencies, we used structural equation modelling to show that both types of quality are distinct dimensions of e-quality and that both have positive and significant influence on perceived value. In addition, perceived value was shown to have a significant impact on loyalty, thus validating the chain from service quality-to-perceived value-to-loyalty in the context of e-commerce. The implication for e-service managers is that they must be aware of the importance of hedonic quality in seeking to attract and retain customers