Andrea Bikfalvi

Complementing education with competence development: an ICT-based application

Nowadays, university policies highlight the importance of complementing teaching activities with competence development in the framework of the European Higher Education domain. A previous step for this concerns the development of an effective, efficient, practice-oriented, and user-friendly competence evaluation tool. The main objective of this article is to illustrate the use of a competence self-evaluation tool and to explore the implications of such Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool for education. We use a web-based tool designed to assess and develop social and personal competences, which is applicable to the learning process. We apply it to a Spanish university, with students considered as project managers of their studies. We obtain some validation of the tool as an instrument for self-evaluation, with effects on the attitude towards learning, providing knowledge on the contribution of the learning activities to developing competences. We also discuss a series of implications at different levels of the education community: university management, teaching centres and, just as important, students.

The innovativeness of family firms through the economic cycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether the innovative effort of organizations increases or decreases over time, especially when the competitive environment is changing, as has been the case in the current economic downturn. For this reason, the objective of this article is to gauge the possible differences in innovative behaviour between family firms (FFs) and non‐family firms (NFFs) when the business environment becomes increasingly hostile.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a natural experiment study, which the authors use to analyse the possible differential behaviour of FFs in the recession context in contrast to the previous growth context. The empirical data for the present study were compiled through the Spanish sub‐sample of the European Manufacturing Surveys (EMS) 2006 and 2009 editions. To test the hypothesis the paper uses a matched‐pairs method that increases the comparability of the available data.Findings – Family firms have a significant higher reduction of...

The incidence and diffusion of teamwork in manufacturing – evidences from a Pan-European survey

Purpose – This paper aims to map the incidence of teamwork in European manufacturing industries and describe the process of teamwork diffusion over time. The impact of country, company size, manufacturing sector and other factors on teamwork diffusion is identified. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on data from 3,522 companies gathered by the European Manufacturing Survey covering ten European countries with a common survey tool. Findings – Overall, six out of ten manufacturers with more than 20 employees have implemented teamwork in production. Furthermore, the authors show that implementation rates vary significantly by country, firm size and, to a lesser extent, sector of the companys activity. R&D expenditure, product complexity, innovation capability, strategy and to a lesser extent international competition and supply chain position create significant differences between firms opting for teamwork as a work organization practice and companies neglecting it. Research limitations/impli...

Strategic agility-driven business model renewal: the case of an SME

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: to connect strategic agility and business model (BM) innovation, and to explore how capabilities underlying strategic agility fit the SME context. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative in approach, the paper develops a longitudinal, in-depth, single case study focussing on how BM renewal occurs in the dynamic and increasingly important sector of temporary work agencies. Findings The findings suggest a partial fit of the existing strategic agility framework for SMEs. Two of the proposed meta-capabilities (leadership unity and resource fluidity) seem inherent to SMEs because they apply easily to this context, although they need to be downscaled. One meta-capability (strategic sensitivity) is less natural and therefore more critical for an SME. An additional meta-capability (resourcefulness) arises as very important for SMEs to be able to overcome some of their size-caused limitations. Research limitations/implications The contribution is limited by using a single case study from a specific sector and should be considered as exploratory and theory-grounding research in the field of SMEs’ strategic agility and BM renewal. Originality/value The originality of this paper is that it looks at the SME context in an industry with intensive change and dynamism, which is ideal for illustrating the objective. The authors contribute a model of strategic agility for SMEs.

Research commercialisation via spin-off: the case of a non-elite university

Recent trends in technology transfer show an intensification of spin-off creation as a modality of university research commercialisation. In this paper, we analyse the evolution, objectives, resources and activities of a specialised unit – Technological Trampoline (TT) – in charge of new venture creation at the University of Girona (Catalonia-Spain). Our main objective is to identify the predominant strategy of spinning-off new ventures among the typologies of incubation strategies found by Clarysse et al. (2005) in European research institutions. The results show that the predominant typology at the University of Girona is the supportive model, although elements of the three typologies were identified. These results have a series of implications and recommendations at both university and TT level.

Aligning leadership and competences in recruitment and staff development: an empirical analysis in the context of regional public administration

In the last decade, competences have gained a special interest in all pillars of the Triple-Helix model, namely academia, administration and business. Several competence models have been developed and put into practice in different public administration contexts. Leadership is one of the most important valued competences in business. Including competences and high-value leadership in the public administration is part of a process conducive to a more professional service. The empirical evidences come from a survey conducted recently. During the present study, personal and professional profiles as well as leadership styles of the target population are analysed on a sample of 160 managers in different departments of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Spain) engaged in the local public administration of the city of Girona. Our results show that competences highlighted as most important in the selection of managerial positions are commitment, professional ethics, understanding, and self-control of ones behaviour or actions related to values and professional ethics in general. Aspects related to teamwork or focused on people, with specific importance placed on the self-control of emotions are also important, followed by efficient time management, tenacity and perseverance, as well as the adaptability to deal with different, changing conditions in the workplace.

Analysing the Adoption of Energy-Saving Technologies in Manufacturing Firms

The present book chapter aims to (i) map the adoption of energy-saving technologies (EST) in manufacturing and (ii) identify structural and operational characteristics that are expected to correlate with EST implementation. The empirical evidence is collected through the European Manufacturing Survey. The analysis presented corresponds to the Spanish subsample 2012 edition. Our main result points to a relatively low implementation of EST, also interpretable as a still unexploited potential these technologies have for manufacturers. Other main findings show (i) a relatively still modest implementation of most EST and (ii) a possible relationship between high implementation of EST and perceived energy efficiency as a consequence of imple‐ mentation. The chapter draws implications for practice and research.

Servitisation and technological complexity in family and non-family firms: European evidence

Servitisation is an emerging topic in practice and in the academy. In this paper, we address the influence of family ownership on servitisation strategy, using data collected through the European manufacturing survey, an international large–scale survey on trends in manufacturing. We approach our hypotheses through the lens of the Socio–Emotional Wealth (SEW), considering the characteristics of family firms and the rationales for servitisation. This paper provides evidence of the important role of technological factors in understanding the particular behaviour of family firms and provides empirical support for the rationales behind the SEW approach.

Toward Joint Product–Service Business Models: The Case of Your Energy Solution

The revolution generated by the emergence and spread of information and communication technology (ICT) has spawned a series of new technologies, novel applications, and ultimately innovative business models. This chapter presents a case study of a new technology business venture focusing on energy management systems and its evolution over the period of a decade. Transforming technology into functional products, which unite science and the marketplace, is the first challenge to any new technology-intensive business venture. The firm that is the subject of this study has a trajectory that passes through different stages, from pure product orientation to pure service orientation, to developing product–service joint modes of operating and finally to continuously evolving product-related services. Rec-ommendations for practitioners refer to aspects related to business model analysis and reconsideration of value generation in the form of holistic solutions, including technology-based products complemented with complex, value-added services that emerge in response to ever-changing sophisticated customer demands. The case is also rich in the different types of innovation discussed: ecology, product, service, and business model innovations being the key types.

MEJORA DE LA ENSEÑANZA Y EL APRENDIZAJE A TRAVÉS DE LA EVALUACIÓN DE COMPETENCIAS POR MEDIO DE LA HERRAMIENTA CYCLOID

A procedure for the evaluation and development of competences using a tool based on information and communication technology tool called Cycloid is presented. The study proposes a feasible way for reducing the gap between higher education, learning and the work market, observing which competences were the most problematic for the students that face the work market. Student from two universities, one from Chile and another from Spain, participated in the study. Results show that students show weak stress tolerance and lack language proficiency. Their main strengths are their concern for their teamwork and mutual collaboration. These results are discussed considering the previous evaluations, the corrective and initiative actions adopted and the future proposals of activities. It is concluded that these results have a series of implications mainly for students, teaching staff and university management.A procedure for the evaluation and development of competences using a tool based on information and communication technology tool called Cycloid is presented. The study proposes a feasible way for reducing the gap between higher education, learning and the work market, observing which competences were the most problematic for the students that face the work market. Student from two universities, one from Chile and another from Spain, participated in the study. Results show that students show weak stress tolerance and lack language proficiency. Their main strengths are their concern for their teamwork and mutual collaboration. These results are discussed considering the previous evaluations, the corrective and initiative actions adopted and the future proposals of activities. It is concluded that these results have a series of implications mainly for students, teaching staff and university management.