Beatriz Junquera

A review of the literature on environmental innovation management in SMEs: implications for public policies

Abstract The aim of this article is to collect and make up the most important contributions in the economic literature in relation to the special characteristics of the management of the environmental innovation in the SMEs. Specifically, we want to show their strengths and weaknesses in order to make up the main conclusions of these analyses with the literature in relation to the way Public Administrations face this situation. The scarce development in the SMEs in respect to their environmental strategy may be a consequence of the links among some of the following factors: limited financial resources, the type of organizational structure, a little influence of the strategic adaptation competence against the changes in the SMEs, the managers’ scarce environmental training and short term orientation, the staff’s scarce environmental awareness and training, the status of the environmental issues in the company, the SMEs’ lower ability to obtain highly radical innovations, the scarce influence of manufacturing process flexibility in the most advanced states of the environmental strategy in the SMEs and their lack of relation ability with external stakeholders—very important in the success of the most advanced environmental approaches. Besides, the lack of regulation neutrality must be added as a key difference among companies of different sizes. So specific actions seem be necessary, such as technological advice and awareness, and training programs in order to cooperate with external stakeholders.

Management and employee involvement in achieving an environmental action-based competitive advantage: an empirical study

The objective of this work is to conduct an empirical study that shows whether certain management and human resource factors influence the achievement of an environmental action-based competitive advantage in a company. To this end, we have taken a sample of 110 factories. Managements deep involvement and its strategic integration, as well as employee motivation and participation, have a positive impact on the achievement of an environmental action-based competitive advantage in a company.

Human resources in advanced environmental approaches - a case analysis

A weak organizational culture creates an environment that leads to inefficiencies in human resources. Both a weak organizational culture and inefficiencies in human resources are major barriers to the implementation of environmental action processes. However, very few studies have been published in this area. The objective of this study, therefore, is to conduct an exploratory case analysis and develop some proposals based on the conclusions arrived at. We have analyzed a total of 8 factories to ensure a sufficient number of sources of information. Some factors linked to organizational culture and the human resource management in a factory that favour environmental performance were found.

The role of the public administrations in the promotion of the environmental activity in Spanish industrial companies

Abstract An aim of this study is to analyse the managers’ opinions in relation to the environmental policy instruments that the Public Administrations promote in order to force firms to care for the natural environment. In the same way, we study the relation between the perceived importance of these instruments and the level of collaboration between the Public Administrations and firms in this area. Taking into consideration the fact that in Spain firms are still in a relatively incipient stage from an environmental standpoint, we analyse how these instruments are assessed by managers of Spanish industrial firms. Besides, we study whether several opinions are one of the causes of less collaboration in environmental public programs. We show that the tightening of the legislation in the environmental area induces a deeper consciousness among companies about the environmental problem. Because of this, and despite having other instruments, the Public Administrations should legislate and enforce the legislation as a first measure of environmental control. Afterwards, we were able to confirm that there does not exist any relation between the importance of the administrative instruments and the perception of the efficacy of these on the part of the managers, as they are being implemented nowadays. We also confirm that there are no significant differences in the judgement of the importance–efficacy relation among those companies that maintain different type of relations with the Public Administrations in the environmental field. This result allows us to arrive at the conclusion that, in spite of the differences between the importance and the efficacy that the companies attach to the administrative instruments, these differences do not influence the type of relations that the companies maintain with the Public Administrations in the environmental field. Therefore, it seems that these relations depend on other factors, perhaps the level of information of the companies about the public programs or about the necessary resources to have access to them.

Environmental managers and departments as driving forces of TQEM in Spanish industrial companies

The integration of environmental responsibility in the organisational structure of companies means granting an increasing relevance to this area. They have a manager in charge of the area or a department dedicated exclusively to it, which should redound to the achievement of increasingly higher effectiveness of the environmental programs. The objective of this paper is to judge the level of development of environmental management systems and their relation to the importance companies attach to the environmental area in their organisational chart. We show that as companies advance in their environmental behaviour they attach more importance to this area in their organisational structure.

Government support for R&D: The Spanish case

Abstract The aim of this study is to identify managerial and sectorial characteristics which determine the range of government support received by Spanish industrial companies for their R&D activities. A multiple regression model is suggested in order to analyse the dependence of government support for Spanish industrial companies in relation to a group of variables which are characteristic of the companies and the sectors where they compete. The results of the study show us that sectorial differences are minimal as regards the importance of government support already mentioned. Therefore, the rate of foreign capital and firm size influence the dependent variable, although not significantly. The research effort is the only dependent variable which shows a significant correlation with government support received by companies for these activities

Joint adoption of ISO 14000-ISO 9000 occupational risk prevention practices in Spanish industrial companies: A descriptive study

This paper intends to analyse the advisability of combining the three management standards (quality, environment and risk prevention) in Spanish industrial companies, and also to study with which particular standards this combination is considered adequate. Besides, our objective is to study if aspects like the size of the company, the level of demand of the environmental legislation or the field of activity of the companies are elements that affect the tendency of the companies to integrate the standards.

Value of bibliometric analysis for research policy: A case study of Spanish research into innovation and technology management

The primary aim of this paper is to assess the contribution to the international literature of Spanish scientific production in the research stream of innovation and technology management. For this purpose 72 articles published in the last decade in the most prestigious international journals in this research stream have been evaluated. From this analysis we have concluded that there has been a positive evolution from 1995 to the present time, as much from a qualitative as from a quantitative point of view. Likewise, we have found that research in this research stream is concentrated fundamentally on a reduced group of universities. Nevertheless, these do not focus exclusively on one or a few research subjects, but on a wide range thereof.

Where does female entrepreneurial human capital come from? A review of the literature

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to develop a model to explain the factors determining the accumulation of entrepreneurial human capital by female entrepreneurs. With this aim, we carried out a wide-ranging review of the literature. We have identified two alternative explanations about the infra-performance in women-owned entrepreneurs:‘gender effect’ and female profile’. Each of them influences three sets of factors: contextual factors, business factors and factors which are intrinsic to female entrepreneurs. Gender effect affects: (a) contextual factors (masculinisation of the business world and industrial sector), (b) business factors (access to finance) and (c) factors intrinsic to female entrepreneurs (leadership style, experience, personality, self-perception and social and cultural influences). Feminine profile influences several kinds of factors: (a) contextual factors (masculinisation of the business world) and (b) factors intrinsic to female entrepreneurs (personality, demographic characteristics, family ties, entrepreneurial capabilities, leadership style, formation and experience)

The client as co-manufacturer and environmental entrepreneur: a research agenda

The purpose of this article is to detect issues of greatest interest and to establish a proposal that can be used as a basis to study the clients environmental entrepreneurship in service sector companies. The study is based on the existing literature on service innovation and the bibliography dedicated to environmental management specific to these innovations. This study poses a few questions that, together with many others, must be addressed in the future. These studies will inevitably contribute to improve the environmental performance of service companies.