Beatriz Palacios Florencio

Does the balanced scorecard adoption enhance the levels of organizational climate, employees’ commitment, job satisfaction and job dedication?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the influence that balanced scorecard (BSC) adoption has on organizational climate, employees’ commitment, job satisfaction and job dedication. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using a questionnaire sent to the employees working in a retail sector firm, at two different moments in time, between the years 2009 and 2010. A total of 494 questionnaires were correctly returned. The response rates were 55.6 and 60.2 percent respectively. Tests (ANOVA) were carried out related to the constructs which make up the model studied, before and after the BSC implementation. Findings – The results indicate a clear relationship with the satisfaction of employees within the organization; it shows that the BSC implementation is significantly related to positive employees’ affective reactions. Originality/value – The outcomes of the study are relevant both to the literature on strategic change and business management, since they determine that the correct impl...

Reasons which Influence on the Students' Decision to Take a University Course: Differences by Gender and Degree.

After compulsory secondary education; many teenagers face the process of choosing a university degree. This process involves uncertainties referred to their personal abilities, interests, social expectations and professional future. The present work is aimed at determining whether the reasons behind the selection of a particular university degree differ depending on the chosen degree. Another objective is determining whether these reasons differ significantly according to gender. The sample comprises 983 students belonging to the area of social and legal sciences at the University of Seville. The obtained results reveal the existence of four main reasons behind the selection of university degrees for which significant gender-related differences were observed: easy degree, job opportunities, high wages and provision of social services. Besides, these seven reasons are observed to differ widely in six of the considered degrees.

Implementing the balanced scorecard: its effect on the job environment

The aim of this study is to determine whether implementing the balanced scorecard (BSC) improves organisational performance. Data were collected from employees of a retail-sector firm, using questionnaires sent to them in 2009 and 2010. A total of 406 and 494 questionnaires were returned from each of the two mail shots. We used structural equation modelling to analyse the data. The results indicate that implementing the BSC improves employee commitment, the organisational climate, job satisfaction and job dedication. At the same time, there is an increase in the causal relations between these concepts. The outcomes of the study are relevant to the literature on both human resources and business management, since they show that the use of the BSC improves the variables related to employee behaviour and motivation, thus making it an important tool for human resources management.The aim of this study is to determine whether implementing the balanced scorecard (BSC) improves organisational performance. Data were collected from employees of a retail-sector firm, using questionnaires sent to them in 2009 and 2010. A total of 406 and 494 questionnaires were returned from each of the two mail shots. We used structural equation modelling to analyse the data. The results indicate that implementing the BSC improves employee commitment, the organisational climate, job satisfaction and job dedication. At the same time, there is an increase in the causal relations between these concepts. The outcomes of the study are relevant to the literature on both human resources and business management, since they show that the use of the BSC improves the variables related to employee behaviour and motivation, thus making it an important tool for human resources management.

Foreign tourists as external-market information source for SMEs

ABSTRACT This study shows a low-priced information collection process. Focusing on tourists, we offered a product tasting, in order to gather the main information of their countries of origin. This information is useful to a company when it needs to make relevant decisions for its international market selection process. This economical methodology allows the company to know how consumers can behave differently in other markets and discloses information concerning the launch of a product in new territories.