Cristina Iturrioz

A social capital approach for network policy learning: the case of an established cluster initiative

Regional development policies to foster innovation and competitiveness have evolved towards a ‘soft’ focus on facilitating relationships of cooperation. This is demonstrated by the popularity of network and cluster policies. However, the development of these policies poses particular challenges since there is insufficient understanding of the factors in the social structure that underpin networking behaviour and network outcomes. The analysis of this social context provides an important base for policy learning and therefore for the development of networking policies. The paper makes both a theoretical contribution (in establishing the framework) and a methodological contribution (in exploring its implementation in an ongoing policy process). The case studied is that of the Basque aeronautics cluster, a medium-sized cluster with 35 members founded in 1997 within the Basque Country (Spain) cluster policy, one of the longest-running cluster policies in Europe. The participatory design carried out in the application of the theoretical framework to the case study enabled a deeper appreciation of the different realities and behaviour of targeted firms and supported strategies to improve policy effectiveness.

Social responsibility in SMEs: a source of business value

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to analyse some of the main elements that affect the social responsibility (SR) business value generation in the small and medium firms (SMEs) context. In the SMEs, basically three elements are related with the business value of a SR approach: the top management SR orientation, the SR focus on the business critical issues and the SR alignment with the business strategy. Design/methodology/approach - In order to achieve this objective, different valid and reliable SR measurement scales are developed and an ad hoc survey is answered by a sample of 245 SMEs out of a population of 1,317 SMEs, a representative sample with a 5.76 per cent error. Findings - This paper concludes that SR can be a source of value for the business and that the business value generated by an SR approach is associated with certain conditions: the firm must believe in SR behaviour further than a mere economic and legal perspective; the SR activities must be focused on the critical issues that heavily conditions business competitiveness and, finally, the SR must be embedded in the firms business strategy. Originality/value - The empirical evidence obtained would not only support theoretical development about SR and SMEs, but it is also relevant to practice. The study of how SR must be developed in order to generate value for the firm helps SMEs to engage more effectively in SR and generates incentives for the stable, coherent and long-term development of this kind of activity.

Participatory evaluation: a useful tool for contextualising cluster policy?

Insufficient attention is often given to the underlying context in which policies that seek to facilitate cooperation between firms are implemented, inhibiting their expected outcomes. This article analyses the processes involved in a participatory cluster policy evaluation experience that was designed to integrate fundamental and ongoing concern with context and how it interacts with the policy. The premise of the argument is that participatory evaluation itself can directly support the aims of the policy (cluster cooperation) and contribute to policy learning. Nevertheless, we find that success is not guaranteed; several obstacles have to be overcome to obtain learning outcomes that strengthen policy-making. While the contribution is primarily methodological, the article also contributes to conceptual debates on the significance of cluster context in policy design, implementation and evaluation. The participatory evaluation process explored in the article, alongside the findings around key practical considerations, can be usefully applied in other policy contexts that aim to enhance cooperation between firms and other economic agents.

Cooperative Dynamics During the Financial Crisis: Evidence From Basque and Breton Case Studies

In the recent financial crisis period, when traditional economic organizations were not able to meet stakeholders’ expectations, not-for profit organizations such as cooperatives became an optimal solution as they are expected to serve social and economic performance simultaneously. This theoretical assumption is questioned based on the downturn pressures that may weaken cooperatives’ social performance in favor of economic performance. This degeneration process is countered by some traditional cooperatives that have developed regeneration dynamics. The aim of our study is to explore how small and medium cooperatives face degeneration and develop regeneration dynamics in periods of crisis. To fulfill the objective of the article, four small and medium Basque and Breton cooperatives are studied in depth.

A Participatory Methodology for Evaluating the Cluster Policy of the Basque Country

Cluster policies have become a consolidated tool among regional policies, and albeit their growing presence there remains scepticism around the way in which the cluster concept is often treated as a policy panacea. Indeed, the evaluation of cluster policies is a critical yet under-examined issue. In Spain, the Basque Country Autonomous Community, was one of the pioneers of regional cluster policy, and in recent years various evaluations have been made of different aspects of the policy. Yet it has proved challenging to undertake a holistic evaluation in terms of the success of the policy in achieving its ultimate aim of enhancing the competitiveness of the Basque economy. This paper develops the rationale for applying a participatory evaluation approach, rooted in an action research framework, to the cluster policy of the Basque Government. Based on this rationale we present a methodology that has been designed for specific pilot application with the Basque aerospace cluster. In doing so, we aim to contribute to debate around the applicability and practical implementation of such methodologies to the evaluation of soft, co-operationbased regional policies.

The Alignment Between Social Responsibility and Business Strategy: Implications for Social Responsibility Value Creation in Spanish SMEs

In this study we empirically analyse the integration of Social Responsibility (SR) practices in business strategy and its effect over the creation of value for the business itself in the small and medium enterprise (SME context. We consider that SR must contribute to the firm’s core activities and help the firm to achieve its mission. Moreover, we believe that this strategic perspective of SR is crucial for the SME. Regarding these issues, an analysis of the SR behaviour in the SME is presented and, particularly, we study the existence of a significant relationship between the SR strategic alignment and the business value obtained from the SR behaviour . In order to measure all these concepts, we have developed and validated scales SR behaviour in the SME; the alignment of SR behaviour with the business strategy of the firm and finally, the business value created by SR activities, on a representative sample of 245 private SMEs located in Gipuzkoa, a province in the north of Spain. The present study shows how the alignment of SR behaviour with business strategy is significantly related to the generation of business value from SR activities; in the light of these results, the study concludes that SR needs to be embedded in the firm’s strategy in order to contribute to the company’s survival and competitiveness