Esteban Fernández

Typology and strategic analysis of intangible resources A resource-based approach

Abstract This work focuses on the contribution of intangible resources towards the competitive success of the firm. First, four categories of intangible resources are classified and studied: human capital, organisational capital, relational capital and technological capital. Then, those properties that explain their strategic value are analysed in detail.

Agility drivers, enablers and outcomes

– Despite the fact that agile manufacturing has been frequently promoted as a means of improving business competitiveness, little empirical evidence exists in the literature validating its positive link with business performance. The purpose of this research paper is to analyse agile manufacturing in Spain and study whether it is a critical factor for success in different industries., – A conceptual model is drawn up, based on the literature and a previous case study, to relate turbulence in the environment with agile manufacturing practices and business performance. The model is tested on a large sample of Spanish manufacturers using a survey methodology to obtain information and a structural equation model to analyse the data., – The results obtained show that, in turbulent environments, the integrated use of agile manufacturing practices promotes manufacturing competitive strength, leading to better operational, market and financial performance., – This study has two main limitations. First, it is difficult to determine the most suitable unit of analysis when studying agile manufacturing. Second, single respondent bias may be considered a limitation., – Managers should consider the integrated implementation of agile manufacturing practices in order to develop manufacturing strength and to outperform competitors in turbulent business environments., – This study adopts a systematic approach to the analysis of agile manufacturing, considering various agility practices or enablers in an integrated way and relating them not only to environmental characteristics but also to business performance. This approach is especially interesting because most of the literature on agile manufacturing deals with agility strategies or techniques in an isolated way. The study also tests the suitability of agile manufacturing in real organisations – for the first time in the Spanish context.

Analysis of manufacturing strategy as an explanatory factor of competitiveness in the large Spanish industrial firm

Abstract This work focuses on analysing the growing importance of manufacturing strategies for the competitiveness of firms. It is considered that the emphasis on certain manufacturing competitive priorities (or capabilities) and decisions or practices (on the key decision areas) and their internal coherence can be the base for achieving sustainable or lasting advantages over competitors, thus originating superior business performance. The aim of this research work is to analyse whether or not there exists a correlation between the manufacturing strategy and the competitive success or business performance of a sample of large Spanish industrial firms. The database used is mainly made up of the information from a mail survey, aimed at the industrial firms set up in Spain which in 1994 (study reference date) employed over 200 workers. The results obtained, with the proposed methodology, reveal that it is not possible to identify a direct relationship between the manufacturing strategy and business performance of the sample of firms analysed. In this sense, the chosen manufacturing strategy, that is to say, the emphasis on certain manufacturing competitive priorities and decision areas (or practices) and their coherence, does not enable us to distinguish between best and worst performers, and so does not allow us to explain the level of competitiveness of the sample of large Spanish industrial firms analysed in this work.

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.

ISO 9000 certification and quality management in Spain: results of a national survey

The increasing demand of mechanisms making easier the choice of a provider, both in the domestic and global markets, has contributed to ISO 9000 certification possession becoming a requisite for the development of commercial relations. The present article is based upon the results of an empirical research in which the effectiveness and reach of ISO 9000 certification is studied at a multi‐sector level in Spain. Mail surveys were carried out on 3,864 certificated organizations, and 749 (19.4 per cent) responded. Results indicated that certification helps in terms of being a management tool, a source of competitive advantages and its potential to stimulate the company transition towards total quality management.

Linking Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management: Evidence from Spanish Smes

The relationship between degree of corporate entrepreneurship and strategic management is considered. Examined the impact on entrepreneurial behavior and intensity of five management practices: analysis, flexibility, horizon of planning, locus of planning within the firm, and control systems (strategic controls and financial controls). Also considers relationship of competitive strategy (cost leadership, marketing differentiation, and innovative differentiation). The empirical data is based on a survey of 233 Spanish small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the industrial sector. The data analysis indicates that a firms entrepreneurial intensity is positively correlated with innovation-based differentiation, analysis, flexibility, locus of planning, horizon, and strategic controls. Competitive strategy had a greater impact as compared to strategic practices; those firms competing by means of innovation-based differentiation were more entrepreneurial. The results suggest that entrepreneurial firms should institutionalize flexibility in their planning systems and allow a high level of employee involvement in planning. Control systems should reward creativity and opportunity through creativity. Differentiation is a better competitive strategy than cost leadership. (TNM)

Influence of ISO 9000 certification on the progress of Spanish industry towards TQM

ISO 9000 certification adds to the fact of being a management tool, source of competitive advantages, its potential to stimulate the advance of industry towards TQM. Many studies have been published that seem to confirm this, but a close review of available publications has allowed us to detect the absence of such an investigation in Spain. That is why an empirical work has been planned, its main goal being to analyse how relevant certification may be in the progress of Spanish companies towards TQM. Mail surveys were carried out on 3,864 certified organizations; 749 (19.4 per cent) responded. The answers of participating companies reflect that although certification leads to a basic quality level, it is also true that it generates a degree of steadiness and a constant demands for updatinh and adaptation of the system it is based on, transforming it into a perfect foundation for more advanced quality practices.

Characteristics of Managers as Determinants of Entrepreneurial Orientation: Some Spanish Evidence

Despite extensive research in recent years, very little is known to date about the features which account for the entrepreneurial orientation in the firm, although previous studies have shown that managers exhibiting entrepreneurial orientation can be distinguished from other managers in their objectives. This work, on a sample of 233 firms, studies the relationship between the psychological characteristics of the manager of a SME and its entrepreneurial orientation. In particular, the following characteristics are analysed: locus of control, need for achievement and tolerance of ambiguity. The results indicate that the most entrepreneurial firms are managed by individuals with a greater locus of control, a higher need for achievement and a greater tolerance of ambiguity.

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.

Psychological characteristics and process: the role of entrepreneurship in Spanish SMEs

This research work uses data from 233 Spanish SMEs in order to test three alternative models regarding how psychological characteristics and strategic process affect organisational success: first, the individual model according to which the manager’s psychological characteristics entirely account for company performance; second, the process model, whereby strategic process directly contributes towards explaining organisational success; and third, the mediating model where the manager’s characteristics affect company success through their influence on strategic process. From the study it is concluded that the manager’s traits indirectly affect success through process and that this process has a direct influence on success, although we also observed the direct influence of manager’s characteristics on company success.