Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent

The pursuit of knowledge transfer activities: An efficiency analysis of Spanish universities ☆

This paper assesses university efficiency from a multidimensional perspective. First, an efficiency measure that incorporates knowledge transfer outputs in the objective function is proposed. Second, a cluster analysis complements the efficiency model giving a more comprehensive image of university’s performance. The empirical application considers the Spanish higher education system during 2006-2009. Results point to the presence of heterogeneous orientations among Spanish universities and that they integrate knowledge transfer in their operations at different intensities. The findings give evidence that university’s efficiency and their involvement in knowledge transfer is conditioned by regional factors related to technological development and entrepreneurial culture. Results give ammunition to the argument that effective support policies should have the capacity to be customized to fit the profile of the targeted universities and regions.

Work-life balance and its relationship with organizational pride and job satisfaction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between work-life balance, organizational pride and job satisfaction. When evaluating employee work-life balance the present paper takes into consideration two relevant antecedents: supervisor support and job autonomy; and explores their link with organizational pride and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – To verify the hypothesis, a questionnaire survey was used to collect data in a Spanish pharmaceutical organization; 374 responses were obtained. Structural equation modeling was used for the data analysis. Findings – Data confirms the relationship between the analyzed constructs. The results support the hypothesized relationships of supervisor work-life balance support and autonomy with employee work-life balance. In addition, employee work-life balance is positively related with organizational pride and job satisfaction. Practical implications – This study provides a useful measurement model that employers and employees can...

Social innovation success factors: hospitality and tourism social enterprises

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the existing literature on social enterprises and business model innovation. Particularly, it sheds some light on those factors that turn a social innovation initiative into a success, both in terms of meeting social needs and achieving economic sustainability. Design/methodology/approach By using a grounded theory approach, an inductive comparative case study is conducted. Two work integration social enterprises in the hospitality and tourism sector are selected. Both companies are located in Barcelona (Spain) under the same legal regulation and economic situation and initially run a manufacturing business. Due to the economic crisis they were forced to reinvent themselves to survive. Data were collected from different sources and coded using content analysis procedures. Findings Results indicate that three factors, namely, value proposition, appropriate market research and stakeholder involvement, heavily contributed to firm’s success, corroborating previous studies. Furthermore, our study reveals that social need pressures and managerial trust on employees are additional factors that drive social business model innovation. Practical implications Changes in the demand, the rules governing the market or economic downturns are external drivers for demand-pull innovations. In such context, firms need to reformulate their business models if they wish to survive. Acknowledging the factors that help firms overcome these obstacles is of great interest for both academics and entrepreneurs. Originality/value Social innovation in business models is a topic still poorly defined in the literature, yet, its boundaries to other fields are still fuzzy. This paper aims to fulfill this gap by presenting the theoretical domain in which this topic fits in and evidencing those successful factors that should be considered when designing and implementing a business model innovation which may help other firms facing a similar process.

Behind league tables and ranking systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of university ranking systems as instruments of university quality assessment. Some controversy surrounds the methodology used to compile such instruments. Accordingly, different compilers have adopted different methods to produce these rankings. This study examines to what extent this diversity in methodology is now converging in the context of Spanish university rankings. Design/methodology/approach – To conduct this research, a two-step approach was adopted. First, the indicators used in four Spanish rankings were examined. Second, empirical analysis was used to identify differences between university rankings. Findings – Results reveal that, despite the vast number and variety of indicators, there is a positive, significant relationship between rankings. Spanish university rankings thus show some degree of convergence. Social implications – Because rankings influence behavior and shape institutional decision making, a better understanding of h...

Antecedents of online purchasing behaviour in the tourism sector

– The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it investigates antecedents of online purchasing behaviour, taking into account the relationships between the constructs of service quality, perceived value and loyalty. Second, the study analyses up to what point men’s and women’s behaviours are similar. , – A survey was sent to the general public in Spain. Respondents were required to be consumers of online travel agencies. In total, 1,201 valid questionnaires were collected. No gender bias was detected in the sample. The data were analysed through Structural Equation Modelling to assess the proposed model. To determine non-invariant parameters across the two groups (men and women), a test for invariance was conducted. , – Both functional quality and hedonic quality are shown as antecedents for perceived value, and, in turn, perceived value impacts loyalty. The impact of loyalty on purchasing behaviour is significant, though weak. Gender differences are also examined and all parameters of the model are found to operate equivalently among men and women, indicating that both groups perform similarly. , – This paper highlights that the hedonic dimension of quality is important in adding value for customers. Accordingly, managers should reinforce this dimension and include it in their business strategy. , – Although the link between perceived quality and value-loyalty is well-established, there are still few studies that expand this link upstream or downstream. This paper analyses the next link in this chain.

The Impact of Moral Awareness on the Entrepreneurial Orientation- Performance Relationship in New Technology Based Firms

Prior studies have suggested the predominant role of the founder-manager´s moral awareness in the emergence and persistence of a strong entrepreneurial culture likely to shape the firm´s collective behavior. Although the strategic importance of founder-manager´s moral awareness on a general level is undisputed, one major shortcoming of prior studies has been to evaluate his influence in the firm. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effect of technology founder-manager´s moral awareness on the entrepreneurial orientation-performance relationship in New Technology Based Firms. Not only do the results suggest that performance is positively influenced by its entrepreneurial orientation, but the findings also indicate that technology founder-manager´s moral awareness moderates the relationship. The entrepreneurial orientation-performance link is stronger for low levels of moral awareness. The study´s implications and future research directions are discussed.

Aligning professional skills and active learning methods: an application for information and communications technology engineering

ABSTRACT Engineering education is facing new challenges to effectively provide the appropriate skills to future engineering professionals according to market demands. This study proposes a model based on active learning methods, which is expected to facilitate the acquisition of the professional skills most highly valued in the information and communications technology (ICT) market. The theoretical foundations of the study are based on the specific literature on active learning methodologies. The Delphi method is used to establish the fit between learning methods and generic skills required by the ICT sector. An innovative proposition is therefore presented that groups the required skills in relation to the teaching method that best develops them. The qualitative research suggests that a combination of project-based learning and the learning contract is sufficient to ensure a satisfactory skills level for this profile of engineers.

Contract employment policy and research productivity of knowledge workers: An analysis of Spanish universities

Abstract This article investigates how contract employment practices adopted by universities—fixed-term contracts and permanent contracts—impact research productivity measured in terms of publications in scholarly journals. The empirical application considers the Spanish public higher education system for the period 2002–2008. We report an inverse U-shaped relationship between the rate fixed-term contracts and the research productivity of Spanish universities. That is, contract policies based on fixed-term contracts are conducive to research productivity; however, beyond a critical threshold value increases in the proportion of fixed-term contracts are associated with declining research productivity. These findings reveal that contract employment policies shape research productivity, and that flexible and balanced contract practices are critical for enhancing universities’ research productivity. The results suggest that the excessive use of fixed-term contracts might create an unstable working environment that limits the universities’ capacity to capitalize on their knowledge workers. Policy implications and future research avenues are discussed.

Balancing basic and applied research outputs: a study of the trade-offs between publishing and patenting

This study examines the relationship between academic publications and patents. First, we use regression models to investigate those factors that act as potential drivers when considering papers and patents individually. Second, we run a cluster analysis in order to test whether universities follow different patterns in the way they align their resources in regard to research objectives. The empirical application considers the Spanish public higher education system for the period 2006–2010. The overarching conclusion is that cross-fertilisation relationships between academic research and its commercialisation are found. There are, however, important differences in how universities are disseminating research results, particularly when we analyse the resources and capabilities universities possess. Results also stress the need to look at contextual and normative factors.

Is research mediating the relationship between teaching experience and student satisfaction

ABSTRACT Universities must ensure that academic staff are qualified and competent for performing their job. Teaching and research are two key activities in which lecturers should excel. While some authors suggest teaching and research complement each other and positively influence student satisfaction, some others point to a rivalry effect between the two. This study aims at shedding new light on this debate. We first examine the relationship between teaching experience and student satisfaction. In a second stage we explore the mediating effect of research intensity in this relationship. Lastly, we examine potential differences due to contract status. Data gathered in 2014 come from 229 different subjects offered at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Spain). Our results support the thesis that teaching experience is a determinant of student satisfaction. We also found evidence that current incentive systems at universities are research-biased, negatively impacting on students’ perceptions of the teaching received (student satisfaction).