María Concepción López-Fernández

Factors Encouraging Innovation in Spanish Hospitality Firms

An analysis of data from 443 Spanish hospitality firms highlighted four factors that encourage innovation. This original analytic model considered the joint effect on innovation of both internal and external factors but did not find that external factors—including government assistance programs—had a significant effect on hospitality innovation. The results confirmed a significant and positive relationship between hospitality innovation and four internal factors, namely, large firm size, membership in a business group (that is, a franchise, management contract, or membership association), willingness to change, and a sufficiently strong bureaucratic framework to manage and institutionalize any innovations.

Organizational Consequences of Implementing an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System An Empirical Analysis

The authors assess and measure the repercussions of the implementation and certification of an ISO 14001 environmental management system (EMS) on company organizational structure. They identify these e fects on Mintzbergs parameters of structural design by postulating a series of hypotheses. These hypotheses are then studied empirically among firms that have implemented the ISO 14001 EMS. With this empirical evidence, they conclude the key determinants of the intensity of organizational changes observed are EMS maturity, management involvement in the implementation process, and the prior existence of an ISO 9001 quality management system.

Motivations for implementing TQM through the EFQM model in Spain: an empirical investigation

This paper presents the results of the empirical study conducted in 68 Spanish firms which are following the implementation process of the Total Quality Management (TQM) through the EFQM excellence model, according to the Excellence in Management Club (the official representative and partner of EFQM in Spain which is a non-profit making organisation with the aim of being the reference and meeting point for organisations on their way towards excellence). The objective of this paper is to analyse the motivations that lead Spanish firms to implement the TQM through the EFQM. First a review of literature is provided, followed by methodology which consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine the importance and the structure of these motivations. Finally, cluster firms and these groups are analysed to establish their profile by cluster analysis. The results show that the most important motivations that drive firms to implement the TQM through the EFQM are internal motivations. The structure of motivations in these firms is made up of three groups: internal reasons, external reasons of requirements, and external market reasons.

LA DECISIÓN DE INNOVAR DE LAS EMPRESAS TURÍSTICAS: UN ANÁLISIS EMPÍRICO DE LA INDUSTRIA HOSTELERA

RESUMEN Este trabajo analiza los factores de indole tanto interna como externa que pueden ser determinantes en la decision de emprender actividades innovadoras en las empresas hosteleras. Para llevar a cabo la contrastacion empirica de las hipotesis propuestas se ha utilizado un modelo de regresion logistica binaria. El estudio empirico utiliza una muestra de 443 empresas que forman parte de la Encuesta de Innovacion Tecnologica de las Empresas 2000. Los resultados confirman que existe una relacion significativa y positiva entre las empresas grandes, la pertenencia a un grupo de empresas, determinados aspectos organizativos y la decision de emprender actividades innovadoras en la industria hostelera.

Implementation barriers of the EFQM excellence model within the Spanish private firms

This paper presents the results of the empirical study conducted in 68 Spanish private firms which are immersed in the implementation process of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, according to the Excellence in Management Club (the official representative and partner of EFQM in Spain which is a non-profit making organisation with the aim of being the reference and meeting point for organisations on their way towards excellence). The objective of this paper is to explore the main barriers of Total Quality Management implementation through the EFQM excellence model in Spanish private firms. The methodology consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine the importance and the structure of these barriers. Finally, cluster firms and these groups are analysed to establish their profile by cluster analysis. The results show that the most important barriers are those related to the lack of time and the lack of physical and financial resources. The structure of barriers in these firms is made up of three groups: behavioural and cultural barriers, organisational barriers, and resource barriers. Cluster analysis reveals that there are three different firm profiles: highly hampered firms, moderately hampered firms, and firms hampered mainly by lack of resources.

Determinants of innovation decision in small and medium-sized family enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the factors that influence small to medium-sized family enterprises (SMFEs) innovation decision. Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises an original data set of 73 SMFEs employing 5-249 people to run binomial logistic regression model which considers the joint effect of both internal and external factors. Findings – The results confirm, on the one hand, a significant and positive relationship between the long chief executive officer (CEO) tenure, the prospector and analyser strategic orientation, and the innovation decision in the Spanish family firms. On the other hand, the results confirm a significant and negative relationship between the risk taking, the cost of innovation, the lack of qualified personnel, a customer indifference towards innovation, and the innovation decision in the Spanish SMFEs. Research limitations/implications – The results contribute to the development of theoretical and knowledge bases, as we...

Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Family Firm: Mapping the Field and Tracing a Path for Future Research:

Despite several calls for the further study of entrepreneurial orientation in family firms, we still have a fragmented understanding of this topic, whose full potential has yet to be reached. To sh...Despite several calls for the further study of entrepreneurial orientation in family firms, we still have a fragmented understanding of this topic, whose full potential has yet to be reached. To shed new light on this issue, this article first maps the family business field by carrying out a systematic review and content analysis of the 78 articles identified at the confluence of entrepreneurial orientation and family firms. Our study describes and critically assesses previous research as well as the conclusions reached. Second, this article identifies the main research gaps and provides a path for future investigations.

What hampers innovation in Mexican family firms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent different obstacles (financial, knowledge, market, and perception) affect the propensity of Mexican family firms to engage in innovation activity. Second, it examines whether the perception of these obstacles differs between two subgroups of family firms, considering levels of ownership and family management control. Design/methodology/approach Information was gathered through a CIS methodology-based questionnaire applied to 161 CEOs of Mexican family firms. Binomial logistic regressions were performed identifying obstacles that were truly relevant for the family firm subgroups in the sample. Findings For subgroup 1, knowledge and market factors were significant and negatively related to the propensity to engage in innovation activities; for subgroup 2, only market factors were relevant. The results also show how the tenure of the CEO, the number of generations involved, and the family involvement in management and non-management positions affect the results obtained. Practical implications Implications for family business scholars embrace the assessment criteria of different family business definitions. While the implications for managers and policy makers include the recognition of the factors that affect innovation in Mexican family firms in order to design and implement adequate strategies to overcome them. Originality/value This study addresses some of the raised demands in the literature. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first attempt to explore the factors hampering innovation in family firms in Latin America. Second, this study was undertaken in response to the call for exploring variations in innovation behavior across different family business types in regards to ownership and family management control. Moreover, this study responds to the call to analyze financial and non-financial factors separately and to expand the geographical areas, sectors, and sizes of family firms, more specifically in Latin America.