Raquel Ortega

Effects of employee training on the performance of North-American firms

This article analyses the impact of employee training on the performance, measured in terms of Tobins Q and total returns to shareholders, of North-American firms, by using a survey of senior executives in human capital management carried out in 2000. The results indicate that higher training can have a positive effect on firm performance through factors such as employee satisfaction and customer loyalty. Overall, it is found that higher levels of training are associated with significant benefits which can increase firm value.

How do children affect parents’ allocation of time?

There is an extensive literature examining the relationship between elder care, child care and labour market activities, although these studies have largely overlooked their simultaneity. This article explores the relationship between these three activities, accounting for the influence that children have on parental allocation of time, using the 2002–2003 Spanish Time Use Survey (STUS). We find that the presence of children has quantitatively significant positive effects on the extent of dependent care-giving activities, with this increase in care-giving being compensated for by a decrease in the time devoted to the labour market.

Determinants of entrepreneurship using fuzzy set methods: Europe vs. non-Europe

ABSTRACT This article uses fuzzy set qualitative methods, with Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2014 data, to show differences in the entrepreneurial determinants between European developed countries and non-European developing countries. We first estimate baseline regression models and then develop fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to study the necessary and sufficient conditions of entrepreneurial activity. Results indicate that, while in Europe, the key determinants are education and technological equity; individuals in developing and nondeveloped countries tend to be, or become, entrepreneurs independently of the macroeconomic background.

Determinants of training transfer in the wine industry: conceptual hypotheses and results for Rioja (Spain)

ABSTRACT This paper takes the perspective of both managers and of employees to examine the determinants of training transfer in the wine industry. To that end, a number of conceptual hypotheses are formulated focusing on three factors: the design of the training, the characteristics of the trainees, and those of the organization, with these being tested using information from the Rioja wine industry (Spain). Three contextual characteristics are compared: the company ownership, its location, and its size. The results indicate that, from the perspective of management, transfer is related to the organizational environment; while from the perspective of the employee, transfer reflects their motivation for training. According to managers, significant differences exist among the three contexts, while, according to employees, there are no contextual differences.

Measuring satisfaction of the unemployed: a composite indicator and policy implications

Given that unemployment is one of the main economic problems, policymakers debate the possible solutions. We contribute to this debate by analysing the general satisfaction of the unemployed in Spain and comparing it with that of the employed. To this end, we create a composite indicator of general satisfaction using responses in the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) (1994–2001) relating to specific satisfaction in different areas, work, financial, home and leisure time. We find that being unemployed has a significant and negative association with the general satisfaction of individuals and, in consequence, we conclude that the Spanish unemployment problem cannot be attributed, at least not entirely, to a lack of incentives for seeking work.

Can Effective Human Capital Management Lead to Increased Firm Performance

The objective of this paper is to study the impact of human capital resources policies on firm performance. To that end, we formulate four hypotheses which rest on the argument that effective human capital management can lead to increased firm performance. These hypotheses are tested by using a new indicator of human capital, as well as two other measures, namely Tobins Q and total return to shareholders (TRS). The empirical results, derived from a survey carried out in the year 2000 to senior executives working in 405 North-American firms, indicate that effective human capital management leads to higher employee satisfaction, which, in turn, implies higher customer loyalty. Moreover, we have also found that this higher customer loyalty implies better firm performance in terms of both Tobins Q and TRS.

What do you prefer for a relaxing time at home: reading, watching TV or listening to the radio?

ABSTRACT This article studies the determinants of time spent by Spanish consumers on reading, watching TV and listening to the radio. To that end, we estimate a SUR (seemingly unrelated regressions) model with data from the Spanish Time Use Survey for 2009–2010. Our results show that being self-employed has a negative and significant effect on the time dedicated to reading and to watching TV; older individuals spend more time reading, and being male influences the time spent watching TV and listening to the radio, all in a statistically significant and positive way. Additionally, those with a higher level of education spend more time reading, while those with lower levels of education prefer to watch TV. Adults with better health spend less time on both reading and watching TV, and families with larger numbers of children up to age 5 tend to spend less time on all three of our at-home leisure activities. Finally, living in a larger city has a positive effect on the time dedicated to all three options.

Children’s interaction with the Internet: time dedicated to communications and games

ABSTRACT In the context of growing interest of individuals in the Internet, the literature has not paid attention to the uses of time for children, given the scarcity of appropriate data bases that provide accurate information. To partially cover this gap, we now provide here evidence of the time that children aged between 10 and 12 years dedicate to two online activities: computer communication and computer gaming. To that end, we estimate a simultaneous seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model with data from the Spanish Time Use Survey for 2009–2010. Results indicate that being female generates a positive influence on the time devoted to computer communication, and being male generates a positive influence on the time devoted to computer gaming. We also find that a greater number of family members with secondary studies generates a positive influence on the time spent on computer gaming. Children with better health spend more time on both of these activities and, finally, living in a larger city produces a positive effect on the time dedicated to computer gaming.

A new methodology for modeling entrepreneurial activity: Genetic algorithms

This note summarizes a new line of research currently in progress which evaluates entrepreneurial activity. Despite the ever-increasing body of literature dedicated to this topic, with articles published in a wide range of journals (for example, JEF, JEFBV, or JESBF), the author proposes a new approach, namely Genetic Algorithms (GA), in order to establish a credible link between the entrepreneurial ability of a country and a number of exogenous variables. The GA methodology [Riechman, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2001; Riechman, Contributions to Economics, Heidelberg and New York, 2001] is a search technique, of general character and domain, inspired by evolutionary mechanisms and theories, natural selection, and genetics. This approach presents a number of original characteristics which, when applied to specific problems, makes it superior to the traditi6nal heuristic methods based on calculus, random, or enumerative procedures. Indeed, this new procedure hardly requires any knowledge of the problem to be solved and, in contrast to econometric models, it does not imply any type of restrictive hypothesis on the data or functions characterizing the problem. Furthermore, when GA are properly designed, they are better suited than other techniques to overcome the problem of local optimums. The GA procedure is made-up of several stages. First, the genetic representation of sample individuals, by means of vectors or chromosomes, often through binary codification, provides potential solutions to the specific problem to be solved. Secondly, the definition of the fit function, that is, the function which classifies the solutions in an orderlyway on the basis of a known objective function, allows one to derive the indicators of such a fit: