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This paper investigates factors that motivate entrepreneurs to completely operate within informality and the drivers of formal companies to underreport revenues. In particular, this work identifies and organizes the determinants of firm informality through a systematic literature review in Scopus and Web of Science databases. The article presents several contributions. First, it examines the two main frameworks of informality (structuralist/exclusion and legalistic/exit dimensions) and links this with the different roles of unregistered firms in economic development (survival, De Soto, and parasite views). It also studies the theoretical basis of informality, including economic, institutional, psychological, and sociological aspects. Second, the paper summarizes business informality determinants based on studies with different methodological approaches (macro, microeconomic), contexts (developed, emerging, transition economies), and periods (1983-2018). Our results show that firm informality is mostly addressed in the examined literature as a decision or voluntary choice by companies and entrepreneurs (legalistic vision). Third, the article proposes an integral theoretical model, according to which the firm informality level is determined by structural elements (company and entrepreneur’s characteristics) and environmental factors (corruption, bureaucracy, taxes, etc.). The analysis is relevant for researchers studying this subject and for policymakers as well.

Workforce agility has been described as a management strategy that allows companies to respond quickly and effectively to threats and opportunities arising from a competitive and unstable business environment. In the current literature, there is still a lack of efforts to systematically review the state of the art on this subject. The aim of this paper is to address this gap by studying the academic progress on workforce agility. A systematic literature review was carried out to analyze the academic articles within the workforce agility topic that were published online until the end of June 2020 in three electronic databases: Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and Science Direct. The bibliometric indicators present how the field has developed and which actors (authors, institutions, countries, journals) are the most relevant. Regarding the conceptual aspects, the findings allowed us to identify that an agile workforce consists of four interrelated and interdependent dimensions: proactivity, flexibility and adaptability, resilience, and competence. These attributes can be promoted through strategies related to i) learning and training, ii) forms of work organization, iii) human resource management; and iv) culture and organizational structure. Our findings also allowed us to propose an agenda for future studies on workforce agility and other related topics. This paper contributes by promoting a debate on a subject still incipient in the literature, especially in Latin America, and by highlighting the potential competitive advantage associated with workforce agility for companies.

This paper evaluates the real capacity of the customer service system in a Health Care Service Provider (HCSP) in which users request a service using a multi-channel M/M/n queueing system with Poisson arrivals and exponential times. The assistance process shows that an individual who wants to request a diagnostic test must wait his/her turn in several cubicles. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that generates two-way results in improving not only HCSP performance, but also in implementing strategies that lead to better service perception. A discrete-event simulation model is presented to determine the times for processes and forecast the demand. The entire process in HCSP takes up to four hours, although, based on our results, waiting times could be 50% shorter by decreasing the number of operative tasks that physicians and nurses should perform and implementing an electronic ticket dispenser. Improving customer service is relevant for a HCSP organization. Therefore, our simulation process could be implemented in different scenarios in order to integrate results in planning and decision-making processes.

The loosely coupled systems (LCS) perspective emerged as a new way to understand the organizational structure from the field of Organization Studies. The purpose of this article is to pres­ent the main features of previous research studies that have addressed the perspective of loosely coupled systems. This article is based on a systematic literature review of 76 papers published dur­ing a 36-year period (1983-2019). The findings indicate that the main concepts studied around this perspective have been loose coupling, tight coupling, decoupling, degree of coupling, and coupling mechanisms, which are analyzed considering the dialectical relationship between distinctiveness and responsiveness. Likewise, the study of organizational couplings has been extensively devel­oped through qualitative methodology with case studies, interviews and documentary reviews. In particular, there are two theoretical frameworks broadly used along with this perspective, the sociological new institutionalism and the theory of normal accidents, which give rise to future research on topics such as decoupling and the normality of accidents, among others. This article contributes to the discussion of organizational ties by highlighting the contemporary relevance of the LCS perspective, its usefulness for understanding current and future organizational issues in the field of Organization Studies, and encouraging greater adoption of LCS analysis in Latin America. Additionally, this paper provides conceptual clarity on the main categories of organizational cou­plings and its operationalization.

The purpose of this reflection paper is to provide a Foucauldian view of the influence of the neoliberal ethos on the rational choices of agents in organizations and how this impacts the tendency to make decisions about deviant behavior. We propose that practices of codes of ethics have less substantive effects and more symbolic effects. The control of corruption occurs in three dimensions: egoism, utilitarianism and opportunism. Codes of ethics and compliance systems, in this sense, possess only the capacity to partially meet each of these requirements, not being enough measure for business integrity assurance. We believe it is essential to distinguish the arguments presented in this paper from the dominant thinking on theories about ethics in organizations. Our interest is to give a politicized response to the discussions raised in the field. The originality of the article resides in the transposition of Foucauldian concepts for practices of control of conducts in the contemporary management. The inadequacy of the normative measures is worked out. Besides, alternative perspectives are proposed to the practices of management for ethical behavior in or­ganizations.

Offshore outsourcing by organizations has been gaining momentum, powered by advances in information technology and costs differentials. A review of the literature on the subject, though, shows that those scholars who have focused on offshore outsourcing have centered their attention on the activities of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the manufacturing and services sectors, leaving behind small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Through a number of propositions, this paper suggests that SMEs could also benefit from offshore outsourcing given their particular characteristics and needs. The paper also discusses the similarities and differences in the motivations that SMEs might have in subcontracting their activities outside their boundaries in comparison to MNEs. Knowing this information is important for foreign suppliers in order to adapt and expand their offerings to the needs of these particular firms.

The paper aims to design and apply a Knowledge Management (KM) model within the context of a Higher Education (HE) institution in Mexico. The model is composed of six enablers: leadership, culture, structure, human resources, information technologies and measurement, which facilitate the processes of knowledge creation, storage, transfer and application. A 53-question survey applied to thirty-six (36) people allowed to evaluate the degree of development and implementation of knowledge enablers and processes. Objectivity, reliability and overall model fit were assessed. The application of the Model serves to highlight the core role that cultural, human and structural aspects play in Knowledge Management processes. Whereas Information Technologies are the least influential to Knowledge Management processes. This paper was limited to examine the perceptions of the Board of Directors of a single university. It is yet to be tested in other institutions. Moreover, the resulting model can be used as an assessment tool in Higher Education Institutions to identify the key elements during a KM initiative as well as to define actions to obtain the greatest benefits from these initiatives.

In this paper we conduct a systematic literature review with the aim of understanding the effectiveness of environmental policy instruments, in particular, command and control, marketbased instruments and voluntary schemes, in promoting eco-innovation. This study analyzes the information presented in selected papers, mainly from peer-reviewed journals, covering the period 2005-2012. The sample is based on 40 papers traced through a keyword search in Scopus database, representing the main academic journals related to the subject. A few more sources were added after reviewing the list of references from the main papers. The literature reviewed adopts different approaches and pursues several objectives to understand the relationship between policy instruments and eco-innovation. We find overall evidence that stringency is a key feature of policies for determining the effects of environmental technological change. It is argued that command and control instrument boosts eco-innovation, but continuity in investments depends more on the expected severity of future regulation. Empirical studies confirm that market-based instruments promote more incremental innovation and diffusion of existing technologies than radical innovation. In general, instruments based on economic incentives need to be complemented with stringent controls to be more effective. We conclude that complementarities between measures focused on developers and demanders are necessary in order to foster eco-innovation

This paper aims at exploring how social and environmental (SE) labels influence purchasing. By drawing on the information processing and the systematic-heuristic models, this study tests the process followed by consumers when purchasing SE labeled-products. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire in personal interviews with 400 consumers responsible for household shopping of Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), who were randomly approached at shopping malls in four areas of Madrid, Spain. They were asked about recognition, knowledge, credibility, perceived utility and purchases on 12 different labels; the influence of these variables on purchase is modeled and tested by path analysis. This study suggests that a systematic-heuristic information processing occurs when consumers buy SE-labeled FMCG products, as the purchase of this type of goods depends on the recognition of a label, knowledge of the issue/issuer, as well as the credibility and the perceived utility of SE labels. Motivation for being informed influences the process, being an antecedent of awareness, comprehension and perceived utility. This model shows a dual processing mode: systematic and heuristic, where the lack of cognitive capacity could explain why these two processing modes co-occur. This paper adds value to existing literature on SE labels and consumption by applying the information processing model, which has not been used before in the field of responsible consumption, in addition to open a promising avenue for research, by offering complementary theories to the existing ones, based on attitudes.

This article analyzes the adoption of project management practices in development cooperation NGOs and their influence on project performance. This paper illustrates the impact in the implementation of methodologies, techniques and tools on outcomes, measured by success criteria of several projects recently implemented. Information from the project managers of the organizations was collected, and complemented by a literature review. We analyzed the correlation among the variables that determine the adoption of a project, and the criteria that determine its success. The positive effect of project management adoption in the performance of cooperation projects is demonstrated, in spite of the low use of methodologies, techniques and tools within the sector. The article shows the importance of project management in cooperation and aid projects, with the purpose of increasing researchers’ awareness about the field as applicable knowledge and about the benefits of its use in the sector. The paper shows that project management can improve project efficiency and accountability in other sectors.

This paper uses an institutional approach to examine the effect of regulations on entrepreneurial activity, comparing developed and developing countries. Through an unbalanced panel data set of 49 countries over the period 2001-2010 and using a combination of international databases we find a positive influence of government spending and entrepreneurship legislation on entrepreneurial activity. It was also found that regulations may have different impacts on entrepreneurship according to the country’s economic development. Thus, in developed economies unemployment legislation is positively related to entrepreneurship, while this relationship is negative in other cases. This paper offers new insights both from a conceptual perspective (advancing theory concerning the factors that influence entrepreneurial activity) and a practical viewpoint (for the design of government policies to foster entrepreneurship).

The principal purpose of this paper is to analyze different methods for decision making, with a focus on entrepreneurship in Latin America. Decision-making methods may be informed by aggregation operators that are based on the use of probabilities, weighted averages (WAs) and generalized aggregation operators. The paper presents a new generalized probabilistic weighted averaging (GPWA) operator that unifies WAs and probability in the same formulation, considering the degree of importance of each concept used in the analysis. The fundamental advantage of this approach is that it includes a wide range of particular cases including the probabilistic weighted averaging (PWA) operator, the probabilistic weighted geometric averaging (PWGA) operator and the probabilistic weighted quadratic averaging (PWQA) operator. Quasi-arithmetic means are used to obtain the Quasi-PWA operator and to generalize the approach, which is then applied to a set of hypothetical entrepreneurial investment decisions in a politically unified Latin American region.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to an increased knowledge of the cultural values and the entrepreneurial activity that are present in countries with different levels of development. Within the group of developing countries, we focus our analysis on the case of Latin America. The study uses data from the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS) to measure cultural values, and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for information regarding entrepreneurship. The results show that cultural variables, together with the rate of entrepreneurial activity, clearly distinguish developing countries from developed ones. Higher entrepreneurial activity is found in countries with lower levels of development; however, the cultural value dimensions of Autonomy and Egalitarianism are associated with higher development levels. In the specific case of Latin America, the results reveal the existence of two groups of countries. Firstly, Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela have higher rates of entrepreneurship and, at the same time, a greater prevalence of some cultural values (notably Embeddedness, but also Hierarchy). In contrast, another group of countries in the region—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico—is characterized by the presence of opposing cultural values (Autonomy and Egalitarianism), more in line with those corresponding to developed countries. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results, including some interesting implications, from both academic and policy perspectives. In the case of Latin America, a certain combination of cultural values (Embeddedness and Egalitarianism) may be leading to higher start-up rates. Thus, promoting these values could contribute to entrepreneurship and economic development.

This paper contributes to the important body of research on entrepreneurship and social capital. Most previous work on social capital and business incubators has analyzed how the structure of personal networks (measured by network size or density) and their quality (measured by tie strength) influence venture performance. However, few studies have focused on the mobilization of partners’ resources. This paper analyses how these three dimensions of social capital —defined in this article as the structural dimension, the relational dimension and the resource dimension— are closely linked to the three types of interactions in a business incubator: networking, counseling and resourcing. An Ordinary Least Squares regression was applied to a sample made up of incubating firms in Colombia. Results from the data analysis show that resourcing interactions constitute the most significant aspect of business incubators for entrepreneurs.

This paper aims to investigate the link between business regulations, pillars of competitiveness, and new firms at country level using a structural equation model. The research developed to support this paper is based on the idea that entrepreneurship, measured as the process of new firm formation, is a vital link to the economic growth of countries. The data used belongs to a sample of 41 countries with emerging and advanced economies that appear simultaneously in three databases: The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the Global Competitiveness Report (GCR), and the Doing Business Report (DBR). At country level, the process is hindered by the competitiveness conditions of the country’s phase of economic development, and by the regulation and institutional arrangements that shape economic activity.

This paper analyses corporate risk in family businesses in conjunction with generalized economic adversity. Using data from Portuguese family-controlled firms for the period of time between 1999 and 2010, we focus on the possibility of asymmetrical corporate risk effects between periods of stability and economic adversity. Overall, the results suggest that the evidence concerning the family firms’ risk is sensitive to the different types of risk considered. Comparing family businesses with their counterparts, we find evidence that the former have lower levels of operational risk and are more indebted. The results indicate that the systematic risk is negatively related to age and positively related to size, the former relationship being stronger for family firms and the latter for non-family firms than for their counterparts. The evidence supports the hypothesis that risk for family controlled firms is less positively related to the proportion of independent directors on the board than non-family controlled firms, suggesting that founders are concerned about the survival of their firms. Finally, the results show that crises affect the operational risk in family businesses, suggesting that family firm managers are more reluctant to assume risk in periods of crisis. This paper offers some insights on the literature concerning family firms. To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyse corporate risk in the context of family firms. In addition, it examines corporate risk in combination with generalized economic adversity.

This research focuses on the relationship between corporate governance and performance in the largest European listed banks, which have been studied to a lesser extent within this field. The study is based on agency theory and we use a sample of 404 observations referring to 97 banks selected from the annual ranking of the 2,000 biggest companies in the world prepared by Forbes. The paper covers the period from 2006 to 2010, thus, examining the changes in the performance drivers in the recent financial crisis. On the basis of the panel data analysis, we confirm that the variety of governance factors including board size, insider appointed, directors’ age, board meetings and affiliated committees influence the performance of the banks. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the effect of corporate governance on the financial performance of the financial companies in times of high capital market volatility.

This paper investigates differences in the behaviour and performance of listed Spanish family and non-family firms resulting from the interaction of differences in productive efficiency and in preferences for control between the two groups of firms. We find that family firms grow at a smaller rate, choose less capital-intensive productive technologies and are more efficient in production than non-family firms are. The evidence is consistent with institutional theories of the firm that predict competition among governance forms for the transactions to be governed to minimize production and transaction costs. The results of the paper highlight the relevance of using measures of productive efficiency, instead of measures of profitability, to test the effect of ownership in the performance of firms.

This paper describes the experience of a Spanish manufacturing firm that implemented the UNE 166002:2006 standard, which is the first in the world to offer a certifiable standardised management system for innovation. After a brief review of innovation management in general, the paper describes the history, objectives, and content of the UNE 166002:2006 Spanish standard and the family of standards to which it belongs. The paper then presents a case study of the implementation of the standard in a manufacturing company, describing the benefits and difficulties of the implementation as detected by the company personnel involved. The paper concludes with a discussion of the desirability and feasibility of creating an international innovation management standard and a new generation of innovation management processes based on a standard for innovation

This paper analyzes the lines of research derived from the implementation and development of the organizational culture of innovation in order to identify the trends followed within this field of study. In doing so, we identified potential and recent-interest trends that could contribute both to the development of this scientific field and to the search of companies for competitive advantages. The most productive authors, journals and countries were also identified, thus offering a solid basis for future research. The methodology consisted of the analysis of bibliometric indicators from scientific articles in Scopus database published between 1980 and 2000. The Web of Science was not considered since the results obtained in both databases were similar. Among the relevant findings related to administration, in publishing terms, the United States is the most productive country, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia. The analysis of topological data between keywords and science areas shows that the analyzed sample focuses on inter- and multidisciplinary studies, and that most theories and basic frameworks were created between 1980 and 2000. These findings provide a basic framework for qualitative and quantitative research that could be applied by experts in the field of management.

This paper analyzes the lines of research derived from the implementation and development of the organizational culture of innovation in order to identify the trends followed within this field of study. In doing so, we identified potential and recent-interest trends that could contribute both to the development of this scientific field and to the search of companies for competitive advantages. The most productive authors, journals and countries were also identified, thus offering a solid basis for future research. The methodology consisted of the analysis of bibliometric indicators from scientific articles in Scopus database published between 1980 and 2000. The Web of Science was not considered since the results obtained in both databases were similar. Among the relevant findings related to administration, in publishing terms, the United States is the most productive country, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia. The analysis of topological data between keywords and science areas shows that the analyzed sample focuses on inter- and multidisciplinary studies, and that most theories and basic frameworks were created between 1980 and 2000. These findings provide a basic framework for qualitative and quantitative research that could be applied by experts in the field of management.

This study sought to understand the factors behind the intention towards buying organic products mentioned in the existing literature and provide conceptual and theoretical guidelines for future research on the subject. A systematic revision of original research papers included in Scopus and Web of Science databases during the period 2011-2021 was conducted, resulting in a sample of 162 articles. The results show that the attitude, values, and confidence of the consumer were the main factors in the intention to buy organic foods. Moreover, it was found that the theory of planned behavior was the most used theoretical framework in the analysis of organic foods purchasing. The changes brought by the covid-19 pandemic are manifested in consumers’ values and their implications to the sale of this type of foods. We propose to consider consumers’ values as variables that intertwine the rational and motivational approaches to consumption analysis. It is also proposed to understand the purchase intention underlying the stimulation of attitudes and the confidence of consumers due to their values. Finally, it is suggested to consider the analysis of the mediating effect of attitudes and trust in the relationship between values and purchase intention.

Higher education institutions (heis), especially during the pandemic crisis, have faced the challenge of designing a sustainable competitive advantage strategy to attract and retain students. However, since constructing a sustainable brand requires successfully building its legitimacy, sustainability messages must be presented appropriately by using suitable communication channels, such as social networks, that attract younger generations of students and become the only form to communicate with them during the confinement. Hence, this paper investigates if Colombian heis effectively use marketing communication tools to inform their sustainability strategies. For this purpose, a literature review of the terms “university sustainability” and “marketing” was initially conducted, applying a mixed-methods approach. Then, an exploratory analysis with the web scraping technique that considered Facebook® messages posted by five private heis in Medellín city (Colombia) was developed during a ten-month period. Finally, an examination approach was applied to summarize data, find hidden relationships, and make predictions through Python programming language. Despite good intentions and reasonable efforts, results indicate that heis do not seem to have a systematic strategy for communicating sustainability issues. Instead, they give the impression of managing sustainability issues mainly from an economic point of view. As a result, universities’ communication of sustainable practices that enhance institutional reputation and increase student retention still appears to be sporadic and insufficient.

This paper studies the visibility, environmental sustainability practices, and public recognition of Costa Rican organizations participating in the Carbon Neutrality (cn) Program. Through a review of Costa Rican online newspapers, we conclude that the three main actions performed by cn firms are the offsetting of carbon emissions, the replacement of polluting inputs by cleaner substitutes, and employees’ training. The main benefits perceived by these firms include reducing production costs, improving the organizations’ image, and achieving market differentiation. In addition, by using non-parametric statistic procedures, we conclude that “highly cited organizations” tend to achieve the cn certification earlier and have a larger number of environmental certifications than “scarcely cited organizations.” By analyzing newspaper coverage data in conjunction with a consumer recognition survey, we determined that “recognized organizations” tend to be the oldest, the largest, and the most cited in the press. In addition, “recognized entities” also tend to obtain the cn certification sooner than unrecognized entities, which means that there is a reward in terms of public recognition for companies that took the risk of being innovative in reducing their carbon footprint.

Personnel selection represents a valuable decision-making process that determines, in some way, the competitiveness and performance of an organization. The essential elements of the personnel selection task are the position requirements and the accessible information related to candidates. In this paper, the personnel selection task is modeled as a multicriteria decision-making problem, considering varied competencies and skills to assess the applicants for a specific position. We used this multicriteria model to solve personnel selection cases using sadgage, a decision support system that solves examples of the multicriteria ranking problem in decreasing order based on the preferences of the decision-maker. The electre-iii method is embedded in the software in order to construct a fuzzy outranking relation and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to exploit such relation and generate a ranking as a recommendation. This work presents a practical application to a personnel selection problem that evaluates a group of applicants to a software developer job in an enterprise based in northwestern Mexico. We show how the proposed multicriteria procedure offers a recommendation to the decision-maker about the applicants in decreasing order of preferences.

The electronics industry in Guadalajara, Mexico, experienced significant growth dur­ing the 1990s. However, the development of electronic design technological capabilities in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (GMA) is reduced compared to the growth of the electronics sector. Furthermore, in local small and medium-sized businesses (SMBS) performing electronic design activi­ties the number of employees working in this type of work is low, compared to the size of the local electronics sector. This paper tries to understand how social capital and core competencies contrib­ute to developing electronic design capabilities in SMBS in this region. A multiple case study of seven local businesses that execute or provide electronic design services in the GMA was conducted. The findings include the role social capital plays in attracting talent, acquiring knowledge and creating a network of customers, along with its longevity; they also include the importance of identifying core capabilities that generate sustained technological advantage and the role played by Regional Innovation Systems (RIS).

This paper seeks to examine transformational and transactional leadership, employees’ organizational citizenship behavior, employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational sup­port; which are employees' organizational citizenship behavior associations. In addition, this study explores the mediating role of employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational support in the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership styles and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. The study was conducted at the University of Birjand, Iran, on a sample of 250 employees. This research follows a descriptive and correlational approach. Our findings show that transformational leadership and employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational support positively and significantly influence employees’ organizational citizen-ship behavior. Additionally, results revealed that employees’ job satisfaction mediates the asso­ciation between transformational and transactional leadership and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. Moreover, employees perceived organizational support mediates the asso­ciation between transformational and transactional leadership and employees’ organizational citi­zenship behavior. Iranian organizations, especially universities, should invest in transformational leadership and job satisfaction, as well as in the selection of managers with transformational lead­ership styles and employees who are eager to work at the university, in order to enrich the organi­zational citizenship behavior of employees.

The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the measurement of a lovemark and unify a set of elements that form a lovemark in university institutions by considering the differences between students and graduates. Based on a review of factors that build a lovemark, brand loyalty relationships were explored. In addition, an empirical study was carried out and applied to a sample of 257 participants at the National University of Colombia (UNAL), one of the most important uni­versities in this country. The results validated the positive effects of brand love, brand experience, and brand involvement on brand loyalty, the determining factor of a university lovemark. This article is one of the first works integrating all the constructs proposed by prior research studies, which, until now, have approached lovemark and brand loyalty separately.

There is a socially constructed perception that people with mental illnesses do not have the resilience to endure the pressures of the capitalist model of work. Solidarity economy (SE) appears as an alternative for the inclusion of mentally ill people in the realm of work and productivity, enabling them to (re)produce their subjectivities. In this study, we develop a critical reflection on the possibilities of entrepreneuring, solidarity economy, and financial/accounting literacy as tools towards a health promotion strategy that empowers and allows the emancipation of the individuals, so that they may (re)write their stories and give society an account of themselves other than their mental illness. This paper starts from the analysis of the experience of two Brazilian se ventures engaged in mental health promotion, in which we proposed and conducted a financial education program aimed at providing SE worker-members with tools to actively participate in discussions about financial and accounting-related decisions. Afterwards, we engaged in an action research exercise, building on lessons learned: the importance of abandoning preconceived ideas of mental illness and relying on sharing experiences and participation; and how real-life struggles are a source of knowledge, as discussed through the concept of “learning by doing.”

This paper investigates the dynamics of complexity and expertise in the context of compensation committees (ccs). Drawing on semi-structured interviews, mostly with cc members and consultants, we bring to light two axes of subordination that impact the mindset of corporate governance participants, and may ultimately undermine directors’ degree of accountability to shareholders. The first axis involves cc members’ subordination to consultant expertise, which tends to be considered as an indispensable ally in dealing appropriately with the webs of complexity that allegedly characterize executive compensation. Nourished partially by the first axis, the second implies subservience to these webs of complexity, which are widely presumed and naturalized by cc members and the consulting experts they employ. One of our main contributory statements is to question the ascendancy of complexity in the boardroom, casting doubt on one of the key assumptions upon which practices and expertise in contemporary corporate governance institutions are built and promoted. We also question the extent of epistemic dependency in many compensation committees, where much of the knowledge necessary to properly operate the repertoire of practices (deemed necessary to address the problem of executive compensation determination) is not primarily in the hands of cc members, but rather in those of consultants.

Supply Chain Management (scm) is a nearly new discipline of management that can be seen in different ways. However, only a strategic approach of scm that leads to subsequent tactical decisions and operational implementation will provide the benefits that scm promises. A presentation of the evolution of scm from its beginnings as part of Operations Management (om) to an independent field in management has the objective of determining its correct scope. Therefore, we examined papers where the research agenda of both om and scm —from the beginnings of these disciplines to these days— has been discussed in order to show the evolution of scm as a field of high relevance in om. We emphasize the strategic nature of scm and the importance to be considered in this way. We argue that is a narrow view thinking of scm as directly related to logistics as its main focus, since this logistic vision creates a bias that limits the real scope of scm. In order for this strategic vision of the scm to be implemented correctly, it is crucial to know both how the role and the profile of sc managers should be.

Advances in information technologies are revolutionizing social relations, including taxi drivers, through software programs. These programs are allowing any driver to transport people, putting taxi drivers in a new position in society and giving them new strategies for making a living. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the degree of entrepreneurship by means of the General Enterprising Tendency model (GET) proposed by Caird (1991). The methodology used was quantitative and exploratory, and included the participation of 147 taxi drivers from a taxi cooperative. The results indicate that in none of the constructs analyzed did taxi drivers get the average score to be classified as entrepreneurs; the "need for achievement" construct was the only item that scored farthest from average; and the "autonomy" construct was the closest to the average score. These results suggest that taxi drivers are dedicated to this profession only as an alternative to unemployment. At the same time, it suggests that a public policy for supporting this important actor is required.

The purpose of this study is to study African, Asian and Oceanic countries in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ranking of innovation indicators by means of Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) analysis, as a support to the methodology applied by WIPO. The quantitative methodology used is the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). This paper includes a Pearson's correlation between the indicators. Results suggest a novelty to WIPO'S methodology using Topsis as a support for ranking countries, contributing to improve the methodology of innovation indicators by joining their qualitative and quantitative perspectives and principles.

This research paper applies a holistic solution to successfully cope with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) needs in a traditional university in Colombia. The suggested methodology follows a humanistic approach and strategically identifies and prioritizes available opportunities for this university within a territory, considering it is present in several regions. The most important conclusion of this work is that the proposed methodology presents an efficient way to design a CSR strategy for a private higher education institution; although we assume it can be easily replicated in other organizations. In consequence, this proposal contributes to the achievement of human development objectives in a specific geographical area. This is important in the Colombian context because of the current efforts to achieve peace and development for the country.

In the past few years, and in a number of countries, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of organizations withdrawing from the Quality Management System standard iso 9001. Hence the need to analyze this phenomenon of decertification and to explain not only the extent to which it is taking place but also why companies are taking such decision. This study analyzes the reasons for withdrawing from ISO 9001 using data obtained from quality managers at 130 Polish organizations which opted out of certification in 2012 and 2013. The data shows that the most important reasons for withdrawal were related to internal factors, such as financial problems within the organizations, a perceived lack of added value from certification, and organizational changes (such as internal restructuring). There were also external factors: customer-driven reasons for the decision to withdraw were also given. Using this data we provide a classification of the reasons for decertification, which can shed light on the effectiveness of activities related to qms implementation, certification and cancellation. We believe this will be of interest to managers of organizations and certification bodies, as well as researchers. The paper provides the potential basis for a quality management strategy directed towards identifying and dealing with the costs and problems that ISO 9001 can generate for companies.

This paper presents the simulated results after the application of an operational risk measurement model, and the benefits obtained when an adequate process is followed to identify risk-generating sources. This serves as support to the control stage through the monitoring of indicators to mitigate operational risks. The main approach of this study lies on one of the advanced operational risk measurement models suggested by Basilea, specifically the loss distribution approach (lda), applied to three types of operational risk events in one of the business lines of a financial institution in Colombia. Operational Value-at-Risk (OpVaR) quantification was made under two comparison methods, and determined by the characteristics of distributions in the calculation of expected and unexpected losses for each event. Results show an estimate of the range of values that may be the point of reference for the organization in order to maintain a required economic capital that covers future exposures to operational risk.

The improvement of management methodologies able to optimize the performance of public administration, whose groundwork is the direction, control and accountability of organizations, is the focus of developed nations. In that sense, this paper studies the adequacy of the Organizational Internal Control Systems (OICS) operating in the Management Units (MU) of the Brazilian Aeronautical Command (COMAER), compared to the models recommended by international institutions in the areas of Administration, Accounting and Auditing. Based on perceptions of the agents responsible for their operation within the executing mu at comaer, results suggest that oics are moderately adhering to the best international practices of internal control, although the process remains at an early stage in some areas of the organization.

This paper presents a fieldwork-based analysis on the sociodemographic characteristics, travel arrangements, motivations and travel experience evaluation of tourists visiting Quito, Ecuador. The results of this research show differences in the profile of tourists in terms of travel arrangements, their motivation and their evaluation of the destination, based on tourists’ geographical origin. The main practical implication of this research is to better understand the characteristics of tourists who visit Quito, with the purpose of designing cultural and touristic products that meet the needs of different groups of travelers.

Several studies prove that e-government is a tool that facilitates transactions and the exchange of information digitally between the public administration and citizens, minimizing the probability of corrupt acts. However, this issue has been little studied for the case of Mexico. This paper analyzes the impact of the dissemination of information and transactions through e-government on the National Corruption and Good Governance Index for 2005-2010 at the State and the Federal District levels. Results indicate that the impact of e-government has been significant, but modest. These data enrich the discussion on the changes required to alleviate the problem of corruption in the country.

This research contributes with a theoretical and practical vision of the new perspective of Customer Value Management (cvm) and its business implications. In fact, the purpose is to test the influence of cvm on Financial Results through Market Share (ms), Gross Margin (gm) and Return on Equity (roe). The approach used to test such influence was an empirical study with data from 107 sales executives at one of the largest banks in Chile. Results support the hypotheses that cvm would have a positive influence on retention rates as well as optimize the costs of acquiring clients and the income generated by customers. The study also establishes the influence cvm has on the financial results of the company. This paper expands existing research by examining the relationship between Customer Value-oriented Management and organizational results. To assess organizational results, relevant financial ratios that are useful when evaluating the financial performance of a company were used. Results also point that in order to maintain a good level of trust, companies need to achieve a good level of communication with their clients, which is particularly important since high cvm might be necessary for a firm to develop long-term relationships with customers and achieve sustainable sales growth.

Today’s firms face a new global economy powered by knowledge rather than physical resources and natural raw materials. Universities are crucial actors in ensuring economic development, not only by training highly qualified human capital, but also by producing new knowledge with innovation potential. University–industry research collaborations (UICs) have been increaingly recognized as an innovation mode. Highly qualified people, mainly at Ph.D. level, are fundamental for the increase of the knowledge pool from which firms and society as a whole can benefit in terms of the production of innovation. The demand for more specialized researchers in business/industry has led to new versions of doctoral programs, such as Industrial Ph.D. Programs (IPPs), which are well-established in a number of countries. After using an analytical international and comparative education methodology, we have found that the cooperation with industry to develop Ph.D. programs in Colombia is relatively weak and requires to be enhanced. In this paper, we argue for the alignment of the so-called third academic mission of economic development with the traditional academic missions of teaching and research through the implementation of IPPs as a mechanism for strengthening the innovation process of firms and country’s economic growth.

In recent years the influence of Colombian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in diverse social sectors of the country has increased. However, the legitimacy of this sector has been undermined by corruption. This distrust has questioned the efficiency of NGOs as social tools. Transparency as a mechanism against corruption and one of the tools that improves the functioning of an organization is considered. There is no doubt that Internet is an essential element in disseminating information to the different stakeholders of the organization. This paper sets out three main objectives: i) the analysis of information disclosure through the Internet of Colombian NGOs, ii) the analysis of the efficiency of these entities in reaching their social goals and, iii) the analysis of the online transparency effect in a greater efficiency of the Colombian NGOs.

During the last decades the need for a better definition of the central concepts of management control has been claimed repeatedly by several authors, since the lack of clarity in this matter is an essential problem for the development and maturity of a sound theory of management control. The diversity of theories and approaches has contributed to the understanding of this complex phenomenon, although these contributions could have been more fruitful if they had shared the conceptual framework. The aim of this paper is to identify the central concepts in need of a higher degree of consensus and find out whether recent contributions have brought some insight on them. In addition, it is also expected to explore and find opportunities for future research in the same line of reasoning. After making a review of seminal and recent contributions, it is inferred that the conceptualization on the field of management control has achieved some degree of success at sharing the understanding of specific aspects, while at the same time has blurred the understanding of others. Then it is concluded that researchers on management control still need to improve their degree of agreement on three central concepts: the management control problem, the definition and description of management control mechanisms, and the scope and boundaries of management control systems. Several research paths are identified and proposed.

This paper studies the behavior of fruit and vegetable prices in a wholesale market. Its aims are: a) to examine price behavior and changes; and b) to identify statistically significant factors in the perception of prices and to quantify the effect of these factors on the market price. For this purpose, daily data were obtained on modal prices at the Mercalaspalmas wholesale market from 2006 until mid-2010. The results obtained show there is a similar degree of flexibility in price increases and decreases, and show the product to be the determinant element in setting prices. There was found to be a strong degree of price permanence, in the sense that changes take place slowly and following a lag. The following significant factors were identified in the perception of prices: the length of time a price has remained unchanged in the market; the period during which a product has been absent from the market; the quantities traded at a given price; and the index of market prices. However, the quantitative effect of this body of factors on the perceived price is very limited.

The literature on born global firms in developed countries has revealed some factors that influence the rapid internationalization of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), such as the technological level of the sector in which the firm participates, psychological and geographical distances from the target markets, and the existence of contact networks. To date, little research has been carried out on this topic for Latin American countries. This paper explores how certain determinants influence Chilean born global firms. A logistic regression model is used to analyze 112 SMEs with regular export activities. The results show that Chilean born global firms are influenced by national and international contact networks that their founders are able to generate. The psychological distance between Chilean SMEs and developed countries in Asia, North America and Europe also influences the internationalization of Chilean SMEs. The principal characteristic of Chilean born global firms is their lack of participation in highly technological sectors, with these SMEs instead being involved in sectors that actively exploit natural resources. The results of this study permit certain public policy recommendations to be made that might boost the development of export SMEs.

Despite the leading role that micro-entrepreneurship plays in economic development, and the high failure rate of microenterprise start-ups in their early years, very few studies have designed financial distress models to detect the financial problems of micro-entrepreneurs. Moreover, due to a lack of research, nothing is known about whether non-financial information and nonparametric statistical techniques improve the predictive capacity of these models. Therefore, this paper provides an innovative financial distress model specifically designed for microenterprise startups via support vector machines (SVMs) that employs financial, non-financial, and macroeconomic variables. Based on a sample of almost 5,500 micro- entrepreneurs from a Peruvian Microfinance Institution (MFI), our findings show that the introduction of non-financial information related to the zone in which the entrepreneurs live and situate their business, the duration of the MFI-entrepreneur relationship, the number of loans granted by the MFI in the last year, the loan destination, and the opinion of experts on the probability that microenterprise start-ups may experience financial problems, significantly increases the accuracy performance of our financial distress model. Furthermore, the results reveal that the models that use SVMs outperform those which employ traditional logistic regression (LR) analysis.

In a context where governments around the world acknowledge a need for more informative governmental financial reporting to improve financial sustainability, the European Council is proposing that EU member states adopt International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs)—which are recognized as also allowing improved reliability of government finance statistics—in all subsectors of the General Government Sector (GGS). Consequently, the Governmental Accounting (GA) role of running and reporting on governments’ budgets for purposes of decisionmaking and accountability is changing to include being part of the EU budgetary and monetary policy, specifically within the Euro zone. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is twofold. First, it aims to start a debate in the literature about the ability of GA as it stands across Europe to meet the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA) requirements concerning GGS data. This assumes particular relevance in a context where the two systems have to coexist, but given that budgetary reporting (GA) is the main input to ESA reporting (NA), reconciliation between the two systems is required. The second objective is of a more technical nature—empirically demonstrating the diversity and materiality of the main adjustments to be made when converting GGS data from GA into NA. This is done by using evidence for Portugal and Spain, focusing on Central Government data for the period 2006–2009 and measuring their quantitative impact on the public (budgetary) deficit. We conclude that GA systems as they are across EU do not meet ESA requirements, and further alignment is therefore needed to reduce adjustments as much as possible when translating data from GA into NA. Additionally, in the case of Portugal and Spain, the main findings show that the adjustments from GA into NA present great diversity for both of these Iberian countries. As for materiality, their impact is greater in Spain, but still significant in Portugal. Therefore, both the reliability and comparability of final budgetary balances reported by EU member states within the Excessive Deficit Procedures (EDP) requirements may be questionable.

Although modernization of governmental accounting has led to the implementation of accrual financial reporting, budgets in most continental European countries, including Spain, continue to be based on cash or modified cash methods. Consequently, cash-based and accrualbased financial information coexist. This may create problems for the full implementation of accrual financial statements. This paper analyzes the differences in practice between the results disclosed in financial and budgetary statements under both bases of accounting in order to identify to what extent accrual accounting has been implemented and to verify whether budgetary and accrualbased financial figures are significantly different. The research findings show that there is a high correlation between the current budgetary result and the economic result and, therefore, that in practice the accrual principle has not been implemented effectively.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are essential organizational strategies to find a way out of the world crisis affecting today’s firms. Thus, the study of how organizational factors, like intellectual capital or entrepreneur characteristics, affects the success of an innovative entrepreneurial project is of utmost importance in helping current organizations find a solution to this problem. Intellectual capital involves investment in human, structural and relational capital. Consequently, our research goal centres on analyzing the influence of intellectual capital as well as the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs on the innovation results. This phenomenon remains unexplored in the case of micro and small firms. Our paper focuses on a particular context where small firms represent a key role in the industry: the case of Costa Rica. We used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in order to develop the analysis. Our first results show a positive and significant relationship between structural and relational capital and innovation results; also, we can observe a positive relationship between a general measure of intellectual capital and innovation results. The case study illustrates how human capital and, specifically, the characteristics of the entrepreneur have an important influence on firm results. Our work contributes to show the relevance of intellectual capital on innovation success, and results encourage practitioners to invest in structural and relational capital and also improve the degree of planning of activities to obtain better results in the long term.

For several decades, researchers and marketing practitioners have proclaimed that the adoption of a consumer-oriented philosophy is the key to developing and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage for a business operating in a highly competitive environment. The interest shown has not been sufficient to dispel certain concerns about the construct’s domain, and the methodology followed for measuring it in different cultural contexts. This paper examines the reliability and validity of three scales for measuring market orientation in a Spanish-speaking international context. The results confirm those obtained from previous research efforts. The study of the three scales, when combined, suggests the existence of six dimensions that are measurable with eighteen items.