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In this study we have used data from Spanish public universities to assess their efficiency in a longitudinal framework between 2008/9-2014/15. To carry out the analysis, two windows data envelopment analysis and intertemporal, non-radial and radial analysis methodologies were compared. The main results show a significant deterioration in university efficiency from the 2012/13 academic year for the three proposed frontiers, with both methodologies. Some factors may explain these results, such as the ageing of teaching force and its low replacement rate of 10%, and the lack of incentives for young researchers who wish to pursue a research career, influenced by the presence of endogamy, in hiring or promotion. Finally, the resources necessary for the good governance of the Spanish public university with the consequent accountability of these, in terms of teaching, research and its transfer to society, could become a strategic issue that should be taken into account by all the actors involved.

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the effect of participation in business and economics education programs on the student's entrepreneurial intention in terms of perceptions of the desirability and personal feasibility of starting a business. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used to measure the student's entrepreneurial intention is the data envelopment analysis (DEA). This approach involves mathematical programming and as a new tool in this field has permitted enrichment of the results achieved. Findings: Results reveal that the explanatory factors for both types of students are different. This could be explained because the students choose one career or another according to their expectations of employment. In this sense, the student's entrepreneurial intention decreases in the business students when they progress in their studies and they are closer in contact with the business reality. However, the student's entrepreneurial intention increases in the case of business students when they choose a future work option different to work in public administration. Research limitations/implications: Although the work reaches conclusive findings, further research is required in a longitudinal way. Practical implications: The article provides new methodology and results in the field of entrepreneurship and employability in higher education in Spain. Originality/value: In the context of the theory of planned behavior, the article is innovative on a methodological level in arguing for "connected" perceptions of the desirability and personal feasibility of starting a business with an approach toward employability and enterprise development for students. The authors think that the understanding of the sources of "entrepreneurial intention" at the students' level is crucial for policymakers to develop appropriate educational polices to improve entrepreneurship performances. (Contains 7 tables and 1 note.)

Purpose: This paper analyzes the regulatory effects on homeownership and rental prices in Spain in the years between 1977m1 and 2019m5, taking into account the economic crisis. It also studies the causal relationship of the prices of private housing (owned and rented). Design/methodology/approach: Interrupted time series analysis has been used to analyze the legislative impact on the construction sector. Also, the Box–Cox transformation has been used to carry out the above analysis. Finally, Granger's test has made possible to determine the causal relationship between the price series. Findings: The results obtained in this work show the partial positive effects of legislative instrumentalization, which in general result in decreasing trends of prices in both types of housing use. Likewise, the causal relationship between the prices of owned and rented housing shows that the latter do not provide any incentive with respect to the former. Social implications: The social implications in this work could be important since this paper analyzes the effects of (de)regulation on housing prices in Spain, and the policy implications could help to control the speculation in housing. Originality/value: The results obtained in this work could be relevant, both from the point of view of future housing policies and of the agents involved and that of society in general. In addition, this work could contribute to fill the existing gap in this field in Spain, given the scarce literature that raises the objective, using quantitative methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - In this work, a reflexive experiential learning process is collected, which relates concepts the strategic management and learning the game of chess in a flipped classroom and blending learning process for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 courses. Research methodology - The method followed has been the initial approach of the learning curves and the time series of the analysis of learning patterns in the game of chess. Also, for the study of the relationship between the game of chess and its analogy with strategic management, we used a questionnaire, and we apply cluster and network analysis. Findings - The main results reveal the existence of different learning patterns (linear, quadratic, random walk), associated with the various skills of the students. Likewise, different learning groups have been identified concerning the times and learning levels by activities. The underlying idea is the motivation that the game of chess exerts on students to foster greater understanding. Research limitations - The limitations are related to the size of the classroom and the different initial levels of chess knowledge, which have been a real challenge to carry out this work. Finally, the combination of activities, between chess and strategic management knowledge is complicated to handle, requiring large doses of planning. These limitations are perhaps challenging to solve, although possible help could be associated with more teachers being involved in the process. Practical implications - The simultaneous learning of chess with the consequent increase of cognitive skills and Strategic Management concepts could intensify the motivation of the student and generate a virtuous circle that drives both areas. Originality/Value - This new experience in Spain contributes to filling a perhaps significant gap in the literature. In parallel, the practice of chess in the classroom has corroborated a level of commitment and motivation of students in the knowledge of the concepts of strategic management. The results achieved could suggest the incorporation of chess practice as a motivating factor in management subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses technical efficiency and its determinants in the Spanish construction sector from a comparative perspective for the period 2000 to 2010 by using different parametric approaches in the form of stochastic frontier models. The main results reveal similar (no) influential factors on efficiency. For all models, the determinants found were capital intensity, prefinancial and postfinancial crisis periods, and workers' skills. There was no difference in terms of sign and statistical significance. Firm age was positively related to efficiency in two of the three models. Firm size was not significant in any model. Finally, the average efficiency values obtained by the models are 55.3, 69.2, and 91.0%, suggesting the possibility of significant improvements in resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide new evidence about the technical efficiency and its determinants in Spanish textile sector during the period 2002-2009. The empirical results suggest that the effects of trade liberalization have led to higher levels of inefficiency in the Spanish sector, due to the lack of flexibility of firms to adjust to the environment, and perhaps to aggressive competition with fuzzy rules of the game. Controlling for specific factor like age, intensity of capital, salary by worker, regions and market share, the authors have obtained that the interaction between market share and size indicates that as firms have more size are also more inefficient. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the stochastic frontier production function is considered, specifically, a panel data version of Battese and Coelli (1995), in which the technical inefficiency is estimated from the stochastic frontier and simultaneously explained by a set of variables. This approach avoids the inconsistency problems of the two-stage approach used in other empirical works when analyzing the inefficiency determinants. Findings – This work provides new evidence about the technical efficiency and its determinants can be due to environmental or firm-specific factors in Spanish textile sector during the period 2002-2009. The authors have estimated the Cobb-Douglass stochastic production frontier following Battese and Coelli (1995) model to analyze an unbalanced panel. Originality/value – The empirical results suggest that the trend of the inefficiency shows a curvilinear behavior in the form of U (turning point third-quarter of 2004). This result is related to the efficiency analysis through Kernel distributions (in static and dynamic form) confirmed a clear process of divergence. In the period 2002-2005 the efficiency of the firms analyzed maintained higher levels than the 2005-2009 period where there is deterioration. This may be related to the increased competition due to the end of the Multi-Fiber Arrangement in January 2005 and the entry of Chinese products in 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this work is twofold: on the one hand, recent methodologies will be used to estimate efficiency and productivity in Spain's non-specialized retail sector for the period of 1997-2007. In particular, the order-m approach proposed by Cazals et al., which is based on the concept of expected minimum input function. On the other hand, the results obtained applying the methods mentioned in the Spanish retail sector can contribute to opening up a new field of analysis since the results may be compared by means of the methodologies proposed as well as those which already exist in the literature. Design/methodology/approach – The paper used data envelopment analysis stochastic (order-m) and bootstrapping Malmquist index to measure productivity and efficiency in 12 sectors in Spanish retail trade 1997-2007. Findings – In order to illustrate the methodology proposed in this paper different phases involved; first, we have estimated the efficiency in 12 sectors of the retail sector four digits NACE, we found high levels of inefficiency in most of the sectors analyzed over the period of analysis. Next, we will deepen and simplify the analysis by concentrating on food-predominant sectors in non-specialised shops (5211). The evolution of the efficiency of firms belonging to this sector decreases over the period of analysis. Analyzing the relationship between firms and size, the results obtained in this work shows that the firm's size have a positive influence on efficiency that suggest that the management may have incentives to grow in order to improve their efficiency levels. Our second contribution has to do with the use of bootstrapping Malmquist productivity indices. Productivity decreased at an average rate of -4.1 percent over the entire period of 1997-2007. On average, this deterioration was due to efficiency change -6.1 percent. Technical progress is increased at an average rate of 2.1 percent. All rates at global level are statistically significant at 95 percent. Originality/value – The main contribution of this paper is to provide an efficiency analysis using a non-parametric approach with a robust estimator that has been suggested recently by Cazals et al. This methodology is that the first time that is applied in the analysis of retail sector. In addition, we analyze productivity growth using bootstrapping Malmquist indices. This methodology allows for a more careful analysis of what happens at firm level. Differences in conclusions between the original estimates and the bootstrap results are more evident when we scrutinize the sample firms and individual levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses efficiency and productivity growth in relation to size, and age and for both entrant and incumbent firms using a birth cohort approach for the period 1995-2003 for two sectors, non-specialized shop (521) and specialized shop (524) three-digit NACE. On the one hand, our results indicate the existence of statistically significant differences among entrant and incumbent firms by size. Also, we found differences according to the start up size in relation to membership of the birth cohort and activity sectors. On the other hand, productivity growth shows that, in general, the larger entrants in the non-specialized sector obtained higher productivity than did small firms. This phenomenon was not observed in the specialized sector, where firms worsened in productivity in most of the cohorts and we did not find significant differences in productivity growth between large and small firms. Efficiency changes tend to be a positive contributor to total factor productivity change, but technical change tends to be a negative contributor for both sectors. A deeper analysis of the efficiency changes (catching up) has shown that these improvements are generally attributed to pure technical efficiency and the scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This study aims to present an approach for analyzing hypermarkets efficiency data envelopment analysis (DEA) in Spanish retailing. In particular, the influence of the Retail Trade Act of 1996, by means of which the Spanish state transferred authority to concede licenses for opening commercial establishments to the regions, is to be studied. Design/methodology/approach - The analysis is based on a DEA model that allows for the evaluation of categorical variables in DEA in cross-section data. Findings - The findings suggest the existence of three different production frontiers in relation to the markets' regulation process where the hypermarkets operate; high, medium and low regulation. In the second place, the effect of the regulatory restrictions carried out by the autonomous communities is corrected in the second stage. This correction (once managerial inefficiencies have been eliminated) allows the hypermarkets operative in areas with low restrictions to be more efficient than those located in areas of greater regulation. Research limitations/implications - The generalization of the conclusions of the study to the whole sector should be made with caution, because only one of the players in the distribution channel has been analyzed. Practical implications - The implications that can be derived from the analysis carried out could be of great interest to policy makers in Spain with regard to the influence of the Retail Trade Act of 1996. Originality/value - The paper uses the model mentioned as evaluation of the efficiency in relation to the environment or regulation carried out in the sector. The methodology proposed to analyze the impact of this environment variable is one of the main contributions of the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact on Spanish retail firms' efficiency of the regulatory process experienced in the period 1994-2002. In particular, the paper aims to study the influence of the Retail Trade Act of 1996, by means of which the Spanish state transferred authority to concede licenses for opening commercial establishments to the regions. Design/methodology/approach - The objectives have been achieved by non parametric methodology of analysis of efficiency at static and dynamic level (kernel density). Findings - The results confirm a decrease in firms' technical efficiency in the post-regulatory period between 1996 and 2002. The different patterns of convergence/divergence in the distribution of technical efficiency depend on firm size. Small firms experience a process of divergence to lower efficiency levels from 1994 to 2002. Research limitations/implications - Perhaps more regional analysis is also needed. In this sense, it would be interesting to consider the region within which the firms operate, and hence take into account the differences in regulatory processes in each region by size or more precisely by outlet type. Practical implications - It is necessary to consider the implications that the regulatory processes can have for management in the environment of the retail industry. Originality/value - The analysis of the efficiency with features of density kernel. As well as the usage of stochastic kernel. This has enabled dynamic effects in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]