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Internships are temporary jobs that provide real-time work and experience for students. They are well appreciated not only by students, but also by academics and companies. Despite the importance and growth of internship programmes in higher education, little is known about the influence of Emotional Intelligence (EI) on them. We attempt to address this gap relating the effect of EI on internships, employability and satisfaction with these internships. A questionnaire was designed for this purpose, and it was sent online to students from two Spanish universities. For this, a structural equation model was applied to a sample of 240 students. Our results indicate that EI directly influences doing university students’ internships. The results also enable us to state that EI has an indirect influence on the improvement of employability and the students’ level of satisfaction with the internships. These findings can assist universities, academics, faculties and host companies for the improvement of the design of internship programmes in higher education. Las prácticas consisten en trabajos temporales que brindan experiencia en tiempo real a los estudiantes. Estas prácticas son especialmente valoradas no solo por los estudiantes, sino también por el profesorado y las empresas. A pesar de la importancia y el crecimiento de los programas de prácticas profesionales en la educación superior, no se ha estudiado suficientemente la influencia de la Inteligencia Emocional (IE) en estos programas. Este estudio pretende abordar esta carencia por medio del análisis de la relación del efecto de la IE con en el periodo de prácticas, la empleabilidad y la satisfacción de los estudiantes. Para este propósito se diseñó un cuestionario que fue enviado de modo online a estudiantes de dos universidades españolas. Para ello, se aplicó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales a una muestra de 240 estudiantes. Los resultados indican que la IE influye directamente en las prácticas de los estudiantes universitarios. Los resultados también nos permiten afirmar que la IE tiene una influencia indirecta en la mejora de la empleabilidad y en el nivel de satisfacción de los estudiantes con las prácticas. Estos hallazgos pueden ayudar a universidades, profesorado, facultades y a las empresas anfitrionas a mejorar el diseño de los programas de prácticas en la educación superior.

PurposeThis research proposes ideal interaction patterns for structural dimensions (buyer and supplier representatives involved in the interaction and buyer and supplier critical capabilities) for transport service outsourcing. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether those ideal interaction patterns are determinants of success of the interaction. In this paper, the latter is measured against the corresponding process success and outcome success.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a conceptual model based on the prior literature and adapted to this specific case of transport services. The proposed model is approached using the partial least squares simultaneous equation models. For this, the result of a survey to senior management at European machinery, electronics and automotive sector manufacturing plants has been used.FindingsWhen companies possess the proposed ideal patterns for the structural dimensions, this brings with it positive effects on both the process success and the outcome success obtained by the outsourcing plant. Therefore, buyer-supplier relationships have been recognized to play a key role in the outcomes of this interaction and that the design and management of interfaces between companies and their logistics providers are critical.Practical implicationsManagers can use the present research findings to produce an appropriate interaction design that includes the representatives and capabilities required to make transport service outsourcing a success.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on transport research by specifically establishing ideal interaction patterns for the structural dimensions that buyer and supplier’s companies need to consider for achieving successful transport services outsourcing. Besides, the present research proposes a multidimensional measure of outcome success that combines major strategic, operational and financial outputs. Finally, this research represents the first survey-based empirical evidence on the topic, having used a sample of 93 plants belonging to many different companies in five European countries.

Outsourcing has been identified as one of the key factors for improving companies’ financial performance. Moreover, the procurement of business services has become an important element of companies’ acquisition of external resources. However, there is a lack of evidence linking services outsourcing and performance. Limited prior literature has mostly assumed that this relationship is positive and linear. Our empirical study reveals that firms may be able to increase their performance through services outsourcing; however, this is only true up to a point, beyond which the performance decreases as a consequence of further outsourcing. Identifying the type of relationship between the variables under study is a key point to company managers formulating their service outsourcing strategies. They must be aware that there is a level of outsourcing that should not be exceeded. Future research should help managers to determine which is the most effective level of service outsourcing for their companies.

Whether the use of more active teaching–learning methods has a positive impact on academic performance remains unanswered. This article seeks to contribute to the issue by conducting a study of an Operations Management course with almost 1000 students per year over three consecutive academic years. The study compares three scenarios with differing degrees of student involvement and Information Technology usage. The findings show no differences in terms of exam grades, but there is an increase in the percentage of passes in the most active scenario analysed, in which continuous assessment tests are used. Notwithstanding, student involvement in the optional assessable activities was found to be a significant factor for predicting the likelihood of passing the subject, especially when continuous assessment tests are used, since their grades show a higher correlation with exam grades.

This paper addresses the reasons why a growing number of students are failing to complete their final master dissertations/thesis. It analyses the final Master's Course Thesis (TFM, Trabajo Fin de Máster) on the Masters in Advanced Business Management Studies course (MUEADE, Máster Universitario en Estudios Avanzados en Dirección de Empresas) at the University of Seville, which has a 100% success rate (the number of passes over students who completed the Master's Thesis). However, the same is not true of the performance rate (the number of students completing the thesis over the number of students enrolled on the course), which means that a large number of students do not receive their Master's Degrees. Using results from a survey of final year TFM students and of their course supervisors, this paper seeks to better understand the reasons why students are dropping out before completing their final thesis with a view to taking corrective actions.

Procuring business services has become an important part of the way that companies acquire external resources. However, there is limited empirical evidence in Operations Management research that explores the financial consequences of outsourcing services. This paper seeks to fill this gap by analyzing the effects on financial performance of one of the dimensions of the services outsourcing strategy, depth, which entails deciding whether each of the activities is outsourced totally or partially. The financial effects have been measured by indicators relating to cost, productivity and profitability. Data are drawn from a sample of 1,522 Spanish manufacturing firms. The results show significant differences on all levels for personnel-related indicators and that these depend on the depth of the services outsourcing strategy. Moreover, the companies that tend to outsource their services totally are those that present the most favorable values for each of these indicators. These findings imply that when companies outsource services they should consider that the depth with which they outsource activities has an impact on financial indicators.

The purpose of our study is to examine whether the design and management of the interfaces and interaction processes between customer and provider in services outsourcing are determinants of the results achieved by the outsourcing company. Following the conceptual framework initiated in the study by Wynstra et al. [11], this study focuses on transport services and hypothesized relationships are tested using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) statistical technique. The primary data used was obtained from a survey in three different countries (Germany, Japan and Spain), and from manufacturing companies in the electronics, automotive and machinery sectors. Among other things, the results show that both the structural dimensions of interaction (the organization's resources that it must commit) and the process dimensions of interaction (that consider the dynamic nature of the relationships), are important for obtaining adequate performance from transport services outsourcing. Spanish National Program of Industrial Design and Production DPI 2009 11148 PAIDI Excellence Projects P08-SEJ03841

The extraordinary importance of the services sector for the economy both in production and employment cannot be denied. As a result, there have been both demands for an increase in Service Operations Management (SOM) research since the 1980s on the one hand, and, on the other, predictions that such an increase will take place [e.g.: Buffa, E.S., 1980. Research in Operations Management. Journal of Operations Management 1 (1), 1–8; Miller, J.G., Graham, M.B.W., Freeland, J.R., Hottenstein, M., Maister, D.M., Meredith, J., Schmenner, R.W., 1981. Production/Operations Management: agenda for the 80s. Decision Science 12 (4), 547–571; Mabert, V.A., 1982. Service Operations Management: research and application. Journal of Operations Management 2 (4), 203–209; Amoako-Gyampah, K., Meredith, J.R., 1989. The Operations Management research agenda: an update. Journal of Operations Management 8 (3), 250–262; Chase, R.B., 1996. The mall is my factory: reflections of a service junkie. Production and Operations Management 5 (4), 298–308; Pannirselvam, G.P., Ferguson, L.A., Ash, R.C., Siferd, S.P., 1999. Operations Management research: an update for the 1990s. Journal of Operations Management 18 (1), 95–112; Roth, A.V., Menor, L.J., 2003. Insights into service Operations Management: a research agenda. Production and Operations Management 12 (2), 145–164; Slack, N., Lewis, M., Bates, H., 2004. The two worlds of Operations management research and practice. Can they meet, should they meet? International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 24 (4), 372–387]. And yet, the amount of SOM research done in OM research has still only been minimal. This contradiction calls for an in-depth study of the state of affairs of SOM research, and we have conducted just such a study in 10 of the most relevant and representative outlets in the OM field, as well as in pipeline research (Proceedings of the POMS, DSI and EurOMA Conferences). Our results aim to provide answers to the following questions, amongst others: (1) Is greater importance now attached to SOM research within OM research? (2) What are the main topics of research? Are they the same topics that have been proposed in SOM research agendas? (3) What methods are used in SOM research? (4) What are the most commonly studied sectors of economic activities? (5) Are there any differences from OM research in terms of content and methods? Some of our findings show that although a growth in SOM research had been predicted in earlier studies, there is still only a minimal amount done (7.5% of OM research); seven topics command 61.5% of SOM research, which (with some exceptions) is consistent with SOM research agendas; there is more research done on strategic issues than on tactical/operational issues; models and simulations are still more common than empirical research, but trends point to a shift to the latter; the majority of research focuses on a specific sector, and three sectors account for 50% of the total; there is a clear connection between type of journal and type of research, research method and sector of activity.

Al objeto de conocer el nivel de satisfacción de los egresados con la formación recibida en el Máster de Estudios Avanzados en Dirección de Empresas, que se imparte en la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales de la Universidad de Sevilla, se ha realizado un estudio descriptivo de carácter transversal. Para ello se ha hecho uso de un cuestionario, al que han contestado los egresados que han culminado sus estudios hace al menos un año. Del análisis de los resultados se ha constatado, entre otras cuestiones, que, en opinión del alumnado: 1) el Máster contribuye en grados diferentes a la mejora de la formación investigadora y de la profesional, así como al acceso al mundo laboral y a las posibilidades de promoción profesional; 2) parece necesario mejorar en la capacitación de las competencias para llevarlas al nivel de lo que los alumnos han expresado como necesario en el plano práctico, identificándose aquellas competencias que deben priorizarse; 3) la mayoría de los alumnos están satisfechos de haber realizado el Máster, aunque la valoración dada al mismo parece demandar mejoras. Se han recibido propuestas realizadas al respecto por los egresados, que se han pasado a la coordinación del Máster con el objetivo de contribuir a la mejora continua del Título. In order to know the level of graduates´ satisfaction related to the training received in the Master of Advanced Studies in Business Administration, taught at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Seville, it was made a cross-descriptive study using a questionnaire, replied by graduates who finished their studies, at least, one year ago. The result analysis shows, among other things, that in the graduates´ opinion: 1) the Master studies contributes in different levels to improve professional and research training, as well as gaining access to employment and having career opportunities, 2) it seems necessary to improve the competence training to bring them to the necessary level in professional skills, identifying those that should be improved as a priority, 3) most of the students are satisfied with the completion of this Master, but the results obtained seems to demand improvements, which are shown in this paper. Graduates have made proposals in this regard, that were passed to the coordination of the Master with the aim of contributing to the continuous improvement of Title.

In this article, the authors illustrate, through the description of the functions of the simulator SITMECOM 1.0 PC, a design philosophy for business simulators. They pursue three basic objectives: to promote the system dynamics approach for business management, to facilitate self-learning, and to provide a user-friendly interface that helps in attaining these goals. In the authors’ opinion, this transparent-box simulator offers clear advantages over traditional business games.

PurposeThe specification of business services (BS) is one of the key factors for success in service provision. Researchers and practitioners have identified a set of problems in BS specification, namely: communication problems between providers and buyers, inaccurate specifications and changes in requirements. These problems were identified in the software engineering (SE) field many years ago, resulting in the development of many techniques and tools to address them. Given the similarities between the two fields, the purpose of this paper is to identify the main lessons learned in SE and to propose how they can be adapted to the BS field.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a literature study and presents a conceptual solution.FindingsTo address communications problems and inaccuracies in BS specification, a formal requirements specification stage is required. Requirements should be set out in a well‐structured written, definition, document which can be used at a subsequent stage for design of the service (the definition of the solution). A requirements document for BS is proposed based on BS literature and SE methods. This document is based on the approaches used in the SE field for improving communication and reducing inaccuracies and covers the information needed in the BS field for specifying a business service. Second, a life cycle approach is proposed based on SE practice. It is shown that different lifecycle sequences can be used depending on the degree of fluidity in the communication between buyer and provider, the complexity of the BS and the stability of their requirements, with a repetitive process where specification and design are revisited iteratively and/or incrementally often being the most appropriate. This approach helps to stabilise requirements and to avoid inaccuracies being made in the specification.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is literature based. Although still untested empirically in the BS field, the recommended approach has been intensively proved in the SE field.Originality/valueRequirements specification is a necessary (monetary, time and resource) cost for successful BS provision. The BS industry must realise that requirements have to be set down in writing and agreed upon with customers before initiating the design of the service.

The growing outsourcing of logistics services resulting from the ongoing current in firms of costs reduction/increased efficiency means that it is becoming more and more important for the companies doing the outsourcing to carry out a proper evaluation. The multiple definitions and measures of logistics service performance found in research on the topic create a certain degree of confusion and do not clear the way towards the proper measurement of their performance. Do a model and a specific set of indicators exist that can be considered appropriate for measuring the performance of logistics services outsourcing in industrial environments? Are said indicators in keeping with the objectives pursued by outsourcing? We aim to answer these and other research questions in the study we have initiated in the field within the framework of the international High Performance Manufacturing (HPM) project of which this paper forms part. As the first stage of this research, this paper reviews articles dealing with the topic published in the last 15 years with the aim of detecting the models most used to make this measurement and determining which performance indicators are proposed as part of said models and which are most used. The first steps are also taken in determining whether these indicators, financial and operational, cover the aims that are being pursued when outsourcing logistics services. The findings show there is a wide variety of both models and indicators used. This would seem to testify to the need to continue with our research in order to try to propose a model and a set of indicators for measuring the performance of logistics services outsourcing in industrial environments., {"references":["Y.-Y. Song, T. Maher, J.D. Nicholson, N.P. Gurney, \"Strategic alliances\nin logistics outsourcing\". Asia Pacific Journal of Logistics and\nMarketing, , 2000, 12(4), 3-21.","R. Wilding, R. 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Tras exponer brevemente algunas necesidades en la enseñanza en Administración y Dirección de Empresas, presentamos una herramienta que consideramos que permite solucionar aquéllas. Se trata de un simulador de empresas en competencia desarrollado con Dinámica de Sistemas y en el que se hace uso de las Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones. Tras describir brevemente los distintos módulos de los que consta el simulador, procedemos a realizar una breve descripción de su empleo, en la que esperamos haber puesto de manifiesto sus potencialidades para resolver algunas de las deficiencias existentes en los instrumentos de formación actuales. After briefly setting out some teaching requirements in Business Administration, we introduce a tool that, we believe, would allow these to be met: a competing-company simulator with Systems Dynamics which makes use of Information and Communications Technologies. A short description of the various modules that make up the simulator is followed by a brief description of the way it is used which, we hope, amply shows its potential for resolving some of the shortcomings found in today s training tools.

Management of patient records in a hospital is of major importance, for its impact both on the quality of care and on the associated costs. Since this process is circular, the prevention of the building up of bottlenecks is especially important. Thus, the objective of this paper was to analyze whether the Theory of Constraints (TOC) can be useful to the logistics of medical records in hospitals. The paper is based on a case study conducted aboutthe 2007-2011 period in the Medical Records Logistics Service atthe Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena in Seville (Spain). From April 2008, a set of actions in the clinical record logistics system were implemented based on the application of TOC principles. The results obtained show a significant increase in the level of service and employee productivity, as well as a reduction of cost and the number of patients complaints. La gestión del archivo de historias clínicas en un hospital tiene trascendencia por su incidencia en la calidad asistencial y en los costes. Este es un proceso circular, por lo que prevenir la aparición de cuellos de botella es especialmente importante. De esta forma, el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar si la Teoría de las Limitaciones (TOC) puede ser útil para la logística de historias clínicas. El trabajo se centra en un estudio de caso sobre el Servicio de Logística de Documentación Clínica del Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena de Sevilla en el periodo 2007-2011. Desde 2008 se desarrolló un conjunto de actuaciones en dicho servicio basado en la aplicación de principios TOC. Los resultados obtenidos muestran un aumento significativo del nivel de servicio y de la productividad de los empleados, así como una reducción del coste y del número de reclamaciones de los pacientes.