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Methods for teaching higher education students how to learn teamwork skills are constantly evolving. Over the last few years, serious games have become popular in business schools for stimulating t...

Purpose This paper aims to explain the development of an online training curriculum to enable students to acquire the transversal competences needed to work on smart cities projects. In this curriculum, a modern approach to the teaching-learning process was applied, suitable for the interdisciplinary and multinational learning challenges that smart cities impose, but within the framework of a university-industry European partnership. Design/methodology/approach To develop the curriculum, the competences needed for smart cities, common to all disciplines and fields, had to be researched. In addition, real smart cities projects also had to be selected for work following a project-based learning methodology. For both, this study applied the Delphi method, selecting the most relevant ones based on the data obtained by performing a multi-criteria decision analysis. Findings The procedure followed for the identification of transversal competences in a field, the design of an innovative online training program and the results of the first edition of the program are discussed. Research limitations/implications The processes that were developed, both to detect the most relevant transversal competences and to design the online training program, could be extrapolated to other areas. Moreover, it is very likely that the competences detected in this work could also be extrapolated, for the most part, to interdisciplinary teams. Originality/value To date, there is no European initiative addressing the challenges of smart cities that requires a major adjustment in higher education, in the relationship between universities and all the mechanisms of lifelong learning with the industry related to smart cities. This work is a pioneer in this regard.

Producción Científica, Even though family firms are characterized by an overlap between the family and business systems, family business research has focused separately on how family firms compete (i. e., strategic behavior) and how families are involved their firms (i. e., types of family orientation). With the aim of closing this research gap, we draw on the heterogeneity principle of family firms and the equifinality principle of the configurative approach to conjecture that family firms can successfully adjust their strategic behavior and family business orientation in a variety of ways to enhance their likelihood of survival. We follow a sample of Spanish family firms over an 11-year period (2004–2015) to test our model. Based on the Kaplan–Meier survival estimator and the Cox proportional hazard model, we find that survival likelihood is higher when firms combine a differentiation strategy with a business-first or a family-enterprisefirst orientation or when firms follow a low-cost strategy with a family-first orientation.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common, chronic, and progressive eye disease that is considered the leading cause of visual loss among the elderly in developed countries. Advanced AMD, including choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or geographic atrophy (GA), is associated with substantial and progressive visual impairment that can lead to a significant reduction in functional independence and quality of life (QoL) for affected individuals, whose number is expected to increase in the coming years in line with population growth and ageing. In this context, while an important part of medical care is focused on preventing the progression of the disease, Visual Rehabilitation (VR) aims to address its consequences by providing these patients with a number of strategies to achieve their goals and participate autonomously, actively and productively in society. This chapter aims to provide an update on evidence-based practices in the field and how modern technologies play an important role in the development of new VR approaches.

Although entrepreneurial intention has been widely studied using cognitive models, we still lack entrepreneurial vocation and, therefore, lack disruptive innovations. Entrepreneurship scholars have some understanding of the reasons underlying this weakness, although there is much room for improvement in our learning concerning how to promote entrepreneurship among university students, especially in the transformed context of digital technologies. This paper focuses on the early stages of start-up, and in particular seeks to evaluate what role social and psychological factors play in the development of entrepreneurial intentions. Drawing on network theory, we consider the impact of social networks on entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, we analyze the influence of two types of social networks: face-to-face and online social networks, with the latter proving especially important in digital transformations. In addition, based on affective congruency theory, we relate affect with entrepreneurial intention. Particularly, we evaluate the influence of positive and negative dispositional affectivity on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions. Finally, since affect and emotions can also be related with social relationships, we analyze whether dispositional affectivities influence entrepreneurial intention through the mediation effect of social networks. Using structural equation modeling, we confirm the impact of both online and face-to-face social networks, as well as positive dispositional affectivity on entrepreneurial intention for 589 higher education students in Spain. However, negative dispositional affectivity is not seen to influence entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, both face-to-face and online social networks are influenced by positive dispositional affectivity. Moreover, these two types of networks can even partially mediate the relationship between positive dispositional affectivity and entrepreneurial intention. Positive dispositional affectivity can thus influence entrepreneurial intention in two different ways: directly and indirectly through both face-to-face and online social networks. This study provides further insights and adds to the literature on affect, social networks, and entrepreneurial intention. From a broader perspective, we also contribute to the literature on disruptive innovations by explaining how the development of entrepreneurial intentions would have positive consequences for university students vis-à-vis achieving these disruptive innovations.

Producción Científica, Advances on the study of entrepreneurial intention among students from universities motivate to further investigate the factors behind this intention. In this paper, we focus on the effect of affective traits (positive and negative) on the entrepreneurial intention antecedents proposed by Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior drawing on the arguments of affect priming. Using a sample of 597 students from Spain, we use structural equation model to test our hypotheses. Our results show that positive affective traits have a positive impact on the attitude toward entrepreneurship (ATE), perceived behavioral control of entrepreneurship (PBC), and social norms toward entrepreneurship (SN). Negative affective traits negatively influence ATE and SN, but not PBC. In addition, using a K-means clustering analysis and an analysis of variance, our study further explores how different affective personalities relate to a particular level of entrepreneurial intention. Our results contribute to understand of the psychological processes that influence entrepreneurial intention. Overall, our research contributes to the literature on affect and entrepreneurial cognition by evaluating the interaction of affect and the cognitive antecedents of entrepreneurial intention.

Producción Científica, Purpose –The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the roots of family firms’ competitive advantages by defining and testing the familiness learning mechanisms that emerge from the interaction between family and firm. Because family members are economically, emotionally and socially attached to the firm, family firms are expected to be able to develop unique and difficult to imitate learning mechanisms related to family firm value creation. Design/methodology/approach – This study operationalizes and tests the concept of the familiness learning mechanism using a sample of nonlisted Spanish family firms. The sample is analyzed using the structural equation modeling method. Findings – Results show that family firms’ ability to accumulate internal and external knowledge, integrate social knowledge, as well as create and retain socioemotional knowledge forms the concept of the familiness learning mechanism, and the authors show what implications it might have for family firm value creation. Originality/value – By using the dynamic capabilities approach, this article highlights the importance of the knowledge and learning derived from family involvement in the firm. The creation of learning mechanisms occurs because of the close relationships between family members and their simultaneous participation in the family and in the company systems, which creates a unique context wherein knowledge and learning emerge in an idiosyncratic manner, Ministerio de ciencia e Innovación español (Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigación científica y técnica de excelencia) (ECO2016-78128-P)

Producción Científica, The problem of achieving individual project performance has been replaced by the problem of achieving organizational goals through project performance. Only project-based firms able to learn and build project capabilities can successfully compete in today’s dynamic environments. The purpose of this paper is to present a dynamic capability-based framework that sheds light on how project and organizational dynamic capabilities are built and how these dynamic capabilities allow project-based firms to perform in dynamic environments. Our theoretical framework unpacks the processes of building dynamic capabilities inside a project-based firm, discussing the routines and procedures that are useful to manage projects in unstable and dynamic environments and to build and reconfigure organizational capabilities from project-led knowledge., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación - (Proyecto ECO2016-78128-P)

Entrepreneurial intention is a key research question in entrepreneurship. Previous studies have proven the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain entrepreneurial intention. Scholars have thus focused on analyzing factors to develop the three antecedents of TPB, one of which is social capital. However, research has barely considered social capital online. We extend research by exploring the effect of social capital on these antecedents and on entrepreneurial intention, and by analyzing the differences in these influences between social capital online and offline. Using partial least squares and commonality analysis for 587 individuals in Spain, we find that social capital influences these antecedents and entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, social capital online has a greater effect in attitude toward entrepreneurship, a similar effect on perceived behavioral control, and a lesser effect on social norms than social capital offline. Finally, social capital online has a greater influence on entrepreneurial intention than social capital offline. JEL CLASSIFICATION: M1 Business Administration, M13 New Firms • Startups

Producción Científica, La riqueza socioemocional se relaciona con las dotaciones emocionales que la familia acumula en la empresa. Es una de las características más importantes que diferencian a las empresas familiares de otros tipos de organizaciones. Sin embargo, existen pocos estudios desarrollados en el contexto de los antecedentes y consecuencias de la creación y uso de la riqueza socioemocional en la empresa familiar. Por tanto, en este estudio, utilizando una muestra de empresas familiares espanolas ˜ que no cotizan en bolsa, se explica cómo la influencia familiar afecta la creación y uso de la riqueza socioemocional y, de este modo, a la efectividadorganizativa de la empresa familiar. Los resultados indican resultados mixtos con respecto al impacto de la participación familiar en la esencia de la empresa familiar. Además, sugieren una relación positiva entre la creación y uso de la riqueza socioemocional y la efectividad organizativa de la empresa familiar

Relationship conflicts between family members can have disastrous consequences on the performance of the family firm (FF) and even endanger its continuity. This study examines the relationship between family influence, relationship conflicts, and the organizational effectiveness of FF. Using a sample of 102 Spanish FFs, the authors analyzed the data using a partial least squares structural equation model. The results show that the involvement of family members in the ownership and on the boards of governance and management enhance the incorporation of the family values and culture into the firm and thus reduce relationship conflicts. More importantly, we find a negative relation between relationship conflicts and the effectiveness of FF.

Previous research emphasizes that the participation of the family in business operations is the source of resources and capabilities that conditions the strategic behavior of the family firm. This influence has been recognized as “familiness.” However, this definition is contextualized from static reasoning that ignores the effect of family dynamics on the behavior and value generation of the family-owned business. Prior literature has recognized that the family influence has a dynamic character based on the idiosyncratic process of knowledge management that manifests itself in the company, dynamic familiness. This family capability is shaped by family organizational routines through the family influence and aims to increase its knowledge portfolios for the strategic use of its resources. This chapter addresses the relationship between family influence and the process of learning and knowledge management. The analysis of this relationship allows assessing how family influence can promote the generation of family organizational routines based on knowledge management processes.

Based on a comparative study of two alliances, this paper provides an in-depth examination of the role of interpartner dissimilarities in Industry-University (IU) alliances. We make a conceptual distinction between routine-based dissimilarities (differences in partners' behavior) and orientation-based dissimilarities (differences in partners' goals and expectations), illuminating their joint implications for collaborative processes and outcomes over time. Our findings reveal that interpartner dissimilarities might not be problematic at the start-up or honeymoon stage in IU alliances. In the post-formation alliance stages, however, they are likely to complicate the collaboration. Orientation-based dissimilarities might frustrate partners' attempts to solve routine-based dissimilarities by impeding successful joint sensemaking. We conclude that different combinations of the two types of dissimilarities are likely to trigger particular coordination and cooperation patterns in IU alliances, eliciting different outcomes on both technological and relational levels. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of top managers in firm performance is central to strategic management. Specifically, the influence of top management involvement in project and portfolio performance has been widely research. However, the nature of that influence is still unknown. Based on an international sample of firms performing projects, this paper addresses the question of how top managers influence project, portfolio, and firm performance. Results of our structural equation model show that the relation between top managers and project, portfolio, and firm performance is mediated by operational and dynamic capability building. Thus, the building of operational capabilities at project level and dynamic capabilities at the portfolio level appears as the generative mechanism for top managers' influence over firm performance.

A key issue of family firms’ strategic management is to determine the factors that are specific to family firms. Despite theoretical and empirical progress in understanding the mechanisms behind strategic decision making in family firms, there is still no strategic management theory for family firms. To address this gap, we adapt the dynamic capabilities approach to family firms by developing a theoretical model that attempts to serve as a framework for helping family firms in the strategic decision making process. The model is based on the concept of familiness and family learning mechanisms (knowledge accumulation, integration, codification and socioemotional wealth preservation) suggesting that the interplay of the two impacts on the efficient strategic management of family firms. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Succession is a concern for most family firms. The literature has addressed succession in family firms from different perspectives. However, there are still unaddressed questions concerning the microfoundations of succession, and there is a need to secure a better understanding of the succession process and what role parents play therein. Using the dynamic capabilities approach, we shed light on the influence of parents&rsquo, behaviors on successors&rsquo, intentions. In particular, the paper pursues a twofold aim, first, to analyze the effect of learning mechanisms that parents deliberately use with their children in the family firm on the succession dynamic capability, and second, to explore the impact of this dynamic capability of successor intention to continue in the family firm. We test the model on a sample of potential successors of family firms in Spain. Using partial least squares (PLS) for a sample of 9146 individuals, we confirm the positive impact of the use of parents&rsquo, deliberate learning mechanisms on succession dynamic capability and, in turn, the positive effect of the created succession dynamic capability on the successor&rsquo, s intention to continue the family firm. Furthermore, we find that perceived self-efficacy fails to have any effect on successor intention.

This study examines (a) whether nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs) disseminate relevant information for their stakeholders through their web pages, information that after being reviewed and evaluated by external organizations such as the Spanish Coordinator of Development NGO or Lealtad Foundation, allowed these NGDOs to obtain a seal of transparency and (b) whether their level of transparency influences efficiency. To determine online transparency, web pages of seal-approved NGDOs were reviewed to assess the availability of relevant information. This paper uses data envelopment analysis to assess the efficiency using an input orientation. To determine the influence of online transparency on efficiency, an ordinary least squares regression was used. Results show that while increased transparency has a significant effect on efficiency, the level of information disclosure of NGDOs through their web pages has considerable room for improvement. Improved transparency leads to best practices and increased competition in obtaining financing and support from society. To improve transparency in the nonprofit sector, external organizations have created a series of seals to certify that an organization complies with the basic principles of transparency. In addition, new technologies make it easier for organizations to disseminate information quickly and economically. This article contributes to the literature regarding web use of NGDOs to disclose relevant information and analyzing the influence of online transparency on organizational efficiency.

Despite the large number of available project management standards and the efforts for improving its content and application, projects still fail. Researchers have identified that project management standards are generic and abstract and there is still the need to expand our knowledge in how to use them properly. The aim of this work is to develop an analytical principle-based approach for project management by highlighting which of the processes contained in the PMBOK® are suitable to manage projects in moderately dynamic environments. Results of the work shows that PMBOK® processes could be considered as micro-foundations of a project management dynamic capability.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to assess the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as determinants of affective commitment and the influence of employees’ affective commitment on knowledge transfer in the context of a Spanish social firm.Design/methodology/approach– Using data from a sample of 227 employees working for a Spanish social firm, this study employs the partial least squares approach to test the research hypotheses.Findings– The research findings show that contrary to the findings of prior empirical studies, reward systems do not influence knowledge transfer in a direct way. Rather, reward systems act indirectly through the development of affective commitment, which is required to increase employees’ loyalty, reduce their turnover levels and improve their willingness to transfer their knowledge.Research limitations/implications– This research focuses on a Spanish social firm, and recommendations to other organizations should, therefore, be made with caution. However, this study provides interesting empirical insights, linking rewards systems and knowledge transfer by means of affective commitment in the context of a social firm.Practical implications– Besides the importance of promoting knowledge transfer through the creation of a suitable climate in the organization, the authors recommend that managers cultivate employees’ affective commitment by means of reward systems, especially intrinsic rewards. Employees with increased affective commitment are more prone to transfer the knowledge that they possess, and consequently, the potential loss of tacit knowledge for the organization is reduced if these employees leave the organization. Also, the authors suggest that managers make an effort to create a balanced reward system, so that extrinsic and intrinsic rewards can act as complementary processes to develop a high level of affective commitment among employees.Originality/value– Few empirical studies have analyzed the influence of affective commitment on knowledge transfer, especially in the context of a social firm, even though this type of firms play and increasingly important economic and social role in society.

Background: Efficiency measurement by means of data envelopment analysis (DEA) in the non-profit sector has focused on the so-called Stage I of non-profit organisations, namely, fundraising efforts (which are the most influential determinants of raising funds in order to increase the amount of contributions). However, for the so-called Stage II of non-profit organisations, namely, spending the achieved resources to program services delivery, DEA studies are very scarce. In attempting to address this research gap and to the best of our knowledge, this investigation is the first study that applies DEA to the assessment of international cooperation schemata. Consequently, we offer a significant contribution to the literature by overcoming the limitations of other techniques used to assess the efficiency and providing new insight into the efficiency of targeted different international cooperation schemata (ICS) in international cooperation development projects. Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the efficiency of the ICS of developmental projects funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development. Setting: Our setting is composed of different international cooperation projects funded with different schemata by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development between 2002 and 2006 in two African countries that are top priority targets of Spanish international aid: Morocco, and Mozambique. Methods: Using a sample of 48 international cooperation projects carried out in two African countries considered priorities in the Spanish Cooperation Master Plan, we analyse project efficiency using DEA. Results: The findings suggest that some schemata are more efficient than others when applied to international cooperation projects (ICS). Specifically, we find that permanent open-call subsidies are more efficient than non-governmental development organisation subsidies. Conclusion: Measures for evaluating international aid projects with respect to efficiency are problematic. The DEA method provides an ex-post meausure of efficiency that allows for the measurement in a specific and objetive way of the results achieved by each project and to propose corrective actions for the future. The comparison among ICS provides an opportunity to identify the conditions under which an ICs may achieve greater efficiency

Firms understand that cooperation is key to sustainable innovation. Knowledge accumulated inside the firm requires external catharsis if the firm is to reinvent itself. Institutional endowment influences those cooperative processes, acting as a barrier or leverage. When building balanced cooperation strategies, the extent to which firms make their contributions counts in the innovation race by using “the wind behind” them, and it will determine how sustainable their performance is. Understanding the impact of institutional endowment on innovation strategies might reduce causal ambiguity and therefore help firms to contextualize their innovation strategies. The aim of this paper is to contribute with a type of cooperative innovation strategy dependent on two institutional factors: culture networking and the legal system.

Producción Científica, El conocimiento es la fuente más importante de ventaja competitiva sostenible de una empresa. La acumulación de conocimiento es la base del proceso de gestión del conocimiento y un mecanismo de aprendizaje organizacional fundamental. Promueve el desarrollo de las rutinas organizativas, proporcionando los fundamentos para la generación de capacidades dinámicas y la efectividad organizativa. Este proceso en la empresa familiar está fuertemente influenciado por la historia común, la confianza y apego emocional de los miembros familiares, que favorecen su comunicación y el desarrollo de procesos de gestión del conocimiento y aprendizaje idiosincrásicos. Este estudio se centra en el estudio de la relación entre los recursos familiares (familiness), acumulación de conocimiento y la efectividad organizativa. Con el objetivo de verificar esta relación utilizamos una muestra de 102 empresas familiares españolas que no cotizan en bolsa. Los datos fueron evaluamos mediante Partial Least Squares (PLS). Los resultados sugieren que los componentes de participación y esencia tienen distintos efectos sobre el proceso de acumulación de conocimiento. Además, proponen una relación directa y positiva entre la acumulación de conocimiento y la efectividad organizativa en la empresa familiar

This study evaluates Team Syntegrity® (TS) as a tool to improve the efficiency of teamwork in solving complex problems by means of stimulating collaboration and developing cross-fertilization and creativity. Some evidence suggests that TS has good results for individuals who participate in the process; however, no empirical research has occurred on the consequences for teamwork. Therefore, we apply this methodology to a group of students who then participate in a business simulation course. We then compare their teamwork capabilities to a control group of students. The outcome shows the positive effect of TS on teamwork. In particular, teams formed with students with experience in the TS had better results than non-TS teams: TS team decisions were more stable throughout the whole period, and team members were more involved in the business simulation process. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Teams working in multi-partner R&D alliances need a climate that fosters learning, creativity, and innovation to succeed in the joint development of new products. The strategic human resource management (HRM) literature recognizes that aligning human resources practices and those with the corporate strategy facilitate the creation of such a climate. However, the case of multi-partner-alliance teams remains underexplored. Drawing on the relational view of alliances, we emphasize the alignment of human resources practices of multiple partners as a driver of relational performance. We extend the existing literature by explaining how HRM fit may contribute to the generation of a strong climate for product innovation in the setting of multi-partner-alliance teams. To do so, we reconceptualize the traditional HRM fit notion, considering three dimensions (vertical, horizontal, and relational fit) in two levels (partner- and inter-partner-level), and thereby account for the dual nature of the HRM phenomena in collaboration for innovation initiatives.

Summary International agencies use two alternative modes of governance to deliver international aid projects: under bilateral agreements with recipient governments (in-house), or through incumbent NGOs. Through the lenses of institutional and transaction cost economics, this article examines 95 international aid projects delivered in Morocco and Ecuador by the Spanish international agency finding that those projects delivered “in-house” present different features than those projects outsourced through incumbent NGOs. Specifically, international aid projects delivered “in-house” involve important investments in specific assets, are much more complex, and can turn the public agency into a hostage of its own disbursement.

International Development (ID) projects have turned project failure into a rule rather than an exception. Developed in the 1960's, the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is the most widespread body of knowledge for managing ID projects. However, LFA has proved to have several liabilities. This paper aims to provide a list of the critical success factors (CSFs) for ID projects. Then, the paper assesses how the LFA and the newly developed PMD Pro1 deal with those CSFs. Results confirm that the LFA presents several drawbacks while the PMD Pro1 appears as a more efficient tool for managing ID projects successfully.

Emotions are important to an individual's behavior. However, affective elements have rarely been included in the analysis of entrepreneurs' behavior. Using a sample of 335 entrepreneurs from multip...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational design – particularly, delegation, and extrinsic and intrinsic reward systems – impacts employees' knowledge transfer in the context of Spanish small nonprofit organizations.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative analysis using data from a sample of 105 Spanish small nonprofit organizations obtained by means of a postal survey was performed using the partial least squares (PLS) approach, in order to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe research findings show that delegation involves a greater use of rewards and these, in turn, improve knowledge transfer. Considering the results obtained it is possible to conclude that, due to lack of technical knowledge, managers of these nonprofit organizations must delegate decision rights to qualified employees and that they should use a higher degree of rewards, both intrinsic and extrinsic, especially the intrinsic ones, to motivate employees to mutually transfer knowledge efficiently.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is focused on Spanish small nonprofit organizations, and recommendations to other nonprofit organizations must, therefore, be very cautious. However, this study provides empirical insights, linking organizational design and knowledge transfer in the nonprofit context.Practical implicationsBesides the importance of promoting knowledge transfer through an efficient and effective organizational design in nonprofit organizations, the authors recommend managers design mechanisms to convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, to guarantee that knowledge remains in the organization. Also, the authors consider that managers should make an effort to create an appropriate environment – by means of reward systems, especially intrinsic rewards – so that employees are committed to the mission and objectives of the organization.Originality/valueFew empirical studies have analyzed the influence of organizational design on knowledge transfer in the context of nonprofit organizations, even though the nonprofit sector has reached a great importance for their economical and social role in society.

Utilizando los razonamientos de la teoria de la conducta planificada, este trabajo pretende arrojar luz sobre el efecto de los programas de formacion del emprendedor en la innovacion y el exito empresarial. De manera complementaria, se evalua el impacto sobre estas dos variables de la personalidad y la experiencia del individuo. Para cumplir con los objetivos planteados utilizamos una muestra de 354 emprendedores de Castilla y Leon. Los resultados obtenidos nos llevan a recomendar a los centros de formacion, e instituciones que los gestionan, que den preferencia a la formacion especifica emprendedora –y no tanto a la formacion generalista en aspectos empresariales–, cuando se quiere reforzar la innovacion. Palabras clave : Formacion de los emprendedores, personalidad, experiencia laboral, innovacion, exito empresarial. Training of entrepreneurs and their consequences on innovation and business success Abstract : We use the planned behavioural theory to valuate the influence of training programs on innovation and business success. Additionally, we measure the effect of personality and experience of the individual on innovation and business success. In this paper, we propose to study what type of training is most appropriate in order to reinforce such a capacity.To achieve this objective, we used a sample of 354 entrepreneurs from Castile and Leon.The results obtained lead us to recommend that the training centres and the institutions which manage them should give preference to specific entrepreneurial training –and not as much to general training in business aspects– when they wish to strengthen the innovating spirit of the entrepreneurs. Key words : Entrepreneurial training, personality, job experience, innovation, business success.

ResumenLa teoría de la agencia postula que para que una organización pueda desarrollar su actividad y alcanzar sus objetivos eficientemente, requiere de una arquitectura organizativa equilibrada. Las entidades sin fines de lucro (ENL) están sometidas a estos mismos requerimientos en su organización interna aunque la evaluación de su eficiencia se muestra como una tarea de gran complejidad. El objetivo básico del presente trabajo es valorar la relación entre el equilibrio de la arquitectura organizativa y la eficiencia, mostrando, al mismo tiempo, que el análisis envolvente de datos (DEA) es un método especialmente indicado para medir la eficiencia de las ENL teniendo en cuenta sus particularidades en términos de objetivos, composición y funcionamiento. Con este propósito, se ha utilizado una muestra de 37 ENL dedicadas a la cooperación internacional al desarrollo, que se han analizado con datos obtenidos a partir de entrevistas personales en profundidad durante el año 2003. Tal como la teoría pronostica, los resultados muestran que las organizaciones no gubernamentales para el desarrollo (ONGD) en las que existe un equilibrio entre sus niveles de delegación, sistemas de incentivos y medidas de evaluación del rendimiento son las más eficientes.AbstractAgency theory postulates that an organization needs to achieve a balance in its organizational architecture, to develop its activities and to attain its objectives effectively. The non-profit organizations have the same requirements in their internal organization, although measurement of their efficiency is a very complex task. This paper has a twofold objective: first, to evaluate the relationship between a balanced organizational architecture and the level of efficiency and, secondly, to show that the DEA methodology is an adequate tool for measuring the efficiency of non-profit organizations. We estimate this relationship with a sample of non-governmental organizations involved in the international cooperation sector (NGO). The information was collected by means of personal interviews in 2003. The results show that NGOs with a more balanced organizational architecture have higher levels of efficiency.

PurposeThis paper attempts to shed light on the effect of educational programmes aimed at entrepreneurs on innovation and business success.Design/methodology/approachWe use as theoretical framework the theory of planned behaviour. We use a sample of 354 entrepreneurs from Castile and Leon, Spain. To estimate the model we use a path analysis (AMOS 7).FindingsIndividuals who are concerned about further management education and entrepreneurship education show themselves to be more innovative. Moreover, indirectly, by means of the relationship between innovation and success, specific entrepreneurship education contributes to obtaining better business results. However, to have reached high levels of formal education makes entrepreneurs less conformist regarding the activity of innovation. The existence of a direct effect of innovative behaviour on business success is confirmed.Research limitationsThe limitations which our study presents are principally related to the measurement of the variables. Some of the characteristics of education should be studied more deeply.Practical implicationsThe results obtained lead us to recommend that the educational centres and institutions which organise the programmes should give preference to specialised education and less to entrepreneurship education when seeking to reinforce the innovative spirit of the entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe debate concerning the effectiveness of entrepreneurship educational programmes is still undecided, so much so that both supporters and detractors of entrepreneurship education exist. For that reason, this paper aims to shed some light on the effects of the educational programmes aimed at the entrepreneur.

We explore the antecedents of corporate spin-offs for a sample of 3462 Spanish firms between 1992 and 2002. Using a resource-based approach, we identify three reasons firms engage in spin-offs: (a) to create complementarities, (b) to appropriate residual rents, and (c) to focus on the core business. Specifically, we find that spin-offs are more common among firms that belong to a group able to create networks and new knowledge that can be exploited through spin-offs. In addition, we find that spin-offs are more frequent in firms that wish to exploit strategic advantages achieved through knowledge investments and in firms that increase efforts to the focus on the parent firm's core competences.

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to evaluate dynamically those transactive memory processes that help to improve team results. Thus, the paper analyzes the processes by which transactive memory systems are created and we evaluate their effect on team results.Design/methodology/approachTo reach this objective, a quasi‐experiment was conducted with 167 students from the School of Business in a Spanish University during 2004‐2005. This experiment consisted of a business game where students had to make decisions in 44 teams.FindingsTransactive memory can help to understand differences in team results.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of our analysis are related to the short period of the quasi‐experiment.Originality/valueFor courses which involve team learning, teachers would promote some specific practices and ways to work.

To verify the existence and relevance of control mechanisms that impede the expropriation of resources by the managers of nonprofits and that improve efficiency, we use a representative sample of Spanish nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs). The authors study how the donors’ structure and board of trustees relates to organizational efficiency. Results show that the presence of an active institutional donor provides a control mechanism for these NGDOs, thus favoring the efficient allocation of resources, and that the structure of the board of trustees is irrelevant in this respect. Results are robust to alternative measures of technical and allocative efficiency.

Countries with distinct institutional endowments are trying to reach drug harmonization. The explanation given for the beginning of this process is that the rising health concerns governments have about patients transcend their different visions of social welfare and increasing bureaucratic costs, for both pharmaceutical companies and governments. The underlying reasons are, on the one hand, the high transaction costs between the pharmaceutical companies and the patients of medication and, on the other hand, the differing pharmaceutical regulations increase bureaucratic costs. This situation pushed Europe, Japan and the US into initiating a process of harmonization of regulation for new drugs. Even though harmonization is an on-going process, global and simultaneous medication product approval is not easy (the final objective of harmonization). In this paper we present, from a transaction cost approach, the economic reasons why pharmaceutical transactions need to be under public control. At the s...

RESUMEN El objetivo del trabajo es considerar el desarrollo alcanzado por el conocimiento en estrategia empresarial en Castilla y León y su posición en el conjunto nacional, ofreciendo una visión complementaria a la de anteriores estudios. Para dicho análisis se han considerado, durante la década de los 90, congresos y revistas de alcance regional y nacional. Los resultados obtenidos nos muestran la necesidad de contar con más foros de encuentro en Castilla y León y con medios especializados en el campo de la estrategia. Además, los investigadores castellano-leoneses parecen mostrar un interés poco frecuente por la ejecución estratégica y por los aspectos de delimitación teórica, un tanto marginados en el conjunto nacional. Palabras clave: Dirección estratégica, investigación, medios de difusión, España, Castilla y León.

This paper adds to the scant literature on the internal structure of organizations by focusing on the organizational design of nongovernmental development organizations (NGDOs). Specifically, we evaluate prominent Spanish NGDOs during 2010 to determine the balance of two key organizational design choices at the NGDO’s project department: delegation of authority to lower-level employees and the provision of incentive compensation to ensure that these employees do not misuse their discretion. We develop a simultaneous model of these two choices that treats delegation and incentive compensation as endogenous variables. The results of our empirical analysis provide evidence that delegation of decision rights and incentive compensation systems are interdependent allowing scholars and practitioners a better understanding of the determinants of organizational design choices.