Search results for "Sources"
showing 10 items of 2554 documents
Can company restructuring create a healthier work environment, promote corporate entrepreneurship, and improve productivity?
2015
Abstract This study explores relationships between best practices in human resource (HR) management and the humanization of production processes. The study analyzes how best practices in HR management affect organizational health, productivity, and competitiveness in 4 workplaces with 480 employees. These workplaces implement a 3-year program of 20 practices in a sector specializing in fresh cut IV gamma products. Results show that these practices yield significant improvements in productivity indicators, risk prevention, corporate entrepreneurship, and work environment.
Depth and breadth of external knowledge search and performance: The mediating role of absorptive capacity
2015
Nowadays it is commonly accepted that exploiting external knowledge sources is important for firms' innovation and performance. However, it is still not clear how this effect takes place and what internal capabilities are involved in the process. We propose to open the black box between external knowledge search strategies, and innovation and performance by proposing absorptive capacity (AC) as the mediating variable. A sample of 102 biotechnology firms from Spain is used to test the proposed theoretical model through structural equation modeling taking the partial least squares approach. Results suggest that AC acts as a full mediator in the relationship between the depth of external knowl…
Organizational design as a learning enabler: A fuzzy-set approach
2016
Abstract In the literature on organizational learning, very few empirical studies attempt to show how organizational design can enable or hinder learning in organizations. This study uses a fuzzy-set technique (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis: fsQCA) as an initial approach to analyzing different design variables and how they affect organizational learning. The results prove that the mechanical structures are suitable for organizational learning, especially in large companies. Furthermore, qualified workers should have autonomy to learn.
Knowledge-Intensive Business Service as innovation agent through client interaction and labour mobility
2008
Theoretical propositions often maintain that the Knowledge-Intensive Business Service (KIBS) sector is important in stimulating innovation activity in other industries. Empirical results from quantitative innovation surveys on the other hand generally regard KIBS as less important innovation partners for other firms. Such results may rely on the fact that quantitative surveys do not seize all the roles KIBS firms have as knowledge sources. The paper thus demonstrates that many workers left the KIBS sector in Norway to start working in other sectors during parts of the 1990s, signifying a flow of knowledge following the workers out of the KIBS sector.
Building organizational trust in a low‐trust societal context
2010
PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore the interrelations between organizational trust and ethics management tools as well as ethical organizational practices in a post‐socialist context.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework of the interrelations among organizational trust, ethics management tools and ethical organizational practices is reasoned and the interrelations among the variables are explored using quantitative methods of data analysis. The method of data gathering is a questionnaire survey that was carried out in Lithuania which is taken as an example of a post‐socialist society where trust is rather low. In total, answers from 519 respondents were collected.Find…
Do firms implement work–life balance policies to benefit their workers or themselves?
2016
Abstract The purpose of this article is to enhance scholars' understanding of work-life balance (WLB) policies in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study explores whether SMEs display a common pattern of behavior when implementing WLB policies. The benefits of implementing WLB policies either improve conditions for the workers themselves or improve the firm's productivity. Empirical evidence on the effects of WLB, however, is scarce. This empirical study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings fail to show an association between a particular combination of factors and the implementation of WLB policies. Nevertheless, the firm's decision to implement WLB poli…
Management factors affecting the performance of technology firms
2010
Abstract This paper analyzes high-technology firms within the European Union to determine the factors that influence performance through business productivity. The study examines six different factors that are representative of entrepreneurial activity, firstly from a purely business standpoint, and subsequently from the areas of production and technology, human resources, strategy and marketing and, lastly, the economic-financial area. Results indicate a direct relation between productivity and factors such as private borrowing, dynamism or using price as a strategic factor, while the reverse is true for concepts such as family resources, level of investment in R&D or training programs.
Conversion rate determinants in e-commerce websites. What about moderation effects?
2018
Online retailers invest significant resource to improve conversion rates, defined as the proportion of website visitors that make a purchase. Using 1,184 observations from six e-commerce websites, this paper aims to analyse conversion rate determinants, also considering moderation effects of seasonality and webpage speed of load. Results show that free shipping and discounts policy have a positive effect on the conversion rate, moderated by seasonality and load speed. These finding could be useful guidelines for e-commerce managers in order to allocate their limited resources to the most relevant factor to increase online sales.
Service firm capabilities and performance: Contingent analysis of customer contact
2015
Abstract From the competence-based view, this study contributes to understanding how service firm capabilities affect firm performance. The study examines managerial capabilities, organizational capabilities, marketing capabilities, and service quality capabilities. This study investigates whether interaction between these capabilities and their contribution to firm performance differ depending on the service's customer-contact level. To do so, the study analyzes data from a sample of Spanish service firms. Results show that managerial and organizational capabilities strengthen service quality and marketing capabilities. In addition, service quality and marketing capabilities significantly …
The effect of high performance work systems on small and medium size enterprises
2015
Abstract This study analyzes the processes that explain high performance work system (HPWS) effect on company performance in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). This study tests this relationship in SMEs by selecting three high performance work practices (HPWP) and an outcome variable based on the return on investment. A regression model with a sample of 78 companies tests the hypothesis. Results confirm the positive effect of HPWP on the performance of SMEs.