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This research aims to establish the role of the purchasing function’s strategic alignment in the relationship between well-established practices and performance in that function. It is argued that the strategic alignment of purchasing may have effects (direct, mediating and moderating effects) on the purchasing function’s operating performance.

The hypotheses derived from key studies about strategic and advanced purchasing practices are tested with data from 156 industrial companies using structural equation modelling methodology.

The results suggest that the effect of strategic alignment on the role of purchasing consists of mediated effects on purchasing performance through implementation of certain advanced practices. It was also concluded that strategic alignment – as well as the implementation of these advanced purchasing practices – fosters the implementation of differentiation strategies based on quality, dependability and flexibility rather than on the implementation of cost leadership strategies.

Although it is a common practice in operations management research, the use of perceptual measures obtained from a single informant constitutes a noteworthy limitation. Future research should make an effort to combine different sources of information and to identify and use more objective indicators.

Top managers should take into account the need to involve the purchasing function in the firm’s strategic planning process.

The results not only confirm findings from previous literature as to the purchasing function’s strategic relevance but also help clarify the mechanisms that make this integration important.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect that a horizontal fit between two functions (human resources (HR) and manufacturing) has on firm performance, distinguishing between fit in objectives and fit in achievements.

This study uses 144 double surveys, addressed to two different respondents per company. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the mediating role of fit in achievements in the relationship between fit in objectives and performance.

The study provides evidence of the particular way in which the two components of horizontal fit that the authors distinguish (fit in objectives and fit in achievements) the impact on performance: fit in objectives has an indirect effect on performance, which is fully mediated by the fit in achievements. The results also show that environmental dynamism has a significant impact on both the advantages and drawbacks of fit.

By highlighting the importance of both levels of horizontal fit and distinguishing between them, this paper calls upon HR and manufacturing managers to show a greater understanding of the key dimensions common to both areas.

This study analyses horizontal fit by developing a framework of priorities in HR management (HRM) similar to that traditionally used in production management. In particular, it adapts the framework of production competence to the area of HRM to study the fit between the two functional strategies. This study also supports the value chain model proposed by Porter (1985).

Competitive strategy is one of the key factors traditionally related to performance, but research explaining the mechanisms through which this strategy improves business results is scant. This study aims to shed light on this relationship by analyzing human resource management (HRM) strategy as an essential tool for transforming business strategy into results.

Focusing on two generic competitive strategies, the authors establish hypotheses on the need for alignment among four echelons: business strategy, HRM system objectives, HRM system capabilities and business performance. The authors test these hypotheses with structural equation modeling techniques using data provided by 204 industrial companies.

The results show that to get the most out of a competitive strategy based on quality differentiation, HRM system objectives and capabilities must be focussed on quality. In the same way, a competitive strategy based on innovation differentiation requires HRM system objectives and capabilities focussed on flexibility to achieve the maximum impact on performance. In this second case, alignment is fundamental in low dynamic environments.

This research not only provides additional evidence for the strategic relevance of the human resources (HR) function but also reveals the potential benefits of focusing on objectives and capabilities rather than on practices. Moreover, it shows that the role of HRM objectives and capabilities in the implementation of a competitive strategy can be shaped by factors beyond the company's control, such as environmental dynamism.

A food safety management system (FSMS) is a dynamic resource with the potential to generate competitive advantages, whose implementation may be certified according to internationally recognised standards such as the Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards (BRCGS). This research sets out to discover why companies implement these systems and the influence each one of them exerts.

Data have been gathered via a questionnaire administered in Spanish-speaking countries on both sides of the Atlantic, compiling a sample of 574 companies certified to BRCGS. The hypotheses formulated were verified by structural equation modelling.

The analysis reveals a four-dimensional motivational structure (ethics, efficiency, commercial and legitimacy) and three dimensions for the implementation of the FSMS (food safety management, analysis of hazards and control points and best practices). Motivations of an ethical and commercial nature have a positive effect on the degree of effective implementation, while those based on the search for legitimacy reveal a negative relationship.

While most of the studies on the implementation of management systems are based on a dichotomous measurement of this process (companies with a management system compared to those without one, or companies certified according to a standard compared to those that are not), this study uses a continuous variable of the degree of effective implementation of the system's different dimensions or components. Little has so far been reported about why companies implement an FSMS, and here we not only identify their reasons but also assess those dimensions with the greatest impact.

This paper reports on an empirical study based on 103 Spanish companies which have conducted foreign direct investment (FDI). Built on the eclectic paradigm, it aims at finding out the main ownership, internalization and location factors which affect such internationalization processes. The results confirm the determinant importance of factors such as the existence of specific assets of an intangible nature. They also show that transaction costs and other questions related to knowledge transfer and accumulation are relevant in the choice of FDI over alternative forms of internationalization. Current and future markets and their expected growth are the key factors for selecting a destination. In general, this paper provides evidence that what is known about determinants of FDI seems to extend to Spanish multinationals today.

This paper aims to analyze how information technology (IT) can help explain performance by the purchasing function. In addition to analyzing the direct effect and mediating role of purchasing practices in the relationship between IT and purchasing performance, as has been considered in previous research, this study investigates the possibility of a moderating effect of IT in the relationships between purchasing practices and purchasing performance.

The propositions are tested with data from 156 purchasing managers, collected through a survey of members of the Spanish Association of Professionals of Purchasing and Supply Management who work in industrial companies.

Although IT investments exert a positive effect on the purchasing function, the results show that this effect takes place through the implementation of purchasing practices that in turn improve the results of the purchasing function.

Instead of focusing on a single, specific effect of IT investment in the purchasing function, this paper considers three potential effects (direct, mediated and moderating). Thus, it provides a more comprehensive overview of the topic and a more complete elucidation of the actual effects.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the environmental management of purchases and firm performance. The authors examine the moderating role played by two variables: the establishment of long-term relationships with suppliers and the strategic integration of the purchasing function.

The authors conduct an empirical study on a sample of 100 Portuguese firms.

Evidence reveals that green purchasing management improves the performance of the purchasing function, although the impact is greater when the organisation forges lasting alliances with its suppliers.

This paper contributes to the study of the consequences of introducing environmental practices into the purchasing function, especially with regards to the formation of a panel of sustainable suppliers. Specifically, this research provides evidence to show that the implementation of those practices has positive impacts on the operating performance of the purchasing function and that the said effect is greater when a firm establishes long-term relationships with its suppliers.

This article aims to offer empirical evidence pertaining to the relationship among entrepreneurship, market orientation and business performance within the context of disadvantaged socio‐economic regions of the European Union.

Two groups of hypotheses investigate the relationship between entrepreneurship and market orientation and the joint effect of these dimensions on performance. All questions are approached using survey data from 183 firms located in the Castilla y Leon region, Spain.

A strong relationship exists between entrepreneurship and market orientation. Although these orientations may be implemented separately, firms emphasise entrepreneurship when they are market‐oriented. Therefore, the strong relationship and complementarities between entrepreneurship and market orientation reduce the effort involved in the joint adoption of both orientations. Both orientations also demonstrate a strong relationship with performance, such that each contributes specifically.

The article shows that, despite little evidence of synergic effects of the joint adoption of both orientations, the specific aspects that differentiate entrepreneurship and market orientation both contribute to improving performance, and therefore, firms should foster a market‐oriented, entrepreneurial organisational culture.

Prior research into the manufacturing function's contribution to business performance demonstrates two seemingly incompatible approaches: strategic alignment or the identification of best practices. In the former, practices are useful only if they are consistent with the strategy to be implemented; in the latter, better performance derives from certain practices, regardless of the strategic context. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework to integrate these approaches according to two types of manufacturing alignment, external and internal, such that organizational performance depends on their interaction.

The framework was tested over the information provided on a questionnaire by 148 Spanish companies in three industrial sectors: industrial and commercial machinery, electronic and other electrical equipment, and transportation equipment.

The level of internal alignment depends on the manufacturing practices; some facilitate alignment under any competitive circumstances, whereas others only do so for specific competitive priorities.

This study reinforces the idea that alignment between manufacturing capabilities and business strategy is fundamental, but it also recognizes some best practices that facilitate alignment in any circumstances. Therefore, it demonstrates that both, the approach based on strategic alignment and that based on the existence of best practices, can be combined to fully explain the potential of the manufacturing function.

JIT purchasing, like many other trends in supply management, is not applicable to just any circumstances; rather, its implementation responds to particular factors. Focusing on the characteristics of the purchased products, this paper contributes to identifying some of these factors. Seven variables – the volume, specificity, technological complexity, essentiality, fragility, variability and economic value of procured products – have been analysed and their effects on JIT purchasing implementation have been tested over a sample of 152 Spanish auto component manufacturers. In order to specify such effects, four dimensions of JIT purchasing have been distinguished: operational, relational, involvement, and quality practices. Results show that companies do not pursue the minimisation of inventory maintenance costs, but they seem to be motivated by objectives such as quality, responsiveness, innovation or minimisation of circulating capital. Thus, operational JIT purchasing practices are mainly applied to fragile and expensive products, whereas the other complementary practices are applied to specific, technologically complex and essential purchases.