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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the gender differences of self-employment in Spain.

A binary choice model is specified and estimated, using information from the Continuous Working Life Sample drawn from the registers of the Spanish Social Security. Moreover, the differences in self-employment between men and women are also analysed, through the decomposition proposed by Yun (2004).

The results indicate that the differences between both groups in the probability of being entrepreneurs stem from unobservable factors. The difference explained by the unobservable component is 84.12 per cent, whereas the rest, 15.88 per cent, is explained by the characteristics component. The explanatory factors of being an entrepreneur affect men and women in the same way, but to a different extent, explained mainly by factors related to gender.

This paper sets out to identify whether there are gender differences in the probability of becoming self-employed and, if there are, to quantify what part of the difference in entrepreneurship between men and women is explained by the characteristics of each gender group and what part is because of unobservable factors. From the perspective of the public authority, knowing the determinants that explain why the entrepreneurial activity is different depending on gender is fundamental in being able to reduce the entrepreneurial gap between men and women.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the divergences in the economic growth of the Spanish regions are a result of sectoral differences, company size or technological level of the new firms that emerge in the market.

For this purpose, a model is specified and estimated in which the total factor productivity of Spanish regions is explained by business dynamics, innovation, human capital and the level of entrepreneurship in each region.

The results obtained lead the authors to conclude that entrepreneurship understood as both the creation of new firms and entrepreneurial activity, have a positive effect on productive efficiency and can explain the differences in the economic growth of the regions. In addition, the stock of human capital and the promotion of innovation act as catalysts for the productive efficiency of the regions. However, the results show that it is not enough to generate new firms to boost economic growth; these businesses must also be oriented towards sectors that promote technological innovation and with the objective to reach an adequate size.

Empirical studies use either the creation of new firms or the index of entrepreneurial activity as alternative measures of entrepreneurship. In this research, however, both variables are considered together. Specifically, the creation of new companies is used as a measure of regional business dynamics, and the entrepreneurial activity index, provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, as a measure of regional entrepreneurship. The main novelty of this paper’s approach is that it considers different types of entrepreneurial capital in considering productive sector, size and technological level of the new companies.

This study uses an extensive sample of firms from Germany, France, UK, Portugal and Spain with the aim of obtaining conclusive results on the determinants that drive a firm to be high-growth firm (HGF). This sample includes micro firms, which are not generally considered in the literature. There are several reasons to take them into account: not excluding an important part of the business fabric, the results can be extrapolated, the study can show if micro firms also present high growth and if there are differences in the factors that determine the probability of being an HGF between both segments of firms.

A multivariate dynamic model of binary choice is used to analyse the probability of a company being classified as high growth. Then, with the Blinder and Oaxaca decomposition, the differences in the probability of being an HGF between micro firms and non-micro firms are studied.

The results show that HGFs demonstrate persistence, and younger firms are more likely to be HGFs. Micro firms also register high growth, although they are less dynamic and show a negative differential with respect to larger firms as highlighted by the characteristic component.

In some countries, such as Spain and Portugal, micro firms predominate, and these tend to be less dynamic, so to identify how to improve business dynamics, the factors that limit the growth of this type of company must first be determined. In this paper, in line with Acs and Mueller (2008), we therefore include firms with less than ten employees so as not to exclude an important part of the business fabric and to ascertain whether this type of firm also shows high growth.

由於高速增長的公司被發現較其對手享有較大的競爭優勢,故它們成為促使就業機會會異常地淨增的推動器。這些公司在這方面的能力,成為廣泛研究的課題。本文擬就這課題的探討作出一點貢獻。

研究的方法是透過把研究焦點集中於一個何謂高速增長公司的更廣泛的定義,而該定義之所以更廣泛,是因為它納入高速增長的微型公司。研究人員以 Birch-Schreyer 指數把公司分類為高速增長。本研究旨在評定高速增長的公司在廣義上是否受賦予可把其區別於低增長公司的獨特特點。為達到這個目標,研究人員使用二元選擇的多元動態模型,去分析一間公司會被分類為高速增長的機率,繼而以 Blinder-Oaxaca 分解方法,去探討微型公司會被分類為高速增長的機率,與非微型公司的機率兩者之間的差異。

研究結果顯示、高速增長的公司展示了毅力; 而且，年輕的公司更有可能成為高速增長的公司。研究結果亦顯示、雖然根據特徵成份所強調,微型公司的活力不及較大的公司; 而且,微型公司展示負面的差分,唯它們也躋身高速增長公司的行列。

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the determinants of the survival of Spanish companies.

Two approaches are used and they are complementary. The first approach analyses the determinants of survival probability. For this purpose, a binary choice model is built and estimated using a sample of companies from the main economic sectors taken from the SABI database. Likewise, the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition is applied to quantify the difference between companies with employees and without employees and the proportion of this difference that owes to observed factors or unobserved factors. Finally, the second approach is a survival analysis carried out through the Cox proportional hazard model that identifies the determinants of the duration of business activity.

The results of the empirical analysis show that companies without employees present less favourable conditions for survival at all stages of their evolution than companies with employees.

The contribution of this study to the empirical literature consists in analysing the difference between companies with and without employees. Due to the structure of Spanish companies, this aspect and the determinants of such difference are essential for policymakers to increase the survival for companies.

This research comprehensively analyses the profound impact of Digital Transformation and Process Innovation (DT&PI) on business models (BMs) in the Food Service Sector (FSS), especially in the post-pandemic context. The study is guided by three primary research questions: (1) Identifying key FSS players and their interconnections, (2) Understanding the differentiation strategies these entities employ and (3) Assessing how COVID-19 has altered their BMs.

The study utilises a rigorous methodology, starting with a thorough analysis of the Business Model Canvas (BMC) for 100 prominent Spanish FSS firms, culminating in a comprehensive sector-wide BMC. Cluster analysis is then applied to group firms based on common attributes and relationships identified in the overall BMC. Additional insights are gathered through semi-structured interviews with representatives from FSS companies.

The study identifies five distinct clusters of FSS companies, each defined by unique BM strategies. These strategies mainly focus on sales and distribution channels, differentiating between those using multiple channels and those solely relying on digital platforms. Importantly, the study shows that digital transformation in the FSS was already in progress before the pandemic but was greatly expedited by it. COVID-19 stimulated the digitalisation of services, expanding sales channels and diversifying customer engagement.

This research enriches the dynamic capabilities theory by examining how DT&PI influence BM innovation in the FSS, highlighting adaptation to technological trends. It offers a fresh perspective on value creation and stakeholder interaction, contributing to the foundational theory for future FSS BM research.

This paper explores flexible working practices (FWPs) and takes a critical view that argues a need to consider not only access to digital technological resources but also the vast array of factors that constrain one’s ability to use technology for its intended benefits, as constituting the digital divide post-COVID-19 lockdown.

Using a critical evaluation of the extant literature, we engage in a conceptual undertaking to develop theoretical propositions that form the basis for future empirical undertakings. To theoretically ground the arguments raised, we deploy the ontological lens of actor-network theory to illuminate the socio-technical dimensions of the digital divide in light of FWPs.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to adopt socially distanced work practices has become a reality for many organisations. We find that the adoption of FWPs, enabled by digital technologies, simultaneously signals hidden inequalities. We also develop a conceptual framework which depicts user responses in different technology environments that can either be limiting or enabling for individuals’ work productivity.

With regards to the digital divide, attention has often focused on access to digital technologies, as the term “digital divide” portrays. The implication is that the array of factors and resources that individuals are heterogeneously networked to, which also constitute the digital divide, is often taken for granted. We take a different ontological view that brings to the fore other factors at play within an individual’s network of relations.

本文擬探索彈性工作安排,並以批判性的觀點、去論證當我們探討2019冠狀病毒病封鎖解除後的數字鴻溝究竟是由什麼組成時,我們必須考慮數字技術資源的使用權限,以及關注各個有關的因素,因這些因素限制了我們從應用技術獲得預期效益的能力。

我們對現存文獻作批判性的評價,藉此參與一項概念性的工作,以便能建立可以成為將來實證性工作基礎的理論命題;為使提出的論點能得到理論上的依據,我們使用行動者網絡理論的本體論鏡頭,去闡明鑒於彈性工作安排的數字鴻溝的各個社會技術維度。

由於2019冠狀病毒病大爆發的關係,許多機構和組織都因實際情況而需採用保持社交距離的工作安排。我們發現、當我們採用有賴數字技術的發展而成行的彈性工作安排時,我們同時也會使不為人知的不平等狀況浮現出來;我們也注意到、不同的技術環境會限制個人的工作生產力,又或相反地助其建立工作生產力;就此,我們建立了一個可以描繪就這些不同的技術環境、用戶會如何回應的概念框架。

就數字鴻溝而言,人們的關注總放在數字技術使用權限的差異上,就如數字鴻溝這個術語所塑造的形象一樣。這種關注可能帶來的影響是即使有不同的因素和資源、即使個人會以各種形式與不同的因素和資源聯繫起來,而這些因素和資源構成了數字鴻溝,人們卻把這些因素和資源視為理所當然。我們採用不同的本體論觀點,希望藉此使個人關係網絡內起著作用的其它因素能突顯出來、免被忽視。