Elise Catherine Davis, Elizabeth T. Arana, John S. Creel, Stephanie C. Ibarra, Jesus Lechuga, Rachel A. Norman, Hannah R. Parks, Ali Qasim, David Y. Watkins and Bita A. Kash
The purpose of this article is to provide a general review of the health-care needs in Kenya which focuses on the role of community engagement in facilitating access and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide a general review of the health-care needs in Kenya which focuses on the role of community engagement in facilitating access and diminishing barriers to quality care services. Health-care concerns throughout Kenya and the culture of Kenyan’s health-care practices care are considered.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive review covered studies of community engagement from 2000 till present. Studies are collected using Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCOhost and JSTOR and from government and nongovernment agency websites. The approach focuses on why various populations seek health care and how they seek health care, and on some current health-care delivery models.
Findings
Suggestions for community engagement, including defining the community, are proposed. A model for improved health-care delivery introduces community health workers (CHWs), mHealth technologies and the use of mobile clinics to engage the community and improve health and quality of care in low-income settings.
Practical implications
The results emphasize the importance of community engagement in building a sustainable health-care delivery model. This model highlights the importance of defining the community, setting goals for the community and integrating CHWs and mobile clinics to improve health status and decrease long-term health-care costs. The implementation of these strategies contributes to an environment that promotes health and wellness for all.
Originality/value
This paper evaluates health-care quality and access issues in Kenya and provides sustainable solutions that are linked to effective community engagement. In addition, this paper adds to the limited number of studies that explore health-care quality and access alongside community engagement in low-income settings.
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María Paula Lechuga Sancho, Manuel Larrán Jorge and Jesus Herrera Madueño
The purpose of this study is to provide an initial, valid and reliable measure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in small companies from the theoretical perspective of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide an initial, valid and reliable measure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in small companies from the theoretical perspective of the stakeholders.
Design/methodology/approach
To design the multi-item scale or measure a factorial analysis was used. This helped the authors develop the CSR assessment tool, measurement instrument and formalize the model connecting observable phenomena to theoretical attributes.
Findings
The results of the analysis provided a four-dimensional structure of CSR, including, employees, customers, the environment and society. Specifically, the authors concluded with an original scale of 24 validated indicators that measures CSR in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The observed results confirmed the validity of the measure proposed to evaluate the commitment of SMEs to CSR through the level of practices developed with their stakeholders.
Originality/value
The scale developed to assess the level of CSR practices in SMEs stands not only as a valid and reliable measure for future research studies but also as a perfect guide for SMEs managers that want to develop CSR practices in their firms.
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Domingo Martínez-Martínez, Jesús Herrera Madueño, Manuel Larrán Jorge and María Paula Lechuga Sancho
The purpose of this paper is to analyse empirically the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic effects on the competitive performance of small- and medium-sized…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse empirically the corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic effects on the competitive performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by performing a multiple mediator analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical research was conducted in Spanish SMEs. A questionnaire was distributed among managers of these companies. Thus, with a final sample of 481 cases and using consistent partial least squares structural equation modelling, direct and mediating effects were tested. In particular, relationships among corporate social performance (CSP) (exogenous variable), competitive performance (endogenous variable), relational marketing (mediating variable) and innovative capacity (mediating variable) were hypothesized. Moreover, a further analysis about the superior returns offered by socially responsible practices related to core business stakeholders was conducted.
Findings
The results highlight a significant and positive effect that CSP has on competitive performance. Additionally, both mediating positive effects were supported and the firm size was checked as a relevant control variable which, as proxy for resources availability, affects all constructs used with the exception of relational marketing. Managers interested in a strategic approach to social responsibility should be aware that the investment in activities related to employees and customers leads to higher competitiveness.
Research limitations/implications
The study was limited to SME in Spain. Moreover, information related to competitive performance was gathered from managers’ own perceptions, considering the performance of their direct competitors as a reference level.
Originality/value
To the authors knowledge, no research studies were found that empirically examined the business case in SMEs and employed a CSR approach based on stakeholders’ perspective. Therefore, the main contribution of this research is to show how socially responsible management of SMEs leads to higher competitive performance both direct and indirectly, using two strategic variables suggested in literature on large corporations. Despite their resources limitations, this kind of organizations is in a favourable position to engage with different stakeholders and benefit from their relationships, especially with employees and customers.
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Jesus David Gomez Diaz, Alejandro I. Monterroso, Patricia Ruiz, Lizeth M. Lechuga, Ana Cecilia Conde Álvarez and Carlos Asensio
This study aims to present the climate change effect on soil moisture regimes in Mexico in a global 1.5°C warming scenario.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the climate change effect on soil moisture regimes in Mexico in a global 1.5°C warming scenario.
Design/methodology/approach
The soil moisture regimes were determined using the Newhall simulation model with the database of mean monthly precipitation and temperature at a scale of 1: 250,000 for the current scenario and with the climate change scenarios associated with a mean global temperature increase of 1.5°C, considering two Representative Concentration Pathways, 4.5 and 8.5 W/m2 and three general models of atmospheric circulation, namely, GFDL, HADGEM and MPI. The different vegetation types of the country were related to the soil moisture regimes for current conditions and for climate change.
Findings
According to the HADGEM and MPI models, almost the entire country is predicted to undergo a considerable increase in soil moisture deficit, and part of the areas of each moisture regime will shift to the next drier regime. The GFDL model also predicts this trend but at smaller proportions.
Originality/value
The changes in soil moisture at the regional scale that reveal the impacts of climate change and indicate where these changes will occur are important elements of the knowledge concerning the vulnerability of soils to climate change. New cartography is available in Mexico.
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María Paula Lechuga Sancho, Domingo Martínez-Martínez, Manuel Larran Jorge and Jesús Herrera Madueño
Regardless of the noteworthy growth in research and practice associating corporate social responsibility (CSR) with human resource management, little has been written in regard to…
Abstract
Purpose
Regardless of the noteworthy growth in research and practice associating corporate social responsibility (CSR) with human resource management, little has been written in regard to one major dimension of CSR in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as CSR policies and practices are directed toward employees. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual framework connecting socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) to competitive performance that fits small business.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to get empirical evidence, structural equation modeling technique was applied on the data from 481 Spanish SMEs.
Findings
Results confirm both the direct contribution of SRHRM to business competitiveness and the multiple effects resulting from including two variables of additional interest for the relationship under study: employee’s commitment and relational marketing.
Practical implications
One of the main research limitations is that the paper only reflects the perceptions of owners/managers of SMEs. Although it was believed that the respondents give reliable and accurate information about the way their firms are involved in CSR practices, there is a possibility that they might provide incorrect or incomplete information.
Originality/value
The relationships proposed have never been studied before in context of SMEs. This is a worthwhile endeavor, which makes an empirical contribution.
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Alicia Martín-Navarro, María Paula Lechuga Sancho and Jose Aurelio Medina-Garrido
Companies are increasingly implementing business process management systems (BPMSs) to support their processes. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding whether users…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies are increasingly implementing business process management systems (BPMSs) to support their processes. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding whether users also use BPMSs to manage the knowledge needed for processes to be completed. This study aims to analyze the factors that cause users to use BPMSs to manage the knowledge required in business processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proposes an original model that integrates two successful information system models applied to BPMSs and knowledge management systems. To test the hypotheses derived from this new model, data were collected from 242 mature BPMS users from 12 Spanish and Latin American companies. Structural equation modeling with AMOS was used to examine the model.
Findings
Users’ perceived usefulness of a BPMS when using it for knowledge management (KM) is the only factor influencing them to use it for KM.
Practical implications
This study has practical implications for managers wishing to successfully implement a BPMS to support processes and for employees to use the knowledge embedded in the tool. The latter will only happen if users perceive the tool’s usefulness for KM.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this model is the first empirically validated model to successfully analyze BPMS users’ tendency to use BPMSs as a tool to support necessary KM in processes.
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Paula Álvarez-González, María Jesús López-Miguens and Gloria Caballero
The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model on perceived employability in university students, based on personal and contextual factors.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated model on perceived employability in university students, based on personal and contextual factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use structural equation modelling to estimate a model that includes a set of variables, previously validated at exploratory and confirmatory levels, in order to measure personal and contextual factors involved in perceived employability. The sample comprises 816 university students selected by a stratified procedure.
Findings
The model explains how perceived employability in university students is built up. It identifies the involved factors and their level of influence and provides statistically valid and reliable measures for these factors.
Research limitations/implications
This study develops an integrated model which explains more than previous ones to know perceived employability of university students by combining personal and contextual factors. A limitation of the study lies in the use of a cross-sectional design, and the specificities of the cultural context as well as consideration of the labour market situation. Generalizing the results to other cultural contexts requires caution.
Practical implications
The model explains perceived employability in university students and provides validated scales at confirmatory level that can be used for futures studies in sociology, behavioural psychology, human resources management or education. The model and scales also serve as tools for evaluation that can be used by those responsible for such personal or contextual factors.
Originality/value
The development of an integrated model that explains perceived employability to a much higher degree than previous models.
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Gabriela Citlalli Lopez-Torres, Salomón Montejano-García, Francisco Javier Alvarez-Torres and Marcelo de Jesus Perez-Ramos
This paper aims to present a systematic review of the literature on sustainability for the competitiveness of firms to identify the state of the art, significant discussions and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a systematic review of the literature on sustainability for the competitiveness of firms to identify the state of the art, significant discussions and new research directions. Recently, due to the negative impacts that traditional and unsustainable practices of companies have caused the Planet (e.g. climate change, sanitary crisis), national and international research urgently calls for the assessment of sustainable practices in firms. However, progress seems slow due to a poor understanding of the necessary changes that companies must make in their specific reality. Competitiveness has remained as firms’ primary strategy to endure. Some have associated sustainability with an increment of costs, sometimes with a negative impact on its competitiveness. Sometimes generating oppositions from stakeholder and institutions regulations, it is important to explore how these behaviors and dynamics of this relationship between sustainability and competitiveness affect the pursued transition to sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the literature, which is a scientific tool, is used in this research. It allows reliably and accurately analyzing and constructing conclusions from a broad database. The search was leaked over the 10 years, from 2010 to 2019. As a basis, 182 scientific articles were identified and revised based on methodology selection criteria and 51 articles were revised in detail.
Findings
This paper identifies critical variables analyzed in the selected articles, sustainability strategies for competitiveness, strategies for sustainability, organizational aspects for sustainability and competitiveness, measurement of sustainability, models, moderating factors for sustainability and new future research directions.
Originality/value
This paper presents state of art about sustainability for competitiveness and identifying key themes and future research directions.
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José Manuel García-Gallego, Antonio Chamorro Mera and María Jesús Barroso-Méndez
The purpose of this paper is to determine the importance that customers give to social investment activities in their region when selecting a financial entity compared to other…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the importance that customers give to social investment activities in their region when selecting a financial entity compared to other features directly related to the service that these institutions provide, namely the origin, the treatment by employees, office location and electronic banking services.
Design/methodology/approach
The technique of conjoint analysis is applied via a survey of 427 customers to determine customers’ preference structure when choosing a financial entity.
Findings
The results show the importance that customers give to the financial entities’ social activities carried out in the region. Moreover, a buyer segment representing 35 per cent of the sample was identified that assigns greater value to these social activities than to the average customer.
Originality/value
The development of corporate social responsibility policies has been a common practice in Spain’s financial sector. However, there is a lack of studies focused on analysing the impact of these policies on customers’ decisions. The authors test this idea by proposing that social initiatives carried out by financial entities strongly influence the preferences of consumers towards these banks compared to other attributes.
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While interest in and demand for entrepreneurial universities has gained prominence in recent years (e.g. Clark, 1998; Etzkowitz, 2008; Thorp and Goldstein, 2010), there is…
Abstract
Purpose
While interest in and demand for entrepreneurial universities has gained prominence in recent years (e.g. Clark, 1998; Etzkowitz, 2008; Thorp and Goldstein, 2010), there is minimal research on the learning experiences and career-making events that transform traditional faculty members into faculty entrepreneurs who are able to successfully apply their research knowledge toward endeavors that intersect with the private market. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to understand, from the perspective of faculty entrepreneurs, the lived learning experiences that contributed to their development from traditional faculty member to faculty entrepreneur. Specifically, this study explored the question on how faculty members who were founders or co-founders of a business learned “to work in entrepreneurial ways” (Rae and Carswell, 2000, p. 220). In general, individuals who are interested in pursuing a career as a professor are not generally socialized during graduate school to engage in technology transfer activities or encouraged to start businesses (Bercovitz and Feldman, 2008). This study also sought to understand how faculty entrepreneurs learn to persist in an organizational culture that does not always support entrepreneurial endeavors outside the scope of researching, teaching, and service.
Design/methodology/approach
A phenomenological qualitative research design was employed using in-depth, semi-structured interview questions. Entrepreneurial learning was the theoretical framework that grounded this study.
Findings
The data analysis process revealed six themes which offer insights on the learning experiences, contextual factors, and patterns of behavior that helped the participants to develop and to persist as faculty entrepreneurs.
Research limitations/implications
First, the data were dependent upon the learning experiences identified and articulated by the faculty entrepreneurs. There is a possibility that significant learning or career-making experiences were omitted or unintentionally not reported by the participants. Second, the author used a broad net when searching and recruiting for faculty entrepreneurs. Any faculty member who was in a tenure-track position and who had founded or co-founded an organization was eligible to participate in this study. However, the data analysis process may have yielded different results if the author had elected to study faculty entrepreneurs from a specific academic discipline or if the author had chosen to only interview faculty entrepreneurs who had founded a specific type of business. Third, this study focussed only on tenured faculty members who are currently involved with the businesses that they founded or co-founded. Subsequently, this study did not include any faculty members whose entrepreneurial pursuits were unsuccessful (i.e. closing the business). There is the possibility that former faculty entrepreneurs may have had similar learning experiences as the individuals who were interviewed for this study.
Practical implications
The findings may be instructive for traditional faculty members who are interested in applying their research findings and expertise with an entrepreneurial endeavor such as starting a business. In addition, these findings may be useful for higher education administrators who seek to cultivate an entrepreneurial learning environment in their institutions and for future researchers who want to expand the study of faculty entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
There is a gap in the literature on how traditional faculty members learn to couple their research knowledge and expertise with an entrepreneurial endeavor such as starting a small business. In addition, there has been minimal research that delineates how the faculty entrepreneur comes into existence at the individual level (Clarysse et al., 2011; Pilegaard et al., 2010). Subsequently, this is one of the first phenomenological qualitative research studies to examine the lived learning experiences of faculty entrepreneurs.