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This study aims to examine whether the determinant factors of innovations broadly accepted for traditional firms – the personal traits of the entrepreneurs, the features of the firms and the environment – also influence innovation in social economy companies.

Based on a sample carried out between small cooperatives and worker‐owned companies – which are the most representative legal forms in the Spanish social economy collective – the authors develop an empirical study using a logistic regression model.

The results show that, on the whole, innovation in these kinds of firm seems to be determined by the same set of variables as in the case of traditional firms. In addition to this, the present research reveals that the influence of these variables on entrepreneurial innovations depends on the kind of innovation. Finally, the findings also give evidence about the existence of an inter‐dependence among the different types of innovation in social economy firms.

The study is limited to small firms within the Spanish industrial and service sectors, but provides future researchers with further replication opportunities.

Taking into account the relevant contribution of social economy companies to the Spanish economy, and having noted the scarce number of studies about innovation in the social economy sector, this research offers a significant contribution by specifying the innovative behavior of social economy firms in Spain.

This study aims to examine the marketing/R&D relationship under different relative dependence situations. Specifically, its basic objective is to analyse if the effect that the climate between these departments exerts on new product development performance is moderated by the dependence perceived by these areas.

The interfunctional climate was measured through six key variables of relationship marketing: cooperation, communication, trust, commitment, social satisfaction and conflict. To do this, the R&D directors of 178 Spanish innovative firms were surveyed. A sample of 345 products (177 successes and 168 failures) was been obtained.

The results derived from a multisample analysis allow the conclusion that in those situations of high dependence the creation of a satisfactory climate is specially important for the development of affective bonds, such as trust and commitment among the functional areas.

The novelty of the research lies in the use of the relationship marketing approach to investigate industrial intra‐functional relationships and their influence on a new product performance. Furthermore, the inclusion of dependence as a possible moderator of that influence represents an added value of the study.

In this chapter, we analyse the role of women in armed Basque nationalist and separatist terrorist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) from a gender perspective. ETA women were essential agents in the armed conflict, but their image in the mass media and society has been very different from that of their male colleagues (Rodríguez Lara, 2017). Also, their role in the terrorist gang has described a sexually based functional specialisation. In addition, this chapter seeks to contribute to the area of feminist studies on women and political violence. Women's role in one of the most important armed nationalist groups in Europe, ETA, stands as a suitable case study to understand how the mass media (press, journalism), audiovisual content, and social representations of ETA have portrayed these women. The final conclusion of this chapter is that women were not portrayed in the same way as their male colleagues. Women of ETA were doubly penalised because they were women and because they were terrorists.

This paper aims to study the corrosion protection of 410 stainless steel (410SS) cracked by fatigue tests. The purpose of this study is to show that using polymeric coatings, it is possible to reduce the corrosion rate in metallic structures in operation.

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) composite was used as a coating to protect the cracked 410SS in the corrosive environment 0.5 M NaCl at 25°C and 80°C. Physicochemical characterization was carried out by adhesion tests, thermogravimetric analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and size exclusion chromatography. Surface morphology was studied before and after the electrochemical tests by scanning electron microscopy. Uncoated and coated cracked 410SS were characterized by DC electrochemical techniques: linear polarization resistance and potentiodynamic polarization curves.

P3HT/PMMA coating reduced corrosion rate and crack propagation of 410SS in the corrosive medium NaCl 0.5M. The P3HT/PMMA coating increased the polarization resistance by one order of magnitude and decreased the corrosion current density by one order of magnitude, relative to the values obtained with uncoated cracked 410SS. The coating helped to have a less damaged surface and less crack propagation on the cracked 410SS. The feasibility of increasing the useful life of cracked metal structures in a saline environment was demonstrated through polymeric composite coatings.

In the literature, no works were detected that report the use of organic coatings to protect cracked metals against corrosion. This is the first reported work on the corrosion protection of 410SS in a saline medium using coatings based on P3HT/PMMA.

Consumer behavior has evolved because of technological development. Nowadays, consumers carry out the different stages of the decision-making process by combining multiple devices which has been defined as multi, cross and omnichannel behavior. These behaviors have attracted the attention of academics and become a hot topic in literature. As a result, vast amounts of studies on the subject need to be revised and clarified. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to synthetize the primary academic literature that analyzes multi, cross and omnichannel behavior from the consumer point of view. To do that, first, the main concepts (multi, cross and omnichannel) and their differences are clarified. Second, the major findings of channel mix literature regarding the topics, channel scope and theories are exposed and described. Third, the opportunities and future lines of research are presented. This chapter contributes to the literature by clarifying the conceptualization of multi, cross and omnichannel behaviors; offering a complete picture of the main topics, channel approaches and theories addressed in channel mix literature; and presenting future research opportunities and open research questions in a channel mix context that could serve as a starting point to build further research.

Recently, the application of quality management systems (QMS) in educational institutions has become widespread, in an effort to improve diverse processes and results in schools. However, there are very few studies that enable us to confirm whether these QMS bring true changes that are sustainable over time and lead to improvements in these institutions.

This study thus aims to assess the impact of the implementation of ISO:9001 standards on school climate and on the satisfaction of the members of the educational community at 80 Spanish preschools, primary and secondary schools in different autonomous communities.

The analyses performed show conclusive results regarding the impact of ISO:9001 standards on teachers' involvement in improving the school's climate, conflict resolution by the management team and in families' involvement and satisfaction with the school. However, no apparent evidence was found of the impact on relations among teachers, conflict resolution among staff members and the perception of satisfaction by the teachers themselves.

We must bear in mind that the results and conclusions obtained are based on the instrument developed for this study, where it has been the members of the schools themselves who have assessed the changes they have perceived or that have taken place. However, due to the limitation of the instrument, it could be complemented in future research with external evaluations that could complement the results obtained in the present study.

Furthermore, greater impact of the ISO standards was identified in schools from certain regions (Valencia and Andalusia), in state-assisted private schools, in smaller schools and in institutions which have been implementing the QMS for longer periods of time. The management team also perceived a greater improvement in climate than did teachers.

Many of the papers that analyse human resource management (HRM) in merger and acquisition (M&A) processes focus on the last two stages (integration and implementation). Then, the purpose of this paper is to propose an HRM model for the first stage of the process (planning) with four key factors: the due diligence process, the integration plan, the communication plan and the learning plan.

From the theoretical model, the authors analyse a case study of a multinational company that operates in the mechanical engineering sector.

The results show the special importance of HRM in the success of the M&A process. And, the main actions implemented in human resources (HRs) contributing to the success of this process are identified.

Subsequent investigations could conduct similar analyses for the rest of the stages of the M&A process (integration and implementation), with the objective of presenting a complete HRM model in M&A processes.

The case study allows researchers to learn from professionals and business leaders while also offering a theoretical model that can help managers make decisions and improve the management of these processes.

The main contribution of this study has been to observe how HRs are managed in the planning stage of M&As.

The purpose of this paper is to study the antifriction, antiwear and tribolayer formation properties of the trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinate ionic liquid (IL) as additive at 1 wt.% in two base oils and their mixtures, comparing the results with those of a commercial oil.

The mixture of the base oils used in the formulation of the commercial oil SAE 0W20 plus the IL was tested under rolling/sliding and reciprocating conditions to determine the so-called Stribeck curve, the tribolayer formation and the antifriction and antiwear behaviors.

The use of this IL as additive in these oils does not change their viscosity; improves the antifriction and antiwear properties of the base oils, making equal or outperforming these properties of the SAE 0W20; and the thickness and formation rate of the tribolayer resulting from the IL-surface interaction is highly dependent on the type of base oil and influence on the friction and wear results.

The use of this IL allows to replace partial or totally commercial antifriction and antiwear additives.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2020-0179/

The purpose of this paper is to propose a human resource management model for the integration stage of mergers and acquisitions (M/A) process with four key factors: leadership and integration team; change and restructuring process; human resources (HR) resistance; valuable HR retention.

The authors analyze a case study of a multinational company that operates in the mechanical engineering sector.

The results show the special importance of human resource management in the success of the merger and acquisition process. And, the main actions implemented in HR contributing to the success of this process are identified.

Subsequent investigations could conduct similar analyses for the planning and implementation stages of the merger and acquisition process, with the objective of presenting a complete HR management model in merger and acquisition processes.

The case study allows researchers to learn from professionals and business leaders while also offering a theoretical model that can help managers make decisions and improve the management of these processes.

The main contribution of this study has been to observe how HR are managed in the integration stage of M/A.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the impact of implementation of ISO 9001:2008 Standards perceived by Management Teams and Teachers in schools in four autonomous communities in Spain.

To assess this impact, the authors used an evaluation instrument made up of 93 items assessing seven major dimensions, whose reliability has been excellent for the full scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.987) and dimensions (α > 0.93). The authors conducted descriptive and differential analyses (ANOVA and t-test for independent samples) of the assessments by professional position (managers and teachers) and other variables (size and type of school, years of implantation, etc.). A factorial analysis of variance was conducted to analyse the interaction effect between these variables in each of the evaluated dimensions.

The most significant results show a high impact on the dimension management, medium on communication, learning process and external relations and low impact on climate, support and recognition and satisfaction. Likewise, the authors found that members of the Management Teams valued the impact that ISO 9001:2008 Standards have had on all dimensions at a higher level, except for external relations, where no significant differences between Teachers and Management Team members were found.

The study makes it possible to conclude that in general terms, the members of the Management Team of the schools perceive a higher impact of the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 Standards than teacher do in the different dimensions evaluated.

The specialised literature shows the lack of studies related to the impact that the implementation of quality management systems has on organisations. Specifically, this study provides conclusions to the scientific and professional community with objective evidence of the impact ISO 9001:2008 implementation has had on schools, through an indirect system of perceptions of the education community of the changes, which according to them had taken place as a result of implementation. Thus, this study contributes to the development of a new body of knowledge by evaluating this impact.