Open Access
An extended behavior model for explaining the willingness to pay to reduce the air pollution in road transportation
(Elsevier, 2021) Sánchez García, Mercedes; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Lera López, Fernando; Faulín Fajardo, Javier; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Ekonomia; Estatistika, Informatika eta Matematika; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Gestión de Empresas; Economía; Estadística, Informática y Matemáticas
Road transportation constitutes a key sector in developed countries, as an essential catalyst for economic and social activities. Nevertheless, it is relevant to emphasize the negative impacts of this activity identified in Economics as negative externalities. At the European Union, road transportation is the main cause of the air pollution impact on the population. Thus, this study explores the factors that influence the willingness to pay (WTP) on behalf of the citizens to reduce air pollution generated by road transport. In doing so, we propose two fundamental theoretical frameworks to explain individual behavior towards the environment actions: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) models. A questionnaire survey with 1,612 residents was used to collect data in 65 localities located in the Spanish Pyrenees and performing a statistical analysis with the resulting data relied on application of Structural Equation Models (SEM). Moreover, the survey results highlight the importance of psychological aspects as predictors of proenvironmental behaviors. Our empirical results provide a novel contribution about how governments and educational policies can enhance the positive attitude towards environmental actions, unifying the struggle in favor of environmental protection from early childhood.
Open Access
Product/process definition, technology adoption and workforce qualification: impact on performance
(Taylor & Francis, 2019) Bello Pintado, Alejandro; García Marco, María Teresa; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
This paper analyses the impact of manufacturing technologies (MTs) and workers' qualifications on labour productivity and flexibility, taking into account the product-process (P-P) strategy adopted by the company. This allows for a discussion about the well-known P-P matrix initially proposed by Hayes and Wheelwright (1994) in order to evaluate options of production systems. The empirical analysis is performed by means of a panel of data of 13 years for the Spanish manufacturing industry, which includes a total of 7741 observations. The results indicate a complementary effect between technology and skills to overcome the trade-offs of production systems.
Open Access
Creating value via strategic alliances in EU food sector: the role of intellectual capital in knowledge exploration
(Universidad Miguel Hernández, 2017) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; García Martínez, Marian; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Co-operation may become necessary in food sector because internal resources are insufficient to monitor their partners. This study examines how EU food SMEs uses their networks and how SMEs managers can operationally leverage the value created by strategic alliances into commercially viable products. More importantly, we emphasize that the effects of collaboration partners on innovation performance can be achieved not only directly, but also via the indirect effect of firm¿s intellectual capital to enhance cross-border knowledge transfer. Using two waves of the European Community Innovation Survey (Cis-2010 and Cis-2012), those research findings are expected to provide SME food firms the availability to better reorganize their external knowledge needs when different partners are involved.
Open Access
Capturing value from alliance portfolio diversity: the mediating role of R&D human capital in high and low tech industries
(Elsevier, 2017) García Martínez, Marian; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Research has demonstrated the value of external linkages to augment in-house R&D efforts; however, very little is known about how managers can operationally leverage the potential benefits of open innovation to create an innovative edge. This paper examines the value of alliance portfolio diversity and whether R&D human capital is the pathway through which alliance portfolio diversity influences innovation novelty. We reason that the absorptive capacity of R&D human capital determines a firm's potential gains from highly diverse alliance portfolios. Using data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2005–2012, results support the curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) association between alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance reported in studies, suggesting that not only too little, but also too much alliance portfolio diversity may be detrimental to firm innovation performance. Findings emphasise the value of alliance portfolio diversity in high-technology industries to achieve explorative performance objectives, given the technological complexity, market uncertainty and the divergent skill sets required for breakthrough innovations in these sectors. Further, we find evidence that R&D human capital plays an important role in innovation novelty by partially mediating the relationship between alliance partner diversity and firm innovation performance, emphasising the importance of internal capabilities to harness external knowledge assets. This study provides valuable insights to managers aiming to increase the effectiveness of their alliance portfolios.
Open Access
Combined effects of ozone and freeze-drying on the shelf-life of Broiler chicken meat
(Elsevier, 2016) Cantalejo Díez, María Jesús; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Pérez Arnedo, María Irache; Tecnología de Alimentos; Elikagaien Teknologia
The effects of ozone on the shelf-life extension of freeze-dried chicken meat fillets stored at 21 ± 1 C were investigated. The samples were exposed to gaseous ozone with three ozone concentrations of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.72 ppm during 10, 30, 60 and 120 min. The shelf-life of the ozonated freeze-dried chicken meat samples was determined using both microbiological and sensory analyses during 8 months of storage. Ozone and lyophilisation (Combined treatments) were shown to be valid in retarding the growth of most microbial groups from the first month of storage. High microbial counts were found in frozen meat from month 6 onwards, with total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) counts above 7 log cfu/g and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts above 5 log cfu/g, whereas decreases of 6.8 and 4.77 log cfu/g for TAMB and LAB counts were reported in combined treated samples when compared with untreated meat (frozen meat). Also, 3.26 and 1.41-log reductions were observed with respect to non-ozonated freeze-dried meat (trt-0). Regarding sensory characteristics, the combined use of ozone and lyophilisation would be useful in extending the shelf-life of raw chicken breast meat up to 8 months, whilst the samples treated only with lyophilisation showed a 4 month shelf-life.
Open Access
Did the global financial crisis impact firms' innovation performance? The role of internal and external knowledge capabilities in high and low tech industries
(Elsevier, 2018) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; García Martínez, Marian; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This paper examines the role exerted by internal innovation efforts and external knowledge assets as dynamic capabilities to overcome adverse economic conditions. Additionally, we examine the differential impacts of the financial crisis in high and low-tech industries. Using panel data of manufacturing firms in Spain for the period 2006–2013, our results show that maintaining strong internal and external knowledge capabilities enables firms to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. Findings emphasize the value of human capital, by enabling internal capabilities, as a coping mechanisms in low-tech sectors during the financial downturn. Similarly, open innovation allows firms to minimise the resources limitations and risk surrounding innovation, particularly during the financial crisis. This study provides valuable insights to managers aiming to develop strong internal knowledge bases to remain competitive under uncertain financial conditions.
Open Access
Aprovechando la diversidad en los equipos de I+D para incrementar el desempeño innovador
(Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo, 2021) García Marco, María Teresa; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
En este estudio se analiza el efecto de la diversidad en los equipos de I+D sobre el desempeño innovador tanto de forma individual como cuando interaccionan varias dimensiones de diversidad. Con una base de datos de empresas españolas nuestros resultados muestran que en general la diversidad de los equipos favorece el desempeño innovador. Sin embargo, cuando dos o más dimensiones de diversidad interaccionan conjuntamente dentro de los equipos de I+D el efecto sobre el desempeño innovador, aunque positivo, es menor que cuando solo existe un tipo de diversidad. Los resultados sugieren que un exceso de diversidad conduce a una fragmentación de los equipos de I+D en subgrupos homogéneos (faultlines) que pueden generar conflicto y desconfianza entre los miembros de los equipos de I+D y por lo tanto aminorar el desempeño innovador.
Open Access
The influence of CSR orientation on innovative performance: is the effect conditioned to the implementation of organizational practices?
(Springer, 2023) Anzola Román, Paula; García Marco, María Teresa; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Previous research has examined the relationship between CSR and innovation and has suggested that the former might positively affect the latter; however, the impact of CSR on innovation success needs further attention. This study aims to develop a deeper understanding of how environmental and social CSR are related to innovation performance and whether the implementation of organizational practices might moderate this relationship. The results are based on an unbalanced panel of 14,313 observations of 3713 firms covering 2011–2015. Using random-effects probit models and the estimation of average marginal effects (AMEs), this paper contributes to the literature on CSR by explaining how CSR dimensions affect innovation success differently and by addressing how this effect is influenced by organizational innovation. The results show that while environmental CSR orientation proves beneficial for the generation of process innovation, social CSR orientation contributes to the generation of both kinds of technological innovations only when internal organizational practices are implemented. This study provides valuable insights for managers aiming to implement a CSR perspective in their strategies to support the pursuit of innovation.
Open Access
The link between R&D team diversity and innovative performance: a mediated moderation model
(Elsevier, 2020) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; García Marco, María Teresa; García Martínez, Marian; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
This paper examines how diversity dimensions, namely gender, skills and education, in R&D teams interact to drive innovation. Our research supports the hypothesis that surface-level diversity might negatively affect R&D team performance when interacting with deep-level diversity. Further, the study considers the mediating effect of social capital to extract value from diverse R&D teams. Social capital favours social interaction by developing harmonious interpersonal relationships among diverse team members. Research hypotheses were tested using the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2008-2015. Our mediated-moderation model suggests that high diversity in education or skills in gender diverse teams might adversely affect innovation performance, although the mediating role of R&D social capital diminishes this outcome. This study provides valuable insights for managers aiming to benefit from diversity in R&D teams while minimizing the conflict and mistrust associated with excessive diversity.
Open Access
Innovation models in the agri-food sector. An example of development of a new raw meat product
(2016) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Cantalejo Díez, María Jesús; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Tecnología de Alimentos; Elikagaien Teknologia; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Las principales aportaciones de esta tesis en el campo de la innovación en las industrias alimentarias se resumen en cuatro puntos: El primer estudio muestra la importancia de la innovación en los sectores agroalimentarios como mecanismo clave para su crecimiento e incluso para sobrevivir en tiempos económicos difíciles. Además, supone la influencia ejercida por diferentes fuentes de innovación para mejorar el desempeño innovador de las empresas en los próximos años. El segundo trabajo también contribuye a la Teoría de Recursos y Capacidades, destacando el papel de la capacidad de absorción de la empresa tales como los conocimientos y las habilidades, los cuales parecen ser factores clave para la utilización eficaz y la integración del conocimiento externo necesario para obtener mayores resultados de innovación. El tercer capítulo analiza las implicaciones de las técnicas de procesamiento de alimentos así como sus futuras aplicaciones o integración en la cadena de suministro de alimentos con el objetivo de producir alimentos seguros que respondan a las necesidades del mercado y a las expectativas del consumidor. El cuatro estudio agrega los beneficios de las innovaciones en las tecnologías de envasado en atmósfera modificada para proporcionar una mejor calidad sensorial de los nuevos productos cárnicos para llegar a mercados potenciales y satisfacer las demandas del consumidor.