BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

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., The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding received through the AGL2015-65897-C03-1_R research project co-financed by FEDER, and they would also like to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the Caja Navarra Foundation and the Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics (INARBE, Public University of Navarre, Spain) for the acquisition of the Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Diversity in the workplace has attracted significant interest in organisations that want to attract and retain talented employees. Breakthrough innovation requires a wider knowledge base, and organisations increasingly rely on multidisciplinary R&D teams to identify scientific developments that bridge gaps and reduce time to market. However, research on the performance implications of R&D team diversity remains limited and the empirical evidence inconsistent. This paper investigates the impact of surface and deep‐level diversity on R&D teams’ innovative performance and how diversity dimensions interact to drive innovation. We find supportive evidence that R&D team characteristics influence innovation outcomes, confirming our hypothesising that diversity is a valuable strategy for an organisation to pursue as it provides greater cognitive ability. Each diversity facet however has its own distinct effects depending on the novelty of innovation and industry. Yet, diversity is not solely positive and excessive heterogeneity could be detrimental to R&D team performance. Our findings suggest that high diversity in gender or skills in cognitively diverse teams might be negative attributes to take into consideration. Senior managers and organisations should therefore consider the appropriate mix of capabilities to benefit from creativity in diverse R&D teams and avoid possible conflict and distrust associated with diversity., Funded through the AGL2015‐65897‐C3‐1_R research project, and financial support received from the Public University of Navarra for the acquisition of the pre‐doctoral scholarship (Modality type B).

It is often stated that farmers need to become more entrepreneurial to compete in modern agriculture and that their entrepreneurship generates positive spillovers. Much of the literature on agricultural entrepreneurship, however, has been focused on established farmers and little is known about new entrants. Furthermore, there is a need for a more in-depth understanding of the contextual factors that shape entrepreneurship among farmers. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to investigate the individual and contextual determinants of entrepreneurial behaviours among farmers, with a special focus on new entrants. In order to do so, agricultural entrepreneurship was studied in its multidimensional facets, including behaviour, opportunity identification, growth and innovation. A comprehensive approach was developed through five empirical studies addressing factors that influence these entrepreneurial dimensions.
The first study describes the entrepreneurship of the sector, analyzing the differences existing between new and established agri-entrepreneurs in relation to their counterparts in non-agricultural ventures. Results show that agri-entrepreneurs have weaker entrepreneurial capabilities than other sectors. However, new entrants into the agricultural sector are not less entrepreneurial in relation to other sectors, and show greater entrepreneurialism than established farmers. The second study examines the drivers of entrepreneurialism among new entrants. Results suggest that new farmers with confidence in their entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial experience tend to be more entrepreneurial. Likewise, farmers’ social ties with other entrepreneurs increase this behaviour. The third study focuses on growth-oriented new agricultural ventures and their context. Results reinforce the importance of the above capabilities and networks, as well as the capabilities to effectively offer new products. Institutional and industry contexts also influence them as they need social legitimation, and those operating in less agriculturally competitive countries have a greater probability of becoming growth-oriented. The fourth study focuses on entrepreneurial innovation providing evidence that different entrepreneurial innovations arise from different entrepreneurial assets and context configurations. Finally, the fifth study presents an innovative approach using Twitter data to analyse attitudes towards food innovations. We found a complex set of factors that may underlie positive attitudes such as cultural diversity and intensity of information flows.
This thesis contributes to the entrepreneurship field by contextualizing the entrepreneurial process and providing valuable insights for policy-makers to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurship. Our findings highlight the importance of entrepreneurial competencies as well as professional networks, which have consequences for tailoring education and training programs. This research enhances our understanding of how entrepreneurship is enabled and constrained by several overlapping dimensions of context, which has implications for policies aimed at improving entrepreneurial ecosystems., The research reported in this dissertation has been supported financially by the Project AGL2012-39793-C03-01 and AGL2015-65897-C3-1 (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness); co-financed by FEDER., Programa de Doctorado en Economía, Empresa y Derecho (RD 99/2011), Ekonomiako, Enpresako eta Zuzenbideko Doktoretza Programa (ED 99/2011)

Strategic management research has demonstrated the importance of firm- and industry structure as drivers of firm profitability. However, less is known about how firms´ geographical locations affect profitability. Applying a multi-level approach of hierarchical linear modeling we estimated firm-, industry-, and region-specific effects on profitability of 3,273 agri-food firms operating in different Spanish districts over the time span 2006-2013. The results reveal the dominance of firm-specific effects which contribute up to 48.8% to variance in firm profitability while the contribution of industry effects (0.8-4.2%), geographical location (0.1-1.8%), and year effects (0.1-2.5%) is rather small. Moreover, firm size, risk, and innovative activity turn out as significant profit drivers at the firm level. Although firm-effects outweigh industry- and region-specific factors, the results indicate that industry concentration as well as regional education and unemployment influence profitability. In addition, proximity to technological institutes as well as the degree of urbanization of the region in which a firm operates can be drivers of profitability. Hence, despite the superiority of firm effects the results indicate that agri-food managers should also consider possible advantages from location-based resources in order to ensure competitiveness., FEDER (AGL2015-65897-C03-1)

Using a multilevel approach, this study examines how new entrants’ resources, capabilities and context influence growth-oriented new agricultural ventures. Results indicate that growth orientation is largely self-determined. The knowledge base of the new entrants, their social ties with entrepreneurs, together with the capabilities to identify and exploit opportunities, as well as those to effectively offer new products, trigger these growth-oriented ventures. Industry contexts also influence them, as those operating in less agriculturally competitive countries have a greater probability of becoming growth-oriented, suggesting convergence forces. Lastly, results reveal that competitiveness positively moderates the relationship between product innovation capabilities and growth orientation., The authors acknowledge the financial support from Project AGL2015-65897-C3-1-R (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness); cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

This paper examines the performance effects associated with different alliance portfolio configurations in terms of geographical location and partner type. Based on these distinctions, the authors hypothesize that more diverse alliance portfolios enable firms to gain and exploit innovation opportunities. Additionally, the mediating effects of R&D human and social capital on the R&D alliance portfolio diversity-innovation performance relationship are explored. The authors reason that the absorptive capacity of R&D intellectual capital determines a firm's potential gains from highly diverse alliance portfolios. From panel data of manufacturing firms in Spain for the period 2008-2013, the results confirm the inverted U-shaped relationship between alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance, implying that both insufficient and excessive alliance portfolio diversity may be detrimental to firm innovativeness. Additionally, R&D human and social capital partially mediates the R&D alliance diversity-innovation performance relationship, emphasizing the importance of internal capabilities to leverage the benefits of highly diverse alliance portfolios. These findings add a dynamic dimension to the conceptualization of alliance portfolios and how firms create value by balancing explorative and exploitative alliances., The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding received through the AGL2015-65897-C3-1 research project co-financed by FEDER, and they would also like to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the Public University of Navarra for the acquisition of the pre-doctoral scholarship (Modality type B).

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., The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding received through the AGL2015-65897-C3-1_R research Project, and they would also like to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the Public University of Navarra for the acquisition of the pre-doctoral scholarship (Modality type B).

This study analyzes differences existing between new and established agri-entrepreneurs as well as differences in relation to their counterparts in non-agricultural ventures. This study uses the resource-based view and institutional economics as conceptual frameworks and focuses on the analysis of the resources and capabilities, entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking, proactiveness and innovativeness) and legitimation affecting the entrepreneurial process. The literature points out that the specific characteristics of the sector (strong family links and institutional support) can condition the entrepreneurship process. Thus, hypotheses are developed to test these relationships. We use random effects models to test our hypotheses with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for 20 European countries. Results show that agri-entrepreneurs have weaker entrepreneurial capabilities than other sectors. However, new entrants into the agricultural sector are not less entrepreneurial in relation to other sectors. On the other hand, established agri-entrepreneurs are less proactive than other sectors. Results suggest that new entrants into agriculture are more entrepreneurially oriented than established ones. Our study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by contextualizing the entrepreneurship process and providing valuable insights for policy-makers to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial orientation., The authors acknowledge the financial support from Project AGL2012-39793-C03-01
and AGL2015-65897-C3-1 (Spanish Ministry of Economy and
Competitiveness); co-financed by FEDER.

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., This work was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness research projects ECO2017-86305-C4-4-R and AGL2015-65897-C03-1_R.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend the knowledge into the relationship between open innovation (OI) and firm’s innovative performance. Specifically, the authors aim to determine whether the
benefits of OI practices are different for Food and Beverage (FnB) firms as compared to those of other sectors. The FnB industry is relevant in terms of employment GDP generation in the UE, characterised by high
integration and low-tech intensity. Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve the goal and obtain robust results, the authors consider four OI dimensions and four innovation performance measures using panel data (2004-2011) from 10,771 FnB and non-FnB firms using Tobit and Logit models by random effects. Findings – The authors test and confirm the presence of the classical inverted U-shape relationship between OI and firm innovative performance for FnB and non-FnB companies. However, the optimal number of external sources of knowledge used is lesser for FnB than the rest of the companies.
Originality/value – The paper compares the OI effects in a traditional and low-tech industry vs other industries considering four innovation outputs (product innovations, process innovations, incremental
innovation and radical innovation)., Claudio Cruz-Cázares and Teresa García-Marco thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for its financial support granted through the project ECO2013-48496-C4-2-R. Cristina Bayona-Sáez thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for its financial support obtained through the project ECO2013-46954-C3-1-R. Finally Mercedes Sánchez is grateful for the support received from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2015-65897-C3-1-R).

Introducción: La Escala de Satisfacción con la Vida (SWLS) es un instrumento ampliamente utilizado para la evaluación cognitiva del bienestar subjetivo de los individuos. La SWLS ha sido validada en numerosos contextos y poblaciones, pero la invarianza de medida a nivel transcultural en adultos emergentes ha sido poco explorada. El propósito de este artículo fue evaluar la invarianza de medida de la SWLS en estudiantes universitarios de Chile y España y según género. Método: Una muestra no probabilística de 165 estudiantes universitarios de Chile (66.7% mujeres, edad promedio = 21.9, DE = 2.35) y 109 estudiantes de España (48.6% mujeres, edad promedio = 22.9, DE = 2.4) completaron la SWLS. Resultados: Por medio de
un análisis factorial confirmatorio multigrupo, los resultados mostraron que la SWLS exhibió invarianza configural, métrica y escalar en la comparación entre las muestras de estudiantes chilenos y españoles y según género. Conclusión: Este hallazgo muestra que la SWLS permite comparaciones significativas de medias latentes entre muestras transculturales universitarias. Además, este estudio aporta evidencia de la SWLS como un instrumento válido que puede guiar la creación de políticas para mejorar el bienestar subjetivo de los estudiantes universitarios de ambos géneros, tanto en países desarrollados como en desarrollo de habla hispana., Introduction: The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used measure of an individuals’ cognitive assessment of subjective well-being. The SWLS has been validated in several contexts and populations, but its cross-cultural measurement invariance in emerging adult samples remains barely explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement invariance of the SWLS in university students from Chile and Spain and according to gender. Method: A non-probabilistic sample of 165 university students from Chile (66.7% women, Mage = 21.9, SD = 2.35), and 109 students from Spain (48.6% women; Mage = 22.9, SD = 2.4) completed the SWLS. Results: Using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, results showed that the SWLS exhibited configural, metric and scalar invariance in the comparison between the Chilean and Spanish student samples and also according to gender. Conclusions: This finding allows for significant latent mean comparisons between cross-cultural samples. Moreover, this study supports the SWLS as a valid instrument which provides data that can inform policies in order to improve the subjective well-being of university students of both genders, both in developed and developing Spanish-speaking countries., This work was supported by Fondecyt Project 1160005 and Project AGL2015-65897-C3-1 of the Ministry of Economics and Competitivity of the Government of Spain.