PhD of Business and Economics - University of Navarra
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
General Business, Management and Accounting, Business, Management and Accounting, Management of Technology and Innovation
25
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Dissemination analysis of SDGs in sustainability reports to enhance corporate communication strategy Pilar Buil, , Elena L. Sanjurjo-San Martin, José A. Alfaro-Tanco, , and Cuadernos De Gestion, 2024 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of the management of public and private enterprises. Organizations have incorporated the SDGs into their business strategy by developing actions that they disseminate in their reports. In the last decade, academic research has paid special attention to this development, publishing a growing number of studies on the subject with the emergence of a specific line of research in the area of sustainability: sustainability reporting. In this context, this paper aims to show a methodology that serves as a tool to analyze the disclosure of SDGs in the sustainability reports. This methodology has three stages. First, a lexicographic analysis of sustainability reports has been carried out, second, a correspondence analysis, and third, outlining through “guided questions” how the information obtained can be useful to analyze SDG communication strategy. For further illustration the methodology has been applied to a company in the Spanish agri-food sector: Ebro Foods. This work has both academic and professional implications by providing a guideline for SDG dissemination analysis in sustainability reports and, on the other hand, by providing the business world with an analysis tool that serves to improve communication strategies in the field of sustainability.
How to promote social innovation within Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The case of the Audiovisual Industry in Navarre , Isabel Olloqui, José Antonio Alfaro, , Mónica Recalde, and European Public and Social Innovation Review, 2023 This article examines the situation of social innovation in the audiovisual industry, which is a gap in the field of media management regarding the promotion of innovation with social impact. The main objective of this paper is to conduct a study in order to promote social innovation in the audiovisual industry at regional level. By collaborating through an action research case with the audiovisual cluster in Navarra (CLAVNA) this research focuses on specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to gender equality, decent work and economic growth, and industry, innovation, and infrastructure. Three are the main findings of this study: 1) Technological innovations are crucial to promote social innovation; 2) the need for public-private co-creation for the development of the focused industry; 3) the relevance of focusing efforts on social innovation in firms based on animation and video games.to attract development and investments.
Creating New Knowledge while Solving a Relevant Practical Problem: Success Factors for an Action Research-Based PhD Thesis in Business and Management José A. Alfaro-Tanco, Miguel Mediavilla, Amaya Erro-Garcés Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2023 This paper focuses on university–firm relationships in terms of individual interactions between researchers and practitioners. More specifically, we focus on an analysis of the main factors that influence the use of the action research (AR) to achieve a successful doctoral thesis. In order to achieve this, we developed a Delphi study with 15 panelists whose common characteristic is that they defended or supervised an AR-based thesis in the field of business and management. The primary contribution of the research is the development of a reference framework that should be considered in the design of a doctoral thesis for which an AR methodology is put into practice. Four dimensions were defined: profiles of both the PhD candidate and supervisor, PhD program/university, and firm/organization. Three main conclusions were reached. First, it is crucial to have a cooperative “eye-to-eye” relationship between the university and the company. Second, the AR process must respond unequivocally to its own dichotomous nature. Third, there must be a straightforward academic process for the PhD thesis. We believe that this study may impel the development of doctoral theses based on AR as a tool to potentiate collaborative university–firm relationships.
The role of communication in open innovation processes: an action research study in the automotive industry María Jesús Yáñez-Galdames, José A. Alfaro-Tanco, Elena Gutiérrez-García Management Research, 2023 Purpose This study aims to identify the main barriers and drivers that influence the role of communication in open innovation (OI) activities, and how these can support and enhance the innovative capacity of companies in the automotive industry. In order to get this, we carry out in an assembly plant of an automotive firm. Design/methodology/approach An action research study is carried out with the participation of the researchers, the Innovation and Communication managers of the assembly plant and four external stakeholders who have participated in OI dynamics carried out by the company. Findings It is observed that collaborative practices are integrated within the culture of the assembly plant. This is carried out according to the specific needs of the company, which limits the specificity of the stakeholders with which it collaborates. In terms of communication, the proposed functions are evidenced in practice. However, it is advisable to systematize these functions and to acquire, in the case of communication professionals, specific skills to support the integration of open practices. Originality/value Although studies exist that analyze OI in the automotive process, none have focused on how communication may help reinforce it. In addition, this study shows how communication may play a significant role in an assembly plant where research and development activities may not be important. Thus, the contribution of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it enriches the literature on OI; on the other hand, it proposes policies to improve the performance of OI practices by involving communication at all stages.
Relevant Factors Influencing Cognitive Distance in the Performance of Collaborative Research Projects Maria Isabel Rodriguez-Ferradas, Elena L. Sanjurjo-San Martin, Jose A. Alfaro-Tanco International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2023 The research scope of this paper is to reinforce the need to strengthen university-firm relationship. We consider that it is crucial that the interactions between researcher/university and managers/firms should be based on a win-win relationship. In this sense, it is relevant to determine the main drivers behind the success of collaborative research projects, and this study focuses on one of them: cognitive distance. The specific objective of this study is to analyze the main factors that determine the influence of cognitive distance in the individual relationship between researchers and practitioners in collaborative research projects. In the first stage, through a literature review of cognitive distance and collaborative research projects, we identified a list of seven factors that influence cognitive distance and the issues that may provoke in the empirical context. Second, we carried out an empirical study based on semi-structured interviews with coordinators of collaborative research projects managed by the “Chair of Business Volkswagen Navarra – University of Navarra”. This permitted us to build guidelines that show the main practical concerns associated with each factor and how they were managed in the analyzed projects. This enriches the cognitive distance literature on individual interactions between researchers and practitioners. We highlight the relevance of previous experience of both agents, the exploitation of projects versus exploratory ones, and the determinant role of support infrastructures to minimize the negative effect of high cognitive distance. Nowadays, there is a trend to develop collaborative research projects with firms, not only agreement collaborations. Therefore, our findings could be useful for analyzing the relationships between researchers and practitioners in action research studies developed inside a doctoral thesis or competitive research project. By considering the effect of cognitive distance when selecting collaborative research projects, it will help to increase the degree of success of these projects.
Supply chain management: Some reflections to improve its influence in business strategy* Carlos Raúl Arredondo, José Antonio Alfaro Tanco Innovar, 2021 Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a nearly new discipline of management that can be seen in different ways. However, only a strategic approach of SCM that leads to subsequent tactical decisions and operational implementation will provide the benefits that scm promises. A presentation of the evolution of scm from its beginnings as part of Operations Management (OM) to an independent field in management has the objective of determining its correct scope. Therefore, this work examined papers where the research agenda of both om and scm —from the beginnings of these disciplines to these days— has been discussed, in order to show the evolution of SCM as a field of high relevance in OM. The strategic nature of SCM and the importance of considering this discipline in such a way is emphasized, arguing that is a narrow view thinking of scm as directly related to logistics as its main focus, since this logistic vision creates a bias that limits the real scope of SCM. In order for this strategic vision of SCM to be correctly implemented, it is crucial to know both how the role and the profile of SC managers should be.
Corporate communication in open innovation: a case-study of three multinationals Elena Gutiérrez-García, Mónica Recalde, José A. Alfaro Corporate Communications, 2021 PurposeThis article proposes a theoretical framework that synthesizes the main factors explaining the strategic contribution of communication department to open innovation (OI) processes. Because there is little or no research literature on communication and OI, the purpose is to fill this gap. A literature review and empirical qualitative research were conducted to weigh the significance of the framework in practice.Design/methodology/approachAn interdisciplinary literature review was necessary to identify the main factors that explain the communication contribution to OI. The analysis of three multinational case studies has helped to enrich the proposed framework. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with in-company communication managers and innovation managers in order to capture their perceptions.FindingsCommunication emerges as a strategic function with the potential to be embedded in the whole OI process. The main conclusion is that it may play an increasingly central role in enhancing relationships with external partners. Moreover, it enacts its strategic role while facilitating the enhancement of the organization's overall communication capability – that is, trust, transparency and a coherently articulated narrative.Research limitations/implicationsThis article has not been designed as a comprehensive overview of the topic, nor it is designed to be statistically representative or generalizable. The study was conducted with the intention of exploring the theoretical and practical contributions of communication department to OI, as well as to raise awareness among scholars and practitioners on this new but neglected topic for research. Its qualitative approach serves to assess the value of the framework proposed, and the key issues highlighted here require further research.Practical implicationsThe theoretical framework proposed may enable innovation managers to identify the factors in which the communication function and its practitioners may play a role for facilitating OI processes. Likewise, communication practitioners may find it useful to foster their organizational role and capabilities within these processes.Originality/valueThis article underlines the significant contribution that the communication function may play in OI processes. Research on this topic has been neglected thus far, despite its significance for the competitiveness of companies and the economy as a whole.
An Evaluation Framework for the Dual Contribution of Action Research: Opportunities and Challenges in the Field of Operations Management José A. Alfaro-Tanco, Lucía Avella, Philip Moscoso, Dag Näslund International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2021 The aim of this paper is to analyze the dual contribution of action research (AR) both for research as well as business practice, and how this methodology puts into practice a win-win collaboration between researchers and practitioners. In order to get this, we define three specific objectives: first, we develop an evaluation framework to assess the contribution of AR methodology for research and practitioners in the field of management. Second, we use this framework to evaluate the dual contribution of AR in the specific field of operations management (OM) through a systematic literature review, which allows to analyze a set of 62 papers. Third, we identify opportunities and challenges to enrich the dual contribution of AR studies in OM. Main findings show that the evaluation framework developed represents a tool that may be useful to assess the dual contribution of any study based on AR in the field of management. Besides, the analysis of AR in the field of OM highlights that most of the papers identified are focused on “theory building” (research) and “implementation” (practice) as there are studies that have used AR to develop contributions based on “theory testing” and “theory elaboration,” and also in terms of “diagnosis” and “proposals.” Finally, this study signals that, with the aim to assure research rigor and relevance of practitioners’ contribution of AR studies, it is relevant to give one step ahead and to develop actions such as the use of AR as a metamethodology, to highlight those relevant findings in the whole AR cycle and to develop tools and mechanisms that strengthen its dual contribution, in terms of both research and practice.
Action Research as a Meta-Methodology in the Management Field Amaya Erro-Garcés, José A. Alfaro-Tanco International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2020 Although it was first developed in the field of psychology, action research is a methodology of growing importance in business and management contexts. In this research article, we focus on a significant aspect of action research: the variety of methodologies that can be used jointly in an action research study and its relationships. More specifically, the aim of this study is to underscore the definition of action research as a meta-methodology that encompasses different ways of carrying out empirical research. To this end, we perform a meta-analysis of articles discussing empirical research that used an action research methodology. The meta-analysis is based on a systematic review of articles published between 2000 and 2018. The main findings suggest that action research may be regarded as a multidisciplinary method and that it can be implemented jointly with other methodologies; not just qualitative methods but also quantitative research. Consequently, action research may now be defined as a meta-methodology or an umbrella process. In this way, action research is a tool whose implementation ought to be promoted in the business/management field as a way of enhancing relevant, rigorous empirical studies and serving as a framework reference in projects based on research and practice contribution as well as active collaboration between researchers and practitioners.
Transitioning to english medium instruction in operations management courses taught on spanish business degrees: Perceptions and diagnosis José A. Alfaro-Tanco, Hanne Roothooft, Ruth Breeze Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 2020 Purpose: The objective of the present study is to analyze the effects of the transition to English Medium Instruction on lecturers in Spanish universities in one specific area, namely Operations Management courses taught in Business degrees.Design/methodology/approach: we present an overview of research so far into the effects of English Medium Instruction (EMI) on teaching and learning Operations Management in Business degrees of Spanish universities. Empirically, a survey was administered to 20 EMI lecturers in the area of Operations Management, and s the results in the light of both the bibliography on EMI and the empirical results were discussed. Using online questionnaires, information was obtained from a sample of EMI lecturers in thirteen Spanish Universities.Findings: Most professors report that they initially reacted negatively to the idea of having to teach in English, but now realize that most of their fears were ungrounded. They emphasize that it is very important to invest time in training seminars and the exchange of experiences. Other relevant findings are the perceived lack of incentives to teach in English, the need to use tools and techniques to improve the interaction with students, and the considerable amount of time needed for class preparation.Originality/value: The results of this small-scale study of EMI in OM are consistent with previous research in the area of EMI in other fields, but also provide some ideas that may pave the way for further research and development.
