Rural tourism demand by type of accommodation

This paper develops a methodology which will enable the determination of the tourist profile which corresponds to the different types of existing accommodations in a certain destination of rural tourism. This is accomplished through the use of a two-stage method (a correspondence analysis followed by a cluster analysis) to classify the accommodations in a reduced number of groups, so that each group constitutes a type. The estimation of a Multinomial Logit model determines the characteristics of tourist who is most likely to opt for each type of accommodation. Results from a study in Murcia indicate that the wide variety of accommodations with respect to size and type is a suitable form of attracting individuals of different profiles.     

Determinants of the demand for education in Spain

The aim of this paper is to estimate an equation for household demand for both secondary and university education, using an estimation of the opportunity cost associated with the decision to invest in education. Limited dependent variable models are applied to the data provided by the Family Budget Survey 1991 for Spain. The results show that the social and economic status of the family has a comparatively greater impact on household expenditure on secondary education than on university education. The opportunity cost is also shown to be a decisive variable in the decision to invest in secondary education, although the results are less conclusive in the case of university education.     

Criteria employed for go/no-go decisions when developing successful highly innovative products

Based on a sample of 77 highly innovative products, this study examines the usage and the relative importance of a set of go/no-go decision criteria at four major gates of the new product development (NPD) process. The findings reveal that go/no-go criteria can be grouped into five dimensions: strategic fit, technical feasibility, customer acceptance, market opportunity, and financial performance. Strategic fit dimension is mainly applied in approving the new product concept. Technical feasibility dimension is crucial in approving the new product concept and the product prototype. The usage of customer acceptance dimension is notably high throughout the entire development process, particularly after product launch. Market opportunity dimension is mostly employed to approve the new product concept and the maintenance of the product on the market. Financial performance dimension stands out near the end of the development process.     

Boosting environmental management: The mediating role of Industry 4.0 between environmental assets and economic and social firm performance

The adoption of new innovative ecosystems linked to Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in industrial firms has created new opportunities for performance. In this study, we investigate whether I4.0 can reinforce environmental asset management in achieving firm economic and social performance. We intend to contrast the existence of I4.0-based reward mechanisms for being green. Using a panel of 1028 Spanish industrial firms in 2009–2016 period and a partial least squares structural equation modelling econometric methodology, the research has obtained two main results. First, the management of environmental assets generates positive effects on the economic and social performance of the industrial firm. Second, research findings confirm the mediating role of I4.0, which ends up reinforcing the relationship between environmental assets and the economic and social firm performance. The results obtained highlight the importance of complementary relationships between digital and environmental transformation to promote firm performance. Implications for firm strategy and business models are also discussed.     

Fostering creative selling through ethics. An emotion-based approach

Research on salesperson creativity remains as one of the most under-researched topics in the sales literature despite the evidence that encouraging creativity in the sales domain is a source of competitive advantage. This paper aims to fill this research gap by exploring the influence of perceived ethical climate on salesperson creative performance, paying special attention to the role that emotions play in this process. Data provided by 176 supervisor–salesperson dyads confirm that the trust/responsibility dimension of an ethical climate is positively related to salesperson creative selling by increasing salespeople's organizational pride. Similarly, the perception of unethical selling practices negatively affects salesperson organizational pride, reducing the expression of creative behaviors. Moreover, the negative effect of unethical selling practices on creative performance is stronger (more negative) when salespeople's identification with an organization increases. Managerial implications and future research directions are also addressed.