Marketing, Business and International Management, Strategy and Management
74
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
The role of accelerators in enhancing the performance of born-digital healthcare platforms Lukas Geryba, Isabel Narbón-Perpiñá, Diego Prior, Josep Rialp European Journal of Innovation Management, 2025 Purpose This study examines the role of accelerators in the performance of born-digital health platform startups. Specifically, we investigate whether accelerators, including both domain-specific and general types, provide measurable performance gains in a complex, regulated and prone to rapid change healthcare environment. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on data from 235 born-digital health platform startups funded between 2010 and 2021, we use a two-step methodology. First, we evaluate performance with the benefit of the doubt composite indicator method. Second, we assess accelerator impact through a quasi-experimental approach employing propensity score matching to examine differences between domain-specific and general accelerator impacts. Findings Contrary to prevailing assumptions, our analysis indicates that non-accelerated startups tend to outperform those that have engaged in accelerator programs. Moreover, domain-specific accelerators do not offer a significant advantage over general ones. These results suggest that startup performance may be more closely linked to inherent capabilities and sector-specific challenges, such as regulatory complexity, rather than to external support from accelerators. Originality/value This paper addresses a critical research gap by differentiating the effects of various accelerator types in the digital health sector. The findings challenge traditional views on accelerator effectiveness and offer new insights that can inform more targeted support strategies in healthcare entrepreneurship.
Power in Value Cocreation Process: The Emergence of a New Dimension Diana Escandon-Barbosa, Jairo Salas, Josep Rialp, Maria del Camen Alarcon del Amo Global Business Review, 2025 There are different scales to measure value cocreation, but it still has no consensus about its uses. In this way, the aims to validate a multidimensional scale with seven factors related to individual characteristics and consumer behaviour included a new emerging dimension inside individual characteristics that are relevant to analyse value cocreation: power importance. The measurement instrument was developed, validated and tested using 1,300 Colombian and Vietnam consumers. For the final analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis was used, resulting in an adjusted and reliable multidimensional model. The results suggest seven dimensions (personal interaction, feedback, helping, tolerance, learning, personalization and power importance). Regarding the power importance that includes items that are related to the way in which consumers develop emotions at the moment of influencing others (authority, social recognized, wellness and monetary retribution). Finally, the present study contributes to the literature on value cocreation through the identification of a key aspect in the interaction between the company and the consumer. This term has recently attracted the attention of scholars and that has been little explored in the field of consumer behaviour.
Time to come back: the effects of export market re-entry and time-out period on innovation Joan Freixanet, Josep Rialp, Fernando Angulo-Ruiz Multinational Business Review, 2025 Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how exporters’ time-out periods and re-entry to various export areas impact their knowledge stock and capacity to learn from foreign markets. Design/methodology/approach This paper introduces the concept of innovation divergent export areas (IDEXAs), which refers to a group of countries with relatively similar average levels of innovation capabilities (intra-area homogeneity), and different from other areas (inter-area heterogeneity), as measured by their R&D expenditures over gross domestic product (GDP). This paper tests the hypotheses on a longitudinal sample of Spanish manufacturing companies that exported to different IDEXAs from 1990 until 2016. Findings The findings suggest a positive effect of IDEXA re-entry on new product and process introductions and a negative impact of a time-out period of four or more years for those export areas with higher innovation levels. Practical implications Re-internationalization offers exporters the opportunity to reuse the knowledge gained in prior exporting episodes to increase their chances of success. Hence, it is important that managers make sense of the potentially damaging exit experience, to avoid repeating the same mistakes and perform better the next time around. Originality/value This study investigates for the first time the effects of re-entry to specific export areas on exporters’ capacity to increase their innovation output. Hence, it contributes to the international business literature by examining the performance consequences of companies’ re-internationalization, a key and under-researched topic. Furthermore, most studies focus on full withdrawal from foreign markets and ignore the more common microscopic decisions concerning withdrawing from one or more export areas.
The relationship between strategic orientations and firm performance and the role of innovation: a meta-analytic assessment of theoretical models Juan David Reyes-Gómez, Pilar López, Josep Rialp International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 2025 PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the validity and utility of two theoretical approaches to understanding the relationship between strategic orientations, innovation and firm performance and to examine the role of innovation in the relationship while avoiding circular arguments. The universalistic approach suggests that strategic orientations have independent and parallel effects on firms’ performance, and that innovation does not influence this relationship. The holistic approach proposes that strategic orientations in a complementary and interrelated view have both direct and indirect effects on firms’ performance through innovation.Design/methodology/approachA meta-analytic path analysis applying two-stage structural equation modeling (TSSEM) was conducted on data from 132 primary studies and 33,063 observations.FindingsThe holistic approach was demonstrated to be superior due to its more explanatory power in linking more complex relationships through simultaneous direct and indirect effects and its capacity for including the interrelatedness and complementarity of strategic orientations. It was found that innovation has a full mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance, and a partial mediating role in the relationship between market orientation (MO) and learning orientation (LO) and firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used observed variables instead of latent variables for meta-analytic path analysis, which may reduce some sources of endogeneity. However, causal inference is not possible due to the nature of meta-analysis. The scope of the final sample was limited by some studies not reporting the estimates of correlations between constructs.Practical implicationsManagers can improve an organization's chances of success in the marketplace by adopting a holistic view of strategic orientations focusing on customer satisfaction, learning from the external environment and pursuing new market opportunities. Furthermore, an organization can gain a competitive advantage through innovation by creating products and services that are different from what is currently available in the market. To be successful, an organization must not only create innovative products and services but also market them effectively to consumers.Originality/valueThis study is the first to meta-analytically assess the explanatory value of two theorized models linking strategic orientations, innovation and firm performance. It also clarifies the role of innovation in the relationship between strategic orientations and firm performance.
Internationalisation and technological innovation: Empirical evidence on their mutual relationship Diana A. Filipescu, Alex Rialp, Josep Rialp Advances in International Marketing, 2025 Broadly speaking, internationalisation means the entry to new-country markets. It may, therefore, be described as a process of innovation (Bilkey & Tesar, 1977; Andersen, 1993; Casson, 2000). Faced with increasing international competition, innovation has become a central focus in firms’ long-term strategies. Firms competing in global markets face the challenges and opportunities of change in markets and technologies. One important aspect within innovation management is the optimal integration of external knowledge, since innovation increasingly is derived from a network of companies interacting in a variety of ways (Veugelers & Cassiman, 1999).
Unveiling the dynamics of exporting firms: How social media shapes export costs and relationships María-del-Carmen Alarcón-del-Amo, Alex Rialp, Josep Rialp, Pilar López-Belbeze International Business Review, 2024 We analysed the impact of exporters’ social media use on export costs and relationships with foreign customers using data collected in 2013 and in 2021. Our empirical results show that better information and communication technology (ICT) capabilities positively influence social media use, enhance communications, and lead to stronger relationships with foreign customers, but do not directly reduce export costs. We highlight the significant mediating role played by exporters’ cross-country social media communication in relationship building with foreign customers. Some divergences were evident in relation to the effects on export costs in 2021 compared to 2013. In 2013, social media communication, but not relationship building, notably reduced export costs; in 2021, in contrast, marked by the increased use of social media by consumers and companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the scenario was reversed: relationship building, but not social media communication, exerted a notable influence on costs. Commented, in conclusion, are the theoretical and practical implications of exporters using social media to improve their internationalization.
How much do companies know what contributes to education? Alexei Arbona, Sebastian López-Estrada, Diego Prior, Josep Rialp Journal of the Operational Research Society, 2023 In this research we evaluate the impact that various types of private contributions to public schools can have on their performance. We start from the assumption that greater involvement in the social role of business is key to accelerating the achievement of development goals. Although there is abundant literature that measures different types of effects from private aid to education at an individual level, this study provides an aggregate measure of the effect of simultaneous interventions. We use a benchmarking approach on a sample of 269,117 Colombian students from 1,224 schools, of which 53% received some assistance. The findings may help to stimulate companies to participate in solving the problems of development, while calling attention to some social criteria that can improve the allocative efficiency of such resources. The results suggest that a consistent process of accountability is also required to quantify the real impact of these contributions.
Antecedents of satisfaction and loyalty in different spectator tribes in a football context Giuseppe Lamberti, Josep Rialp, Alexandra Simon International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 2022 PurposeExtending existing research in a football context, this study explores how image and service quality influence spectator tribe satisfaction and loyalty and variations in behaviors depending on age, gender and emotional involvement.Design/methodology/approachSpectators aged 18 years and older who attended Barcelona Football Club home La Liga matches were sampled. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the model, and hybrid multigroup PLS-SEM was used to explore observed heterogeneity.FindingsImage and service quality both influence spectator satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction and loyalty are associated differently with three tribes: a nonpassionate tribe characterized by low emotional involvement and younger and older passionate tribes composed of emotionally involved spectators aged <30 and >30 years old, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s results contribute to strengthening the suitability of PLS-SEM and multigroup in sport management, in particular for analyzing the behavior of specific groups of football spectators.Originality/valueThe findings of this study underline image and service quality as crucial to football spectator satisfaction and loyalty, with emotional involvement and age defining different consumer tribes as potential targets for marketing purposes.
Disentangling the relationship between internationalization, incremental and radical innovation, and firm performance Joan Freixanet, Josep Rialp Global Strategy Journal, 2022 Abstract Research Summary This study examines the impact of firm internationalization on incremental and radical product innovation, and the effects of these innovation facets on sales growth. We use a sample of 1,064 Spanish manufacturers over the period 2008–2014. We find a positive relationship between higher international scope and greater ex‐post radical innovation output, and an inverted U‐shape relationship between export intensity and both innovation forms. We also find a positive relationship between incremental innovation and sales growth for performance leaders, and negative for performance laggards. Conversely, radical innovation boosts performance laggards' sales growth, but reduces that of performance leaders. The study supports and qualifies the learning‐by‐exporting effect, by identifying some firm‐specific factors that shape the relationship between internationalization, innovation, and firm performance. Managerial Summary In this study, we examine the effect of a more intense and more geographically spread out international expansion in a firm's incremental and radical innovation performance. We argue that more internationalized firms may benefit from new knowledge and learning, which they may leverage to increase their incremental and radical product innovations. In turn, we posit that incremental product innovation may be beneficial for performance leaders, but useless for a turnaround of performance laggards. Conversely, radical innovation may be useful for performance laggards, but may disrupt the current position of performance leaders and lead to reduced sales growth. These results point to the importance for exporters to use their new knowledge and capabilities to develop innovation forms that are consistent with their position in the market.
Work climate drivers and employee heterogeneity Giuseppe Lamberti, Tomas Aluja Banet, Josep Rialp Criado International Journal of Human Resource Management, 2022 We examined how sociodemographic variables affect the relationship between work climate constructs (motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty) and work climate drivers (empowerment, image, leadership, pay, and work conditions) in the banking sector. We implemented a partial least squares structural equation model to test the general model and then tested heterogeneity using the multi-group parametric test and Pathmox analysis to determine how employee groups were segmented in the structural model. Our results show that empowerment has the greatest impact on work climate and that not all employees respond in the same way to different work climate drivers. As sources of heterogeneity, we identified three groups of employees, namely, executives, senior employees, and junior employees, finding that leadership is important in defining the loyalty of junior employees, whereas work conditions are crucial for senior employees and executives. While pay is one of the most important corporate tools for attracting, retaining, and motivating younger talent, we found that it becomes less relevant as employees ascend the company hierarchy. Our findings provide interesting insight into how companies might customize human resource management strategies according to different employee profiles.
Marketing capabilities, enterprise optimization programs and performance in early transition economies: The case of Cuban SOEs Transformations in Business and Economics, 2011
Strategic orientation, innovation and performance in new smes: The role of marketing Tecnológico de Monterrey (Campus de Guadalajara).Avenida General Ramón Corona, 2514. 45040 Jalisco (México), Jorge Gómez Villanueva, Joan Llonch Andreu, Departament d’Economia de l’Empresa. Facultat d’Economia i Empresa. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 08193, Bellaterra (Barcelona). e-mail: joan.llonch@uab.es, Josep Rialp Criado, Departament d’Economia de l’Empresa. Facultat d’Economia i Empresa. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 08193, Bellaterra (Barcelona) Cuadernos De Gestion, 2010
Entrepreneurs' human and relational capital as predictors of early internationalization: Evidence from Latin America and Southeast Asia International Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2010
Marketing communication efficiency in the Spanish automobile sector: Analysing the role of online advertising through DEA and stochastic frontiers Academia Revista Latinoamericana De Administracion, 2008
