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This paper aims to analyse the relevance of management and productivity in the behaviour of firms in international trade.

Using a survey of Spanish manufacturing firms, the authors use a management quality index to serve as a proxy for the good management practice of the firm.

The results demonstrate that exporter and multinationals firms are more productive and better managed than domestic firms. Furthermore, in the periods in which switcher firms decide to export or to invest abroad, they are better managed but are not more productive than in the rest of the periods. Finally, results indicate that regardless of its positive relationship with productivity, management also has a direct impact on the firm’s probability of exporting and involving in foreign direct investment.

This paper aims to reconcile the recent international trade literature, which focusses on the role of productivity heterogeneity in international trade, with the international business literature, concentrated on depicting the key management practices that impact internationalization.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the anniversary issue marking 30 years of academic publication.

This anniversary issue contains 12 articles from 11 countries and 17 academic institutions which present literature reviews, meta-analyses, and novel studies. It also contains testimonials about the history of the journal from Enrique Ogliastri (Editor and/or Director between 1998 and 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editor between 2002 and 2013), and Carlos Pombo (Chief Editor, 2013 to the present).

The history of the journal may be divided into five stages: first, the foundation at the Universidad de Chile (1988-1998); second, the move to the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá) and the preparation of a proposal to the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) for inclusion among the scientific journals of the world (1999-2004); third, a period of consolidation in Latin America (2004-2007); fourth, the acceptance of the journal in ISI and the development of an electronic platform with free access to the journal (2008-2013); and fifth, the entry of the Emerald group as editorial partner (2013-2018).

The 12 articles present literature reviews, meta-analyzes, and novel studies.

El propósito de este editorial es presentar el tema del aniversario.

Se publican doce artículos provenientes de once países y 17 instituciones académicas. Se presentan los testimonios de Enrique Ogliastri (editor y/o director entre 1998 y 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editora entre 2002 y 2013), y Carlos Pombo (jefe editorial 2013-2018).

Se publican doce artículos provenientes de once países y 17 instituciones académicas. Se presentan los testimonios de Enrique Ogliastri (editor y/o director entre 1998 y 2018), Elvira Salgado (Editora entre 2002 y 2013), y Carlos Pombo (jefe editorial 2013-2018). La historia de la revista de CLADEA se podría dividir en cinco etapas: la fundación en la Universidad de Chile (1988-1998); pasó a cargo de la Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá), un período de puesta a punto para presentar al Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) la solicitud de ser analizada e incluida entre las revistas científicas del mundo (1999-2004); el período de consolidación en América Latina (2004-2007); la aceptación en ISI y el desarrollo de una plataforma electrónica de acceso libre a la revista (2008-2013); y el ingreso del grupo Emerald como socio editorial (2013-2018).

Los 12 artículos presentan revisiones de literatura, metanálisis y estudios novedosos

The purpose of this chapter is to optimize multi-criteria formulation for green vehicle routing problems by mixed integer programming. This research is about the road freight transportation of a Spanish company of groceries. This company has more power in the north of Spain and hence it was founded there. The data used for the computational experiments are focused in the northern region of Spain. The data have been used to decide the best route in order to obtain a minimization of costs for the company. The problem focused on the distance traveled and the altitude difference; by studying these parameters, the best solution of route transportation has been made. The software used to solve this model is CPLEX solver with AMPL programming language. This has been helpful to obtain the results for the research and some conclusions have been obtained from them.

The purpose of this chapter is to solve multi-objective formulation for traveling salesman and transportation problems. Computations are based on real data for the road freight transportation of a Spanish company. The company was selected because of its importance in Spanish economy and market. This company is important in the whole country; however, it has its higher importance in the northern part of Spain. The requirements for these models are the minimization of total distance and the CO₂ emissions. To achieve this, it is required to know and carry out the minimization of the total distance traveled by the trucks during the deliveries. The deliveries are going to be executed between the different locations, nodes, in the region, and Elorrio, where the depot is situated. The data have been used to decide the best route in order to obtain a minimization of cost for the company. As it was mentioned earlier, the problems are focused on the reduction of the amount of CO₂ emissions and minimization of total distance; by studying different parameters, the best solutions of route transportation have been obtained. The software used to solve these models is CPLEX solver with AMPL programming language.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the amount of online information reported by Spanish municipal-owned enterprises (MOEs) according to the legal requirements indicated in the Spanish Law 19/2013 on Transparency and Good Governance. In addition, the authors analyze how different variables can affect the extent of online information reported by such enterprises.

To do this, we conducted a content analysis of the web pages of Spanish MOEs located in cities with more than 100.000 habitants, as well as those cities that are provincial capitals. To find information about these enterprises, the authors accessed the General Intervention Board of the State Administration (IGAE) webpage (www.igae.pap.minhafp.gob.es/sitios/igae/es-ES/Paginas/inicio.aspx). This sample was composed of 273 enterprises majority owned and controlled by local governments.

The findings reveal that the amount of information reported by Spanish MOEs, in accordance with the legal requirements, is quite reduced. The most influential variables for explaining Spanish MOEs’ commitment to information disclosure are population size, political positioning of the local government and reputation.

This study seeks to contribute to the scarce literature on mandatory transparency in the public sector as well as to reinforce the degree of compliance with requirements of information disclosure.

This study aims to evaluate public perceptions of illegal drug availability in Bangladesh amid the ongoing war on drugs while comparing the efficacy of crackdowns with traditional law enforcement strategies.

Using a quantitative approach, the research analyzes data gathered from 400 participants, including law enforcement officials, students, politicians, community leaders and journalists.

The findings reveal that illegal drugs continue to be widely accessible in Bangladesh, with 50.15% of respondents acknowledging this despite the government's intensified efforts against drug dealers since 2015. Perceptions of availability are notably higher among those identifying as “other” (66.67%), younger individuals aged 18–28 (55.26%), participants with lower educational levels (76.67% for those with less than SSC education), unmarried respondents (58.86%) and students (60.55%). When assessing enforcement methods, a substantial majority (65.6%) prefer regular law enforcement over violent crackdowns. The survey indicates that all respondents identifying as “other,” along with 73.23% of females, 65.6% of males, 81.82% of participants aged 58–68 and individuals from Khulna (92.65%), Rangpur (96.92%) and Dhaka (51.43%), overwhelmingly favor regular law enforcement compared to crackdowns.

The study emphasizes the urgent need to address the shortcomings of violent anti-drug measures and advocates for a more holistic approach that considers the complex interplay of social, economic and health factors in combating drug abuse in Bangladesh.

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between demographic factors and perceptions of drug availability and the effectiveness of violent crackdowns vs regular law enforcement, revealing new insights into this complex sociocultural issue.

Pulque is a fundamental piece in the Mexican gastronomy and identifying consumers’ perception could help promote it and generate new opportunities of commercialization. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the underlying factors that influence consumers’ perception toward pulque, and second, to identify groups of consumers according to their perception.

A questionnaire was designed and applied to 220 consumers within points of sales. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was undertaken and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to identify different groups of consumers.

By means of EFA three factors were obtained: traditionality, bad reputation of pulquerías and functional beverage. In order to identify different consumption patterns among consumers, HCA was performed and three groups were identified: traditional, neo-consumers and neo-consumers in transition. The groups identified showed significant differences in their perception.

Pulque has recently gained interest in various consumer sectors, mainly among young consumers, who are consuming and promoting the beverage these days. In this sense, the results of this work could be used for its promotion and consumption in order to attract more consumers and make a contribution to the development of local economies.

This is the first work in Mexico to explore the perception of consumers toward pulque: the most important traditional fermented beverage in Central México. Results of this research suggest the appearance of a revaluation process among young consumers, more informed and with greater sensitivity toward traditional Mexican food, particularly in the case of pulque. Likewise, these results could be useful for producers and sellers to carry out commercial strategies and promote the drink.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and find the significance of aesthetic standards related to the packaging design of pure milk among two groups of parents and children in order to help the designers and marketers to identify these two groups of consumers well.

The results of questionnaire were used to get the required data. The selected samples were divided into two groups of 110 parents and children aged between seven and 14 years old who responded to the questions. The subjects were compared and evaluated within the convenience stores in the cosmopolitan city of Tehran based on four independent variables as the influential factors in packaging attractiveness. Data were analyzed through the statistical analysis software using the Independent t-test analysis.

The results of analysis showed that all the variables vary significantly among these two groups. Besides, the importance and priority of variables were determined for each group based on the mean score of each variable.

According to the results of this study, it could be concluded that the selection criteria and packaging attractiveness varies among children and parents, and the aesthetic factors of packaging could be used with different priorities for these two groups. And also at the end of research some practical recommendations are presented in order of importance based on parents’ preferences.

This research aims to analyze the customer satisfaction associated with experiences from 14 ecological hotels in Ecuador by exploring online guest reviews and classifying the most influential factors.

This study applied big data exploration, semantic network analysis, EFA and linear regression. It processed 22,629 online reviews from Google/travel, extracting 100 words with the highest frequency. In addition, CONCOR analysis built a comprehensive structural model gathering essential keywords. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis and regression were conducted to explore the elements that best express customer satisfaction in ecological hotels.

The words such as green, sustainable, recycle, environment and ecological were not found among the main attributes extracted. Nonetheless, the keywords obtained reflect customer satisfaction, revealing that green practices do not affect comfort and the guests' experience. CONCOR analysis displayed four categories associated with satisfaction: tangibles, experience, location and empathy. Then, EFA restructured and revealed the factors: facilities feature, assurance, reliability, location and experience. Lastly, the regression disclosed location, assurance and facilities features as the most significant factors for customer satisfaction in the 14 ecological hotels. The terms related to the hotel area, staff care and hotel amenities were decisive for guests.

This study demonstrated that employee courtesy and location are the keys to enhancing customer experience and satisfaction. Hotel managers must promote green attributes and practices to increase customer awareness through constant staff training and information disclosure in common areas.

These findings provide insight and empirical evidence for hoteliers to understand how and what guest perceive to be green practices. By identifying the main features or concepts associated with satisfaction in Ecuador's green hotels, hoteliers could address new strategies to respond to expectations, effectively satisfy customers and provide a superior experience.

The main purpose of this study is to analyze how factors such as innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and motivation, as well as various economic and environmental factors, affect the creation of born-global (BG) companies.

The research model was tested through logistic regression techniques to a sample obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data set for the period from 2007 to 2016.

Empirical findings suggest that innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and motivation, as well as government policies, contribute to a company’s likelihood of becoming BG.

Recent research has shown interest in the development of explanatory models of BG firms that allow the study of how context and institutions affect the development of international business activities. Following an integrative and a multidisciplinary approach with a temporal dimension, this study expands the literature by comparing countries with different income levels and analyzing macroeconomic aspects along with certain characteristics of the entrepreneur and the environment as possible determinants. This study provides a better understanding of the prevalence of the BG business phenomenon by paying attention to country characteristics and how they affect the traits of individuals.