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This chapter proposes frugal eco-innovation as an eco-efficient way into which firms might shift their existing business models, exploring how firms are able to cut costs and reduce negative environmental impacts simultaneously.

This work introduces the concept of frugal eco-innovation based on numerous examples about how several European companies are adopting this management perspective. These examples are obtained from these companies’ public environmental reports.

A summary of how cost reduction could be achieved by firms on the basis of frugal eco-innovation; further, the pathway for how managers could achieve an effective implementation of frugal eco-innovation.

By developing frugal eco-innovation, managers are able to benefit from a management alternative that is ecologically sustainable and economically profitable.

This work highlights how frugal eco-innovation could benefit, on the one hand, firms via the achievement of cost reduction and, on the other hand, the society in general via the diminution of the negative environmental impacts generated by the business activity.

This work analyses a management orientation that could be implemented in order to shift business models towards a more ecological production, highlighting how firms are able to do more with less.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of one of the more widespread techniques for personnel development and training: coaching. This technique in the business context entails boosting of a manager's capabilities so as to improve business results through a combination of experience, knowledge, support and the motivation provided by advisers who specialize in business management.

To analyze the effectiveness of this innovative technique, the authors examined a sample of 40 small companies located in Ceuta (an autonomous Spanish city in North Africa) using a Wilcoxon‐Mann‐Whitney test. Participants were divided into two groups; in one group, an individualized audit process was conducted to obtain an actual picture of managerial practices (focusing on needs and corrective measures). In the other group, an advising process also complemented a coaching phase that was implemented to facilitate employee adoption of the proposed measures. Ultimately, differences between these two groups were found.

Results indicate that coaching substantially increases the level to which processes of improvement are established within organizations, consequently increasing the competitive capability.

The findings highlight the potential benefits of the use of coaching in the business context. Coaching facilitates the implementation of a set of improvement measures designed to increase business competitiveness, suggesting that this type of advising stands to be very beneficial for companies.

Practices that lead to the development of human capital in organizations are basic tools for managers that are becoming increasingly essential for achieving business efficiency and strategic change. The paper analyzes the implementation of coaching in the business arena, specifically in the case of managers, which is a novelty given the dearth of empirical research on coaching. Thus, the results of the paper provide the wider academic community with empirical evidence on how coaching is a profitable practice for improving human resource management.

Purpose – Is the current economic crisis affecting the quality of working conditions within organisations? More specifically, due to constrained economic times, are organisations reducing the social benefits they offer to employees? This study analyses whether the current economic downturn influences companies’ maintenance of social benefits. Social benefits are those remunerations in kind voluntarily offered by an employer beyond what is established in labour laws and collective agreements

Design/methodology/approach – In doing so, this chapter presents an analysis of the evolution of social benefits in a sample of 171 employees, comparing the situation before and during the economic crisis.

Findings – Results showed that, in general, social benefits offered by companies to their workers have been reduced due to economic recession.

Originality/value of the chapter – Understanding the topic addressed in this work is interesting for scholars, regulators, and practitioners because the diminishing of social benefits due to the economic constraints could yield negative consequences for the employees’ involvement with the firm and have a subsequent negative impact on business performance.

Practical/social implications – This work demonstrates the need to pay greater attention to indirect remuneration. This issue is intimately related to the Internal Corporate Social Responsibility of the company.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on job‐related skill heterogeneity and action team performance by considering that team members may differ in the levels of their job‐related skill, as well as in the way their job‐related skill is spread over the different dimensions of the task.

Data were used from 30 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams collected over 21 seasons (1986/1987 through 2006/2007). The total number of team‐seasons analyzed was 584.

A positive relationship was found between job‐skill level heterogeneity and action team performance that declines as average job‐skill level in the team grows. Furthermore, action teams showed poorer performance when their members with a low job‐related skill level have a high specialization.

From the practical perspective, it is of special interest to an action team manager to know that job‐related skill heterogeneity has a positive influence on team performance – mainly when the average job‐related skill level in the team is low – and that highly specialized members may have a negative influence on action team performance.

The results contribute to the team literature by focusing on action teams. This kind of team has not received attention despite their increasing importance within organizations. Additionally, using sports teams as a sample offers the possibility of gathering a large amount of objective job‐related skill data as well as the possibility of testing hypotheses in a relatively controlled environment, but with real actions instead of experimental actions.

This study aims to explore the joint effects of environmental customer and green reputation pressures (GRP) on environmental management systems (EMSs), and their linkages to environmental and business performance, especially among export manufacturers.

This study collected empirical data from 437 manufacturers in multiple countries to explore differences in handling environmental customer and reputation pressures among export and domestic manufacturers and the subsequent performance implications.

The results indicate that although the GRPs might initially enhance firms’ environmental compliance and reputation, they can also support EMSs and sustainable performance. Furthermore, as firms increase their engagement in exports, both environmental customer and GRPs intensify, leading to stronger EMS implementation as well as sustainable performance, mainly in environmental measures.

The findings suggest that the international market orientation is an important context to understand sustainability developments.

The study offers an alternative approach to understanding the environmental customer and GRPs, to accommodate resources for sustainability development.

This study aims to investigate the influence of resource slack on the decline of Brazilian companies, with a particular focus on the moderating role of environmental dynamism. The authors specifically examine three types of resource slack: available, potential and recoverable. These represent surplus resources that exceed what is necessary for the organization’s basic operations. The role of environmental dynamism, characterized by rapid changes in customer preferences, technologies and competitive dynamics, is considered as a moderating factor in this relationship.

The authors used data from Brazilian companies spanning from 1997 to 2008. The research sample was composed using the matching-pairs method, which included a group of publicly traded companies that experienced decline (43 companies) and a group that did not (40 companies) within the specified timeframe.

Findings of this study indicate that the presence of available slack, being more liquid resources, decreases the likelihood of organizational decline. Furthermore, the moderation effect of potential resource slack can mitigate decline in companies operating in dynamic industries.

This research provides valuable insights into the impact of slack resources on potential organizational turnarounds. Given the relative scarcity of resources in these companies compared to those in developed countries, whether they be financial, human or technological, the study highlights the unique influence of slack in a less explored institutional environment. This research underscores the importance of examining the decline of Brazilian companies from a broader perspective, emphasizing that decisions regarding resource use can have significant implications on a company’s trajectory, either amplifying or mitigating its decline.

¿Cuál es el impacto del slack de recursos en el declive de grandes empresas brasileñas? Para responder a esta pregunta, hemos probado hipótesis por separado para tres tipos de salck de recursos: disponible, potencial y recuperable. Estos excedentes consisten en recursos en exceso más allá de lo necesario para mantener la organización funcionando.

Desarrollamos un estudio empírico cuantitativo y longitudinal con datos de empresas brasileñas de 1997 a 2008. Adoptamos el método de pares emparejados, componiendo la muestra de investigación con un grupo de empresas cotizadas en bolsa que declinaron (43 empresas) y otro que no declinó (40 empresas) en el período de tiempo.

Encontramos que la disponibilidad de recursos más líquidos reduce la posibilidad de declive. El efecto de moderación en el slack de recursos potenciales para empresas en industrias dinámicas puede mitigar el declive.

Esta investigación contribuye a una mejor comprensión del efecto del excedente en posibles recuperaciones. Extender los estudios de recursos excedentes al contexto de empresas brasileñas mostró la influencia que el excedente ejerce en un ambiente institucional relativamente menos explorado. Ya sea financiero, humano o tecnológico, la escasez de recursos es más pronunciada que en empresas de países desarrollados. Esta investigación llama la atención sobre el hecho de que la declinación de empresas brasileñas se analiza desde una perspectiva más amplia. Las decisiones sobre cómo la empresa usa sus recursos pueden afectar positiva o negativamente la declinación de las empresas, reforzando la importancia de discutir esta relación.

A Qual é o impacto da folga de recursos no declínio de grandes empresas brasileiras? Para responder a essa pergunta, testamos hipóteses separadamente para três tipos de folga de recursos: disponível, potencial e recuperável. Essas folgas consistem em recursos além do necessário para manter a organização funcionando.

Desenvolvemos um estudo empírico quantitativo e longitudinal com dados de empresas brasileiras de 1997 a 2008. Adotamos o método de pares combinados, compondo a amostra de pesquisa com um grupo de empresas de capital aberto que declinaram (43 empresas) e outro que não declinou (40 empresas) no período.

Descobrimos que a disponibilidade de recursos mais líquidos reduz a possibilidade de declínio. O efeito moderador na folga de recursos potenciais para empresas em indústrias dinâmicas pode mitigar o declínio.

Esta pesquisa contribui para uma melhor compreensão do efeito da folga sobre possíveis recuperações. A extensão dos estudos de folgas de recursos para o contexto de empresas brasileiras mostrou a influência que a folga exerce em um ambiente institucional relativamente menos explorado. Seja financeiro, humano ou tecnológico, a escassez de recursos é mais pronunciada do que em empresas de países desenvolvidos. Esta pesquisa chama a atenção para o fato de que o declínio de empresas brasileiras é analisado sob uma perspectiva mais ampla. Decisões sobre como a empresa usa seus recursos podem afetar positiva ou negativamente o declínio das empresas, reforçando a importância de discutir essa relação.