Although in recent decades corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been subjected to numerous studies in management and marketing literature about its impact on business results, the mechanism by which it affects performance has not been established. There is a lack of consensus when it comes to explaining how CSR actions are related to firm performance. Our research helps to understand this relationship through mediating effects such as CSR-oriented human resource management and customer satisfaction because employees and customers are critical stakeholders of companies and contribute directly to the determination of the corporate results. Through a study on a sample of small and medium-sized Spanish food and beverage manufacturing companies, and by using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), we found that CSR does indeed impact business performance when CSR actions are mainly oriented towards more efficient management of human resources and customer satisfaction. In this way, the results lead us to conclude that depending on the stakeholder to which these actions are oriented, a specific orientation of the company’s CSR policy can be more efficient in corporate performance.

The main objective of this research is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of how e-commerce affects the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Mexico. This study will pay special attention to the role of business digitalization and the optimization of operational processes in this context. Our research involved creating a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to examine our hypotheses. According to our research, incorporating e-commerce, digitalizing business processes, and improving operational efficiency significantly contribute to corporate performance. Our results show direct effects that, together with indirect effects of business digitalization and operational efficiency, enhance the positive influence of online commerce. This research fills a gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between e-commerce, business digitalization, operational efficiency, and business performance. It provides essential insights into the direct impact of e-commerce on corporate performance and the indirect impact through the mediation of business digitalization and operational efficiency. The results show significant implications for business managers, as the findings can help them to invest in technologies that foster e-commerce, which, by improving business digitalization and operational efficiency, will result in better corporate performance and the ability to adapt to today’s turbulent environment.

Purpose: Within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain, one of the problems facing the distribution channel strategy is the presence of the gray market. The article shows two novel antecedents of the participation of official distributors in this gray channel: Negative impact on distributor performance and the relationship with their supplier. Knowledge of this background helps to preserve the strategy outlined for the official distribution channel.Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 172 Spanish wholesale distributors and analyzed using PLS-SEM.Findings: The authors found that the damage through negative affectation in the official distributor's performance and the cooperation provided by the manufacturer, have different effects. While affectation is shown to be a powerful antecedent of participation in the gray market, the effect of perceived manufacturer cooperation does not show strong results.Practical implications: In business practice, these findings lead the manufacturer to keep transactions carried out in the gray market at low levels and provide cooperation to official distributors to guarantee the official channel strategy aimed at efficiency in the distribution of branded goods.Originality/value: The background of the gray market discussed in the study has not been previously analyzed in the literature. In this way, the authors contribute to the knowledge of such a common problem as the presence of the gray market in the segmentation of distribution channels of high-demand products.

The health systems of developed countries aim to reduce the mortality rates of their populations. To this end, they must fight against the unhealthy habits of citizens, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and sedentarism, since these result in a large number of deaths each year. Our research aims to analyze whether an increase in health resources influences the number of deaths caused by the unhealthy habits of the population. To achieve this objective, a sample containing key indicators of the Spanish health system was analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. The results show how increasing public health spending and, thus, the resources allocated to healthcare can curb the adverse effects of the population’s unhealthy habits. These results have important implications for theory and practice, demonstrating the need for adequate investment in the healthcare system to reduce mortality among the population.

El desarrollo de este trabajo de investigación se realizó con el fin de encontrar la incidencia que España, un actor destacado en el turismo mundial, ha experimentado una notable transformación en su sector turístico, evolucionando de un enfoque centrado en sol y playa hacia una oferta más rica que incluye atractivos culturales y gastronómicos. En este contexto, el sector hotelero se ha consolidado como un elemento crucial de la industria, impulsando la inversión, el empleo y la innovación. Este estudio se enfoca en el análisis del sector hotelero español para proporcionar una comprensión profunda de su impacto económico. Se examina la evolución del sector en términos de capacidad financiera, rentabilidad y generación de empleo, empleando un análisis detallado de indicadores clave y un enfoque económico-financiero. Con este fin, se han implementado dos análisis fundamentales: primero, un estudio longitudinal de las principales ratios financieras, que ofrece una perspectiva de la evolución y tendencias a lo largo del tiempo. Segundo, se realiza un análisis económico-financiero exhaustivo, diseñado para evaluar en profundidad la solidez y estabilidad financiera del sector hotelero. La investigación contempla una variedad de factores, tanto internos como externos, que influyen en la rentabilidad del sector, incluyendo la situación macroeconómica, las políticas gubernamentales y variables como la ubicación y la innovación. Los resultados muestran que, aunque el sector hotelero español exhibe una fuerte capacidad empresarial, enfrenta retos significativos en términos de solvencia y apalancamiento. El estudio concluye subrayando la importancia de desarrollar estrategias eficientes para mejorar la rentabilidad y la solidez financiera del sector, ofreciendo un análisis detallado de los indicadores económicos.

The objective of this research is to analyze the motivation of a distributor belonging to an official marketing channel to participate in the gray market. We explore this motivation not as an opportunistic behavior but as a strategic decision aligned with the reference group to which it belongs and the homogenization or isomorphism of strategic decisions within the group. Based on a survey of a sample of Spanish official distributors of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and an empirical study using PLS-SEM, found evidence that the imitation effect conditions strategic decisions and can be graduated according to the hierarchical position occupied or legitimacy within the reference group. The hypothesized model was supported by the data. This indicates that the reference group influences the agents that make it up and determines the actions expected of its members, offering a tool to the manufacturer or brand owner to manage the official distribution channel. The investigation of the effect of the reference group on the behavior of the official distributor offers an alternative to the classical explanation of its participation in the gray market, which has not been addressed by the academic literature so far, and which has traditionally been explained by the individual opportunism of the agents. The main managerial implication is to provide a monitoring element to the official distribution channel leader, such as influencing the behaviors of the reference group to efficiently manage the marketing channel.