Purpose: The implementation of business excellence models is becoming a key competitive priority for companies, but the type of results they obtain by implementing such models and the importance of such results remain open issues. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the results obtained by companies that implement the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, with a focus on their importance and nature.Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was conducted in 68 Spanish firms that were immersed in the process of implementing EFQM. The methodology consists of a descriptive analysis and factor analysis in order to determine which groups of results are the most important. Finally, clusters of firms are analyzed to establish their profile in relation to these groups, using cluster analysis.Findings: This study shows that the main results of the implementation of EFQM are an improvement in the external image of the company and an increased efficiency of internal processes. In addition, the results can be grouped into internal results, human resources results and economic results, with the first group being the most important. Finally, the results show that there are three groups of firms, categorized according to their results orientation: highly results-oriented, moderately results-oriented and minimally results-oriented.Practical implications: Companies are in a better position to anticipate and solve the problems that may arise during the implementation process if they understand the results of the implementation of EFQM, along with the motivations for and barriers to the implementation. Also, this research shows that the bodies promoting and motivating quality should make a special effort to emphasize the importance of non-financial results in companies that implement EFQM.Originality/value: This paper extends the knowledge in the field of business excellence models by developing an instrument to measure implementation results from the perspective of quality managers who were specifically appointed to lead the implementation of the EFQM excellence model in companies.

This paper investigates the feasibility of applying SERVQUAL to measure the quality ofservice provided by the establishments of a tourism subsector (hotels) of a tourist destination (Cantabria, an autonomous region in northern Spain), in order to obtain relevant information for decision-making by those in charge of the tourist administration and industry associations of the region. In the specific case of the subsector we have chosen, the most significant variables for a strategic diagnosis, and which have therefore been incorporated into the analysis, are the legal category of the establishment and the geographical zone where it is located. The results of the study have allowed us to identify the categories of establishments, and the zones which require special attention, as well as the sort of interventions needed.

El efecto del familiness en la performance innovadora de las empresas familiares: un análisis exploratorio.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es estudiar los determinantes de la capacidad de innovación en las regiones españolas. Para ello se utiliza el modelo desarrollado por Furman, Porter y Stern (2002) aplicándolo a nivel regional, lo que permite comprobar si dicho modelo es pertinente para el estudio de los determinantes de la capacidad de innovación regional, configurándose así como un segundo objetivo del trabajo. Para alcanzar dichos objetivos se llevó a cabo un estudio econométrico basado en la metodología de datos de panel, con una estimación de efectos aleatorios, a partir de datos tomados del Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Los resultados del estudio empírico ponen de manifiesto la importancia de la infraestructura común de la innovación y la calidad de los vínculos como principales factores determinantes de la capacidad de innovación regional. Por tanto, los resultados estadísticos sugieren que en el caso español, las dimensiones infraestructura común y calidad de los vínculos juegan un papel fundamental para el desarrollo de las capacidades de innovación de las regiones, mientras que la importancia de la actividad empresarial como motor de generación de innovaciones parece más limitada en el caso de las regiones españolas.