Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the link between the values that govern the functioning of cooperatives and their sustainability. Furthermore, the authors propose that this relationship is mediated by AMO (ability, motivation and opportunity) practices, which generate different behaviours and attitudes in their employees, thus strengthening the message of sustainable management that the directors of this kind of companies aim to transmit.Design/methodology/approach: This article presents a theoretical and empirical research model about the relationship between organisational values, AMO practices and sustainability in social economy firms. The proposed model was tested using the multivariate method of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of 124 cooperative companies. The information was gathered through a questionnaire with questions composed of measurement scales that had been previously validated by the reference literature.Findings: This work empirically demonstrates that the perceived support, respect and responsibility values are strongly related to sustainability, and that ability and opportunity-enhancing practices mediate the association of perceived support and responsibility with the sustainability of cooperatives.Originality/value: This work contributes to covering the lack of studies about which values support and impact the sustainability of organisations, and it provides information about the mediating role of certain AMO practices in the search for a more sustainable organisation, demonstrating that some practices are more relevant than others.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of different employment relationships (ERs) on the sustainability results of cooperatives. The authors approached the type of ER comparing the inducements offered by the firm with the contributions that the manager expects from employees. In this way, the authors study how the orientation toward the employment relationship influences the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the firm.Design/methodology/approach: This article presents a theoretical and empirical research model about the relationship between ERs and sustainability. The necessary information was obtained through a questionnaire that was completed by the human resource (HR) managers and chief executive officers (CEOs) of 124 cooperative companies, and structural equation modelling was applied to evaluate the relationships between the proposed constructs, using the partial least squares technique (PLS-SEM).Findings: The obtained results suggest that mutual investment and overinvestment ERs favour economic, social and environmental sustainability, whereas quasi spot contract and underinvestment ERs have a negative influence on all three types of sustainability. Therefore, it is confirmed that the type of ER adopted can condition the sustainability of the company, either favouring or worsening it.Originality/value: This work contributes to covering the lack of studies about which ERs impact the sustainability of organisations, and it provides information on the role of ERs in the search for a more sustainable organisation, demonstrating that the type of employment relationship developed by the firm has a relevant impact on its sustainability.

1. Society is demanding that companies follow more respectable, human and sustainable management models. Our study focuses on the case of Spain where, according to the UN Global Compact Spanish Net...

En las últimas décadas cada vez más personas deciden incursionar en el mundo del emprendimiento. La llegada del COVID-19 supuso un momento disruptivo que puso de manifiesto la necesidad de revisar el modelo económico actual para aumentar su conexión con la mejora de la sociedad a través de modelos de gestión más sostenibles. La opción emprendedora en economía social se manifiesta por medio de la creación de empresas en las que la finalidad social es una prioridad incontestable, generando empleo de calidad y estable, facilitando la inserción de personas desfavorecidas al mercado de empleo e incentivando el respeto al medio ambiente. Este trabajo analiza los recursos de emprendimiento en Economía Social en España, en concreto su situación actual y potenciales carencias para la propuesta de acciones para su mejora. El estudio es de naturaleza cualitativa utilizando el instrumento de la entrevista semiestructurada. Se han realizado un total de veinte entrevistas a personas designadas por las entidades seleccionadas, de acuerdo con los siguientes criterios de elección: ámbito geográfico, tipo de entidad e interés y especificidad de su trabajo. Los hallazgos de nuestra investigación muestran importantes implicaciones prácticas para los agentes que desarrollan e implementan políticas de emprendimiento. Suponen por tanto una importante diagnosis de la situación actual del emprendimiento en el contexto español y además un significativo punto de anclaje para poder comparar el impacto de todas las medidas de impulso al emprendimiento que se están desarrollando tanto en el contexto nacional como europeo.