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Determining factors of the benefits derived from the implementation of EN 9100 Standards

del Castillo-Peces, Carlos

Abstract

In Spain, as well as in the rest of the world, the aerospace sector is one of the most important. The EN 9100 Standards (AS 9100 in America and SIAC 9100 in Asia), are a quality management system for the aerospace industry derived from the ISO 9001 standard, that include the requirements derived from the ISO 9001 and 83 specific additional requirements for the aerospace industry. This research aims to begin covering the virtual lack of studies about the results arising from the implementation of quality assurance standards in this sector. In particular, the objective of the research involves analyzing whether the appearance of the various positive effects that may arise as a result of implementing EN 9100 Standards is influenced by the following factors: a) size of the company; b) implementation of EN 9100 seniority; c) prevailing type of motivation (external and/or internal) to adhere to such standards. To that end, the research was addressed to the Spanish aerospace sector, and the population subject to the investigation was defined by 317 companies. A questionnaire was sent by postal mail and e-mail to the directors of quality of all the selected companies, and a multiple linear regression model was applied to data from the 126 valid survey responses. The results show that EN 9100 adherence seniority, as well as the prevailing type of motivation (internal or external), are significant variables for the appearance of positive effects arising from the implementation of EN 9100, while the size of the company is non-significant for the emergence of such positive effects.

Full text

69 1, XX, 2017 Business Administration and Management DOI: 10.15240/tul/001/2017-1-005 Introduction The aerospace sector is one of the most important in global economy. The invoicing of the fi rst 100 aerospace companies worldwide was in 2011 665,970 million dollars, which represents 5% of the world’s gross domestic product (PwC, 2012). In Spain, this sector is equally important, since according to the data of the year 2011 (DBK, 2012), it represents the fi fth industry of the sector in the European Union, both due to the employment level (40,200 employees) and the annual invoicing (6,715 million euros, which represent approximately 6% of Europe’s total invoicing). Aerospace sector is clearly exports-oriented, since nearly 75% of its total invoiced in the year arises from exporting. By contrast, the progressive complexity of the systems employed in this sector, and the greater importance of the projects to be undertaken have caused that nowadays there is a lack of end-product manufacturers (that is airplanes, helicopters, satellites, etc.). On the contrary, the development of these products is the result of the collaboration of a number of systems and subsystems manufacturers, together with other specialized companies, which leads to considerable subcontracting relations, as well as a progressive internationalization of manufacturing and development activities (TEDAE, 2010). This degree of complexity, subcontracting and internationalization, along with the fact that “security” is a basic element supporting the activity of this sector, implies that aerospace products are subject to high demands regarding quality and reliability issues; hence the standards of quality in the sector are some of the most demanding in the industrial fi eld (Grijalbo & Prida, 2005). Standardization is a mechanism that favors exchange and international trade in today’s global economy, removing the obstacles that arise from each country practices (Heras & Boiral, 2013) and providing answers to the international character of the joint projects among companies located in different countries that are common in this industry. The purpose of Quality Management Systems (QMS) is the quality continuous improvement not only in products/services, but also in all the processes in the fi rms, allowing customers satisfaction and encouraging the efforts and responsibility of everyone in the organization (Fonseca, 2013). Among these QMS we can cite the quality assurance standards, being the ISO 9000 standard the most widespread. This standard is a series of norms that strive to standardize processes, functions, and roles but do not necessarily prescribe goals or results (Guler et al., 2002; Braun, 2005). The main purpose of ISO 9001 is to give confi dence in the organization’s ability in order to provide consistently conforming products to the requirements of its customers (Pawliczek & Piszczur, 2013). In view of all the foregoing, quality assurance standards in the aerospace sector are certainly widespread, both the ISO 9001 Standards, and the series of EN 9100 Standards, that takes into account specifi c aspects of this industry with respect to ISO 9001, which is of more generic nature. The implementation of these standards of quality assurance is associated with a series of temporary and organizational monetary investments, both initial and maintenance investments, which is expected to maximize its return (Whitford & Bird, 1996). Nonetheless, these investments are not always offset with positive results, which sometimes may be scarce as indicated by previous studies about ISO 9001 (Quazi et al., 2002; Martínez-Costa et al., 2009; Boiral & Amara, 2009). All this seems to indicate that it is not enough to obtain the certifi cation associated to these Standards, DETERMINING FACTORS OF THE BENEFITS DERIVED FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EN 9100 STANDARDS Carlos del Castillo-Peces, Carmelo Mercado-Idoeta, Camilo Prado-Román EM_1_2017.indd 69EM_1_2017.indd 69 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 70 2017, XX, 1 Ekonomika a management nonetheless there are certain factors that may condition these positive results (Lee et al., 2009; Psomas et al., 2010; Boiral, 2011). Logically, the implementation of EN 9100 supposes higher costs than those derived from implementing ISO 9001 generic standards, since it includes a number of additional requirements characteristic of the aerospace sector. In theory, to be adhered to said standards should be compensated by earning higher profi ts, as compared to those that could arise from implementing ISO 9001. Previous studies in the fi eld of EN 9100 Standards are not very numerous; some of them focus on describing the standards’ general characteristics, as well as their main differences with respect to IS0 9001 (Beltran, 2002; Juny, 2005; Gutierrez, 2008); others describe the level of implementation of the EN 9100 Standards, which in major manufacturers and suppliers of the sector is widespread, while it is more unequal in second and third level suppliers (Grijalbo & Prida, 2005); other studies include models and guidelines to adhere to these standards (IAT, 2003). Finally, other studies describe how was EN 9100 implemented in some of the major aerospace companies, as EADS, SENER, etc. (Murga, 2002; Vilar, 2003; Mugarra, 2005). However, none of them analyzes specifi cally the benefi ts derived from the implementation of EN 9100, nor their determining factors. Regarding ISO 9001 Standards, which was its predecessor in the sector, it has indeed been subject of multiple studies, although none of them makes specifi c reference to the aerospace sector. Based on the foregoing, this research aims to begin covering the virtual lack of studies about the results arising from the implementation of quality assurance standards in this sector. In particular, the objective of the research involves analyzing whether the appearance of the various positive effects that may arise as a result of implementing EN 9100 Standards is infl uenced by the following factors: a) size of the company; b) implementation of EN 9100 seniority; c) prevailing type of motivation (external and/or internal) to adhere to such standards. Following this introduction, which provides a context for the basic elements of the study, there is a description of the theoretical framework of the research under the second heading, including basic aspects of quality management in the aerospace industry and a review of the literature available that is relevant to these standards. In the third section there is a description of the samples and methodology used, and detailed information of results and conclusions is provided in sections four and fi ve respectively. 1. Conceptual Framework Currently, the high levels of competitiveness and globalization applicable to almost all sectors, have led to an extensive development of the quality management concept as a strategic approach to address quality in a company, which is based on customer-oriented, continuous improvement, focus on people and global vision principles of the organization (Camison et al, 2009). Ultimately, quality management systems enable companies to implement management tools in order to establish policies and responsibilities, allocate resources, and identify key activities (Criado & Calvo, 2009). 1.1 Quality Management in the Aerospace Sector As aforementioned, the aerospace industry has always been at the forefront of the development of quality management systems, since their standards are signifi cantly higher than those found in other industrial sectors, with the exception of the automotive sector (Gutierrez, 2008). The “Self-assessment scheme” constituted the fi rst step in the evolution of quality systems in the industry. Subsequently, companies in the sector have used the “second part schemes”, which consist on auditing suppliers’ quality systems based on each customer’s own criteria and methods. This system involves elevated costs for the sector, since the same company may be audited regularly by several entities, thus multiplying the costs that are incurred. In order to increase effi ciency, a tendency towards the development and adoption of systems based on “third part schemes” took place during the nineties, among them stands out the ISO 9001 Standards that spread within the sector as the only quality management system that should be taken into consideration. Nevertheless, these standards did not entirely apply to the specifi cities of the aerospace industry, hence the majority of the most important companies in the sector continued to produce their own supplements EM_1_2017.indd 70EM_1_2017.indd 70 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 71 1, XX, 2017 Business Administration and Management to the standards, with the consequent proliferation of the requirements established for the providers, which again caused the same problems resulting from the second part schemes (Grijalbo & Prida, 2005). In December 1998 the largest providers, manufacturers and commercial associations of America, Europe and Asia joint together to form the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG), that in 1999 promoted the EN 9100 Standards family, with the purpose of standardizing the additional requirements of the sector at a more concrete level than ISO 9001. The EN 9100 Standards (AS 9100 in America and SIAC 9100 in Asia), includes both the requirements derived from the ISO 9001 and 83 specifi c additional requirements for the aerospace industry, giving special importance to the areas that were considered could have a higher impact on security and reliability of aerospace products, such as: design, purchasing, process control, inspection and testing, and control of non-compliances. These additional requirements aim at the reduction of variability in the production of goods, for which companies must have continuous improvement systems that enable a more solid interaction between processes, and therefore reduce the chances that the product is outside preestablished limits. In December 2012 the OASIS database of IAQG, where the companies that have implemented these standards were registered, hold 14,300 headquarters of certifi ed companies around the world, of which 448 were located in Spain (OASIS database contained certifi ed headquarters, hence a company with several offi ces will appear more than once, which is common for large companies; therefore, the number of certifi cations on the database exceeds the total number of companies in this sector both globally and in Spain). The group of EN 9100 Standards of generic content, issued by the IAQG, is composed by the following (IAQG, 2009):  EN 9100 – Model for quality assurance in design, development, production, installation and servicing.  EN 9110 – Aerospace Series, Model for quality assurance applicable to maintenance organizations.  EN 9120 – Aerospace Series, Model for quality assurance applicable to Stockist Distributors. 1.2 Literature Review As specifi ed in the introduction, there are few papers related to EN 9100 Standards, and none of them refers to the effective results derived from their implementation. Regarding ISO 9001 Standards family, it has been subject to multiple studies, although none of them makes specifi c reference to the aerospace sector. Given the objective of this research, a revision has been made to the main studies that specifi cally or among other issues, refer to the positive effects generated by the adherence to ISO 9001, and especially what may be the infl uence of the factors that shall be considered in regards to EN 9100, i.e., the size of the company, the seniority in the implementation of these standards, as well as the prevailing type of motivation [external an or internal] to adhere to such standards. a) Positive Effects Generated when Implanting ISO 9001 Standards In general, it may be noted that most studies conclude that ISO 9001 entails benefi cial effects for the companies; notwithstanding the foregoing, and even though they are a minority, there are other studies that do not refl ect these positive effects, or at least not in all cases or circumstances (Quazi et al., 2002; MartínezCosta et al., 2009; Boiral & Amara, 2009). In regards to the positive results generated by the adherence to the standards, it should be remarked that diverse studies (Sampaio et al., 2009; Tari et al., 2012), classifi ed them into positive effects concerning “internal aspects”, and “external aspects”. Based on the conclusions of these studies, these positive effects could be itemized as presented on table 1. Comparing the relative importance of the two types of benefi ts associated with the implementation of ISO 9001, there are some previous researches that prioritize the positive effects on internal aspects (Bhuiyan & Alan, 2005; Martínez-Costa et al., 2008; Lo et al., 2009), whereas other studies emphasizes those related to external aspects (Benner & Veloso, 2008; Dick et al., 2008). Notwithstanding the foregoing, most of the previous studies reveal positive results both of internal and external nature (Rodríguez-Escobar et al., 2006; Calisir, 2007; Lo & Chang, 2007). EM_1_2017.indd 71EM_1_2017.indd 71 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 72 2017, XX, 1 Ekonomika a management b) Infl uence of the Companies’ Size Factor on the Positive Effects Derived from Implementing ISO 9001 Standards Previous researches are not conclusive concerning the infl uence of companies’ size factor on the benefi cial effects of implementing ISO 9001. In this regard, there are studies which indicate that in smaller companies it is more diffi cult to obtain positive results, since they usually lack certain internal resources which are important to have a successful adherence (at least with respect to internal benefi ts), and furthermore, the initial costs and investments necessary to obtain the certifi cation are proportionally more signifi cant in comparison with larger companies (Gustafsson et al., 2001; Rodríguez-Escobar et al., 2006). Nevertheless, it is also possible to fi nd numerous studies which indicate that the benefi ts are similar regardless of the size, since the conditions to obtain these benefi ts are more related to the intensity of the implementation of ISO 9001 than to the size of the companies, although in smaller companies it could be slower (Terziovski et al., 2003; Briscoe et al., 2005; Psomas et al., 2010), and in some cases the benefi ts perceived in these companies may be even higher taking into consideration that the starting point in the fi eld of quality management tends to be lower, hence the opportunities for improvement are greater (Gotzamani & Tsiotras, 2001). c) Infl uence of the Time Factor (Standards Adherence Seniority) on the Positive Effects Derived from Implementing ISO 9001 Standards Once again, previous researches are not conclusive concerning the infl uence of this factor on the benefi cial effects of implementing ISO 9001. In this regard, there are studies which reveal that time is a positive factor for the appearance of the aforementioned benefi cial effects caused by the adherence to ISO 9001 (Climent, 2005; Martinez-Costa et al., 2008; Lo et al., 2009). According to these studies, the principles underlying ISO 9001 as a quality management system need certain time to be internalized within the companies, and obtain the benefi ts sought in all of their intensity. Nevertheless, there are other studies which state that time has no infl uence whether companies obtain positive effects from ISO 9001, or at least not in all cases (Terziovski et al., 2003; Gotzamani et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2009), or that it may even cause a reduction on the initial benefi ts derived from the implementation of said standards (Casadesus & Karapetrovic, 2005; Sampaio et al., 2009; Karapetrovic et al., 2010). According to these studies, when the intended purpose is almost exclusively to obtain the certifi cation in order for the company not to be excluded from the market, this benefi t appears immediately after implementing these standards. d) Infl uence of the Prevailing Motivation (External or Internal) for the Adherence to ISO 9001 Standards Factor, on the Positive Effects Derived from Their Implementation According to previous researches, the motivations for the adherence may refer to “external aspects”, such as image improvement INTERNAL ASPECTS Related to organizational processes Production management control, defi nition of responsibilities and rules, process documentation, etc. Related to operational execution Effi cient use of resources, inspection and logistic cost decrease, decline in nonconformity, etc. Related to HR Job satisfaction, work team dynamics, employee suggestion systems, etc. EXTERNAL ASPECTS Related to fi nance and marketing Sales volume, market share, sales-per-employee ratio, etc. Related to customer relations Client retention, number of complaints, public image, etc. Source: own Tab. 1: Typology of positive effects resulting from adherence to ISO 9001 EM_1_2017.indd 72EM_1_2017.indd 72 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 73 1, XX, 2017 Business Administration and Management and market position of the company, aspects regarding commercial, fi nancial and customers’ relations nature, as well as “internal aspects” such as the improvement of organizational, execution of operations, and human resources management processes of the company (Boiral & Amara, 2009; Sampaio et al., 2009). Furthermore, it has been noted that there is a majority of researches where the motivations related to “external aspects” are the ones that prevail (Bhuiyan & Alam, 2005; RodríguezEscobar et al., 2006; Martínez-Costa et al., 2008), compared to those which considered that both types of aspects are balanced, or even those where “internal aspects” prevail (Chang & Lo, 2005; Magd, 2008; Fotopoulos & Psomas, 2010). Likewise, attention must be drawn to the fact that, in regards with previous studies related to ISO 9001 on the possible relation between the prevailing type of motivation for obtaining the adherence [external and/or internal], and the results, the studies stating that a higher level of external motivation entails a greater level of benefi ts are an exception (Bhuiyan & Alam, 2005), given that, in general there is an agreement in which if the adherence to the standards is due to an attempt to improve internal aspects of the company, instead of an external pressure (customers/regulators), or to obtain improvement on merely external aspects (image improvement / following a trend), the global benefi ts observed after the implementation of ISO 9001 are greater (Rodríguez-Escobar et al., 2006; Sampaio et al., 2009; Prajogo, 2011). According to these researches, if the only motivations for the adherence to ISO 9001 are those of external character, there is a high risk that the company shall not acquire new capacities nor obtain no sustainable competitive advantage, except for not seeing itself excluded from the market thanks to the certifi cation; nevertheless, when motivations of internal type exist, these are the ones that can generate a greater level of implementation of the principles of these standards, which should render operative and organizational improvements, which derive in an improvement of quality and customers satisfaction, which shall later result in fi nancial improvements. 2. Research Methodology 2.1 Sample The research was addressed to the Spanish aerospace sector, hence based on the criteria listed hereafter; the population subject to the investigation was defi ned by 317 companies. This sector is composed of a great diversity of companies, both regarding size and business specialization, so in order to elaborate the census of the companies to be studied, the National Classifi cation of Economic Activities (CNAE according to its Spanish acronym), could not be employed since it lacks one or more categories that compile all the companies belonging to the sector. Therefore, it has been necessary to resort to a compilation of specifi c databases comprising the companies of the sector. The fi rst census to be considered was TEDAE which at the end of 2010 was the cornerstone association in Spain, since its 52 members, which include the most important companies of the aerospace sector, combined 91% of the turnovers. The second database that was taken into consideration was OASIS (this database registers all the aerospace companies adhered to EN 9100). Finally, other databases related to this industry have been considered for complementary purpose. After eliminating duplications, the fi nal population subject to the analysis is refl ected on table 2, detailed hereinafter: CENSUS FIRMS IN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY AUXILIARY BUSINESSES TOTAL AVIATION SUBSECTOR AEROSPACE SUBSECTOR TEDAE 34 6 12 52 OASIS 96 7 57 160 OTHER 83 5 17 105 TOTAL 211 18 85 317 Source: own Tab. 2: Survey population breakdown according to census EM_1_2017.indd 73EM_1_2017.indd 73 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 74 2017, XX, 1 Ekonomika a management 2.2 Questionnaire In order to develop the questionnaire, the fi rst step was to elaborate a draft analyzing previous researches concerning the ISO 9001 (Gotzamani & Tsiotras, 2001; Mercado et al., 2005), classifying the possible motivations for adherence to EN 9100, as well as the positive effects perceived from the implementation, based on the different “internal” and “external” aspects refl ected on table 1. This draft was subject to a pretest elaborated by experts in the fi eld belonging to two of the participating companies (Airbus Spain and Iberia LAE Maintenance); an in-depth interview was held with both experts. Once their opinions were incorporated, the fi nal version of the questionnaire was set forth. Subsequently, the questionnaire was sent by postal mail and e-mail to the directors of quality of all the 317 selected companies. After fi nishing the process of questionnaire reception, it was determined that there were 126 valid companies, which represents 39.7% of the total population (317 companies). Furthermore, it should be noted that the EN 9100 Standards are widely implemented on the organizations that have completed the questionnaire (72.2% of the companies, that is 91 of them), with an adherence seniority higher than fi ve years in 88% of the cases, and an elevated level of intensity in the implementation, since 75% of the companies have adhered all their processes to the standards. Both aspects, seniority and intensity of the implementation, reinforce the validity of the answers obtained in the questionnaires received. Afterwards, the data sheet of the study contained in table 3 was elaborated based on all this information: 2.3 Variables and Model Proposed To be able to analyze the infl uence of the different factors considered in this research on the appearance of the different positive effects derived from the implementation of EN 9100 Standards, a multiple linear regression model has been designed; the variables considered are the following ones: Dependent Variables Y: different benefi ts derive from the EN 9100 Standards, according to the typology contained on the table 1 of this study. According to the answers obtained in the questionnaire provided to the participating companies, these variables can take the following values: 1 – very low, 2 – low, 3 – medium, 4 – high and 5 – very high: Variable Y1: internal positive effects related to organizational processes (OrgEN). Variable Y2: internal positive effects concerning execution of operations (ExecEN). Variable Y3: internal positive effects related to human resources (HrEN). Variable Y4: external positive effects related to fi nancial and commercial aspects (FinComEN). Variable Y5: positive external effects related to aspects of customers’ relationship (ClienEN). Universe Spanish fi rms in the aerospace industry Sampling technique Random: the survey was sent to all entities in the universe Methodology Mail and online survey Individuals receiving the survey Director of Quality Assurance or equivalent Population 317 Sample size 126 Confi dence level 95% [z = 1.96; p = q = 0.5] Sampling error 6.8% Time period From October 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012 Source: own Tab. 3: Data sheet EM_1_2017.indd 74EM_1_2017.indd 74 13.3.2017 16:58:4913.3.2017 16:58:49 75 1, XX, 2017 Business Administration and Management Independent variables X: Variable x1: Size of the company (Size). According to the answers obtained in the questionnaire provided to the participating companies, this variable can take the following values: 1 – small, 2 – medium, 3 – large (based on the criteria of the EU recommendation 2003/361/EC). Variable x2: Seniority in the adherence to EN 9100 Standards (Sen). According to the answers obtained in the questionnaire provided to the participating companies, these variables can take the following values: 1 – Seniority not exceeding 3 years, 2 – Seniority exceeding 3 years. Variable x3: Prevailing type of motivation (external and/or internal) for the adherence (TypeMot). According to the answers obtained in the questionnaire provided to the participating companies, these variables can take the following values: 1 – if the “external” motivations are predominant, 2 – if “internal” motivations are predominant. Based on these variables the following model of multiple linear regressions has been designed, including the variable ui that is the statistic error: Yi = β0 + β1 * x1,i + β2 * x2,i + + β3 * x3,i + ui (1) EffectI = β0 + β1 * Size1,i + β2 * * Sen2,i + β3 * TypeMot3,i + ui (2) Dependent variable Independent variable Non standardized coeffi cients Standardized coeffi cients t Sig. Beta Standard error Beta OrgEN [Constant] 0.428 0.546 0.784 0.436 Size 0.051 0.112 0.450 0.454 0.651 Seniority 1.132 0.259 0.437 4.379 0.000 Type of motivation 0.320 0.172 0.185 2.855 0.067 ExecEN [Constant] 0.070 0.614 0.114 0.910 Size 0.216 0.126 0.168 1.713 0.091 Seniority 0.800 0.291 0.274 2.751 0.007 Type of motivation 0.693 0.194 0.356 3.575 0.001 HrEN [Constant] 0.781 0.565 1.381 0.171 Size -0.195 0.116 -0.163 -1.679 0.097 Seniority 0.606 0.268 0.222 2.265 0.026 Type of motivation 0.744 0.178 0.410 4.171 0.000 FinComEN [Constant] 2.314 0.493 4.696 0.000 Size -0.049 0.101 -0.053 -0.488 0.627 Seniority 0.525 0.233 0.247 2.252 0.027 Type of motivation 0.218 0.155 0.154 1.406 0.164 ClienEN [Constant] 1.875 0.458 4.093 0.000 Size -0.041 0.094 -0.046 -0.440 0.661 Seniority 0.664 0.217 0.323 3.063 0.003 Type of motivation 0.277 0.144 0.202 1.920 0.059 Source: own Tab. 4: Results obtained for the model: independent variable coeffi cients EM_1_2017.indd 75EM_1_2017.indd 75 13.3.2017 16:58:5013.3.2017 16:58:50 76 2017, XX, 1 Ekonomika a management 3. Results Table 4 presents the results obtained from the model, in particular the coeffi cients of the independent variables (size, seniority, and type of motivation) regarding the dependent variables (each of the positive effects). In this table we include the coeffi cients standardized and the non-standardized of our model variables; these coeffi cients indicate the weight of the independent variables regarding each dependent variable, that is, each positive effect from the Standard. We include too, the t value (t) and the signifi cation (sig.); these indicate if each independent variable is signifi cant or not regarding each dependent variable. The variables are signifi cant if the t value (t) is bigger than two (t > 2) and a signifi cation (sig.) smaller or equal than 0.05. The fi nal model with the signifi cant variables would be as follows: OrgEN = 0.428 + 0.437 (Sen) + + 0.185 (TypeMot) + u (3) ExecEN = 0.070 + 0.274 (Sen) + + 0.356 (TypeMot) + u (4) HrEN = 0.781 + 0.222 (Sen) + + 0.410 (TypeMot) + u (5) FinComEN = 2.314 + 0.247 (Sen) + u (6) ClienEN = 1.875 + 0.323 (Sen) + +0.202 (TypeMot) + u (7) Therefore, table 4 reveals the following results regarding the independent variables of the model: The “size of the company” is a variable with a t < 2 for the raised models, hence it is accepted that this variable is non-signifi cant for each one of the internal positive effects (organizational, execution of operations, and human resources management processes), as well as for the external ones (fi nancial-commercial, and customers management processes), thus it has been excluded from the regression model elaborated. The “seniority of the adherence to EN 9100” is a variable with a t > 2 for the raised models, hence it is accepted that this variable is signifi cant for each one of the internal positive effects (organizational, execution of operations, and human resources management processes), as well as for the external ones (fi nancialcommercial, and customers management processes). When obtaining a positive sign, an increase of this independent variable shall produce an increase (in rate of growth) on the dependent variable, being the rest constant. That is, an increase in 1 unit in the “seniority to the adherence to EN 9100” shall produce an increase of 43.70% on the internal effect “OrgEN”, of 27.40% on the internal effect “ExecEN”, of 22.22% on the internal effect “HrEN”, of 24.70% on the external effect “FinComEN” and of 32.30% on the external effect “ClienEN”. The higher the value of the variable, the greater the internal and external effects shall be. The “prevailing type of motivation (external and/or internal) for the adherence” is a variable with a t > 2, hence it is accepted that this variable is signifi cant for each one of the internal positive effects (organizational, execution of operations, and human resources management processes), as well as for the external ones regarding customers management. When obtaining a positive sign, an increase of this independent variable shall produce an increase (in rate of growth) on the dependent variable, being the rest constant. That is, an increase in 1 unit in the “prevailing type of motivation” shall produce an increase of 18.50% on the internal effect “OrgEN”, of 35.60% on the internal effect “ExecEN”, of 41.00% on the internal effect “HrEN”, and of 20.20% on external effect “ClienEN” (we accept type of motivation on external effect “ClienEN” because it has a t very near 2). The higher the value of the variable, which means internal motivations prevail, the greater the internal and external effects shall be. On the contrary, the “prevailing type of motivation [external and/or internal] for the adherence” is a variable with one t < 2 (t = 1.406), only for fi nancial-commercial external effects, hence it is considered that this variable is non-signifi cant for the dependent variable “FinComEN”. Table 5 presents an overview of the signifi cance of variables in the model. Finally, table 6 contains the corresponding coeffi cient of determination (R2); this is a number that indicates how the data fi t in our model. It provides a measure of the percentage of variability of each dependent variable (internal and external “positive effect”), that is explained by each signifi cant independent variable. Based on the results described in this table, the coeffi cient of determination R2 has a value that fl uctuates between 20% and EM_1_2017.indd 76EM_1_2017.indd 76 13.3.2017 16:58:5013.3.2017 16:58:50 77 1, XX, 2017 Business Administration and Management Dependent variable Independent variable Sig. OrgEN Size x Seniority √ Type of motivation √ ExecEN Size x Seniority √ Type of motivation √ HrEN Size x Seniority √ Type of motivation √ FinComEN Size x Seniority √ Type of motivation x ClienEN Size x Seniority √ Type of motivation √ Source: own Dependent variable Independent variable Standardized coeffi cients R² Correlation between dependent and independent variable Explained Variance OrgEN Size 0.450 25.30% 0.029 not signifi cant Seniority 0.437 0.467 20.41% Type of Motivation 0.185 0.258 4.77% ExecEN Size 0.168 25.80% 0.155 not signifi cant Seniority 0.274 0.328 8.99% Type of Motivation 0.356 0.399 14.20% HrEN Size -0.163 27.80% -0.174 not signifi cant Seniority 0.222 0.296 6.57% Type of Motivation 0.410 0.449 18.41% FinComEN Size -0.052 20.10% -0.062 not signifi cant Seniority 0.247 0.274 20.10% Type of Motivation 0.154 0.196 not signifi cant ClienEN Size -0.046 27.00% -0.058 not signifi cant Seniority 0.323 0.358 11.56% Type of Motivation 0.202 0.256 5.17% Source: own Tab. 5: Signifi cance overview Tab. 6: Coeffi cient of determination EM_1_2017.indd 77EM_1_2017.indd 77 13.3.2017 16:58:5013.3.2017 16:58:50