Competitive projects

• Principal Investigator: Pedro Rey & Uri Simonsohn
• Research group: Center for Public Governance (EsadeGov)
• Funding body: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
• Reference: PID2022-142172NB-I00/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE
• Funding: 69.875€
• Duration: 36 months 

Abstract:
The main objective of the project is to advance knowledge about how different forms of evaluation affect the results in three important topics with social relevance:

1. The evaluation of candidates who access a professional position. This research will cross the data from tests for access to the labor market, such as the Resident Medical Intern (MIR) exam, with labor data from Social Security, to study whether the differences that have historically occurred in the design of Professional entrance exams have had medium- and long-term employment consequences among candidates (both in the type of position occupied, as well as in the promotion of the labor career or in salaries). Specifically, using the historical series of more than forty years of the MIR exams, to which we will have access thanks to an agreement that we are about to sign with the Ministry of Health, we propose to study the different response strategies between men and women in these tests, and investigate whether, having this possible difference, it has an effect on the final grade they obtain, which in turn is reflected in the type of position they choose.
2. The design of an evaluation method in different market alternatives, which allows a better translation of preferences into recommendation systems among consumers. This project will develop a framework for designing better scales that extract more signal. They are "action" scales, rather than "evaluative" scales. Our study proposes carrying out several field experiments, carried out in collaboration with several companies with which we have had initial contacts, and with different online evaluation platforms, which allow us to compare the effectiveness and extraction of information obtained with different ways of evaluating the products.
3. The evaluation of the existing scientific evidence in order to increase its adoption by those responsible for public policies. Our study aims to advance the scant literature (Hjort et al., American Economic Review, 2021) that explores the links between research and policymaking through a field experiment on the various limitations that can limit the use of scientific evidence to when deciding public policy. The project proposes an RCT in which scientific evidence on an effective and inexpensive public policy will be sent to those responsible for a large number of municipalities and we will vary, in different treatments, the way in which political leaders are informed about it. The study will measure the degree of adoption of the policy based on various factors such as the ideological identity of the person sending the information, the ideological perception of the policy that is suggested or the format in which the information is given to the political leaders. Through the identification of constraints to policymaking, our study will contribute to understanding how to design research communication to increase the adoption of evidence-based policies, eventually leading to better policies and higher levels of well-being.

• Principal Investigator: Lisa Hehenberger & Guillermo Casasnovas
• Research group: Esade Center for Social Impact (ECSI)
• Funding body: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
• Reference: PID2022-142172NB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER, UE
• Funding: 28.750€
• Duration: 36 months 

Abstract:
New markets have formed at the intersection of business and society which aim to power economic growth while solving complex social and environmental challenges, in line with the concepts of sustainable development and the impact economy. Europe is promoting these approaches through policies like the European Green Deal, approved in 2019, which aims to promote investment in companies and activities that move Europe toward zero emissions while leaving no one behind the principle of just transition. While these policies provide a direction, the field is still learning how to make and measure progress toward the destination. There is a need for greater understanding of how investors and organizations can support and scale social impact. This project will contribute to addressing this knowledge gap via three research lines:

1. The Value-add of Impact Investing. Impact investing has become an important part of financial markets, but we still lack a clear understanding about how and to which extent impact investors add value to their investees. Building on previous studies in VC, practitioner research and deep sector knowledge in impact investing, we develop a study to investigate how non-financial support (NFS) works in impact investing, the prevalent forms of assistance, and the value and cost of that assistance. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study to explore the value-add of NFS in impact investing. We aim to contribute new insights to impact investing literature (Hockerts et al., 2022) as well as add an additional dimension (that of impact) to our prior understanding of the investor-investee relationship in venture capital. We predict that NFS services focused on social impact (theory of change and impact systems) will provide most value to investees, whereas more generic support will be more readily available from other funders and therefore less valuable.
2. Driving and measuring systemic change in local communities. Social and environmental challenges are often systemic (they are comprised of a set of interconnected elements that interact with each other, producing a certain outcome), which means that addressing them requires a systems thinking perspective. However, there is scant research on how organizations engage in systems change on the ground, as well as on how to measure whether those efforts are being successful. The study will contribute to this emerging literature on systems change through two main goals: 1) understanding how organizations address systems change and 2) measuring the success of those systemic approaches. The initial hypothesis is that there will be significant efforts allocated to research, coordination and monitoring, and that the power and status of the organization and its management team will be directly related to their ability to galvanize other actors and eventually achieve the desired systems change objectives.
3. Impact Tech Startups (ITSs). The ITS is a new, rapidly developing phenomenon in which entrepreneurial ventures engaged in technology-based innovation, and which are attractive to private investment, address social and environmental causes typically addressed by the public and nonprofit sectors. However, there is little academic research on ITS as a distinct organizational category. The study will provide, for the first time, empirical, comparative baseline data on the emerging category of ITSs to inform the development of policies and support systems.

• Principal Investigator: Annachiara Longoni
• Research group: Business Network Dynamics (BUNED)
• Funding body: LA CAIXA Recerca Social
• Reference: SR23-00261_”la Caixa” Foundation
• Funding: 98.640€
• Duration: 24 months 

Abstract:
There is a fast-growing group of workers experiencing precarious working conditions, including the violation of human rights such as forced labour in terms of working hours, unsafe working conditions, poorly or unpaid work. Spain and Portugal are among the European countries accused by the United Nations for exposing workers to grave exploitation. Partially responsible of this situation are national and international supply chains for this situation because driven by low-cost goals. However, policy makers and researchers have often forgot this perspective. The aim of this research is to analyze whether focal firms facing allegations of human rights violations connected to their supply chains take responsibility for them and enact corrective actions and, whether the country’s regulation on supply chain due diligence on corporate sustainability has any effect. We take a multidisciplinary perspective including human resource management, policy making and supply chains to identify possible actions enacted by firms and the related legal incentives to improve working conditions in supply chains benefiting workers and the Spanish and European socioeconomic context.

• Principal Investigator: Omar Rachedi
• Research group: Group for Research in Economics and Finance (GREF)
• Funding body: Fundación Ramón Areces
• Funding: 36.000€
• Duration: 36 months

Abstract:
Carbon emissions continue to pose a significant threat to the environment, with the latest data indicating an alarming increase in global emissions, which are projected to result by 2026 in a temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the target set in the Paris Agreement. One proposed solution to combat carbon emissions is the implementation of carbon taxes. While these taxes would incentivize individuals to reduce their carbon footprint, the debate surrounding this policy tool is complex and multifaceted, as carbon taxes tend to be regressive, meaning they place a proportionally greater burden on low-income individuals and households.  As a result, an increase in carbon taxes affects disproportionately more wealth-poor individuals. This raises concerns about the potential socioeconomic disparities that may arise because of implementing such taxes.

My research project addresses three key questions related to carbon taxation:

1. How to set an optimal carbon tax taking into account its regressive effects on wealthpoor individuals?
2. How to do so in a way that can reduce political backlash and grant a majority support? 
3. How to do so in a way that can also spur energy efficiency innovation?

To do so, I will develop models with heterogeneous agents which allow to quantify how the reduction in emissions associated to a given carbon tax depends on the amount of household inequality and the level of progressivity of the entire tax system. I aim to study how to set carbon taxes to get to desired level of reduction in carbon emissions, while minimizing their negative effects of aggregate output. In particular, I will study to what extent the introduction of carbon taxes requires adjustments to the overall tax system, and especially to its degree of progressivity. Overall, the objectives of the projects are to develop state-of-the art frameworks that will allow academic researchers and policymakers to better understand the impact of environmental policies both at the aggregate level as well as across households that differ in their income and wealth. In this way, this project will characterize how environmental policies such as carbon taxes should be adjusted to the amount of household inequality to best achieve their goals in curbing emissions and spur energy efficiency innovation.

• Principal Investigator: Angel Saz
• Research group: Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics (EsadeGeo)
• Funding body: MAEC
• Funding: 36.810€
• Duration: 4 months 

Abstract:
The purpose of this project is to organise a dialogue between European researchers and opinion leaders. To this end, meetings will be held with a view to contributing with specific proposals for improving single market integration, by developing the Letta report. It is also intended to inform the new Commission, which will be formed in October 2025, of the conclusions reached. The issues to be addressed will be agreed with the Secretary of State for the European Union. The preliminary proposals include the following topics belonging to the single market integration agenda, holding high priority in this respect for the next Commission:

· Effects of European single market integration on the competitiveness of the European private sector.

· Challenges facing single market integration as regards the EU accession process.

· Strategic autonomy and the importance of the single market in supply chain diversification and the new European industrial policy.

· Deepening of the single market in traditionally segmented sectors, such as those relating to electricity, energy, defence, telecommunications and the capital market.

• Principal Investigator: Laura Castellucci
• Research group: Oficina de investigación
• Funding body: MCIN
• Funding: 88.721,00€
• Duration: 24 months

Abstract:
Through this project we seek to set up consortia and accelerate innovation with a vision of partnership to improve organisations and society and develop the integration of the Penta Helix model in the Research Office. In this way, we will be able to participate and contribute to the establishment of consortia with the five elements that we see as vital for a successful vision in the development and implementation of European projects. Furthermore, in order to build more successful partnerships, we must include and guide the five key groups to accelerate innovation and the advancement of knowledge in European projects – citizens, academia, industry, politicians and social entrepreneurs – to guarantee a powerful spectrum of innovation and scientific advances. Thus, with the aim of increasing the participation of all the actors in the Spanish system and increasing the economic return achieved from the funding of projects in the Horizon Europe programmes, we propose three objectives:

· Foster excellent science: We seek to promote scientific excellence in all our activities. This entails supporting high-quality research, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration and fostering the continuous training of our researchers. We strive to be a benchmark in the generation of cutting-edge scientific knowledge and the application of the latest advances in our initiatives.

· Face society's challenges: We are committed to addressing the challenges facing society, in line with national and European Union development goals (the Sustainable Development Goals) by encouraging the active participation of both our researchers and the various interested parties in our projects and activities. We use the Penta Helix approach to combine the knowledge and resources of the different stakeholders, including academic institutions, governments, civil society, companies and social entrepreneurs, with the aim of finding innovative and sustainable solutions to social problems by working in partnership to achieve a positive and lasting impact on society.

· Innovate and increase the potential of the Research Office: We endeavour to promote innovation at all levels of our organisation by constantly seeking new ways to improve our practices, processes and working methods, nurturing creativity and an enterprising spirit in our Office, exploring new opportunities and adopting emerging technologies. We also wish to promote knowledge transfer and dissemination of research results, in collaboration with the different actors in the system.

• Principal Investigator: Carolina Villegas
• Research group: Group for Research in Economics and Finance (GREF)
• Funding body: ICREA ACADÈMIA
• Funding: 200.000 €
• Duration: 60 months

Abstract:
ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) is a foundation supported by the Catalan Government and guided by a Board of Trustees. It was created in response to the need to seek new hiring formulas that would make it possible to compete with other research systems on a similar footing by focusing on hiring only the most talented and extraordinary scientists and academics. The ICREA Acadèmia programme started in 2008 and offers research intensification grants to outstanding university professors who already hold permanent positions in the Catalan research system and are in an expanding phase of their careers.  The grant is for five years and is intended to promote the awardees’ research by relieving them from teaching duties. 
Carolina Villegas, Associate Professor of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Esade, has received this Award during the 15th edition of this program. Her research primarily delves into open-economy macroeconomic issues, with early work exploring topics such as international capital flows, foreign direct investment, and growth. Her recent research agenda includes studying the impact of financial integration, innovation, and climate change on aggregate productivity growth.

• Principal Investigator: Jordi Quoidbach
• Research group: Leadership Development Research Center (GLEAD)
• Funding body: ICREA ACADÈMIA
• Funding: 200.000€
• Duration: 60 months

Abstract:
ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) is a foundation supported by the Catalan Government and guided by a Board of Trustees. It was created in response to the need to seek new hiring formulas that would make it possible to compete with other research systems on a similar footing by focusing on hiring only the most talented and extraordinary scientists and academics. The ICREA Acadèmia programme started in 2008 and offers research intensification grants to outstanding university professors who already hold permanent positions in the Catalan research system and are in an expanding phase of their careers.  The grant is for five years and is intended to promote the awardees’ research by relieving them from teaching duties.

Jordi Quoidbach, Associate Professor, has received this Award during the 15th edition of this program. His work aims to shed light on the bi-directional relationship between happiness and decision-making. HIs research pipeline on time-use, social interaction, and purchase decisions aims to uncover how people could make happier choices. Similarly, his research pipeline on momentary feelings of richness and happiness explores novel drivers of human decision-making. The implications of this work extend beyond academia and have the potential to influence business practices and public policy. To maximize this impact, I intend to continue my outreach activities and collaborative efforts, including expert contributions for entities like the Generalitat de Catalunya and the World Well-Being Panel. To sustain and expand these different research lines, I will also be actively seeking additional national and European funding sources.

• Principal Investigator: Annelore Huyghe
• Research group: EEI-GRIE
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-056
• Funding: 10.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
Loneliness refers to “a complex set of feelings that occurs when intimate and social needs are not adequately met” and can be harmful to one´s physical and mental health (e.g., high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, dementia, anxiety, burnout). The detrimental effects of this emotional state have long been studied, and recent attention has turned to its occurrence and impact in the workplace. While recent studies have shed light on the negative consequences of loneliness for employees and leaders, loneliness in entrepreneurship remains an unexplored phenomenon. This knowledge gap is striking, as the uncertainties, risks, and high-pressure environment associated with venture creation will likely contribute to loneliness. Furthermore, unlike employees, entrepreneurs lack the same opportunities to form social connections in a traditional work environment, making them particularly susceptible.

This research program aims to uncover the critical yet overlooked issue of loneliness in entrepreneurship. Although entrepreneurship can be a path to personal fulfilment and success, it also comes with unique stressors that can lead to profound feelings of isolation. Such loneliness can have significant implications for entrepreneurs’ health, decision-making capabilities, and performance. The overall objective of this research is to offer robust, evidence-based insights into the distinctive nature of entrepreneurial loneliness (i.e., why and when do entrepreneurs experience loneliness?), and to develop targeted interventions that improve the well-being of entrepreneurs (i.e., how can entrepreneurs avoid or combat loneliness?), ultimately fostering healthier start-up ecosystems. This research is closely aligned with the objectives of the URL grant, by advancing our understanding of well-being challenges and translating this knowledge into actionable interventions that benefit society, particularly the entrepreneurial community.

• Principal Investigator: Anna Carmella Ocampo
• Research group: Leadership Development Research Centre (GLEAD)
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-020
• Funding: 15.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
Feedback directs employee behaviour. It corrects poor performance, reinforces achievement, aligns organizational goals with employees’ output, and fosters motivation. Although essential for improvement, negative (versus positive) feedback often carries emotional costs, leading to decreased motivation and morale. Research shows that people are generally averse to providing and receiving negative feedback, which makes it difficult for organizations to deliver constructive criticisms effectively. To address these challenges, this project examines Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an innovative tool in delivering employee feedback. We investigate whether AI can provide feedback that is readily accepted by employees, such that it amplifies the performance benefits and relieves the emotional burden of negative feedback. Using an AI-driven game-based assessment platform, we examine how feedback valence (positive, neutral, negative) and feedback targets (self vs. others) influence employees’ perceptions of fairness, motivation to improve their performance, and willingness to accept feedback. Our goal is to enhance understanding of the link between AI use and human feedback processes, allowing us to generate practical applications for managers and employees to implement AI systems. Specifically, we develop insights into how AI can foster effective human-AI collaboration that drives sustainable high performance, aiming to boost employee productivity, skills, and overall job well-being. We also develop a framework to help leaders use AI systems for providing routine feedback. Thus, we enhance understanding of how AI adoption can reshape performance management in modern organizations

• Principal Investigator: Vicente Bermejo
• Research group: Group for Research in Economics and Finance (GREF)
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-046
• Funding: 11.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
The objective of this research project is to better understand how the funding of entrepreneurship is affected by investors' and founders' stereotypes. The rise in women’s participation in the labour market is a major economic shift over the past century (Goldin 2014). This notable trend is absent in the innovation sector, especially among venture capital-backed firms (Gompers and Wang, 2017). The causes of the "gender equity gap" are a significant study area, complicated by empirical challenges (Ewens, 2022). In this paper we build a novel dataset to explore the role of gender stereotypes and entrepreneurs’ behaviour. We will analyse a unique database that we are constructing to understand how the behaviour of investors and founders affects the development of entrepreneurship. In particular, we want to explore how the provision of funds and firm growth are affected by gender stereotypes. We will also explore how age or nationality may affect not only the behaviour of founders when they fill in funding applications, but also the behaviour of investors when deciding whether to provide funds to startups. Stereotypes can help drive the equity gap. When focusing on gender, it has been shown that the equity gap closes in female-dominated sectors (Hebert, 2023). Two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms may explain this results. First, investors favour male-founded businesses over female-founded ones in sectors that are predominantly male, even when the businesses are otherwise identical in their characteristics. Second, female entrepreneurs behave differently from male entrepreneurs in male dominated sectors. In this project we focus on the second option and show evidence of entrepreneurs’ changing behaviour in response to gender stereotypes.

• Principal Investigator: Giulia Redigolo
• Research group: Group for Research in Economics and Finance (GREF)
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-075
• Funding: 9.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
The rise of social media has dramatically transformed the creation, dissemination, and consumption of information in capital markets. While prior research has shown that social media is a double-edged sword for information dissemination, no research so far has explored its impact on the origination of financial news in traditional media. This study investigates whether social media has altered the characteristics of financial journalism. We hypothesize that the increasing prevalence of social media prompts traditional media to adopt similar reporting styles, particularly in financial news. This mimicry leads to the premature release of shorter, less precise news articles that often lack thoroughly vetted sources and feature more sensational language. We attribute the influence of social media on traditional financial news to two interrelated factors: first, financial journalists and analysts increasingly rely on social media to track trending topics and identify newsworthy events, influencing their reporting content; second, as social media becomes a primary news outlet due to its brevity and engaging content, traditional media must compete for reader attention by adopting similar styles.

This analysis focuses on merger and acquisition (M&A) rumors, a topic prone to speculative and sensational coverage. These rumors typically have definitive outcomes, allowing for precise measurement of news accuracy, and follow a distinct timeline, allowing us to examine the speed and timing of publication. This spontaneity means that news content cannot be prepared in advance, providing a unique opportunity to examine the authentic process of news generation. Overall, the research aims to investigate the evolving role of social media in shaping financial news, thereby enhancing our understanding of information flows in capital markets and offering valuable insights for market participants and regulators.

• Principal Investigator: Josep Bisbe
• Research group: Group for Research in Economics and Finance (GREF)
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-005
• Funding: 8.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
This project studies whether and how firms integrate environmental aspects into their management systems, and how integrations affect their environmental and economic outcomes. We tackle these questions from two different angles: In the first block, we focus on corporate environmental reporting from an internal perspective, examining the roles of performance measurement and management control systems (PMMCS). Specifically, we explore: i) the extent to which different environmental motivations (i.e. instrumental, moral imperative, compliance) influence PMMCS design choices for integrating environmental and financial information in top management team (TMT) decision processes; ii) the extent to which diversity of cognitive frames and cognitive conflicts within TMTs affect the realization of the expected integrative benefits of these PMMCS choices; and iii) the contingent (in)effectiveness of PMMCSbased extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, selection mechanisms, and their interplay in enhancing environmental performance. In a second block, we focus on corporate environmental reporting from an external perspective, examining the role that externally mandated sustainability reporting plays in shaping organizations’ environmental outcomes. Specifically, we explore: i) the extent to which newly available information emanating from external disclosure mandates integrates with existing internal reporting processes; and ii) whether this integration affects environmental disclosure quality and performance. We use the introduction of a sustainability disclosure regulation in Spain, which mandated environmental disclosures (the Estado de Información No Financiera, EINF) from FY 2021 to +250 employee firms.

• Principal Investigator: Ignasi Martí
• Research group: IIS-GRRSE
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-004
• Funding: 8.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
A key social challenge in Spain is access and stay in housing. It is well known that the lack of affordable housing causes a wide variety of social problems, from poverty, job insecurity and homelessness, to educational inequalities and health problems. Many families are trapped in a cycle that prevents them from entering the formal housing market again and are in some way condemned to move from illegal occupation to illegal occupation or to sub-renting housing, often accepting (and even normalizing) horrific living conditions. All this implies that it is key to advance our understanding of what it means to lose the house or not have it. Why a house is more than four walls and a roof. The houses we inhabit have profound consequences for people’s lives and the vision of the home as a refuge often contradicts the reality of the experience experienced, in particular, by many women. For many of them, a home is not a good place to be, to rest, to rest. This is highlighted by recent research that shows how precarious housing disproportionately affects women, putting them in a particularly vulnerable situation. For this reason, we have designed and implemented a very careful research design to be able to access a set of manifestations of precariousness of housing difficult to observe. We have completed most of the data collection phase (the last two years) and now we are in the analysis and writing phase, focusing on two specific manifestations of housing precariousness: the phenomenon of women (with or without children) squatters. and sub-letting of rooms and other housing subunits.

• Principal Investigator: David Murillo
• Research group: IIS-GRRSE
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-044
• Funding: 6.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
Academic work on corporate political activism (CPA) has blossomed over the years. CPA, as a core non-market strategy, can be understood as the repertoire of political activities sponsored by corporations to secure their interests beyond economic competition in markets. CPA includes the different tactics employed by corporations that grant social and political decisions favorable to them (Luo et al., 2017). Using a qualitative inductive approach our project seeks to analyze the factors influencing CPA change. Our analysis allows us to infer a theoretical contribution that we name as CPA dynamics which, moving beyond static views on CPA, rather seek to understand how and why they evolve over time. Moving away from the ordinary Western-centric and quantitative analyses on CPA, we elaborate our contribution on the institutional setting of Peru. Amidst a geopolitical realignment that is pushing Latin America towards populism, Peru stands out as a case of growing political instability that companies have to navigate politically. The country is currently facing enduring institutional crises of different sorts, experiencing major political scandals and structural corruption that permeates across all institutions. Currently, a governmental coalition holds record-low levels of popular support (under 10% as per recent polls). Our hypothesis reveals that CPA has had to evolve to the next context and we plan to lay out the different features of this new type of activism. In this project which started in 2023 we combine archival work with empirical research that departs from qualitative analysis of the narratives made around the behavior of the Peruvian corporate elite. This far, the project has been presented at an AMJ Paper Development Seminar and at the SASE conference. In this new stage we seek to further the analysis and move forward with the project by seeking research assistance to intensify pending work on data collection, transcription, coding and archival research.

• Principal Investigator: Jordi Nin
• Research group: Institute for Data-Driven Decisions (EsadeD3)
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-009
• Funding: 6.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
This project has the following objectives: 

· Investigate Legitimacy Constructs: through the examination of the three dimensions of legitimacy (pragmatic, moral, and cognitive) in the context of human-AI collaborations and understanding how these constructs influence perceptions of legitimacy in decision-making processes involving both human and AI actors.

· Analyze Actor Sequence: through the identification of variations in perceived legitimacy based on the order of actors (human first vs. AI first) in a multi-stage decision-making process and exploring how the sequence of human and AI involvement affects perceptions of fairness, credit attribution, and the quality of the outcome.

· Examine Credit Attribution and Entitativity: through the investigation of how credit is attributed among human and AI collaborators and assessing the perceived entitativity (the perception of the collaboration as a cohesive unit) of human-AI ensembles.

· Evaluate Quality of Conjoint Service: measuring the quality of the final conjoint service or product resulting from human-AI collaborations and determining how the order of actors impacts the perceived quality of the outcome.

· Moderate Role of AI Receptivity: examining how individuals' receptivity to AI moderates their perceptions of legitimacy, fairness, and quality in human-AI collaborations and understanding the influence of AI receptivity on the acceptance and effectiveness of AI-enabled tools and features.

· Practical Implications for Organizations: providing insights for organizations on designing AI-enabled tools and features and offering recommendations on how and when to introduce nonhuman agents to reduce user doubt and reluctance.

• Principal Investigator: Teresa Duplá
• Research group: Conflict Management
• Funding body: Universitat Ramon Llull
• Ref: 2024-URL-Proj-066
• Funding: 4.000€
• Duration: 12 months

Abstract:
In Spain 90% of private enterprises are family firms which generate almost 70% of private employment and contribute nearly 60% of the GDP (source: EY 2023). The main objective of the proposal we present is to identify and analyse the current map of possible family risks associated with family enterprises, given the changes occurring in the legislative context and new family patterns. That said, although expert doctrine in the area of enterprise and corporate compliance (mainly commercial law) has classified this type of risk as one of the essential types for good corporate governance of family businesses, considering the speciality of this subject (civil law), we lack up-to-date studies that from this perspective go deeper into the issue of identifying and analysing the possible risks of a family nature that are directly linked to the development and sustainability of this type of company. On top of all this, we must take into account a series of factors relating to the legal and social context that today undoubtedly render this part of corporate compliance of the family firm more complex and multidisciplinary, thus obliging us to go about its practical development with a much more detailed and complete analysis from an external approach to the business itself. Foremost among these factors in this country are the increase in legislation, especially with regard to the incessant development of regional civil laws and their concrete specialities, the changing family reality (increase in break-ups and weak and variable family models) and relevant new legislation in the area of rights of the individual (e.g., Law 8/2021 on support for persons with disabilities).