Upin & Ipin: Promoting malaysian culture values through animation

Malaysian children lately have been exposed or influenced heavily by digital media entertainment. The rise of such entertainment tends to drive them away from understanding and appreciating the values of Malaysian culture. Upin and Ipin animation has successfully promoted Malaysian folklore culture and has significantly portrayed the art of Malaysian values including Islamic values by providing the platform for harmonious relationship among different societies or groups or religious backgrounds. The focus of this research is to look into the usage of Malaysian culture iconic visual styles such as backgrounds, lifestyles, character archetypes and narrative (storytelling). Therefore, we hope that this research will benefit the younger generation by highlighting the meaning and importance of implicit Malaysian culture.

Places making: participatory construction of scientifi c culture cities

In the framework of the European project Platform of Local Authorities and Communicators Engaged in Science (PLACES), we analyse the articulations between scientifi c communication, public perception of science, processes of citizen participation and apropiation of space, based on a case study of the inhabitants of Teruel city, Autonomous Community of Aragon, Spain. On the interrelationships between these issues, there are a number of contradictions, such as the difference between a high interest for information about science and technology and a low level of recognition and interaction with local institutions involved in those activities, the complex conceptualization of scientifi c space in relation to the ���public-private��� pair, or an articulation of a claiming civic rethoric and an insuffi cient co-responsibility. We conclude that, in a local context, the dimension of territoriality and, in particular, the identifi cation with the town, is a central mediation for activating citizen participation as part of processes of appropriation of space for setting up cities of scientifi c culture.

Orientaci��n al mercado y tipolog��a de las cooperativas agroalimentarias en base a la competitividad. Caso-estudio de las citr��colas espa��olas

La globalizaci��n ha recrudecido m��s si cabe la competencia en los mercados y las empresas deben afianzar y mejorar su posici��n competitiva para asegurar la supervivencia. Para ello resulta vital, entre otras cuestiones, velar por los intereses de los inversores al tiempo que cuidan de sus clientes. Las cooperativas sufren una coyuntura semejante respecto a sus socios y el mercado, es decir respecto a sus clientes internos (socios) y externos (mercado). El enfoque de las actividades y la estrategia de la cooperativa frente a esta dualidad determina su grado de orientaci��n al mercado.Los estudios relacionados con la orientaci��n al mercado en cooperativas son escasos en comparaci��n con otras formas empresariales y han estado normalmente centrados en la figura de las cooperativas de segundo grado y circunscritos a sectores muy espec��ficos.El sector citr��cola espa��ol es uno de los m��s din��micos y desarrollados del panorama productivo agrario. Su extensa experiencia comercial tanto a nivel dom��stico como internacional confiere un car��cter diferenciador a las entidades que operan en este subsector. Este trabajo analiza la posici��n de las cooperativas citr��colas espa��olas en relaci��n a la orientaci��n al mercado as�� como los factores de gesti��n y estrategia que est��n relacionadoscon ella. Para ello se utiliza una escala MARKOR, validada en estudios anteriores, sobre una muestra de 45 cooperativas.Se establece adem��s una tipolog��a de cooperativas citr��colas en base a los factores de competitividad que permiten ahondar en el conocimiento que existe sobre esta cuesti��n en entidades de econom��a social. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto un elevado grado de relaci��n entre la innovaci��n, el perfil del empresario y el conocimiento del entorno en relaci��n con el grado de orientaci��n al mercado.