Managing and resisting ‘degeneration’ in employee-owned businesses: a comparative study of two large retailers in Spain and the UK

Employee-owned businesses have recently enjoyed a resurgence of interest as possible ‘alternatives’ to the somewhat tarnished image of conventional investor-owned capitalist firms. Within the context of global economic crisis, such alternatives seem newly attractive. This is somewhat ironic because, for more than a century, academic literature on employee-owned businesses has been dominated by the ‘degeneration thesis’. This suggested that these businesses tend towards failure – they either fail commercially, or they relinquish their democratic characters. Bucking this trend and offering a beacon - especially in the UK - has been the commercially successful, co-owned enterprise of the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) whose virtues have seemingly been rewarded with favourable and sustainable outcomes. This paper makes comparisons between JLP and its Spanish equivalent Eroski – the supermarket group which is part of the Mondragon cooperatives. The contribution of this paper is to examine in a comparative way how the managers in JLP and Eroski have constructed and accomplished their alternative scenarios. Using longitudinal data and detailed interviews with senior managers in both enterprises it explores the ways in which two large, employee-owned, enterprises reconcile apparently conflicting principles and objectives. The paper thus puts some new flesh on the ‘regeneration thesis’.

Diseño e implementación de un taller de teatro musical en Educación Primaria

[SPA] Las disciplinas artísticas siempre han sido un campo tan beneficioso como poco utilizado en educación. En esta propuesta de taller de teatro musical en educación primaria se ha indagado en el mundo de la pedagogía teatral y su relación con la música y el juego como técnicas de transmisión de valores y desarrollo de aprendizajes. La puesta en práctica mediante el diseño e implementación de un taller por parte del mediador ha logrado que los alumnos muestren avances significativos en diversos campos como el autoconocimiento corporal o el descubrimiento de nuevos géneros musicales, además de favorecer a la dinámica grupal dentro y fuera del taller. De cara al futuro, este proceso ha abierto las puertas a nuevas propuestas en el ámbito de la dramatización infantil así como al interés formativo del propio educador.

Cost effectiveness of a combination of instruments for global warming: a quantitative approach for Spain

4 p.

Environmental fiscal reform and unemployment in Spain in the presence of an informal sector

4 p.

Market Instruments and CO2 Mitigation: A General Equilibrium Analysis for Spain

25 p.

Environmental Fiscal Reform and Unemployment in Spain

22 p.

Implications of governance structures on urban climate action: evidence from Italy and Spain

47 p.

The use of “Bonus-Malus” schemes for promoting energy-efficient household appliances: a case study for Spain

32 p.

Temporal and spatial variations in the quality of water in El Gergal Reservior, Seville, Spain

It is often difficult to define ‘water quality’ with any degree of precision. One approach is that suggested by Battarbee (1997) and is based on the extent to which individual lakes have changed compared with their natural ‘baseline’ status. Defining the base-line status of artificial lakes and reservoirs however, is, very difficult. In ecological terms, the definition of quality must include some consideration of their functional characteristics and the extent to which these characteristics are self-sustaining. The challenge of managing lakes in a sustainable way is particularly acute in semi-arid, Mediterranean countries. Here the quality of the water is strongly influenced by the unpredictability of the rainfall as well as year-to-year variations in the seasonal averages. Wise management requires profound knowledge of how these systems function. Thus a holistic approach must be adopted and the factors influencing the seasonal dynamics of the lakes quantified over a range of spatial and temporal scales. In this article, the authors describe some of the ways in which both long-term and short-term changes in the weather have influenced the seasonal and spatial dynamics of phytoplankton in El Gergal, a water supply reservoir situated in the south of Spain. The quality of the water stored in this reservoir is typically very good but surface blooms of algae commonly appear during warm, calm periods when the water level is low. El Gergal reservoir is managed by the Empresa Municipal de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento (EMASESA) and supplies water for domestic, commercial and industrial use to an area which includes the city of Seville and twelve of its surrounding towns (ca. 1.3 million inhabitants). El Gergal is the last of two reservoirs in a chain of four situated in the Rivera de Huelva basin, a tributary of the Guadalquivir river. It was commissioned by EMASESA in 1979 and since then the company has monitored its main limnological parameters on, at least, a monthly basis and used this information to improve the management of the reservoir. As a consequence of these intensive studies the physical, chemical and biological information acquired during this period makes the El Gergal database one of the most complete in Spain. In this article the authors focus on three ‘weather-related’ effects that have had a significant impact on the composition and distribution of phytoplankton in El Gergal: (i) the changes associated with severe droughts; (ii) the spatial variations produced by short-term changes in the weather; (iii) the impact of water transfers on the seasonal dynamics of the dinoflagellate Ceratium.

Simulations of phytoplankton dynamics in El Gergal Reservoir, Southern Spain (PROTECH)

The Mediterranean region is characterised by a variable climate with most of the rain falling during the winter and frequent summer droughts. Such warm, dry periods are ideal for the growth of large algal blooms that often consist of potentially toxic Cyanobacteria. This makes the management of water for human use particularly challenging in such a climate and it is important to understand how such blooms can be avoided or at least be reduced in size. PROTECH (Phytoplankton RespOnses To Environmental CHange) is a model that simulates the dynamics of different species of phytoplankton populations in lakes and reservoirs. Its distinct advantage over similar models is its ability to simulate the relative composition of the algal flora, allowing both quantitative and qualitative conclusions to be drawn e.g. whether Cyanobacteria could be a potential problem. PROTECH has been applied primarily to lakes and reservoirs in northern Europe. Recently, however, the model has been applied to water bodies in lower latitudes, including Australia to a water supply reservoir in the south of Spain, El Gergal. El Gergal is the last in a chain of reservoirs that supply water to the city of Seville. It was brought into service in April 1979 and has a maximum storage volume of 35 000 000 m3. This article summarises the application of PROTECH in order to simulate the following problems: • the effect of a large influx of Ceratium biomass into El Gergal from another reservoir • the effect of using alternative water sources instead of the Guadalquivir River (used occasionally to raise water levels in El Gergal) • the effect of installing tertiary sewage treatment on the Cala River • the effect of simulated drought conditions on phytoplankton in the reservoir.

Reform of Spain's profesional services market: Implementation of the EU Services Directive

The implementation of the European Commission Services Directive initiated the modernization process of services markets within the European Union. The objective was to guarantee the creation of a single market by ensuring the freedom of establishment and circulation. The transposition of the Directive in Spain triggered an initial wave of reforms in the Spanish legal system. A second package of reforms is currently underway, following recommendations by the EC, IMF and OECD, which highlight the relative lack of competition in Spain���s services as one of the major imbalances in its economy, alongside the public deficit and unemployment. Both the implemented and planned reforms represent a major step forward. Nevertheless, the government has recently announced modifications to the draft bill of the Professional Services and Associations Law, which is expected to soon be submitted for parliamentary debate and approval. Taking into consideration modifications already introduced, together with anticipated further changes, it will be important to maintain the main points of the draft bill and to introduce a deeper review of the legal framework for professional services, of the professional associations themselves, and for the activities that are subject to compulsory membership within a professional association. Spain���s territorial map of professional associations must too be redrawn.

Androginia en teatro

Nivel Educativo: Master.Duración (en horas): 4

Teatro e identidade nacional: as representações das alteridades na obra dramática de José de Alencar

O século XIX, no Brasil, foi marcado por uma tentativa de construção de uma identidade nacional e cultural num país pós-independência. Neste panorama, José de Alencar destaca-se, entre outros papéis que exerceu, como significativo romancista e contribui para a formação de um sistema literário em nosso país. Porém, é na obra dramática alencariana que também podemos identificar uma proposta discursiva da possível identidade do homem no Brasil a partir de suas relações contraditórias e problemáticas com os "outros" aqui presentes: o português, o índio, o negro, e o francês representações estas capazes de dar ao homem uma ideia de pertencimento cultural, através de uma seleção do que deve ou não servir para representar sua identidade e a de seu povo

A metrópole em cena: As metáforas do teatro e do cinema em Cidade de Vidro de Paul Auster e Sinédoque Nova York de Charlie Kaufman

A metáfora do mundo como um palco está presente no imaginário humano há muitos séculos, o que se pode ver nas obras artísticas e filosóficas, de Cícero a Shakespeare: o mundo é representação. O presente estudo propõe-se a analisar interdisciplinamente os desdobramentos das metáforas do teatro e do cinema, na exploração do espaço da metrópole, tendo como corpus o romance Cidade de Vidro, de Paul Auster (1999) e a narrativa fílmica Sinédoque Nova York, de Charlie Kaufman (2008). Para tal, procuramos os teóricos da metáfora, tendo como principal deles Hans Blumenberg, fundador da Metaforologia, Paul Ricoeur e Derrida, em estudos especialmente dedicados a essa figura de linguagem. As metáforas, contudo, se realizam em um determinado espaço, o da metrópole, e para nos guiarmos em seus caminhos, elegemos os estudiosos da nova geografia cultural, dentre os quais Paul Claval, Mathias Le Bossé e Denis Cosgrove. Na correlação da cidade com o teatro, apontaremos a própria história da criação do teatro ocidental como o principal ponto de partida para as ramificações de tal mimetismo. Para o estudo específico do espaço da metrópole, contamos com Walter Benjamin e seus seguidores. Os estudos benjaminianos serão também de vital importância para a compreensão da relação entre cinema e metrópole, relação essa que também foi aclarada pelo questionamento de Nietzsche sobre a verdade. Não foi nossa intenção comparar as obras aqui analisadas em seus planos narratológicos, mas articular dois textos regidos por códigos e procedimentos artísticos parecidos, mas, ainda assim diferentes. Buscamos apontar como as relações teatrais e cinemáticas na metrópole, fragmentada como o próprio homem que nela se perde, provocam uma suspensão da fronteira entre realidade e ficção

Acendam as luzes ,O Mambembe voltou! De Artur Azevedo ao Teatro dos Sete, redenção e idealismo na invenção póstuma da belle époque teatral

Estudo do texto teatral O Mambembe, a partir dos contextos em que foi criado, em 1904, e depois reabilitado, para o público e para a crítica, 55 anos depois. A ótica da recepção destaca esta peça do conjunto da obra de Artur Azevedo, deixando entrever, principalmente a partir de uma possível ideologia de um teatro educador dos sentidos, as contradições do texto com o mundo da diversão teatral na entrada do século XX carioca, sua tentativa de certa forma de escapar a sua massificação, apelando ao passado e à promessa de um futuro mais artístico para o teatro. Na primeira parte se discutem as ideias inaugurais para o teatro de formação na modernidade, e como estas são catalisadas no Brasil em torno de um teatro que civiliza pela formação de almas, até a época de Artur Azevedo. Depois de explorar alguns aspectos históricos da época de O Mambembe, expõe-se um pequeno painel e algumas considerações teóricas sobre a indústria e a estrutura do teatro ligeiro da entrada para o século XX.Na segunda parte do trabalho, ligadas às questões teóricas sobre recepção teatral, são discutidas as noções de teatro e cultura de cada época, através de comentários e críticas de jornais. Depois de uma pequena exposição das mudanças ideológicas e culturais que se passaram no intervalo dos 55 anos entre uma montagem e outra, o trabalho termina com uma proposta de metaforologia do texto a partir das informações colhidas e resultados experimentados