Does it matter if growth is imported via terms of trade or trade volume increases?

This paper shows that to import growth via terms of trade or trade volume increases does matter when determining the degree of competition in the export sector that allows an economy to fully exploit its export market power.     

Rationality of bargaining solutions

The aim of this paper is to obtain the rationality of two-person bargaining solutions by imposing usual assumptions in cooperative bargaining theory. In particular, it is proved that the conjunction of Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives and either Pareto Continuity or Strong Monotonicity implies this rationality.     

Commodity prices, trade, and poverty in Uruguay

The 2006-2008 food price spike raised concerns about the impact of high commodity prices on poverty in developing countries. This paper addresses these concerns in relation to Uruguay, a small country that exports agricultural commodities and imports fuels. Applying a general equilibrium model, we find that, as a whole, an increase in commodity prices has a positive effect on the economy of Uruguay. Benefits obtained through a growth in export activities are partially outweighed by an increase in crude oil prices. In this context, extreme poverty increases. As in other countries, the increase in food prices affects the already poor population, who become even poorer. This fact highlights the need for policies that mitigate the negative effects of price shocks.     

High-performance work systems and firms' operational performance: the moderating role of technology

This paper analyses the moderating effect of technology on the potential impact of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on firms' operational performance. The paper distinguishes between production technology and the technological intensity of the industry. This potential effect is analysed in a sample of 965 Spanish manufacturing firms. Results support the moderating role of the technological intensity of the industry, while qualifying the hypothesized moderating effect of production technology.     

Influence of the entrepreneur's capacity in business performance

The article presents a theoretical model of the entrepreneur's capacities and their influence on business performance. Starting from the traditional theory of dynamic capacities, those related to entrepreneurship and/or that influence the entrepreneur's capacities are identified, determining factors such as training, experience and confidence. In addition, other factors such as the environmental and institutional environment have been taken into account as they affect the entrepreneurship. For this purpose, a study was carried out with the Smart PLS software in a sample of companies in the tourism sector in the Mar Menor Region (Spain). An essential factor in the development of entrepreneurship in the region is the sustainability of the coastal lagoon. Some considerations are obtained from the study of the factors that determine the model of capacities, in which the confidence of the entrepreneur and the environmental sustainability, exert a positive and significant influence in the business performance. Furthermore, among the mentioned capacities of the entrepreneurial influence, experience and trust are the ones that most influence the success of the tourism business.     

Human resources management in Spain: is it possible to speak of a typical model?

There is no shortage of literature studying the relationships between the various processes of human resources management, considered individually, and the strategy of the company. Nevertheless, studies that adopt a joint approach are scarce. In this study, working from the universalist, contingent and configurational perspectives, we seek to identify the possible existence of human resources management models and their links with the strategy of the company. Empirical analysis conducted with 130 industrial companies reveals three distinct models of human resources management but with behaviours independent of the strategies followed by the companies. At the same time we find, within each model, orientations of particular processes that are common among them and are thus characteristic of a universalist approach.     

Weak cognitive image of cultural tourism destinations

The current study aims to take an in-depth look at the perceived image of an inland cultural tourism destination. This destination has traditionally had a weak image, making it important to study the components of this image and the factors influencing it in order to identify the best strategies for improving the destination’s positioning with respect to its image. This research is part of the ATLAS Cultural Tourism Research Project, which focuses on the image of tourist destinations. The basic questionnaire prepared by ATLAS and applied in a number of different countries is the key element of the survey. The results obtained show the different influences of factors such as information sources (distinguishing between induced, organic and autonomous sources), previous visits to the destination and the places visited during the tourist’s stay on the overall image of the city. This research will help public institutions to project the image of destinations in their target markets using precise information channelled through the appropriate media. In global terms we try to contribute to the study of factors influencing image formation in the case of inland cities not yet on the tourist map, but whose potential resources could make them obvious cultural tourism destinations. From this perspective, the influence of cognitive attributes in forming the image, as well as the atmosphere the tourist experiences in the city as a psychological attribute, have been studied.     

Women's Wealth and Intimate Partner Violence: Insights from Ecuador and Ghana

Intimate partner violence (IPV) by men against their partners is one of the most glaring indicators of women's lack of empowerment. Drawing upon the 2010 Ecuador Household Asset Survey (EAFF) and the 2010 Ghana Household Asset Survey (GHAS), nationally representative surveys for Ecuador and Ghana, respectively, this study investigates the relationship between women's ownership of assets and physical and emotional abuse by spouses against currently partnered women over the previous twelve months. It uses the value of a woman's total assets compared to those of her partner as the main proxy for a woman's bargaining power. Differentiating between physical and emotional violence in both countries, the study finds that women's share of couple wealth is significantly associated with lower odds of physical violence in Ecuador and emotional violence in Ghana. Moreover, the association between women's share of couple wealth and IPV is contingent on the household's position in the wealth distribution.     

A sensitivity analysis in a nonlinear Leontief model

Conclusion We have shown that in a nonlinear Leontief model where non-decreasing returns are allowed for, if some elements of the final demand vector are increased, then each activity level (i. e., gross output) goes up or remain unchanged and the maximum rate of increase in activity levels must be realized among those sectors for which the final demand is raised. It is also shown that this maximum rate of increase in activity levels is not greater than the maximum rate of increase in the final demands.It should be noted that we do not require the indecomposability ofA (x). WhenA (x) is indecomposable, the final demand vector can be allowed to be non-zero nonnegative, and we can derive a set of propositions similar to those presented in this article.     

Relationship of business and NGOs: an empirical analysis of strategies and mediators of their private relationship

Managing the relationship with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) is a key capability for most companies, because dialogue with stakeholders is a requested feature of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This paper analyses the relationship between businesses and NGOs in Spain. By applying grounded theory, the authors summarize this relationship in the dynamics of conflict and cooperation. NGOs' strategies vis-à-vis companies are categorized and the variables explaining different approaches on both companies' and NGOs' side are examined. The paper concludes by placing the private relationship with NGOs in a wider context (the public arena), dominated by the approach-withdrawal dynamics between firms and NGOs. Finally, this paper presents the theory that results from this research.