An Almost Ideal Cost of Living Index for Food in Spain Using a Microeconomic Approach and Censored Data

Abstract

A true cost of living (COL) index should compare the cost derived by two consumption levels and two price vectors maintaining the same utility in the two cases. Its application and empirical testing has been, generally, focalized on a temporal perspective. A spatial perspective it is also interesting for economic analysis because it allows for making comparisons of COLs across geographical units. This spatial approach, however, it is not so frequent in the literature. The aim of this paper is to calculate a spatial COL index for the regions of Spain. For this purpose, we use microdata from the 2010 Households Budget Survey (HBS, Encuesta de Presupuestos Familiares) provided by the Spanish Statistical Institute (INE, Instituto Nacional de Estadística). We will denominate this index spatial cost of living index (SCOL). We use a microeconomic approach that keeps the level of utility of households constant across space but allows for substitution among different baskets of goods. The results reveal large differences in COL across the Spanish regions. The estimates of the SCOL index allows for reconsidering regional comparisons in terms of average wages. Even when nominal monetary figures from official Regional Accounts show huge regional disparities, regional differences are largely moderated when the wage figures are corrected by our SCOL index.     

Finding the right employee online: determinants of internet recruitment in Spanish firms

This paper analyses the variation of recruitment strategies in Spanish firms, with special emphasis on the Internet. Using data from the Spanish Labour Trends Survey for the period 2001–2011, we study the factors influencing the decision to use online recruitment and explore the differences between Internet and eight traditional recruitment channels. Our results show that the adoption of the Internet monotonically increases over the sample period, when Internet becomes more universal and even in periods with excess of applicants. Large firms operating in information-intensive activities, and located in regions more developed and with better infrastructures are more likely to search for new employees online. We also find that Internet and traditional recruitment methods follow different patterns, especially when using personal referrals and public employment services. Our results suggest the presence of network externalities derived from the increase number of compatible online job seekers.     

Priorities for the development of vocational skills in management accountants: A European perspective

In recent years there have been many calls for a re-orientation of accounting education in order to include the development of competencies such as communication, group working, and problem solving skills. However, concern has been expressed that the proposed changes are possibly biased towards the interests of public accounting employers. This paper presents and compares the opinions of the employers of management accountants in Spain and the UK, and then by using a weighted importance indicator determines vocational skills development priorities. The factors that the Spanish and UK employers identified as major constraints to the development of vocational skills are also compared.     

The production of spaces of the ‘good life’ – the case of lifestyle migrants in Spain

In search for the ‘good life’, the current generation of European retirees is striving to materialise a self-determined way of life by moving to locations that provide a higher quality of life, such as the Mediterranean coast. Migrants’ leisure practises and distinct spatial features, e.g. leisure infrastructures, hereby frame a production of desirable spaces.

The contribution is theoretically informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space that suggests space to be a social product emerging from congruities and contradictions in a triad of practices, representations and localities. It is discussed how everyday leisure practices reproduce collectively or individually imagined representations of spaces of the ‘good life’ and how such spaces are contested.

The presented case study is mainly based on qualitative interviews depicting narratives associated with the realm of leisure. Empirical data were collected among German retirees, who relocated to a small municipality at the Costa del Sol (Southern Spain).

The analysis of empirical data reveals mostly consistencies within the realms representations, practices and localities, but depicts contestations of spaces of the ‘good life’ with regard to ongoing ageing processes. Lifestyle migrants ascribe meaning to practices of leisure in order to fulfil the desire for consuming tourist; sights that frequently represent highly symbolic places. Constructing notions of sociability with friends and acquaintances through leisure, the migrants hold meaningful social ties, which provide security through reliable networks. Nevertheless, this article points out that spaces of the ‘good life’ are deconstructed through age-related mobility constraints.     

‘The Impact of Corporate Ethical Values and Enforcement of Ethical Codes on the Perceived Importance of Ethics in Business: A Comparison of U.S. and Spanish Managers’

This two country study examines the effect of corporate ethical values and enforcement of a code of ethics on perceptions of the role of ethics in the overall success of the firm. Additionally, the impact of organizational commitment and of individual variables such as ethical idealism and relativism was examined. The rationale for examining the perceived importance of the role of ethics in this manner is to determine the extent to which the organization itself can influence employee perceptions regarding ethics and social responsibility. Results indicate that all of the variables tested, except relativism, impacted upon one’s perceptions of the importance of ethics and social responsibility. Perceptions of the importance of ethics and social responsibility also varied depending upon country of residence with the U.S. sample having somewhat higher perceptions concerning the importance of ethics and social responsibility than their counterparts in Spain. Furthermore, when comparing the two samples, the U.S. sample had significantly higher corporate ethical values, greater enforcement of ethical codes, less organizational commitment and both lower idealism and relativism.     

Exploring the Principle of Subsidiarity in Organisational Forms

The paper starts with a case study of a medium-sized company in which a strong and successful change in the organisational form and job design took place. A bureaucratic organisation with highly-specialised jobs was converted into a new organisation in which employees became much more autonomous in managing their own work. This not only entailed new techniques and managerial systems but also a new anthropological vision. Bureaucratic rules were reduced, but not eliminated completely, and management became less authoritarian. Employees could therefore apply greater entrepreneurial spirit, developing their talents in pursuit of the company’s common goals. It is argued that this new organisational form is ethically superior to the old, and reflects the basic requirements of the principle of subsidiarity. The ethical principle of subsidiarity holds that a larger and higher-ranking body should not exercise functions which could be efficiently carried out by a smaller and lesser body; rather the former should support the latter by aiding it in the coordination of its activities with those of the greater community. While the principle has usually been applied in a political context, this paper explores the principle as a moral base for organisational forms within business organisations. Finally, the principle of subsidiarity is analysed in the context of business organisations and proposed as an ethical guideline for organisational forms. This would help to mitigate the effects of those bureaucracies in which individuals, with their dignity, freedom, diversity and capacity for undertaking business activities with entrepreneurial spirit, are often not fully appreciated.     

Tourism‐led Growth Revisited for Spain: Causality,Business Cycles and Structural Breaks

This paper is aimed to test the causality relationship between the cycles of tourism and economic development for the case of Spain using quarterly time‐series data on gross domestic product, the number of nights spent in Spanish tourist accommodations and real exchange rates from 1980 to 2013. A distinction between nights spent by foreign and national tourists is also made. Although no evidence of causality is found on preliminary results, structural breaks affecting the relationships between the variables are detected. Causality from economic growth towards tourist activity is found until 1985. Results also confirm bidirectional causality from 2000 onwards. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In which direction is budgeting moving? A report in large firms of Spain

In this paper we provide evidence on the budgetary practice of 135 large firms located in Spain. The results have allowed us to evaluate a wide range of weakness attributed to the traditional budgeting approach, still called into question, as well as to discern towards what emerging paradigm budget is aligned the practice analyzed. Evidence shows that the budgetary approach used by the firms have managed to resolve many of the weakness imputed to the traditional budgeting. At the same time, we note that in the most of the cases studied these procedures are in line with the conceptual ideas defended by the Better Budgeting.     

Measuring comparative destination performance: A study in Spain and Turkey

Abstract

Competitiveness between tourist destinations has increased due to the development of international tourism activity over the last two decades. This brings the importance of the assessment of destination performance vis‐à‐vis other similar and competing destinations. Therefore, this study attempts to develop an approach for the measure of destination performance and its comparison with another destination by using the data obtained from the actual tourists visiting both places. Two types of questionnaire are developed and their findings are found to be consistent. Empirical findings indicate that each destination has its own strengths. Implications and limitations of the study are also discussed.