Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Telephone in business – Spain'

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics
The document herein described, provides detailed information of the development of PME.BOX Business Plan regarding the expansion to a detailed overview of the business model and strategies that PME.BOX looks to implement in order to maximize its business reach and in turn generate revenue. PME.BOX (firm) is an IT start up firm based in Madan Par the commercial rights of pme.box (software). Pme.box is a touch management solution intended to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their day day business. It is a software provided under Software as a Service (SaaS). The value proposition of PME.BOX innovative, efficient, sustainable and affordable solutions to their customers. PME.BOX has an important social contribution, given that it provides free software for micro-enterprises and SMEs, to higher levels. Although SMEs represent a dynamic and important role on struggle for “survival” in a high global competitive context. The impending crisis has also affected SMEs severely, with a large number going into bankruptcy. This represents a huge opportunity to such affordable software as pme.box, pr reducing their operational fixed costs, transform those into variable importance of economies of scale for those SMEs. PME.BOX wants to grow fast and on a global scale in order to take advantage of the time market. It is looking for partnerships with available financial means and local market expertise to deal with local demands and local business expansion. Inside this objective, Spain seems to be a very attractive market to the PME.BOX business model.

The study seeks to characterise management in Spain in general. It seeks to explain, within a social cultural framework, how management in Spain differs in values and structure from that in the United Kingdom. The basis of the study is empirical evidence largely derived from interviews with managers practising in Spain. The study concludes that there are underlying similarities in management values across regions and' industries in Spain that are different from those prevalent in Britain. Of special interest are the prioritisation of human individual values, the nature of the authority structure and the principal methods of communication which managers choose to employ.

Globalization abates barriers and makes the world similar, but also leads countries to perform like companies seeking and competing for global capitals. In this competition the „nation brand‟ becomes a critical tool to stand out and attract any sort of foreign investments. In this research, the factors which affect the nation brand, presented in the Anholt´s hexagon model, will be tested through the combination of theory on nation branding and empirical data. The study analyzes how different organizations affect and promote the commercial image of Spain in Sweden. Up to seven entities susceptible to affect the brand Spain were analyzed; the ICEX, the economic and commercial office of Spain in Stockholm, the embassy of Spain in Stockholm, Invest in Spain, the Elcano Royal institute, the Hispanic-Swedish chamber of commerce in Madrid and the Swedish trade council in Madrid. The study also presents an outline of the current context of the brand Spain and its projection in Sweden, as well as an overview on the trade relationship between both countries. The individual commitment of most of the organizations investigated, under the guidance of the Ministry of foreign affairs and the Ministry of industry, tourism, and trade of Spain, appears as one of the main findings. Despite the limited scope of this investigation, the relative novelty of this field of study leaves room for further research in different directions, questioning those who claim that globalization threats local diversity.

Background Expatriate failure can be a devastating consequence for both an enterprise and the expatriate himself. An expatriate is a person who resides outside his native country for working purposes. Moving to a foreign country implies many challenges and problems. One of the challenges is the new culture. Culture shock and problems with the acculturation process can jeopardize the international assignment: adaptation problem for expatriates is one of the reasons for expatriate failure. Nevertheless, culture shocks can be provided against by preparing the expatriate for the new culture. Knowledge about the other culture will increase the expatriate’s cultural competence, and hence facilitate the adaptation process, which will provide against expatriate failure. Purpose The thrust of this Bachelor Thesis was to analyze which important cultural differences a Swedish expatriate can encounter in Spain on an international assignment. The aim was to establish a check-list for future Swedish expatriates who are going to Spain, in order increase their cultural competence. We approached the cultural differences from a Swedish expatriate’s point of view. Methodology A qualitative study was conducted. The empirical data was collected through five semi-structured interviews with Swedish expatriates that are, or have been, working in Spain. All the interviewees work at companies who operate within the high-tech business trade. A frame of reference was elaborated in order to interpret and analyze the results obtained from the empirical data. Conclusions We found relevant cultural differences for Swedish expatriates going to Spain within four cultural aspects. Organization: organizations in Spain are more hierarchical and the manager more authoritarian compared to Sweden. The purpose of meetings is to inform or make decisions, rather than discuss and decide by consensus. Long working days are normal, and efficiency is not highly prioritized. Small talk before meetings is used more extensively than in Sweden. Time: Spaniards perceive time as fluid, which leads to less rigid agendas and schedules. Punctuality is a minor issue since time is approximate. Communication: The culture is expressive. Spaniards are emotional in their way of communicating, which is classified as an expressive culture. Moreover, frequent interruptions are seen as commitment to, and engagement in, the conversation. Indirect language is preferred over the direct, the context is more important than the words used. Social life: Spaniards prefer to meet up outside. The Spaniard’s private zone is bigger and includes more persons, compared to the Swede’s. Furthermore, respect is only shown people the Spaniard knows and cares about.

With the expansion of the European Union there have been concerns over increasing competition for FDI attraction between member states. This study will examine to what extent, if to any extent at all, the admission of the Central and Eastern countries to the EU has raised completion for FDI in Spain. Spain and the CEECs will be compared in terms of advantages in FDI attraction. Ultimately, evidence and analysis will suggest that given current trend, there is no serious threat to diverting foreign assets from Spain to the CEECs.

Determining which countries are the most financially attractive for businesses to build wind projects is a matter of serious discussion that lacks succinct commentary. To fill this void this paper employs an empirical study of the wind subsidy support systems used by Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. This paper is based on the premise that businesses prefer to build where they can find the highest overall remuneration for their production; recognizing also the need for stability in those payments and businesses’ strong preference for larger early returns on their investments. The paper also analyzes the results and gives recommendations on possible improvements to each country’s system and where businesses should invest.In order to reach their 20-20-20 E.U. goals (European Commission, 2010), countries are encouraging the creation of new green energy projects, and this encouragement is frequently in the form of subsidies. The subsidy types used by the countries reviewed are feed-in tariffs, premiums and a certificate quota system. Each country’s support history is detailed along with the criteria of their respective systems.The countries systems are then compared using actual income and production data for four criteria at three different production levels – 100 percent, 75 percent and 150 percent of actual – and at two different lengths of time, 7 and 20 years. The first criteria of the comparison is total income, the second for variability of payments, the third for timing of payments and the final is the stability of the system itself.The results of this research show that the German and French systems are superior at all levels for their low variability in payment prices and in making larger payments to businesses earlier. They are also generally superior at lower and actual production levels for total income amounts. However, the Spanish options are superior at high levels of production for income and have middling variability levels. The Swedish system generally has the highest levels of variability for the lowest levels of income. Only the Spanish system is considered to be unstable in its political support of subsidies. Based upon the preceding findings are given to each country to improve their relative weaknesses. Also recommendations are given to businesses based upon the quality of the locations wind resources.

Why did different countries create different systems of banking regulation in the years leading up to the recent global financial crisis, despite adhering to the same transnational regulatory agreement, the 1988 Basel Capital Accord? Using over 5000 pages of archival material and in-depth interviews with regulators and industry participants, I answer this question by tracing the historical development of banking regulation (1780-2007) across three countries that were all parties to the Basel Capital Accord: the U.S., Canada, and Spain. The conventional wisdom is that banking regulation either follows universal principles of efficiency or reflects the power and interests of the regulated industry. I offer a very different explanation: that regulators from different countries adopted different policies because they subscribed to fundamentally different conceptions of economic order, which can be traced back many decades in each country.
Sociology

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telecommunication operators are faced with the challenges of rising upward pressure by the competition; this is mainly due to the saturation of subscribers and the aggressive battle for a share of the customer wallet. This has forced mobile network operators to look for new opportunities to drive growth and to cut costs in business operations. The battleground rules are mainly defined by the speed with which new technologies are introduced, customer perception of the quality of the network, and site planning. The purpose of this study is to identify a framework to help the company identify activities which, due to their level and quality of performance, either help or hinder the performance of critical success factors. The starting point for this process is defining the critical success factors based on the company‟s high level priorities. Thereafter, activities that are critical or non-critical, based on their influence on each critical success factor, are identified. Finally, Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain are analysed. The framework is applied to analyse Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain with a view to improve sustainable execution of critical success factors. The report concludes with a decision to outsource activities that are non-critical and are being performed poorly, and the strategic outsourcing of those critical activities which require specialised skills easily sourced outside the company instead of Vodacom spending huge amounts of money in attracting and retaining such specialised skills.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Telekommunikasie-ondernemings staan voor die uitdaging om toenemende opwaartse druk van hul mededingers doeltreffend aan te spreek, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die oorversadigde intekenaarmark en die agressiewe stryd om 'n aandeel van die kliënt se beursie. Dit noop selfoonnetwerkondernemings om te soek na nuwe geleenthede om groei te dryf en om die bedryfskostes van die onderneming te besnoei. Die reëls op die gevegsfront word neergelê deur onder andere die tempo waarteen nuwe tegnologie bekend gestel word, die kliënt se persepsie van die netwerkkwaliteit, en terreinbeplanning. Hierdie studie het ten doel om 'n raamwerk te identifiseer wat die onderneming kan gebruik om te help met die identifisering van aktiwiteite wat as gevolg van hul vlak en gehalte van prestasie die kritiese suksesfaktore óf positief óf negatief beïnvloed. Die vertrekpunt in hierdie proses is die bepaling van kritiese suksesfaktore gegrond op die maatskappy se hoë-vlak prioriteite, en daarna moet aktiwiteite wat kritiek of nie-kritiek is op grond van hul invloed op elk van die kritiese suksesfaktore, geïdentifiseer word. Daarna word Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting ontleed. Die raamwerk word gebruik om Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting te ontleed met die oog op die verbetering van die volhoubare uitvoering van die kritiese suksesfaktore. Die verslag sluit af met 'n aanbeveling dat nie-kritiese aktiwiteite wat swak verrig word, uitgekontrakteer moet word; en dat ook daardie kritiese aktiwiteite wat gespesialiseerde vaardighede vereis en waarvan daar 'n oorvloed buite die onderneming bestaan, uitgekontrakteer moet word eerder as wat Vodacom groot bedrae geld spandeer aan die werwing en instandhouding van sulke gespesialiseerde vaardighede.

This Master thesis deals with the Comparison of environment for foundation of startups in the Czech Republic and Spain. The scope is to discover which of these two countries has more suitable business environment for the establishment of a startup. The first chapter defines startup and illustrates its importance and development. Second part is dedicated to foundation of a startup regarding legal differences and funding aspects. The last section confronts business environment and support for the foundation of a startup in both countries.

Since the mid 1990s, the momentum behind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increased. CSR has become an important issue at political, academic and business level. Already since the beginning of the last decade, commentators have suggested that CSR seems to differ between European countries and that said differences appear to be shaped by the country context. Nevertheless, in general, so far, only few empirical cross-country studies have been conducted. In addition, said studies focused mainly on the comparison between Europe as a region and the US. The latter are biased by the selection of only few specific European countries, which are regarded as a proxy for Europe as a whole. Hence, said studies deliver partially contradictory results, since they do not consider that CRS is supposed to be Non-Pan-European. Moreover, cross-country studies of international character, going beyond that regional comparison, have been rather superficial in view of CSR issues to be investigated. And finally, only recently, cross-country research in CSR has started to establish a systematic link between CSR patterns and the country specific institutional context. Also in view of the latter, the focus has been set on the comparison between countries of Anglo American/Saxon tradition and Europe, considering again some specific European countries as a proxy for the region as a whole.

Given that lack in the literature, the following explicit calls for empirical cross-country research of CSR in Europe have been formulated: First, to explore differences in view of CSR; and second, to find out if country specific institutional mechanisms are influential in shaping said differences.

Hence, the dissertation aims at filling this gap and to answer said calls for research by presenting a cross-country research involving two European countries, Germany and Spain. The research aims at exploring differences in view of a variety of CSR issues and at finding out if the national institutional contexts are influential in shaping said differences.

The dissertation consists of five main parts. In part one, the introductory part, the following is pointed out: motivation, main theoretical frameworks of CSR and main CSR issues in CSR literature. Moreover, a detailed overview on the research design of the three papers, which form part two, three and four, is provided.

In part two, which is composed of one paper, differences in view of CSR concepts and CSR drivers (analytical framework) between Germany and Spain are explored. The methodology applied was a questionnaire-based postal survey among the 500 largest companies in both, Germany and Spain.

The results of the study suggest important differences between the two countries over the analytical framework. In comparison to Spanish companies, the German ones seem to be more attached to the "sustainability" concept of CSR, whereas the Spanish companies favour to a major extent the CSR concept, formulated by the EC and the "Triple Bottom Line" concept. In view of CSR drivers, the results imply that German corporations are to a major extent than their Spanish counterparts driven by secondary stakeholders, whereas corporations in both countries seem to be equally pressured by primary stakeholders to become engaged in CSR. In addition, the findings suggest that CSR in Spain seems to be more "voluntary", whereas, in Germany, it seems to be more "regulated". The analysis of the results with regard to "expectations on positive internal" and "positive external effects" as drivers to CSR suggests a "more competitive advantage centred" approach to CSR among Spanish companies than among German ones, where the corresponding approach is "less competitive advantage centred". And finally, the findungs further suggest, that the country context seems to be influential in shaping most of said differences.

Part three, which consists of one paper, deals with CSR reporting, which is assumed to deliver insights into the institutionalization of the leading reporting guidelines in CSR, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, CSR agendas and the communicated rationale behind CSR. The methodology applied was quantitative contents analysis of CSR reports. As sample served companies of the utility industry, listed in the main stock indexes in Germany and Spain.

The findings of the study suggest that the institutionalisation of the GRI indicators is low in the corporations investigated in both countries. But, it is especially low in German firms. With regard to CSR agendas, the focus of corporate activities appears to lie among German corporations on those attached to environmental responsibilities, whereas Spanish corporations appear to have in this regard a mixed approach, related to their economic, environmental and social responsibilities. But, in contrast to their German counterparts the economic responsibilities are more emphasized. With regard to the communicated rationale behind CSR, German corporations seem to be driven by normative reasons, the Spanish to a major extent by instrumental ones. And finally, the findings imply that the country context seems to be influential in shaping most of said differences.

In part four, which contains one paper, differences in the understanding of CG in view of its links to CSR are explored. Currently, scholars discuss the link between CG and CSR and their relational models in the theoretical literature. Hence, to explore the understanding of CG and its links to CSR ,an analytical framework was elaborated, based upon said current theoretical debate. The methodology applied was qualitative contents analysis, conducted in the framework of a web site research. The sample consisted of corporations listed in the main stock indexes in both countries.

The findings suggest differences between the two countries with regard to the understanding of CG and its links to CSR and the corresponding relational models. In Spain the understanding of CG seems to be to a major extent linked to the "narrow view" of CG, implied by a major focus on shareholders only in view of corporate responsibilities. In contrast, among German corporations the view appears to be "broad", including other stakeholders than exclusively shareholders in this regard. In addition, the results suggest, that the relational model favoured by German corporations consists of CSR being considered as a part of CG, whereas the Spanish companies seem to relate CG to CSR or at least consider both, CG and CSR, as complementary constituents. And finally, the findings suggest that most of the exposed differences seem to be shaped by mechanisms of the traditional national CG systems.

In the final main part, part five, the overall conclusions of the dissertation have been formulated. These can be summarized as follows. From an overall perspective the three essays contribute to fill the lack in the literature as already pointed out. They constitute an original answer to the calls for research expressed in this regard. Moreover, they contribute to increase the knowledge on differences in CSR between European countries. And furthermore, through paying attention to country specific institutional mechanisms, they enhance the understanding of said differences induced by the country context or country specificity of CSR. In addition, the three essays have raised important implications for managerial practice, public policies, international and (supra) national institutions and for further research. In view of the implications for managerial practice, the findings suggest to sensitize practitioners with regard to the country specificity of CSR and to undertake corresponding measures in e.g. corporate communication, product and market strategies, employer marketing and organizational and management development terms. With regard to the implications for public policies, international and (supra) national organizations, those with regulatory power should increasingly bear in mind to handle more carefully the outsourcing of said power to private institutions, including NGOs, which play an important role in the "oluntary" regulation of CSR. In addition, those institutions, without regulatory power, which issue e.g. voluntary guidelines, should consider the country specificity of CSR and the "one size does not fit all" problem. Concerning the implications of the findings for further research these are the following: 1) to expand the CSR issues to be investigated in cross-country studies; 2) to intensify cross-country research in Europe in view of the number of countries involved; 3) to consider longitudinal approaches in cross-country research in Europe; 4) to expand said research (1-3) also to SMEs; 5) to increase the scope of institutional mechanisms to be investigated; and 6) to intensify cross-country linguistics research in view of CG and CSR. And finally, the findings of the three essays have delivered substantial contributions to enliven the debate, at academic and practitioner level, in view of the international management of CSR in terms of complexity vs. simplicity.

Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestion
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This research conducted an interdisciplinary field experiment to identify relationships between productivity, user satisfaction and IS Helpdesk USP's use of effective communication behavior. An experimental group of Helpdesk USPs of a large retail organization were trained by communication professionals in communication effectiveness, with emphasis on the needs of the telephone environment.

PURPOSEThe main purpose of this research is to determine the consumer level approach of brand equity in Citibank N.A using empirical information based on its brand awareness. The awareness of a brand would show the level of the brand recognition. A telephone interview was conducted to explain the different aspects that constitute the recognition of brand equity and brand awareness of Citibank N.A-Cameroon in addition to its ads.

RESEARCH QUESTIONHow can Citibank N.A, Cameroon subsidiary, measure the level of its brand equity from its brand awareness?

RESEARCH APPROACH/METHODOLOGYIn order to answer the research question and achieve the research objective established for this research, a structured research method was required. In this research a qualitative research approach was applied to suit the content of the research. A telephone interview was conducted to give a qualitative view of this research.

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONSAwareness (aided, unaided), contributes to the recognition of brand equity. In the empirical part of the thesis brand recognition and awareness can be facilitated by Citibank-Cameroon subsidiary being participative in its social corporate responsibility plan to develop the community by planting trees and organizing football competition every summer holidays. This brand strategy has been used for several years to keep a positive brand image of the bank.

Voice mail has become a major communications tool. This study examined the opinions of 357 Indiana chief executive officers regarding voice mail systems--based on a random sample of the 4,697 members of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as of November 18, 1992. A 100 percent response rate was achieved. The CEOs generally did not like calling into systems. The study concluded that 20 percent of Indiana businesses have voice mail. The major advantage--as cited by CEOs--to calling into systems was that they can leave detailed messages at anytime. The major disadvantage was that voice mail is cold and impersonal--CEOs want to speak to a real person. The CEOs who have voice mail gave major advantages and disadvantages of their internal systems as well as a rating. Oanparisons were made between various findings including how not having voice mail affects the rating of calling into other systems.
Department of Journalism

Voice mail is a computer-aided telephone system which is capable of storing and forwarding spoken messages. The voice mail market has been and is still focused on larger companies since they comprise a sizable amount of the installed base of voice processing systems (Radisich, 1994). Consequently, all voice mail research has been centered on the large company and concentrates on advantages or disadvantages found in these substantial companies.This study focused on the implementation and diffusion of a relatively new communication technology and its consequences in an unresearched arena--the small company. Also a comparatively new methodology in the field of communications research, grounded theory, was used to explore the impact of a new technology, thus possibly advancing the credibility of this research methodology.The results of this pilot study on voice mail in a small company found diffusion to be extremely successful, even to the point of surprising some of the subjects with their total acceptance of the technology.The study results indicated that the small company can benefit from voice mail usage in similar ways to the large company, especially if the company has travelers or off-site locations. The results implied that there are some ways that voice mail can assist in the small company where it has not previously had a reported effect in the large company---as a negotiating, organizing, and delegating tool.The results of the study could provide insights for other small companies concerned with successful usage of the voice mail technology in similar environments. Several concepts on novel uses of voice mail surfaced as a result of this study. These concepts could provide hypothesis for empirical testing to further voice mail investigation.The study concluded that voice mail is a communication technology that is an accepted and beneficial tool which offered several major advantages that the subject small company was able to successfully utilize.
Department of Journalism

This dissertation examines the role and impact of the M&A’s created during the economic crisis in the tourism sector on the brand strategy, and their portfolio. We analyze different theories explaining brand concept, the advantages and disadvantages of building a new brand or buying an existing brand, how the portfolio can change after the merger and the concept of rebranding to draw conclusions thought the examination of a case study based on the biggest urban hotel chain in Spain: NH Hotels and its merger with Hesperia. This research has been made through secondary data regarding the hotels chains and all the theories studied during the study research and it has been completed through an in-depth interview made by telephonic and e-mail techniques, with the marketing department of NH Hoteles in Spain. The finding of this study provides useful information regarding brand strategies and portfolio strategies acquired during the economic crisis for many hotels and others industries.

Thesis (MComm (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
Measuring advertising effectiveness has become an increasingly important issue due to the substantial sums of money invested in the advertising industry. The purpose of this research was to design an Advertising Balanced Scorecard (ABSC), which is an adaptation to the advertising field of the managerial Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The ABSC was developed to identify a balanced pattern between the perspectives leading to effectiveness, namely strategy, execution, media and creative, in order to measure and control advertising effectiveness. This study reviews the South African mobile communication industry and Vodacom in particular. It examines Vodacom’s successful marketing and advertising strategy with a special attention given to iconic advertising by the use of a character such as Maurice the meerkat. After investigating the elements of Vodacom’s award winning advertisements, a balance between strategy, execution, media and creative could not be isolated systematically. However, when fewer perspectives were involved balance could be reached. The results therefore confirm the complexity of advertising effectiveness measurement and indicate that measurement of advertising effectiveness is possible when focus is placed on fewer perspectives.

Title: The changes on the Spanish consumer behaviour after the financial crisis 2007. Applied towards a switch to store branded products. Authors: Adrián Cánovas Rosales and Iranzu Ibáñez Pérez Supervisor: Venilton Reinert Level: Bachelor in Business Administration, Marketing Key words: Consumers’ behaviour, financial crisis, leader brands, store brands, Spain, Spanish retailers… Purpose: The main research objective is to find out if there has been a change in Spanish consumer buying behaviour as a consequence of the current economic downturn. Method: The selected research method is an explorative research followed by descriptive one. Secondary data has been collected from books at Halmstad University’s Library and academic journals and other articles founded in the University’s Databases. Primary data has been obtained through a survey among middle class Spanish households. The selected research instrument is a questionnaire. Theoretical framework: We firstly define the consumer behaviour. Then, there is an explanation of the economic crisis focusing on the Spanish case. Finally, stores brands are defined. Conclusion: A summary of the findings obtained from our study are posted. Middle class Spanish households have reduced their consumption, becoming more rational and, consequently, switching to store brands. The limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further researches are added in this section.

This thesis aims to analyze current business environment and its development in three countries of euro area (Greece, Spain and Portugal) during the last five years and reflecting the current financial crisis. The first section analyses the conditions for development and the ways the financial crisis spread to euro area. It also demonstrates its effects on macroeconomic indicators. The next part defines the business environment from the point of view of the World Bank, The Heritage Foundation, IMD and The World Economic Forum. It also reflects the opinion of European Commission on the rate of incorporating the European directives regarding the internal market. The third part analyzes the current business environment and its development according to each definition.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The mobile phone has not only changed the way the world works today, but also changed the direction the world is moving toward. The mobile phone changed the face of communication and enabled more people to reach more other people than ever before. The big four banks in South Africa represent 83.5 per cent of the total asset value of all banks in South Africa. Traditionally, banking customers (or potential customers) could be reached through the current 2 786 branches, 19 451 ATMs and potentially 4.59 million internet users. There are 47.9 million mobile phone subscribers in South Africa – increasing the number of potential contact points by order of magnitude. The possibilities for banks utilising the mobile phone are endless, however online banking and offering banking services through a mobile phone is increasingly more subject to fraud attacks. Online banking and credit card fraud is still on the increase. Today, SMS is used to alert customer of movements on their bank account. This keeps the customer informed and enables them to notify their banks and prevent subsequent fraudulent transactions. SMS can be sent from one mobile phone to another (P2P) or from a computer system to a mobile phone (A2P). In 2007, 2 trillion SMS's were sent worldwide and was responsible for 75 to 80 per cent of all mobile phone revenues. South Africa sent 34 billion A2P SMS in 2009 of which 29 per cent were sent as transactional SMS by the top three banks in South Africa. SMS-based transactional alerts are SMS sent each time a change occurs in a bank account, for example, when your credit card is used then you will get an SMS on your mobile phone. Each bank makes different functionalities available. Absa reported 2 million customers receiving SMS alerts in 2008. FNB reported 67 million transactional SMS per month in 2009. The core advantages for using transactional SMS are the cost, reliability and ubiquity. Research was conducted among five of the six largest banks. Data revealed that banks send between 16 million and 69.4 million SMS per month and have approximately between 4.5 and 5.1 million customers using this service. The impact was tested through personal interviews. The two common factors were fraud reduction and customer retention. The two key challenges the banks identified are: i) Capacity/throughput with the mobile network operators; and ii) Getting internal systems and processes defined and working together for the alerts. The advantages identified are competitive positioning, customer interaction, empowerment of people and revenue. Key findings of the research were: SMS-based transactional alerts offer strategic importance; Any system is as good as it is being utilised; Security controls are extremely complex; SMS capacity is a common challenge and big risk; Internal processes cause the most complexity; Return on investment is not adequately measured; Transactional alerts is a potential revenue stream; There is no interaction between the bank and the customer; SMS in South Africa create high dependencies; SMS-based transactional alerts are successful.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The motive for this research was to provide clarity on the increasingly divergent opinions on the role and behaviour of South African companies in the rest of the African continent. The key question that can be asked is: “Are South African investments, saviour or villain of African Development” (Thomas, 2007)? Are they “exporting Apartheid” (Mkhabela, 2007) or are the fears raised against South African companies unfounded? The primary research objective of this study is to assess MTN-C’s contribution to the economic development of Cameroon. The specific research questions addressed in this study are: 1. What are the possible areas of economic impact? 2. How can the effects of MTN-C’s presence in Cameroon be measured—both qualitatively and quantitatively? 3. What recommendations can be made to MTN-C? To answer these questions, the researcher takes a multi-dimensional view of the economic impact across eight areas, viz., inflow of foreign direct capital, interaction with government, training and development of local staff, employment creation, local procurement, spread of local shareholding, the local mobile communications sector and corporate social investment initiatives. She assesses each of the above-mentioned eight elements and then draws some conclusions on what is perceived to be the true effect of MTN-C’s investments in Cameroon. After close to three years of in-depth research, which included several trips to Cameroon, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, direct observation, group discussions and survey research, it can be concluded that MTN-C has indeed had a positive impact in areas like Corporate Social Investment, training and development of local staff, employment creation and the inflow of foreign capital. However, much still needs to be done. The areas that have been identified as weak include the development of local suppliers, the interaction with government and the spread of local shareholding.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie is gemotiveer deur die soeke na groter helderheid met betrekking tot uiteenlopende beoordelings van die rol en optrede van Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings in die res van die Afrika-kontinent. Die kernvraag is: “Are South African investments saviour or villains of African development?” (Thomas, 2007) Is hulle besig om apartheid “uit te voer” (Mkhabela, 2007) of is dié vrese teenoor Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings ongegrond? Die primêre navorsingsoogmerk is die beoordeling van MTN Cameroon se bydrae tot die ekonomiese ontwikkeling in Kameroen. Spesifiek drie vrae word aangespreek. 1. Watter dimensies word ingesluit in ‘n studie van die “ekonomiese impak”? 2. Hoe kan die invloed van MTN Cameroon se teenwoordigheid in dié land gemeet word – sowel kwalitatief asook kwantitatief? 3. Watter aanbevelings kan op grond van dié beoordelings aan die maatskappy gemaak word? Om hierdie vrae te beantwoord word ‘n multi-dimensionele benadering gevolg, gebaseer op agt verskillende invloed-gebiede. Hulle sluit in die invloei van buitelandse kaptiaal, interaksie met die regering, opleiding en ontwikkeling van plaaslike werknemers, werkskepping, plaaslike aankope, die verspreiding van plaaslike aandeelhouding, die mobiele kommunikasiebedryf en sosiale investerings-inisiatiewe. Elkeen van dié elemente word ontleed op grond van vraelys-reaksies en ander insigte. Dit lei tot gevolgtrekkings op elkeen van die vlakke, wat tesame die volle omvang van die betrokkenheid weerspieël. Na drie jaar se interaksie van die navorser met Kameroen, diepte-onderhoude met vername rolspelers, direkte waarnemings, groepbesprekings en 40 voltooide vraelyste kom sy tot die gevolgtrekking dat MTN Cameroon wel ‘n positiewe rol speel in gebiede soos korporatiewe sosiale investerings, opleiding, werkskepping en die invloei van kapitaal, maar dat daar nog heelwat ruimte vir verbeterings is, veral wat plaaslike aankope, interaksie met die regering en plaaslike aandeelhouding betref.

This thesis analyses the Spanish financial system and foreign policy from a political economy point of view. The foundation, development and transformation of the financial elite in Spain and its affiliations with the policy-making elite are the main concerns of this study. The traditionally complex and interlocking relationship between the financial elite and the policy-making elite in Spain is a perfect showcase to demonstrate how policy and economy affect each other interchangeably. The financial system of Spain has always been highly oligopolistic which led to the continuation of its traditional political and economical protection for many decades before, during and after the liberalisation process went underway. This traditional protection has a very unique characteristic given the fact that it survived nearly a century, under a succession of various political and regulatory regimes with very different ideological agendas. &ldquo
How could the banking sector preserve its power and influence under many different political ideals and economic orientations&rdquo
is one the questions to which an answer is sought in this study. Naturally, this answer also covers the origins and structure of the power and influence that the financial elite held over the domestic and foreign policies of the country. Also, the mutual and complex relationship between economy and foreign policy as well as policy-making elite and economic elite, is analysed in this thesis. In other words, the consequences of the shifts in foreign and domestic policy agendas on the Spanish financial elite are studied.

En la industria farmacéutica, la subcontratación de actividades logísticas es una práctica relativamente reciente ya que la figura del proveedor de servicios logísticos (LSP) como tal en España no aparece hasta muy a finales de los años noventa, y además dadas las características del producto que se maneja en esta industria, los proveedores de servicios logísticos se ven obligados a cumplir, para la mayor parte de los artículos, unos requisitos y unas normas estrictas de trazabilidad y control de temperatura. Esto ha provocado que las empresas logísticas que operan en esta industria sean menos numerosas y más especializadas. Este trabajo se asienta en tres motivaciones: • Primero, en el hecho que según varios estudios la subcontratación logística se limita básicamente a las actividades operativas. A pesar de esto, los LSP tienden cada vez más a desarrollar capacidades para ofrecer más servicios y más estratégicos. • Segundo, en los últimos años la industria farmacéutica está viviendo profundos cambios que le hacen prestar más atención a aspectos como la eficacia y eficiencia, a controlar el punto de venta y a acceder a nuevos mercados. • Y, finalmente, hasta ahora la mayoría de estudios realizados en el campo de la subcontratación logística se han centrado en el análisis de las ventajas y los riesgos de ésta, prestando poca atención al proveedor de servicios logísticos; es más, si nos centramos en las implicaciones del rol que éstos han desempeñado en la cadena de suministro, todavía se ha realizado menos investigación académica. Todo ello, ha llevado a plantearnos si los LSP que operan con el sector farmacéutico en España están capacitados para ejercer cualquier categoría de rol en la cadena de suministro de sus clientes. Para ello se han agrupado las clasificaciones halladas en la literatura sobre el rol del LSP en tres categorías en función de las capacidades que debe tener éste para ejercerlo y se ha llevado a cabo un análisis de casos viendo la doble perspectiva: LSP-Laboratorio. Las principales conclusiones de este trabajo de investigación han sido: • A medida que la relación con un cliente avanza, los LSP suelen desempeñar un rol mayor tratando de ofrecer a sus clientes más servicios, de carácter más estratégico y más adaptados a sus necesidades. Sin embargo el core business de los proveedores de servicios logísticos de la industria farmacéutica sigue siendo el proveer servicios a nivel operativo o táctico basándose en la utilización de sus propios activos tal como se ha visto en la literatura. • Desarrollar las competencias necesarias a nivel interno para llevar a cabo un rol mayor en la cadena de suministro requiere una elevada inversión económica y de tiempo lo que hace que dicho desarrollo se realice de forma limitada y titubeante. • Los LSP tienen información y visibilidad de una parte o de toda la cadena de suministro, pero consideran que no están capacitados o no tienen suficiente fuerza para implantar los cambios derivados de éstas. • El miedo a perder el control del proceso de suministro y los aspectos de índole relacional y de confianza, restringen la extensión en la que los laboratorios subcontratan el proceso logístico. • Para que la relación avance y se asuma un rol mayor es importante que exista coherencia entre la estrategia de subcontratación del laboratorio, la estrategia de negocio del LSP y las capacidades percibidas y desarrolladas.
In the pharmaceutical industry, outsourcing logistics activities is a relatively recent practice as the figure of the logistics service provider (LSP) as such in Spain does not appear until the very end of the nineties, and also given the characteristics of the product is handled in this industry, logistics service providers are forced to comply, for most of the articles, some requirements and high standards of traceability and temperature control. This has led to the logistics companies operating in this industry are less numerous and more specialized. This work is based on three re.asons: • First, the fact that according to several studies logistics outsourcing is largely limited to operational activities. Despite this, the LSP increasingly tend to develop capabilities to offer more services and more strategic. • Second, in recent years the pharmaceutical industry is undergoing profound changes that make you pay more attention to issues such as efficiency and effectiveness, to control the point of sale and access new markets. • And finally, until now most studies in the field of logistics outsourcing have focused on the analysis of the advantages and risks of this, paying little attention to the logistics service provider; indeed, if we focus on the implications of the role they have played in the supply chain, yet it has been made less academic research. All this has led to consider whether the LSP operating with the pharmaceutical sector in Spain are able to exercise any category role in the supply chain of its customers. This has been grouped classifications found in the literature on the role of the LSP into three categories based on the capabilities that they need to exercise it and it has carried out an analysis of cases seeing double perspective: LSP-lab.

Topic:When an MNC seeks to enter a foreign country, it must choose the most appropriate entry mode for that specific market, such as exporting, licensing, a turnkey project, franchising, joint ventures or wholly-owned subsidiaries. There are many factors which affect the choice of entry modes. Influential factors contributing to the entry mode decision can have different degrees of impact for each particular country. As a consequence, an MNC has to use different entry modes in order to adapt to the specific situations it faces in its international expansion strategy.

Research Problem: Our research problem is to find the answer to two specific research questions while investigating in a particular MNC: Starbucks. The relevant questions are: (1.) What factors affected Starbucks’ entry mode decisions? (2.) Which entry mode strategies did Starbucks use foreign markets and why?

Method: We collected data through a qualitative method. We regarded that a qualitative research method would provide us the necessary data to understand entry mode decisions. We collected data through literature, books, journals, and Internet resources. We have decided to focus our qualitative research on exploring Starbucks’ entry mode decision in some specific markets. In particular, we have concentrated on Spain, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Conclusions: The choice of entry mode is a critical decision made by MNCs. The choice is influenced by several factors; we have divided these into internal and external factors. We have found both groups are important in the decisions made by Starbucks. However, the degree of influence is different in each case. Moreover, it is possible that some influential factors in the choice of entry mode can differ by case. Finally, we have found external factors have been critical in affecting Starbucks’ choice of entry modes. Starbucks has sought to adapt to those external factors and local needs and requirements by using different entry modes.

This research investigates the role of clustering, learning and innovation in retaining competitiveness in an existing tourism area in a peripheral region of Europe. To do this it draws on the tourism resort area known as the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. Structurally, it focuses on hotel and catering businesses, which are considered to be at the heart of the tourism industry. Tourism is shown not only to be fundamental to the development ofthis coastal agglomeration, but also critical to the development of the province of Malaga (of which the Costa del Sol is a part) and the wider region of Andalucia. Hence the need to examine the evolution oftourism, the sources of competitive advantage and how such advantage can be retained in a globalised marketplace. The key proposition is that retaining competitive advantage can best be achieved through learning and innovation and that agglomerations provide a milieu in which learning and innovation are stimulated. Agglomeration theory and the role of learning and innovation are tested through an examination of the spatial and temporal evolution of hotel and catering businesses and through questionnaire surveys covering these businesses. In particular, the surveys are directed at addressing the issues of learning and innovation and assessing the extent to which the Costa del Sol operates as a 'learning region'. Questionnaire work met with severe problems of non-response despite being undertaken in conjunction with local business organisations. Nevertheless, sufficient responses were obtained to provide some tentative answers to the questions being posed and to provide the foundation for further research. The principal conclusions were that the Costa del Sol has acted as a growth pole and seedbed for business development, and that learning and innovation are promoted as much by competition as by co-operation. Finally, some public policy implications are drawn from these conclusions.

Background: At all times people have traded with each other but, over time, cross-border trade has evolved and more companies have chosen to internationalize. Some companies are content to act in their original market, while others choose to expand by establishments in foreign markets. To do that, the company needs to choose an entry strategy where all strategies involve both commitment and risk, but also more control and a larger potential profit. Spain is a major growth opportunity as it is the fifth largest economy in Europe. Spain has a great attractiveness for foreign investors and is the gateway to North Africa and Latin America. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute with a better understanding of Swedish real estate companies and their strategic choices when establishing in markets outside of Sweden, in this case Spain, and how eventual obstacles and difficulties can be handled. Method: A qualitative method with semi-structured interviews was conducted to answer the research questions. Theory:  In this essay nine theories are used; Market concentration or market diversification?, Networks, International experience, Marketing managers' soft skills, Global market entry plan, Competition's impact on strategy choice, Culture, Franchising as a Market Entry Strategy and Trial and error. All of these theories will be used as the basis for the empirical data, analysis and conclusions, which will help to us answer the research questions. Conclusion: Useful strategies for entering the Spanish market are the franchise method, networking, taking over already started companies, testing their way through trial and error theory and by taking help from aid companies/associations. In order to cope with a foreign establishment in the Spanish market, it is advantageous to have experience of the market, the language, the business culture, the social culture and the corporate law. You will need access to a notary and good communication within the company. It is also relevant to take assistance from lawyers and accountants to facilitate and reduce risks in the daily work.
Bakgrund: I alla tider har människor på ett eller annat sätt handlat med varandra, men med tiden har handeln över gränserna utvecklats och allt fler företag har valt att internationalisera sig. Vissa företag nöjer sig med att agera på sin ursprungliga marknad medan andra väljer att expandera genom att etablera sig på främmande marknader. För att kunna göra det behöver företaget välja inträdesstrategi där alla strategier medför både engagemang, risker men även mer kontroll och en större potentiell vinst. Spanien är en stor tillväxtmöjlighet då de är den femte största ekonomin i Europa. Spanien har en stor attraktionskraft för utländska investerare och är porten till både Nordafrika och Latinamerika. Syfte: Undersökningens syfte är att bidra med ökad förståelse gällande svenska fastighetsföretags strategiska val vid etablering på marknader utanför Sverige, i detta fall Spanien, samt hur eventuella hinder och svårigheter kan hanteras. Metod: En kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer användes för att komma fram till svar på forskningsfrågorna. Teori: I denna uppsats används nio teorier; Marknadskoncentration eller marknadsdiversifiering? Nätverk, Internationell erfarenhet, Marknadschefers soft-skills, Global marknadsinträdesplan, Konkurrensens påverkan av strategival, Kultur, Franchising som marknadsinträdesstrategi och Trial and error. Alla dessa teorier kommer att ligga till grund för empiriinsamlingen, analysen samt slutsatserna, som sedan hjälper oss att besvara forskningsfrågorna. Slutsatser: Användbara strategier vid etablering på den spanska marknaden är franchisemetoden, nätverkande, överta redan uppstartade företag, testa sig fram genom trial and error-teorin samt genom att ta hjälp av hjälpföretag/föreningar. För att klara av en utlandsetablering in på den spanska marknaden är det fördelaktigt att ha erfarenheter om marknaden, språket, affärskulturen, samhällskulturen och företagsjuridiken. Du behöver ha tillgång till en notarie och ha god kommunikation inom företaget. Det är även relevant att ta hjälp av jurister, revisorer och advokater för att underlätta och minska risker i det dagliga arbetet.

Cette étude aborde l’évolution de l’entreprise de presse en Espagne pendant la Transition démocratique et sous le pouvoir socialiste de Felipe González. Renouveau démocratique et continuité en lien avec la tradition culturelle libérale du début du XXe siècle marquent les changements qui s’opèrent au sein du journalisme espagnol. Le milieu des années 1980 voit l’émergence du marché très convoité de la presse économique. El País, fondé sur un projet régénérationniste, parangon de la presse écrite dite de qualité, diversifie ses publications et crée El País Negocios, supplément économique hebdomadaire. Ce périodique de l’organe d’influence qu’est devenu El País s’adresse en priorité aux nouvelles élites socio-économiques, un public d’entrepreneurs et de cadres en quête de modernité économique. Politiques économiques, relations salariales, représentations managériales illustrent les modifications vécues dans le monde de l’entreprise au sein d’une Espagne qui intègre pleinement l’environnement européen et adopte les modèles néolibéraux. L’analyse du discours politique et économique éclaire l’évolution idéologique du périodique, reflet d’une démarche consensuelle et d’une société civile en construction
This study focuses upon the press industry and its evolution in Spain during the Democratic Transition and under the Socialist power of Felipe González. Democratic renewal and continuity with early 20th Century culturally liberal tradition illustrate the changes which marked Spanish journalism. Markets emerging in the mid-1980s were highly coveted by the economic press. Founded upon a regenerationist project and making a claim to quality, El País diversified its publications to create the weekly economic supplement El País Negocios. A periodical of this media organ of influence, El País Negocios targets in particular socio-economic elites, a public of young executives and entrepreneurs in quest of economic modernity. Economic policies, employment relations just as managerial representations portray the transformations underway in Spain’s business world, one which fully integrates the framework of Europe and appropriates neo-liberal models. Our analysis of political and economic discourse sheds light upon the periodical’s ideology, an approach which enhances consensus and reflects the difficult construction of civil society

This diploma thesis explores the internal economic problems of Spain and their influence on specific sectors of the Czech industry. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate threats and opportunities presented by the Spanish economic crisis to the Czech export. The thesis also selects those sectors of the Czech industry, which have the potential of growth on the Spanish market. The first part of the document describes the development of the Spanish economy after the accession to the European Communities. In this period the first Spanish economic troubles started to appear. The second part is dedicated to the business relations between the Czech Republic and Spain. The influence of the Spanish economic crisis on the Czech export is the main objective of the last, third part of the thesis. In the end of this part we can find the concrete business opportunities for the Czech exporters for the year 2016.

L'Administració pública i els governs locals no han estat exempts dels canvis que ha experimentat l'entorn global dels negocis (Farazmand, 1999). De fet, a finals de la dècada dels vuitanta i principis de la dels noranta alguns ajuntaments espanyols van adquirir la lògica de la modernització i la millora de la gestió pública, basada en l'aplicació de la Millora Contínua de Processos (MCP) i altres models de qualitat i excel·lència. Tot això, amb la finalitat de millorar els processos de treball i serveis públics i d'aquesta manera poder fer front a la creixent pèrdua de legitimitat davant la ciutadania, derivada dels canvis i les pressions de l'entorn global (Prats i Català, 2004; Merino Estrada, 2007). En tots aquests anys durant els quals alguns ajuntaments espanyols han implantat la lògica de la MCP i han gestionat les seves institucions des d'aquesta perspectiva s'han detectat diversos beneficis derivats del fet d'haver aplicat aquesta aproximació gerencial (Font, 1997; Díaz-Méndez, 2007; Ferré-Bargalló, 2007). No obstant això, en tot aquest temps i des del punt de vista acadèmic s'ha fet poc per comprendre com s'ha aconseguit sostenir les millores realitzades en els processos de treball després de l'aplicació de la MCP. En aquest sentit, en els últims anys algunes organitzacions del sector privat han estudiat el concepte de «sostenibilitat», entès de manera simple com el manteniment de les millores implantades a través d'un esforç de MCP al llarg del temps (Dale, Boaden et al., 1997; Bateman i David, 2002; Bateman, 2005; Palmberg i Garvare, 2006). No obstant això, en l'àmbit del sector públic la bibliografia mostra pocs estudis del terme sostenibilitat (Loomba i Spencer, 1997; Jones, 2000; Pollit, 2006), i si s'analitzen encara més específicament, el que es troba en la bibliografia de les administracions locals espanyoles és insuficient, per no dir inexistent.

Basada en el context anterior, la pregunta de recerca que regeix aquest estudi és: Com es genera la sostenibilitat de la Millora Contínua de Processos en les administracions públiques? Així mateix, s'han plantejat quatre sub-preguntes de recerca, que són: Com s'entén la millora contínua de processos en les administracions locals?, Com s'aplica i evoluciona la millora contínua de processos en la gestió pública de les administracions locals?, Com es genera un camí sostenible de la millora contínua de processos? Quin tipus d'elements bàsics, potenciadors i inhibidors afloren al camí de la sostenibilitat de la millora contínua de processos? i Com impacta l'aplicació de la MCP en la gestió pública? Per respondre la pregunta i les subpreguntes de l'estudi s'ha dut a terme una recerca de tipus qualitatiu emprant com a estratègia de recerca el mètode del cas (Yin, 2003). S'han seleccionat i estudiat quatre ajuntaments espanyols, tres d'ells sota una òptica retrospectiva i un sota un enfocament longitudinal (Leonard-Barton, 1990; Pettigrew, 1990) per augmentar la fiabilitat de l'estudi.

Els resultats de la recerca que es presenten segueixen la guia de la pregunta i les subpreguntes de recerca plantejades. Primer s'ofereix un esquema conceptual de com és la MCP en aquestes institucions. En segon terme, les troballes ens indiquen que la MCP es presenta per mitjà d'una série d'etapes evolutives i activitats de millora característiques en el context estudiat. Aquestes etapes evolutives presenten una sèrie d'elements bàsics (drivers) potenciadors (enablers) i inhibidors que influeixen en el seu desenvolupament. De la mateixa manera, la Sostenibilitat de la MCP es pot generar sota una sèrie de camins de sostenibilitat, els quals es poden presentar en forma d'un flux continu cíclic, d'un flux en desenvolupament o d'un flux continu en lots o simplement, presentar-se en un flux desbloquejat o en un flux irreversible o bloquejat. Cada camí de sostenibilitat està format per una sèrie d'etapes evolutives que s'apliquen mitjançant activitats de millora de la MCP i que tenen un impacte en la gestió pública de cada ajuntament. A més, el flux de cada camí de sostenibilitat es troba afectat per una sèrie d'elements bàsics (drivers), potenciadors (enablers) i inhibidors que es poden presentar. Finalment, també es va valorar l'impacte de l'aplicació de la MCP en les particularitats de la gestió pública, i es va realitzar un últim esforç teòric on es va desenvolupar una macro-teoria de processos, determinant un "camí òptim de sostenibilitat de la millora contínua de processos".
La Administración Pública y los gobiernos locales tampoco han estado exentos de los cambios que ha sufrido el entorno global de los negocios (Farazmand 1999). De hecho, la lógica de la modernización y mejora de la gestión pública, sustentada en la aplicación de la Mejora Continua de Procesos (MCP) y otros modelos de calidad y excelencia, fue adquirida por algunos Ayuntamientos españoles desde finales de la década de los ochenta y principios de los noventas. Todo ello, con el fin de mejorar sus procesos de trabajo y servicios públicos, para así, poder hacer frente a la creciente pérdida de legitimidad ante la ciudadanía, derivada de los cambios y presiones del entorno global (Prats i Català 2004; Merino Estrada 2007). En todos estos años que algunos Ayuntamientos españoles, han implantado y gestionado sus instituciones bajo la lógica de la MCP, se han reportado diferentes beneficios por aplicar dicha aproximación gerencial (Font 1997; Díaz-Mendez 2007; Ferré-Bargallo 2007). No obstante, poco se ha hecho desde el punto de vista académico, por comprender cómo se ha logrado sostener las mejoras realizadas en los procesos de trabajo después de la aplicación de la MCP, en todos estos años. En ese sentido, el concepto de «Sostenibilidad», entendido de manera simple como el mantenimiento de las mejoras implantadas a través de un esfuerzo de MCP a lo largo de los años, ha sido estudiado en organizaciones del sector privado en años recientes (Dale, Boaden et al. 1997; Bateman and David 2002; Bateman 2005; Palmberg and Garvare 2006). Sin embargo, en el ámbito del sector público la literatura muestra pocos estudios del término de sostenibilidad (Loomba and Spencer 1997; Jones 2000; Pollit 2006), y si se analizan aún más en específico, en las Administraciones locales españolas, lo encontrado en la literatura, es insuficiente por no decir inexistente.

Basado en el contexto anterior, la pregunta de investigación que rige este estudio es: ¿Cómo se genera la sostenibilidad de la Mejora Continua de Procesos en las Administraciones Públicas? Asimismo, se plantearon cinco sub-preguntas de investigación que son: ¿Cómo es la Mejora Continua de Procesos en las Administraciones locales?, ¿Cómo se aplica y evoluciona la Mejora Continua de Procesos en la gestión pública de las Administraciones locales?, ¿Cómo se genera un camino sostenible de la Mejora Continua de Procesos?, ¿Qué tipo de elementos básicos, potenciadores e inhibidores afloran en los caminos de la sostenibilidad y en la Mejora Continua de Procesos?, y ¿Cómo impacta la aplicación de la MCP en la gestión pública? Para responder a la pregunta y sub-preguntas del estudio, se condujo una investigación del tipo cualitativo, utilizando como estrategia de investigación, el método del caso (Yin 2003). Se seleccionaron y estudiaron cuatro Ayuntamientos españoles, tres de ellos bajo una óptica retrospectiva y uno, bajo un enfoque longitudinal (Leonard-Barton 1990; Pettigrew 1990) para aumentar la fiabilidad del estudio.

Los resultados de la investigación que se presentaron siguen la guía de la pregunta y las sub-preguntas de investigación planteadas. Primero, se presenta un esquema conceptual de cómo es la MCP en estas instituciones. En segundo término, los hallazgos nos indican que la Mejora Continua de Procesos se presenta a través de una serie de etapas evolutivas y actividades de mejora características en el contexto estudiado. Dichas etapas evolutivas presentan una serie de elementos básicos (drivers), potenciadores (enablers) e inhibidores que influyen en su desarrollo.

Asimismo, la sostenibilidad de la MCP se puede generar bajo una serie de caminos de sostenibilidad, los cuales pueden presentarse en forma de un flujo continuo cíclico, de un flujo en desarrollo, de un flujo continuo en lotes, o simplemente, presentarse en un flujo desbloqueado, o en un flujo irreversible o bloqueado. Cada camino de sostenibilidad, está compuesto por una serie de etapas, las cuales se aplican mediante actividades de mejora de la MCP, que tienen un impacto en la gestión pública de cada Ayuntamiento. Además, el flujo de cada camino de sostenibilidad es afectado por una serie de elementos básicos (drivers), potenciadores (enablers) e inhibidores que se pueden presentar durante la generación de los mismos. Finalmente, también se valoró el impacto que la aplicación tenía en la Mejora Continua de Procesos en las particularidades de la gestión pública, así como, la realización de un último esfuerzo teórico, en el cual se desarrolló una macro-teoría de procesos de un camino de la "sostenibilidad óptimo de la Mejora Continua de Procesos".
The Public Administration and local governments have not escaped the sweeping changes in the global business world either (Farazmand 1999). Indeed, the logic of updating and improving public management by applying Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) and other Total Quality Management (TQM) models was acquired by certain Spanish city authorities in the late 80s and early 90s, all in order to enhance their public service and operating processes with a view to dealing with the increasing loss of legitimacy vis-a-vis citizens, stemming from the changes and pressures of the global environment (Prats i Català 2004; Merino Estrada 2007).

On the basis of the foregoing context, the research question underpinning this study is How to generate sustainable Continuous Process Improvement in Public Administrations? Sustainability is here being understood as simply maintaining the improvements introduced by CPI efforts over the years. Sustainability has been studied from the standpoint of private-sector manufacturing organisations (Dale, Boaden et al. 1997; Bateman and David 2002; Bateman 2005; Palmberg and Garvare 2006). However, literature features very little research on this subject in the public sector (Loomba and Spencer 1997; Jones 2000; Pollit 2006).

In order to answer the research question posed, qualitative research was conducted using case studies as the research strategy (Yin 2003). Four Spanish city authorities were selected and studied: three from a retrospective standpoint and one from a longitudinal approach (Leonard-Barton 1990; Pettigrew 1990) in order to increase the reliability of the study.

This research found that CPI sustainability can be achieved via a series of "paths of sustainability" which may take the form of a continuous, cyclical flow, a developing flow or a continuous batch flow, or may simply produce an unfrozen flow or a path with an irreversible or frozen flow. Each path of sustainability consists of a series of evolving phases developed by means of CPI improvement activities that influence public administration. Along of theses evolving phases emerged a "Space of Sustainability of Continuous Process Improvement: SS-CPI". Besides, the flow of each path to sustainability and SS-CPI are influenced by a series of drivers, enablers and inhibitors that may arise as these paths are established. Finally, we found also the impacts of the application of CPI in public management and we propose and develop an emerging macro-theory for an "optimum sustainability path of Continuous Process Improvement".

Les conséquences des chocs économiques négatifs sur les ménages ont été documentés extensivement, mais on en sait beaucoup moins sur la manière dont ces chocs sont transmis aux individus à travers la médiation du ménage. Le ménage contribue-il à modérer l'effet des chocs négatifs ? Dans quelle mesure le choc économique pèse-t-il dans la négociation familiale ? À partir de données sur la crise économique argentine de 2001, je montre d'abord que les femmes en couple ont une plus grande probabilité de devenir actives si leur mari a fait l'expérience d'un choc de revenu. Ensuite, je montre que le cycle économique importe dans les décisions d'investissement en capital humain. Sur le long terme, les profils de salaire et d'employabilité des hommes argentins sont affectés de manière persistante par les conditions économiques initiales au moment de l'obtention du diplôme. Enfin, je considère la dimension “man-cession” de la crise économique de 2009 en Espagne et montre que la part des ressources du ménage reçues par les femmes pour leur consommation privée augmente avec la diminution de l'écart des taux de chômage hommes-femmes, confortant l'hypothèse que les chocs négatifs modifient le pouvoir de négociation des individus au sein du ménage
The consequences of adverse aggregate shocks on households have been repeatedly documented, but far less has been said on the way they are passed over to individuals through the mediation of the household. Does the household contribute in mitigating the effects? Or does the economic shock rather invite itself at the family negociating table? Using the Argentine 2001 economic crisis as a natural experiment, I first show that married women are more likely to enter the labor market if their husband experienced a loss in income, giving credit to the insurance mechanism. Then, I show that the business cycle matters for investments in education, and that long run labor outcomes of Argentine men are persistently affected by the initial conditions upon graduation. Finally, I consider the “Mancession” dimension of the Great Recession in Spain and demonstrate that the resource share accruing to wives for own consumption increases together with the decreasing unemployment gap, which comes in support to the bargaining hypothesis

Esta investigación ha identificado los instrumentos de contabilidad de gestión que los gestores de las organizaciones no lucrativas, y más concretamente de los colegios de economistas de España, utilizan y pueden utilizar como sistemas de información para el control de la gestión y para la mejora de su eficiencia, eficacia y economía.
Se han realizado tres estudios empíricos:
1. A los gestores de los colegios de economistas, para conocer situación y nivel de implantación de instrumentos de control de gestión .
2. Se ha centrado en el análisis de la situación a nivel también de instrumentos de contabilidad de gestión de determinadas asociaciones inglesas que están destinadas a profesionales que ejercen en especialidades que en España pueden realizar los economistas.
3. A usuarios de los colegios, par ver nivel de calidad de los servicios y actividades que los colegios realizan y los efectos de la profesionalidad múltiple que los caracteriza.
It presents the results of a study about management control in non-profit organizations, focusing on the particular case of the Associations of Economists in Spain. In order to do it, a revision of literature and empirical studies have taken place to find out the implementation and level development of the instruments of management accounting in non-profit organizations. The study has been completed with three empirical studies, first directed to Associations of Economists in Spain, the second to associations from the UK related to the economy and the company, and, third directed to users from an Economists'Professional Association. Moreover, interviews of managers of different Associations from the UK have been made.

Defence date: 05 February 2010
Examining Board: Colin Crouch (University of Warwick, Business School) (Supervisor); Donatella Della Porta (EUI); Annie Borzeix (Ecole Polytechnique de Paris); Pier Paolo Giglioli (Università di Bologna)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
Cette thèse repose sur une recherche ethnographique menée sur le plateau téléphonique d’un Centre d’Information de l’Administration espagnole, afin de recueillir - en situation naturelle et au moment de leur réalisation - les pratiques de communication d’une équipe de 15 agents d’accueil en action. Pratiques, se déroulant dans les coulisses de la relation de service, à l’insu des usagers, mais assurant la qualité des prestations menées sur scène, lors du dialogue téléphonique avec l’appelant. L’étude fine et détaillée des activités langagières de l’équipe du CIA, est présentée sous forme d’une triangulation. La métaphore dramaturgique goffmanienne, pour l’étude des rituels de dérision clandestine de l’usager, mis en scène pour le public des pairs, respectant l’obligation d’une exhibition de la distance au rôle et épousant la forme de duels et joutes oratoires entre collègues qui rivalisent dans l’ingéniosité de leurs moqueries, insultes et prouesses comiques. L’approche ethnométhologique des Workplace studies, pour l’étude des compétences et des procédés communicationnels mobilisés par les agents, pour reconnaître et rendre accountable, c'est-à-dire accessible, observable, audible et intelligible, toute action effectuée dans un espace d’écoute réciproque et réussir ainsi à coopérer dans l’organisation d’une réponse collective aux requêtes des appelants et à construire quotidiennement une équipe efficace et soudée dans le respect des rituels de sociabilité. L’approche de la sociologie du travail classique et récente, et les études du Réseau Langage et Travail sur les métiers de service du public, pour montrer que les réformes pour l’amélioration de la qualité du service et leurs injonctions de rationalisation de l’activité langagière des agents, sous-estiment l’efficacité des «cris» d’entraide et des bavardages enjoués, et négligent les compétences corporelles, cognitives, techniques, langagières et interactionnelles mobilisées pour la réalisation de prestations téléphoniques de qualité, qui sont ingénieuses, complexes, non prescriptibles et non standardisables.

JEL classifications: H72, D72
In this work the discussion is focused on the empirical test of the presence of opportunistic cycles in municipal budgets of Poland and Spain. In the view of progressive decentralization of public sector, the research is extended by the examination of fiscal autonomy effect. Panel data analysis provides an evidence on electoral cycles in the categories of spending considered in the literature as invisible to the electorate. In particular, local incumbents seeking re-election signal higher competence through manipulation of spending policies associated with social support, environmental protection, public safety and administration. Further research indicates that electoral cycles in Spain are intensified by limited authority of councillors determined by transfers from the central government. The main findings suggest that distribution of fiscal power to sub-national governments may mitigate the effects of political budget cycles.
Neste trabalho a discussão centra-se no teste empírico à presença de ciclos oportunistas nos orçamentos municipais de Espanha e Polonia. Com base na progressiva descentralização do sector publico, a investigação estende-se também ao tratamento dos efeitos da autonomia fiscal. A analise de dados de painel fornece evidencias da existência de ciclos eleitorais nas categorias de gastos públicos consideradas na literatura como invisíveis ao eleitorado. Em particular, governos locais que procurem a reeleição apresentam uma maior evidência de manipulação de politicas de gastos públicos associados atividades como apoio social, proteção ambiental, segurança publica e administração. A investigação indica ainda que os ciclos eleitorais em Espanha são intensificados em concelhos com autonomia limitada e determinada por transferências vindas da administração central. Os principais resultados sugerem que a transferência de poder para os governos locais pode mitigar os efeitos dos ciclos políticos nos respetivos orçamentos.

碩士
國立中山大學
企業管理研究所
86
Beside the telecommunication service considers how to gain the market performance, how to gain the business operation empowered from government is very impportant. The telecommunication service is different from generalservice. The difference leads to two principal research questions: 1. What is the difference about the partners of joint venture(JV) between telecommunication service and general service ? 2. What are the attributes of success partners for mobile telephonebusiness in Taiwan-a new developed country ? Based on the strategic management literature-including game theory, transaction cost theory,strategic behavior view, organizational theory, and policy economy theory, the study explored the topic of the motivation, problem and control, performance, and attributes of JV. By a history event analysis, the census study surveyed 17 companies which participated in the bid of mobile telephone business in Taiwan. According to the judicial items, the study found some important characters of JV partner. The characters were used as the independent variables, and the grade of bid and the success of bid were used as the dependent variables. The study found: 1. The attributes which were positive to the grade of bid were the revenue of foreign telecommunication company, asset of JV leader, total asset of JV, past cooperation experience of JV , operation experience related to telecommunication, and the venture experience related to foreign venture. 2. The attributes which didn''t influence the grade of bid were the background of assemblyman and the operation years of JV leader. 3. The attributes of JV partner whom the foreigntelecommunication company wanted to cooperate with were the venture experiencerelated to foreign venture and the past cooperation experience. 4. The revenueof foreign telecommunication company was the major factor to gain bid.5. the secret to gain bid was to select the bid which was fit for your power!

碩士
國立臺灣大學
建築與城鄉研究所
82
The so-called Information Technology includes computer and telecommunication technology. Due to its rapid development in the past twenty years, it has profoundly influenced individual activities and the spatial pattern of urban development. basic researches regarding the spatial impact of information technology are inadequate. This research is intended to analyze the impact of telecommunication on individual activity patterns. Since mobile telephone is the newly introduced telecommunication media and it is getting popular in Taiwan, this research focuses on the analysis of usage behavior of mobile telephone and its temporal-spatial implication to the business managers. Some of the research findings are summarized as follows : 1. Mobile telephone is an effective media for business operation, survey indicates that most mobile telephones are provided and paid by employers. 2. The use of mobile telephone allows managers be able to arrange their activity schedule more flexible. 3. From the viewpoint of temporal-spatial analysis, business managers have better capability to break the limitations of their activity boundary. Mobile telephone is a key instrument to break temporal limitation of information activity. 4. The popularity of mobile telephone in the future will depend on the trends of technical, economic and social factors. Meanwhile, some research directions are suggested : 1. Expanding the research targets to investigate the temporal-spatial impacts of mobile telephone on the activity patterns of different professionals. 2. An inter-metropolitan comparative study is suggested to compare the information activities in different metropolitan areas. 3. Following to the idea of spatial informatization, more basic researches related to the interaction of information technology and spatial development have to be continued.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
管理研究所
97
This paper, based on an analysis of the business patterns and international voice strategies of fixed and mobile operators, aims to study the international telephone markets and competition situation accorss Taiwan Strait. France Telecom is used here as a case study. The study of the period is between 1993 and 2008 which leads to the following conclusions: (1) Mainland’s efforts to balance settlement difference results in a disparity in telephone traffic load, (2) connection expense is the main cause for settlement difference, so operators depend exceeding quota on their net cost, (3) network telephone offers no free access to fixed mobile and mobile phone users, so developing countries still rely very much on traditional fixed-line service, (4) convergence is the most effective means to saving fixed mobile correspondence and increasing the value of users. Some suggestions have been made according to this study: (1) in accordance with the effect caused by fixed mobile substitution, the government should soon revise the policy of fixed mobile transferring to mobile phone connection expense and promote fair market competition, (2) due to the fact that convergence service has gradually become the mainstream, the government must team up with operators to stimulate competitive power, (3) telecoms operators should strive to join in related international alliance to construct IP speech transmission network and thus to connect with the new global network without delay.