FDI Determinant Factors: The Case of Catalan Multinational Manufacturing Firms

In recent years, and for the first time in Spanish economic history, outward direct investment flows outweigh inward flows. Catalan manufacturing not only mirrors this pattern, but also represents a high proportion of all Spanish manufacturing outward direct investment. In this paper, we analyse the factors that determine outward direct investment by Catalan manufacturing firms. We apply Dunning’s eclectic paradigm, which distinguishes between ownership, internalisation and location advantages. In applied studies, these advantages have usually been approximated by variables relating to the investing firm and variables about host countries. Our research endeavours to identify which of these variables determine the probability of a manufacturing Catalan firm to own production subsidiaries overseas

Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries Versus Joint Ventures: The Determinant Factors in the Catalan Multinational Manufacturing Case

The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors influencing the choice between establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary (WOS) or entering into a joint venture (JV) as made by Catalan manufacturing firms investing abroad. The validity of certain key transaction-cost hypotheses in this case is tested using binomial logistic regression. Results indicate that a Catalan manufacturing firm is more likely to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary if the firm is sufficiently large, has had substantial experience in the host country geographical region, but is young and possesses little general experience in the international sphere. On the other hand, a Catalan firm is more likely to invest via a WOS if the firm possesses intangible or tacit assets and operates within a technologically advanced sector. Finally, a joint venture is preferred by a Catalan firm if the potential host country is perceived to imply a high degree of instability and risk or has a high rate of growth

España y la senda de desarrollo de la inversión directa: una aproximación

La teoría de la senda de desarrollo de la inversión directa, elaborada inicialmente por John Dunning en 1981, establece la existencia de una relación en forma de U o J (a través fundamentalmente de cuatro etapas), entre la posición de inversión internacional de un país (que se puede representar por la diferencia entre el stock de inversión directa al exterior y del exterior) y el nivel de desarrollo económico del mismo (representado por el PIB o PNB). En este trabajo, se estudia esta senda para el caso de España y se concluye, a través de un análisis descriptivo y de un estudio econométrico en serie temporal para el periodo 1973-1999, usando datos de Balanza de Pagos, que este país cumpliría los designios de la senda de desarrollo de la inversión directa. Actualmente se encontraría en la tercera de las etapas y transitando ya hacia la cuarta, habiendo estado en la primera etapa hasta 1986, cuando entra en la entonces Comunidad Europea, y habiendo entrado en la tercera a mediados de los noventa, a raíz del aumento que se ha producido en los flujos de inversión directa hacia el exterior. De forma complementaria, además, mediante un estudio econométrico en sección cruzada, se muestra cómo se podría considerar válida también la senda a nivel de comunidad autónoma para España

La inserció laboral dels graduats universitaris a Espanya

El volum de graduats que genera el sistema universitari espanyol cada curs és certament elevat. Així, el 2014-20151, el nombre de titulats en grau va ascendir a 223.596, mentre que en màster oficial es van graduar un total de 75.097 persones, a les quals cal sumar els11.316 doctorands que van llegir la seva tesi doctoral el 2014. En definitiva, cada curs acadèmic s'incorporen al mercat de treball espanyol més de 300.000 persones amb una nova titulació oficial de formació superior universitària. La inserció laboral d'aquesta quantitat de graduats és un tema, doncs, que revesteix especial rellevància. A més, esdevé necessari que aquesta inserció laboral es dugui a terme de la millor manera possible perquè puguin contribuir positivament al desenvolupament de l'economia i societat espanyola, permetent, així, rendibilitzar la inversió pública i privada realitzada en la seva formació

Configuraciones de identidad en territorios del turismo. Condiciones generales en Galicia

The phenomenon of enhancing territory value within a tourism context reflects the existence of several categories of references when defining a cultural identity. Geographic analysis arises from dynamic interaction among territory, identity and image. Definition, representation and spreading of an identity proposal imply nowadays a set of relevant processes within a particular territory not only for identification and consolidation of its tourism personality but also for creating diverse potential uses in the global tourism sphere. Several illustrated considerations about Galicia are presented in this study.El fenómeno de la puesta en valor del territorio para el turismo refleja categorías de referentes en la definición de una identidad cultural. El análisis geográfico parte de la interacción dinámica entre territorio, identidad e imagen. La definición, la representación y la difusión de una propuesta de identidad configuran en la actualidad un conjunto de procesos relevantes en el territorio tanto para identificar y afianzar su carácter turístico como para generar diversas potencialidades de uso en el escenario global del turismo. Se presentan una serie de consideraciones ilustradas en Galicia

TXT as a vehicle for service learning

Service-learning is a method of teaching, learning and reflecting that combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful service throughout the community. As a teaching methodology, it falls under the philosophy of experiential education. More specifically, it integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, encourage lifelong civic engagement, and strengthen communities for the common good. Technology for everybody (TXT) is an association of people from the computer science and telecommunication schools at UPC. The main goal is to share our knowledge in Information and Communication Technology to communities that may benefit. In the last few years we have seen how technology has changed our everyday life and has became an inner part of a modern society. Lack of access to this knowledge enlarges the distance between communities. In this context, people in TXT aim to narrow the gap by providing technical knowledge to nongovernmental social institutions where this information could be useful. Another important task for TXT is building student's community awareness of international and local cooperation. The association tries to engage students into taking civil responsibilities, at the same time their learning experience are enriched. To that aim TxT runs the reuse workshop (among other projects); this initiative is managed by the Center of Cooperation and Development (CCD) the Technical University in Catalonia (UPC) and the association Technology for Everybody (TXT). It is a hands-on session where participants learn how to repair a computer.Peer Reviewe

Bifurcations of the spatial central configurations in the 5-body problem

A configuration of n particles is called central when the acceleration vector of each particle is a common scalar multiple of its position vector. One of the reasons why central configurations are interesting is that they allow us to obtain explicit homographic solutions of the n-body problem, that is, motions where the configuration of the system changes size but keeps its shape. Also, they are important in the study of total collisions