FDI and world heterogeneities: The role of absorptive capacities

It is generally agreed that foreign direct investment (FDI) flows can contribute to the local upgrading of host economies, whereas the diverse technological strategies of multinational companies (MNCs) can determine the existence and size of spillover effects. When considering FDI entry modes, merger and acquisitions (M&As) reveal a higher level of interaction with local productive systems than general FDI. Accordingly, their impacts may differ depending on the development level of countries and on the characteristics of national systems. Our aim is to exam the relative importance of local determinants explaining different choices of FDI entry. We explore both the strengths of the traditional explanation of FDI flows as well as the relevance of institutional stability and consolidation of national absorptive capabilities; the latter are considered key features of national systems. Our findings confirm that the factors at a country level affecting general FDI differ from those concerning cross-border M&As and support the need to investigate new drivers for attraction of FDI. Structural factors explain better the behaviour of FDI, whereas the factors of national systems of innovation are more closely correlated with the cross-border M&As trend. Finally, although international inequalities persist when both developed and developing countries are considered, it is interesting to note the importance of the heterogeneity that characterises the developing world as a topic for further research.Una idea bastante aceptada en la literatura económica es que la entrada de flujos de inversión directa extranjera (IDE) puede generar efectos beneficiosos en las economías receptoras. Las diversas estrategias tecnológicas de las empresas multinacionales determinan, no obstante, la existencia y magnitud de los potenciales spillover. Al considerar las distintas formas de entrada de la IDE, las fusiones y adquisiciones presentan, por lo general, un mayor grado de interacción con los sistemas productivos locales y, por ello, cabe esperar impactos diferenciados, condicionados por el nivel de desarrollo y las características de los sistemas nacionales receptores. El propósito en este trabajo es examinar la importancia relativa de los determinantes locales que explican las diversas opciones de entrada de las empresas multinacionales. En el análisis se trata de contrastar cuál es el peso de los factores predominantes en las explicaciones económicas más convencionales, así como el efecto de la estabilidad institucional y el grado de consolidación de las capacidades nacionales de absorción. Los resultados nos permiten confirmar que los factores condicionantes de los flujos de IDE en general, difieren de los que atañen a las fusiones y adquisiciones transfronterizas, lo que justifica la necesidad de explorar nuevos elementos de atracción de IDE. Mientras que los factores estructurales explican bien el comportamiento de la IDE en general, los factores relacionados con los sistemas nacionales de innovación están más estrechamente relacionados con las fusiones y adquisiciones. Finalmente, aunque las desigualdades internacionales persisten al analizar conjuntamente países desarrollados y en desarrollo, tiene una especial relevancia la heterogeneidad que caracteriza al mundo en desarrollo para futuras investigaciones.Flujos de inversión directa extranjera (IDE), Empresas multinacionales, Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows

Internal and external factors of competitiveness in the middle-income countries

The diverse group of middle-income countries (MIC) is composed by some economies with an active behavior in exports of technology-intensive goods that is strictly better than the group average. One of the factors explaining such a result is the improvement of their national technological capabilities that affects the dynamism of their productive and trade structure generating competitiveness gains. There are grounded reasons to think that this is also a consequence of external effects and the potential impacts that both trade and foreign direct investments (FDI) flows generate in those economies where foreign companies have contributed to the industrialization and modernization of their productive systems. In this paper, we analyze the possibilities of integration of the MIC economies into the dynamic high-tech markets as the interplay between the role of FDI and their ability for the absorption and creation of technology. We will observe based upon empirical analysis with panel data (1998-2005), what is the relative importance of internal and external factors for the improvement of the international competitiveness in these developing economies.competitiveness, FDI, high-tech, middle income countries, competitividad, IDE, alta tecnología, países de renta media

The role of networking in the competitiveness profile of Spanish firms

Two main forces coincide nowadays in the characterisation of productive systems. On the one hand, the internationalisation of markets and economic activities has resulted in an increasing competition worldwide and a new and more global division of labour. On the other, the greater complexity of technology makes innovation a key factor in manufacturing firms’ competitiveness. Cooperative network relationships seem to be important in both processes. This paper aims to explore this aspect in the competitiveness behaviour of four Spanish manufacturing industries: food, chemicals, electronics and vehicles. Data has been obtained from a survey conducted specifically for this purpose at the firm level. Findings from the empirical analysis, based on the application of the Polytomus Logit Universal Model (PLUM), confirm the positive effects of the ability to network on company performance, particularly, intra-firm cooperation, cooperation between competitors and user-producer relationships.La internacionalización de mercados, de actividades económicas y la creciente competencia global son algunos de los factores que caracterizan los sistemas productivos actuales. A ello se suma una intensa complejidad tecnológica que afecta tanto a productos como a procesos productivos, concediéndole a la innovación un papel clave en la competitividad de las empresas manufactureras. En ambos procesos, las relaciones de cooperación empresarial se erigen como forma organizativa de creciente importancia. En este documento se explora la relación entre cooperación y comportamiento competitivo en cuatro industrias manufactureras: alimentación, química, electrónica y automóviles. La información estadística se ha obtenido a partir de una encuesta realizada a nivel microeconómico y diseñada específicamente con este fin en España. Los resultados que se derivan del análisis empírico, basados en la aplicación de un modelo Logit Universal (PLUM), confirman los efectos positivos de las relaciones cooperativas en los resultados empresariales, concretamente las relaciones intra-empresa, la cooperación entre competidores y las relaciones usuario-proveedor.Co-operation, Networking, Innovation, Competitiveness.

Factores de motivación para las clases de matemáticas

La investigación sobre factores de motivación muestra que existe la necesidad de dar una mirada a la motivación en las aulas y tener en cuenta los diversos actores que confluyen en una clase: docentes, estudiantes, infraestructura de la institución; debido a que tradicionalmente se presenta apatía de los estudiantes hacia el área de matemáticas por ello no presentan trabajos en clase o extra-clase, muestran bajos resultados, dificultando así el proceso de enseñanza y de aprendizaje (Vacca, 2012). Lo cual originó la siguiente pregunta: ¿qué factores deben tenerse en cuenta para generar motivación en los estudiantes por aprender matemáticas? Esta pregunta generó como objetivo general: identificar algunos factores que posibiliten la motivación de los estudiantes por el aprendizaje de las matemáticas. El proceso metodológico involucró los siguientes aspectos: tipo de investigación: proceso de tipo cualitativo y fases de la investigación: documentación, diseño de instrumentos, aplicación, análisis de la información y resultados. De acuerdo a la investigación realizada, se establecieron las siguientes conclusiones: existen algunos factores que en ocasiones se descuidan y que son realmente importantes al momento del acto de enseñar, los cuales son motivantes para el estudiantes tales como: clima del aula (comodidad y disposición) y uso de diferentes tipos de materiales

Intercambio y mercado en el pensamiento de Max Weber

Este artículo es resultado de una indagación documental, que recoge los aportes a la teoría del intercambio y del mercado desde el texto de Max Weber Historia económica general (1923 y 2001) y de algunos trabajos de especialistas interesados en su obra. El método de trabajo acogido se basó en la elaboración de resúmenes analíticos y en la construcción de matrices categoriales que permitieron sistematizar las formulaciones de Weber y de los demás autores tratados. En el texto se pone en evidencia el porqué Weber se convierte en uno de los pensadores que con mayor amplitud y precisión ha logrado profundizar en las explicaciones sobre los nexos existentes entre los determinantes económicos, las relaciones sociológicas y los procesos históricos que llevaron al desarrollo del mundo occidental que hoy se conoce. Se trata, por tanto, de un pensador cuyas teorizaciones mantienen plena vigencia para adelantar análisis socio-económicos desde diversas disciplinas

Effect of product that are used in postharvest in meiosis

Motivation: The meiosis is a type of cell division that generates the gametes necessary for the fertilisation. This process is more sensitive to external factors than mitosis. These agents can affect the exact chromosomes' distribution between daughter cells, and this defect causes infertility. It is known that some products that are used to conserve fruits and vegetables and to prevent postharvest's diseases, can generate defects in cell division, both mitosis and meiosis. In this project, we use Schizosaccharomyces pombe as meiosis model because it is an easy model system to grow and to manipulate in the laboratory. Also it has only three chromosomes, so we can find defects such as loss of chromosomes easily.Methods: We have created a S. pombe's strain with a CFP-tagged histone and a mCherry-tagged tubulin to can observe chromosomes and spindle by fluorescence. We have optimised the microscope's settings to observe correctly the meiosis in S. pombe.Results: We film the meiosis by fluorescence microscopy to observe the performance of chromosomes and spindle throughout this process (1). Initially, we cuantify the defects of meiosis in a wild type strain and we use this information as negative control of experiment. Then, we use carbendazim (MBC) as positive control of chromosomes' loss in meiosis. This is a fungicide that was used in postharvest (2) and it inhibits the polymerization of microtubules.  Finally, we observe the meiosis when we add to the culture other two products used in postharvest currently (3) (thiabendazole and fludioxonyl, among others), and we compare these results to the controls in order to indentify the products that causes defects in meiosis. In adition, we examine the defects in mitosis in the same conditions as meiosis to verify that meiosis is more sensitive than mitosis.Conclusion: The opmitization of microscope's settings has allowed to identify and to cuantify the errors that we have observed in chromosomes' distribution in meiosis

Language biases and implicit attitudes among university students in Galicia (Spain)

This study aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of language attitudes in Galicia (Spain). By means of a mixed methodological approach, we investigate the interrelation between 168 university students’ Implicit Association Test (IAT) results towards Galician Spanish (GS) and Traditional Galician (TG), and their sociolinguistic background. The study found complex interrelations of various factors. Family language and everyday language appeared to play a prominent role in determining the implicit language attitudes towards both languages. Proficiency in Galician was the only other factor that significantly contributed to the development of positive attitudes towards TG, while having Spanish as the L-1 was identified asa key factor in the formation of positive attitudes towards GS. Unlike previous research on explicit attitudes, place of living (rural vs urban) is not associated with (implicit) language attitude formation. Notably, political orientation arises as a relevant factor that should be addressed in future research

In vitro Activity of Pentamidine Alone and in Combination With Aminoglycosides, Tigecycline, Rifampicin, and Doripenem Against Clinical Strains of Carbapenemase-Producing and/or Colistin-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Enterobacteriaceae cause different types of community- and hospital-acquired infections. Moreover, the spread of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae is a public health problem and the World Health Organization pointed them among the pathogens in which the search of new antibiotics is critical. The objective of this study was to analyze the in vitro activity of pentamidine alone and in combination with gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, tigecycline, rifampicin, or doripenem against eight clinical strains of carbapenemase-producing and/or colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae: five carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, one carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli, and two colistin-resistant Enterobacter cloacae. MIC and MBC were determined following standard protocols. MIC results were interpreted for all the antibiotics according to the EUCAST breakpoints but for rifampicin in which the French FSM breakpoint was used. Bactericidal and synergistic activity of pentamidine alone and in combination with antibiotics at concentrations of 1xMIC was measured by time-kill curves. For one selected strain, K. pneumoniae OXA-48/CTX-M-15 time-kill curves were performed also at 1/2xMIC of pentamidine. All studies were performed in triplicate. Pentamidine MIC range was 200-800 μg/mL. The 50, 12.5, 62.5, 87.5, and 62.5% of the strains were susceptible to gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin, tigecycline, and doripenem, respectively. Only the two E. cloacae strains were susceptible to rifampicin. Pentamidine alone at 1xMIC showed bactericidal activity against all strains, except for the E. cloacae 32 strain. The bactericidal activity of pentamidine alone was also observed in combination. The combinations of pentamidine were synergistic against E. cloacae 32 with amikacin and tobramycin at 24 h and with tigecycline at 8 h. Pentamidine plus rifampicin was the combination that showed synergistic activity against more strains (five out of eight). Pentamidine plus doripenem did not show synergy against any strain. At 1/2xMIC, pentamidine was synergistic with all the studied combinations against the K. pneumoniae OXA-48/CTX-M-15 strain. In summary, pentamidine alone and in combination shows in vitro activity against carbapenemase-producing and/or colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Pentamidine appears to be a promising option to treat infections caused by these pathogens.Plan Nacional de I+D+I 2013-2016 REIPI RD16/0016/0009Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa REIPI RD16/0016/0009Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad REIPI RD16/0016/0009Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases REIPI RD16/0016/0009European Development Regional Fun

Análisis didáctico fenomenológico como instrumento para la planificación currícular por parte de los docentes de matemáticas de la educación básica primaria

La planificación curricular (PC) constituye una de las actividades y competencias más importantes de los docentes en los distintos niveles de la educación escolar en general. Por esta razón en el trabajo de maestría que presentamos nos proponemos reflexionar con los participantes sobre los aportes que puede hacer el Análisis Didáctico Matemático (ADM) en general, y el Análisis Didáctico Fenomenológico (ADF) en particular, al desarrollo de los procesos de PC y de formación profesional relativa a la PC por parte de los docentes de matemáticas de EBP. Para esto nos enmarcamos en la propuesta teórica de los organizadores del currículo (Rico, 1998; Castro, 2001; Rico y Segovia, 2001; Bedoya, 2002) y sobre el ADF (Freudenthal, 1983; Puig, 1997). Desde el punto de vista metodológico se trabajó mediante estrategias de investigación y sistematización de experiencias educativas, que articulan en el diseño procesos de investigación acción y estudio de casos. Se llevaron a cabo talleres de formación docente en los que se propuso la planificación de una unidad didáctica (UD) sobre el CME (Conocimiento Matemático Escolar) de estadística descriptiva para grado quinto, a fin de analizarlas a la luz de las nociones conceptuales y concepciones de los maestros sobre el proceso de PC.Curriculum planning (PC) is one of the most important activities and competencies of teachers at different levels of school education in general. Therefore in the present work we propose mastery with participants reflect on the contributions they can make the Mathematical Analysis Teaching (ADM) in general, and teaching Phenomenological Analysis (ADF) in particular, the development of processes PC and training on the PC by math teachers EBP. For this, we framed in the theoretical proposal of the curriculum organizers (Rico, 1998; Castro, 2001; Rico and Segovia, 2001; Bedoya, 2002) and the ADF (Freudenthal, 1983; Puig, 1997). From the methodological point of view, we worked through strategies of research and systematization of educational experiences, articulating the design process and action research studies. They held workshops for teacher training in the planning of a teaching unit (UD) on the CME descriptive statistics for fifth grade was proposed in order to analyze them in the light of the conceptual notions and conceptions of teachers about PC process