Fighting against fuel poverty by collaborating with social services through energy advice: An innovative case from Spain

The aim of this article is to describe the efforts against energy poverty of G oiEner, an energy cooperative in Spain, giving energy advice to the social services of two municipalities, Zarautz and Usurbil. Electricity contracts of low-income households were revised and improvements were proposed, according to the specificities of the Spanish electricity market; prioritising the regulated tariff with social bonus, then time-of-use tariff and optimising power capacity. Switching to the regulated tariff can realise savings of around 10%, theoretically up to a 40% if the rest of the optimizations are included. Unexpectedly, some of the household were reluctant to change the conditions of their contracts. Training sessions were organised so that in the future this intervention could be done without the help of GoiEner. Conclusions can be drawn on how GoiEner can capture the possibilities new technologies, such as smart meters, offer.; El objetivo de este artículo es describir los esfuerzos contra la pobreza energética de GoiEner, una cooperativa energética de España, que presta asesoramiento energético a los servicios sociales de dos municipios, Zarautz y Usurbil. Se revisaron los contratos de electricidad de hogares de bajos ingresos y se propusieron mejoras, de acuerdo con las especificidades del mercado eléctrico español; priorizando la tarifa regulada con bono social, luego la tarifa discriminación horaria y la optimización de la potencia contratada. El cambio a la tarifa regulada puede suponer un ahorro de alrededor del 10%, teóricamente hasta un 40% incluyendo el resto de optimizaciones. Sin embargo, algunos hogares se mostraron reacios a cambiar las condiciones de sus contratos. Se organizaron formaciones para que en el futuro esta intervención pudiera hacerse sin ayuda. Se pueden sacar conclusiones sobre cómo GoiEner podría beneficiarse de las posibilidades que ofrecen las nuevas tecnologías, e.g. medidores inteligentes

Project delivery in HIV/AIDS and TB in Southern Africa: the cross-cultural management imperative.

This paper reports the findings of a broad based study that initially investigated a possible gap in global inputs into the fight against HIV/AIDS and TB co-infection, and outputs in terms of results achieved. We propose that such a gap may be hypothesized to be due, at least in part, to inappropriate management regimes within the global health governance structure. We do not simply question the effectiveness of the management of programs and projects, but rather the inappropriateness resulting from the lack of addressing cross-cultural issues. The factors facilitating or hampering project service delivery are examined by looking at twelve case studies in Botswana and South Africa. These data are complemented with seven semi-structured interviews with donor organizations and NGOs conducted in the North. Cultural interactions are investigated by using the concept of ‘interfaces’. Results suggest that there is a disjuncture between the global and local level that affects project delivery. The main issues hampering project outcomes can be summarized as systemic, structural and cultural. The article’s main contributions are both theoretical, looking at global project delivery from a cross-cultural management perspective, as well as to development praxis by highlighting the need to focus more critically on cross-cultural management issues within the global health governance structure, and indeed within international development as a whole

Book review: Slawomir Magala, The management of meaning in organizations.

Review of the book The management of meaning in organizations, by S. Magala. Publication details: Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. ISBN 978-0-230-01361-9 (hbk), 265 pp. £55

Antecedents of Social Enterprise Creation at the Base of the Pyramid

International audienceThe purpose of this study is to investigate the emergence of social entrepreneurial intentions (SEIs) of youngsters at the base of the pyramid (BoP). A small but growing literature is emerging at the intersection of social entrepreneurship (SE) and BoP perspectives. However, little is known about the emergence of SEI in this context. Drawing on a qualitative approach, our findings highlight perceived self-efficacy, self-fulfilment and reciprocity as important drivers of SEIs of youngsters at the BoP. At a practical level, our study also highlights how social support could aid to develop individuals’ perceptions of their own capabilities and help them to project themselves as social entrepreneurs

Cross-cultural management and NGO capacity building

This chapter outlines the necessity of integrating a cross-cultural management perspective into the management of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the importance of developing leadership and organizational capacity in this kind of organizations. It considers why management and leadership are important to NGOs, and particularly why a consideration of cross-cultural management is so important. It asks how cross-cultural theory might address practical NGO management and leadership issues, focusing first on the different levels of cross-cultural interaction and how we might understand cultural differences. In particular it highlights the importance of the way human beings in organizations are valued differently between Western and non-Western cultures, explaining why uncritically exporting the concept of human resource management from the private sector or public administration to the non-profit sector is inappropriate both in many developed countries and in developing countries. We use the example of NGO management and leadership in Africa to illustrate this point

Formation of Social Entrepreneurial Intention: A Qualitative Grounded Approach at the Base of the Pyramid

International audienceWhile there have been some attempts at investigating and theorizing social entrepreneurial action at the base of the economic pyramid, our understanding of the processes contributing to the formation of social entrepreneurial intention in contexts of extreme poverty remain limited. In this study, we aim to address this gap by providing a better understanding of the formation of social entrepreneurial intentions of youths at the base of the economic pyramid. Drawing on a qualitative grounded approach, we highlight the role of self-confidence, perceived self-efficacy and social ascension beliefs as important drivers in understanding the formation of social entrepreneurial intention of youths at the base of the pyramid. At a practical level, our study suggests that besides developing entrepreneurship-specific knowledge, support mechanisms should also pay attention to the development of different self-related beliefs of youths to enable the formation of social entrepreneurial intention at the base of the pyramid