¿Cuánto cuesta incluir áreas marginales en la red Natura 2000? Coste social y gasto en programas compensatorios

Following the identification of sites of community importance (SCI) under the habitats directive (43/92 EEC), managing authorities are designing conservation plans to maintain and/or enhance the natural values of the sites. This paper presents both an estimate of the costs associated with the implementation of the management plan and an estimate of the compensation payments that will be established. This allows us to know whether including this area in Natura 2000 is profitable from an economic perspective and managing authorities to budget suff icient resources for implementing conservation plans. The paper ends with some considerations regarding the global cost of Natura 2000 network in Europe.En el marco de la directiva hábitats (92/43 CEE) y como continuación a la declaración de los lugares de importancia comunitarios (LIC), las administraciones responsables están diseñando planes de gestión que aseguren la conservación de los valores ambientales de estos lugares. Este trabajo presenta una estimación tanto de los costes derivados de la puesta en marcha de un plan de gestión en un LIC, así como de los derivados del establecimiento de los pagos compensatorios que podrían llegar a establecerse. Esta aproximación permite analizar la rentabilidad económica de incluir un determinado lugar en la red Natura 2000 y a las autoridades responsables de su gestión el disponer de una estimación del coste de la puesta en marcha de los planes de conservación. El trabajo finaliza con algunas consideraciones relativas al coste total de la puesta en marcha de la red Natura 2000 en Europa

Overcoming the barriers for biodiesel use in Spain: An analysis of the role of convenience and price

The aim of the paper is to analyse biodiesel market acceptance in Spain. In particular, we study the intention to use biodiesel by Spanish diesel car drivers and the factors explaining this intention. To achieve this goal, we developed a model of the intention to use biodiesel based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour but extended in two ways. The first one consists of the inclusion of two new predictors of the intention to use (environmental self-identity and biodiesel knowledge) and the second, the extension of the model to take into account the two barriers in the adoption of biodiesel in the market (potential price premium and limited availability in the petrol stations). This model has been specified as an ordered probit and estimated using data from a survey conducted in Spain. Results indicated that apart from the attitudes towards biodiesel use, the most important factors explaining the intention to use biodiesel are the biodiesel knowledge and the environmental self-identity, in other words, the new predictors in the Theory of Planned Behaviour model. In addition, the effects of all the factors (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, biodiesel knowledge, environmental self-identity and socio-demographic characteristics) on the intention to use were different, depending on the price and the availability of the biodiesel in the market. Thus, we can conclude that to analyse the intention to use biodiesel, different price and availability scenarios should be taken into account. Empirical results indicated that to increase biodiesel use, the best option is to increase biodiesel knowledge and environmental self-identity

Economic Growth or Electricity, what come First in Spain after 1958?

Purpose With the opening up of the economy since the 1959 Economic Stabilization Plan, was it the production of electricity that drove the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in Spain or, on the contrary, was it the growth of GDP that drove the production of electricity well into the 21st century? The purpose of this paper is to answer this question. Design/methodology/approach A cointegration approach based on the studies conducted by Pesaran and Shin (1999) and Pesaran et al. (2001) is applied, as it is suitable for short data series like those used in this paper. Findings The results of this paper allow us to conclude that electricity production boosted economic growth in Spain during the period under study, confirming the growth hypothesis. Research limitations/implications The results of this paper should be interpreted with caution, as electricity today amounts to less than a quarter of the total amount of energy used in Spain. It was not possible to incorporate other inputs to the production function (such as other energy inputs, technological or human capital), but the methodology used avoids the problems of omitted variables and of autocorrelation. Practical implications The results show that a small economy with limited resources, such as the Spanish one, is more vulnerable to energy shocks than other energy-sufficient economies. As Spain is a country with high energy dependence from abroad, the government must first ensure the electricity supply. Increased availability and access to different sources of electricity will improve the outlook for the Spanish economy. Conversely, a shortage in supply of electricity will constrain the regular pace of economic growth. Social implications Spain should investigate and explore more efficient and cost-effective sources of energy, in particular the renewable energies, as traditional energy sources will be scarce before long. Originality/value This paper differs from previous ones carried out for Spain in several aspects: it considers a broader period of time, from 1958 to 2015; the relationships between electricity production and GDP are analysed for the first time in a neo-classical production function where electricity, capital and employment are considered as separate factors; and a cointegration approach based on the studies conducted by Pesaran and Shin (1999) and Pesaran et al. (2001) is applied, as it is suitable for short data series like those used in this paper

Coupled Analysis of Thorium-based Fuels in the High-Performance Light Water Reactor Fuel Assembly

One of the six selected concepts to be part of Generation IV nuclear reactors is the Supercritical Light Water Cooled Reactor. The High-Performance Light Water Reactor (HPLWR) is the European version and it is a very promising design. In recent years, interest in the study of thorium-based fuel cycles has been renewed and its possibilities for current LWRs have been evaluated. The use of thorium-based fuels will be fundamental in the future sustainability of nuclear energy, since in addition to its abundance in nature, thorium has an important group of advantages. In this paper, performance of thorium-based fuels in the typical fuel assembly of the HPLWR reactor is evaluated, using a computational model based on CFD and Monte Carlo codes for the neutronic/thermal-hydraulic coupled analysis. The volumetric power density profiles, coolant temperature profiles, fuel temperature profiles and others are compared with those obtained for standard UO2 fuel. When the thorium-based fuels are used, the obtained infinite multiplication coefficients are smaller than the value obtained when UO2 is used, since the 232Th isotope has a lower contribution to the multiplicative properties of the medium than 238U. As a result, a difference of approximately 12 000 pcm was observed. The results verified that the HPLWR is a thermal reactor with a hard spectrum. There are no notable changes in the neutron spectrum if the mass fraction of thorium is slightly varied.  With coupled analysis, the potential benefits of the utilization of thorium-based fuels were verified. Moreover, a significant temperature decrease by 136 K on the center line of the fuel elements was observed. When the mass fraction of thorium increases in the oxides mixture, the weighted average temperature on the fuel elements decreases

Antecedents and consequences of stress in retailing: environmental expectations and promoter scoring

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of the disconfirmation of expectations of crowding and mall accessibility, on stress and two marketing outcomes, satisfaction and promoter scoring. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained through two face-to-face surveys from mall shoppers that answered them at two different moments of their shopping experience, before entering the mall and before leaving it. Results are obtained from 230 customers that answered the two questionnaires. Findings: The findings suggest that stress indirectly influences customer promoter scoring through satisfaction, while disconfirmation of expectations influences it directly and indirectly. Practical implications: These results also suggest that stress and disconfirmation of expectations about crowding and accessibility are important in determining promoter scoring. To reduce stress and increase satisfaction and promoter scoring, managers should focus on exceeding customers'' expectations about mall accessibility and on ensuring that customers experience a lower level of crowding than they expected. Originality/value: The article examines Net Promoter Scoring, an outcome that has attracted managers'' attention but little is known about its antecedents. The paper provides evidence of the effect of disconfirmation of expectations and negative emotions on promoter scoring

Atmospheric excitement, customers’ moods and gender: A study of young shoppers

This paper aims to demonstrate how both incidental moods and gender can moderate the relationship between the level of excitement triggered by a mall environment and shopping behaviour. Our method is based on a 4 × 2 between subjects experiment with a final sample of 377 Spanish undergraduates. The study analyses four incidental moods that differ in the dimensions of valence and arousal, and their interaction effects with two atmospheric scenarios in a mall (exciting versus non-exciting atmospheres). Our findings support mood regulation theory for positive low-arousal individuals, and reject this theory for the rest of mood conditions. Additionally, arousal reduces customers’ cognitive capabilities, confirming previous research. This means that high-arousal shoppers are not influenced by a mall environment. Finally, gender differences are only found within more frequent shoppers and for negative low-arousal (NLA) shoppers. Managerial implications are provided regarding the creation of relaxing areas or the stimulation of shoppers

Can social support alleviate stress while shopping in crowded retail environments?

This paper aims to find out whether sales associates and shopping companions, as two factors of the social servicescape, can help customers alleviate their levels of stress while shopping in crowded retail scenarios. Social Impact Theory is used to build a theoretical framework that is tested on a sample of mall shoppers. The findings demonstrate that sales associates can reduce customers’ level of stress in crowded situations by employing their task and interaction competences. Customers with shopping companions feel less stress while shopping. When the companions are similar to the customer in shopping preferences, they can create boundaries to stress created by crowding. Finally, this research offers important implications for store managers as well as for sales associates