Nuevos retos en las relaciones franquiciador-franquiciado. Un análisis desde la teoría de la agencia

[EN] Agency theory has been widely used in the franchising literature. This theory analyzes the contract relationships between the principal and agent and has been mostly applied to franchising in traditional sectors (e.g., restaurants, retailing, or travel agencies) where the processes and procedures can be easily standardized. Recently, there has been a spectacular development of high-intensity knowledge sectors, especially in the health sector (dentists, opticians, physiotherapists etc.), where many companies choose franchising to expand the network and improve the survival rates of franchisees, although this strategy goes against the traditional view of the agency theory. In this work, we propose to study this “new agency problem”, using the franchising business model as our research field. The know-how in high-knowledge-intensive sectors is difficult to codify and transfer, and it opens new possibilities for resource-based and intellectual capital perspectives to explain how knowledge assets are built into contracts in franchisor-franchisee relationships. Using resource-based theory and an intellectual capital perspective, we develop propositions on how to handle the knowledge transfer more efficiently. From this point of view, we propose an interorganizational dynamic contract to provide a more efficient knowledge transfer, thereby contributing to the success of the franchise networks as well as reducing the failure rates of franchisees’ outlets.[ES] La Teoría de la Agencia está ampliamente extendida en la literatura sobre el modelo de negocio de la franquicia. Desde la misma se analiza el contenido del contrato que gestiona la relación entre Principal y Agente en actividades y procesos fácilmente estandarizables (restauración, comercio minorista, agencias de viaje, etc.). No obstante, durante los últimos 10 años ha habido un espectacular desarrollo de ese modelo empresarial hacia sectores más intensivos en conocimiento (dentistas, ópticas, fisioterapia, etc.) que cuestiona algunos de los postulados básicos de la teoría, limitando las posibilidades de desarrollo y supervivencia del proyecto. En este trabajo revisamos el “nuevo problema de agencia” de Agencia que surge cuando un emprendedor franquicia una actividad intensiva en Capital Intelectual. Consideramos que las actividades que se realizan en estos sectores presentan una complejidad tal que hace difícilmente codificable y transmisible todos sus aspectos, por lo que el uso de los Contratos típicos de Agencia puede quedar muy limitado. Por ello, a partir del marco de la Teoría de Recursos y Capacidades planteamos un conjunto de proposiciones que sugieren un contrato dinámico interorganizacional y donde la efectiva transferencia de conocimientos entre las partes se convierte en un aspecto clave. En última instancia las contribuciones del mismo permitirán reducir las tasas se disolución de esos proyectos.This investigation was supported by the Research Project UV-INV-AE16-48890 of the University of Valencia (Spain)

Differential price responses for tobacco consumption: implications for tax incidence

Increasing tobacco taxes is considered the most effective an cost-effective policy to reduce tobacco consumption. However, a common objection to tobacco taxes is that they tend to rely disproportionately on the poorest individuals since less affluent smokers incur proportionately greater expenditures on cigarettes compared with more affluent smokers. Such objections usually assume that all smokers throughout the income distribution react similarly to an increase in tobacco prices. But, if less affluent smokers are more sensitive to price changes (ie, they have a higher demand price elasticity), reductions in tobacco consumption should be higher at the bottom of the income distribution. This paper uses data from Argentina’s Household Expenditure Survey to estimate demand price elasticities for tobacco by income and age groups. Results indicate that less affluent smokers present higher demand price elasticities for cigarettes than more affluent ones. A 10% increase in cigarette prices would decrease consumption by 8.5% (4.4%) for the poorest (richest) smokers. In addition, young people are the most elastic group. These differential elasticities have relevant implications in terms of the distributional incidence of increasing tobacco taxes. As less well-off individuals reduce consumption relatively more, they bear a relatively lower tax burden. Thus, tobacco tax increases may not be regressive as is often believed. As a whole, this paper provides policymakers with relevant arguments for policy discussion and the public debate on common objections to increasing tobacco taxes

Educative factors that influence on the learning of Mathematical contents at “Felix Varela Morales” Pedagogical University

La Investigación Iberoamericana sobre eficacia escolar proporciona una teoría y metodología para determinar cuáles son los factores educativos asociados a una educación de calidad. En Cuba para obtener carreras universitarias los alumnos deben aprobar pruebas de ingreso de Matemática, Español e Historia. Profesores de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Ciencias Pedagógicas “Félix Varela” iniciaron el presente estudio con el objetivo de determinar algunos factores educativos que influyen en los problemas de aprendizaje de los contenidos matemáticos de los alumnos que solicitan carreras pedagógicas. Se identifican los contenidos matemáticos donde los alumnos presentan las mayores dificultades y se verifica que los factores educativos del nivel alumno: la orientación profesional pedagógica inicial, del nivel aula: los años de experiencia de los docentes y del nivel institución escolar: el tipo de preuniversitario, y el tamaño de dichas instituciones influyen en los logros en el aprendizaje de contenidos matemáticos

On the impacts of higher tobacco taxes in Argentina: a computable general equilibrium approach

Objectives: We analyse the employment effects of increasing tobacco taxation in Argentina by building a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. Methods: In line with recent changes in tobacco taxation in the country, the CGE model simulates an increase in excise tax on cigarettes. Results: The results show that even a substantial increase in tobacco taxation induces a zero-net change in overall employment in the economy when the newly raised tax revenues are spent by the government on education, health or public infrastructure. Increased tobacco taxes may shift jobs from tobacco-related sectors to other sectors of the economy, but the overall impact on the total number of jobs is negligible. Conclusions: The widely documented positive effects of higher tobacco taxes (including a healthier population, more productive workers, savings from avoided costs of medical treatment for tobacco-related diseases, reductions in the number of new young smokers, among others) would far outweigh the nearly null effect of higher taxes on total net employment

Impuestos al tabaco en Argentina: hacia un análisis costo-beneficio más exhaustivo

En esta investigación de CEDLAS se utilizan datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Gastos de los Hogares de Argentina de los años 2004 y 2005 (ENGHo 2004/2005) para estimar la incidencia distributiva de cambios en los impuestos al tabaco.Facultad de Ciencias Económica

Understanding and Managing Sepsis in Patients With Cancer in the Era of Antimicrobial Resistance

Sepsis is a frequent complication in immunosuppressed cancer patients and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients that is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The worldwide emergence of antimicrobial resistance is of special concern in this population because any delay in starting adequate empirical antibiotic therapy can lead to poor outcomes. In this review, we aim to address: (1) the mechanisms involved in the development of sepsis and septic shock in these patients; (2) the risk factors associated with a worse prognosis; (3) the impact of adequate initial empirical antibiotic therapy given the current era of widespread antimicrobial resistance; and (4) the optimal management of sepsis, including adequate and early source control of infection, optimized antibiotic use based on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics changes in these patients, and the role of the new available antibiotics

Contribució al llistat faunístic dels macroinvertebrats aquàtics de la Garrotxa

15 páginas, 4 tablasLes publicacions adreçades a l’estudi de la fauna aquàtica invertebrada a la comarca de la Garrotxa són relativament escasses. En aquest estudi es contribueix al coneixement de les comunitats de macroinvertebrats aquàtics a la Garrotxa amb un llistat d’espècies a partir de mostres recollides a 29 punts de mostreig en els cursos fl uvials de la Garrotxa, corresponents a les conques dels rius Ter i Fluvià. En total es varen determinar 163 espècies, incloent 39 dípters quironòmids, 28 efemeròpters, 21 coleòpters, 19 tricòpters, 14 plecòpters, 14 odonats i 11 mol·luscs. Dues espècies de dípters chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) són cites noves per a la Península Ibèrica: Micropsectra logani (Edwards) i Stempellinella fl avidula (Johannsen). També es destaca la contribució d’aquest estudi al coneixement de la distribució d’algunes espècies, i es descriuen breument les condicions ambientals dels punts mostrejats.El fi nançament per dur a terme el present estudi va ser proporcionat per l’Ajuntament d’Olot a través de la beca Oriol de Bolòs de Ciències Naturals.Peer reviewe

Simulations of Policy Responses During the COVID-19 Crisis in Argentina: Effects on Socioeconomic Indicators

This paper simulates the effects of policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on household income and employment in Argentina, using household survey data and administrative data on employment and wages by economic sectors. The paper also includes a gender and age group analysis. The results indicate that during the COVID-19 crisis, household income decreased. This welfare loss was nonlinear along the income distribution, with the lowest income earners suffering the most due to relatively higher informality at the bottom of the income distribution. The policy responses seem to ameliorate by around one-third what the average drop in household income, and prevented major increases in poverty and inequality.Fil: Martínez Correa, Julián Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Departamento de Ciencias Económicas. Centro de Estudios Distributivos Laborales y Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Cruces, Guillermo Antonio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Departamento de Ciencias Económicas. Centro de Estudios Distributivos Laborales y Sociales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Menduiña, Juan Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Departamento de Ciencias Económicas. Centro de Estudios Distributivos Laborales y Sociales; ArgentinaFil: Puig, Jorge Pablo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas. Departamento de Ciencias Económicas. Centro de Estudios Distributivos Laborales y Sociales; Argentin

Cuantificación de la superficie externa de productos hortofrutícolas mediante modelado tridimensional basado en técnicas de visión artificial: revisión bibliográfica.

Different technologies are reviewed, most of them based on computer-vision, used for recovering the three-dimensional (3D) shape of horticultural produce. Apart from its interest in shape sorting, reconstructing the 3D surface of a fruit is useful for computing its surface area. The latter is of use e.g. for assessing the rates of heat, water vapour and gas transfer. Most of the technologies reviewed here, with the exception of active triangulation, have not been yet implemented on-line

Pressure sensor placement for leak localization in water distribution networks using information theory

This paper presents a method for optimal pressure sensor placement in water distribution networks using information theory. The criterion for selecting the network nodes where to place the pressure sensors was that they provide the most useful information for locating leaks in the network. Considering that the node pressures measured by the sensors can be correlated (mutual information), a subset of sensor nodes in the network was chosen. The relevance of information was maximized, and information redundancy was minimized simultaneously. The selection of the nodes where to place the sensors was performed on datasets of pressure changes caused by multiple leak scenarios, which were synthetically generated by simulation using the EPANET software application. In order to select the optimal subset of nodes, the candidate nodes were ranked using a heuristic algorithm with quadratic computational cost, which made it time-efficient compared to other sensor placement algorithms. The sensor placement algorithm was implemented in MATLAB and tested on the Hanoi network. It was verified by exhaustive analysis that the selected nodes were the best combination to place the sensors and detect leaksPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version