First come, first served: an analysis of pioneer and follower firms' market and nonmarket actions in the European mobile telephone industry

This study examines the relationship between erosion of the first-mover's market share and the differences in competitive behaviour of pioneer firms and followers. Particularly, we pay particular attention to market actions related to innovation, pricing and promotion, and to non-market actions related to judicial issues. The empirical study has been carried out with companies that are present in a dynamic context, such as the European mobile telephone industry. Our results show that when followers take more non-market actions than pioneers the negative effect on the firstentrant's advantage is more significant. On the contrary, we have not found a significant impact of innovating and pricing actions

Places of Refuge for Ships in Need of Assistance. Looking for the Best Response

The oil spills, as a result of accidents involving tankers combined with the ambiguities that affect this area of international law, have shed light on the need to take steps aimed at providing places of refuge for ships in need of assistance. In response to these disasters and to the consequences of the oil spills for the marine environment, the International Maritime Organization highlighted access to places of refuge as an issue for consideration. This article analyses the IMO Guidelines and the response of the European Union and the Mediterranean States to this issue.Los vertidos de crudo como consecuencia de accidentes de petroleros junto con las ambigüedades que afectan a este ámbito de Derecho Internacional, han puesto de manifiesto la necesidad de adoptar medidas relativas al acceso a lugares de refugio a buques necesitados de asistencia. De hecho, en respuesta a este tipo de catástrofes y a sus consecuencias sobre medio ambiente marino, la Organización Marítima Internacional destacó el acceso a lugares de refugio como un ámbito prioritario de estudio. Este artículo analiza tanto las Directrices de la OMI como la respuesta de la Unión Europea y los países mediterráneos a esta problemática.Les déversements d’hydrocarbures résultant d’accidents de pétroliers ainsi que les ambiguïtés qui affectent ce domaine du droit international, ont mis en évidence la nécessité d’adopter des mesures en ce qui concerne l’accès aux lieux de refuge pour les navires ayant besoin d’assistance. En fait, en réponse à ces catastrophes et leurs conséquences sur le milieu marin, l’Organisation Maritime Internationale a mis en évidence l’accès aux lieux de refuge en tant que domaine prioritaire d’études. Cet article analyse autan les Directives de l’OMI comme la réponse de l’Union européenne et les pays Méditerranéens à ce problème

The Contribution of Global Alliances to Airlines’ Environmental Performance

Global alliances have traditionally been related to improvements in the economic and operational performances of companies, particularly in the airline industry. However, we still do not know the effect of the participation in this kind of multilateral agreement on the environmental performance of airlines. The main aim of this work is to analyze whether the alliance membership of airlines has an effect upon their environmental performance, and if so, whether or not the characteristics of the global alliance, as well as the business model of the airline, may influence this relation to a greater or lesser extent. The results of regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in a sample of 252 airlines (58 included in one of the three global alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam) show a strong and inverse relationship between environmental performance and belonging to an alliance. The paper also shows empirical evidence of the influence of the business model of the airline on environmental performance. These results suggest important implications for managers facing challenges regarding sustainability

An Analysis of Global Research Trends on Greenhouse Technology: Towards a Sustainable Agriculture

Greenhouse farming is an agricultural management system that has demonstrated its efficiency in intensifying food production. These systems constitute a feasible alternative for ensuring food supply, which is one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind in the twenty-first century. Technology has been able to meet the challenges related to greenhouse farming in both contributing to overcoming its limitations, correcting adverse impacts and ensuring system sustainability. The objective of this article is to analyse the global research trends in greenhouse technology over the last two decades, in order to identify the main driving agents, the most outstanding research lines and possible gaps in the literature. Different methodologies have been used for the analysis; both quantitative and qualitative. The principal results show that there are different relevant lines of research related to different aspects of greenhouse farming: the use of water for irrigation, the design of the optimum structure of the greenhouse, conserving the soil in the best growing conditions, energy consumption of the system as a whole, climate control within the facility and pest control. The research is characterized by the being composed largely of ad hoc studies, which hinders the international collaboration between researchers and institutions. The research approach has shifted from being focused on increasing production and cost savings to aspects related to resource conservation and sustainability