Environmental management decision-making in certified hotels

This paper analyses environmental decision-making against two axes, motivations and decision-making processes, to understand the reasons for pro-environmental behaviour by the managements of Spanish Eco-management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)-certified hotels. Mixed methods were used to study perceptions of EMAS and reasons for being certified, with current and lapsed EMAS-certified firms triangulated against expert interviews and documentary evidence. Four groups of hotels were differentiated: Strategic hotels (22%) (with high levels of integrated environmental management), Followers (48%), Greenwashers (11%) and Laggers (19%) (with low levels of integrated environmental management). Most hotels were found to be internally driven in their purpose and ad hoc in their decision-making, with limited understanding of externally driven benefits and motivation for more systematic management systems. This questions the success of EMAS as both a continuous improvement management and as a market-based regulation tool for hotels. Few hotels overall related high environmental standards to the possibilities of gaining market advantage: most wished to avoid legal challenges. The paper also illustrates the ways in which hotels opportunistically switch certification systems to get what they see as a better deal. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Contextual factors and prejudice at the beginning of the migrant influx: The Moroccan case in Seville, Spain

Studies addressing contextual factors associated with anti‐immigrant prejudice have focused on out‐group size and rapid demographic changes in receiving locations. However, the territorial concentration and distribution of ethnic minorities at a local and intraurban level has received little attention. We analyse the relationship between emerging territorial concentration points—alongside other contextual variables—by Moroccans and receiving society's growing prejudice towards them in a city experiencing the start of a migrant influx. We combine survey and census data from five Seville districts (southern Spain). Our results show how rapid changes in the general population's ethnic composition, coupled with Moroccan and economic migrants' territorial concentration, correlate strongly with negative attitudes towards Moroccans at this early stage. However, a weaker relationship between the immigrant percentage and degree of prejudice by the receiving group is observed. We also discuss guidelines for ensuring good, local diversity management to prevent socioterritorial fragmentation in multicultural cities.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad de España CSO2014‐55780‐C3‐1‐PMinisterio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad de España SEJ2006-14470Junta de Andalucí

Policies and public opinion towards immigrants: the Spanish case

By tackling negative opinions towards immigration we can create a basis to orientate policies that seek to reduce them. My purpose is to highlight that the analysis of immigration in Spain exemplifies a clear link between policies and public opinion. It is this link that is at the basis of what I will call the ambivalence of Spanish public opinion, when border and integration issues are compared

Predictores de satisfacción laboral en médicos y enfermeros Predictors of job satisfaction among physicians and nurses

<abstract language="por">Os objetivos da presente investigação foram: (a) identificar estressores e estratégias de enfrentamento comumente empregadas por parte dos profissionais de saúde; (b) explorar as vinculações entre o estresse assistencial, o bem-estar e satisfação laboral; e (c) individualizar as variáveis explicativas da satisfação laboral assistencial. Foi realizada uma verificação empírica com uma amostra integrada por 196 profissionais argentinos (97 médicos e 99 enfermeiros). A amostra respondeu uma bateria desenvolvida para avaliar estressores, enfrentamento, bem-estar e satisfação laboral. Foram realizadas análises descritivas, correlacionais e de regressão múltipla. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que os estressores que mais afligem aos profissionais da saúde são a sobrecarga, a falta de apoio e a percepção de injustiça organizacional. Tanto a estratégia de resolução de problemas como a de distanciamento surgiram como potenciadoras de satisfação e bem-estar. As variáveis que melhor explicaram a satisfação laboral foram a intenção de permanecer no cargo, a quantidade de horas de trabalho semanal e o apoio do grupo familiar. São apresentadas sugestões para futuras investigações na área.<br>The objectives of this research were: (a) to identify the major stressors and the coping strategies commonly used by health professionals; (b) to explore the links among health care stressors, subjective wellbeing and job satisfaction; and (c) to individualize the explanatory variables of care job satisfaction. Empirical verification was conducted with a sample of 196 Argentinean professionals (97 doctors and 99 nurses). The sample answered a battery developed for assessing stress, coping, wellbeing, and work satisfaction. Data were subjected to descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that work overload, lack of support, and perceptions of organizational injustice are the main health care stressors. The employment of problem-solving and distancing coping emerged as the best strategies for enhancing job satisfaction and wellbeing. The perception of familiar support, more working hours, and the intention to stay were the variables that proved to be the best predictors of work satisfaction. Suggestions are made for future research in the area