Los derechos del hombre y la ley natural. Cristianismo y democracia. [Reseña]

Reseña de Jacques MARITAIN, Los derechos del hombre y la ley natural. Cristianismo y democracia, Ed. Palabra, «Biblioteca Palabra » 17, Madrid 2001, 164 pp., 13 x 21, ISBN 84-8239-527-0

Sesenta años del premio de fotoperiodismo Word Press Photo of the Year: una visión con perspectiva de género

Este artículo se centra en los premios Word Press Photo of the Year desde el año 1955 hasta el año 2015 como repertorio significativo para estudiar cómo el fotoperiodismo construye las diferencias de género respecto al sufrimiento humano. Para conseguir este objetivo, primero hablaremos de la importancia del premio en el contexto de la prensa internacional, definiendo los rasgos del fotoperiodismo en un mundo de imágenes globalizadas. Segundo, haremos una revisión de los trabajos más importantes realizados sobre estos premios, y, tercero, analizaremos de forma crítica la presencia de las mujeres en estas imágenes para determinar hasta qué punto el cuerpo de las mujeres sirve para representar la globalidad o la particularidad de los desastres y los traumas humanos

¿Más allá de la heroína postfeminista? Outlander (2014) y la cultura popular

La serie Outlander ha generado muchísima atención mediática en los medios de comunicación, centrada en el supuesto carácter feminista de su heroína protagonista. Este hecho nos permite, no sólo hacer un análisis de la obra, sino plantearnos cuál es el estado del postfeminismo en la cultura popular. Para ello, definiremos el postfeminismo como la creencia de que el feminismo ya ha sido superado porque las mujeres ya han conseguido sus derechos en los años setenta y ochenta. Esta creencia toma especialmente forma en la cultura popular, con una sensibilidad difusa y contradictoria respecto a los logros de las mujeres. El propósito de nuestro estudio es usar el debate alrededor de Outlander y su “heroína feminista” para descubrir los estereotipos, representaciones, límites, convergencias, temporalidades y contradicciones entre los discursos académicos feministas y postfeministas en la primera década del S.XXI.  Para ello hemos utilizado un método de análisis que contemple y relacione los estereotipos de género, construidos en este caso como un diálogo con el supuesto pasado “bárbaro” frente a una posmodernidad “civilizada” y su deconstrucción de las categorías de género

Identification of Exogenous and Endogenous Factors Affecting Competitiveness: An Application to the Spanish Furniture Industry

In this paper we study what type of exogenous (related to the external structure) and endogenous (related to the firm) aspects affect industry´competitiveness. The framework is used to asses competitiveness of organizations in the Spanish furniture industry. In doing so, we deep in the theoretical concepts related: in one hand, the industrial sinergical concentration and, in the other hand, literature concerned to resources and capabilities. In this way, we apply a conceptual framework developed by the authors in order to identify the critical aspects that can influence competitiveness and, then, describe the results. The applicability of the model is analyzed in the Spanish furniture industry, specifically in the Valencian Community, where is mainly concentred. From the results obtained we are able to conclude that the method is effective in identifying both exogenous and endogenous aspects.

A Methodological Proposal to Evaluate the Sinergical Industry Concentration

This study deals with the firms’ competitiveness in traditional industries. We understand traditional industry as the one that has transmitted its knowledge generation after generation, and it also has some specific characteristics, such as not being a new industry because its activities have been carried out for many years, to have small and medium sized businesses with little or no presence of transnational firms or having little investment on technology and activities of research and development. The objective of this paper is to present a methodological process for the study and evaluation of the impact of the sinérgic geographical concentration of an industry in its competitiveness. The geographical concentration is a factor of great importance, facilitates the exchange and the cooperation among research centers, among the clients and the suppliers of the region, and it promotes research in the industry (Porter, 1998). On the other hand, the specific concentration of activities in a concrete zone attracts the specialized knowledge. The importance of the geographical concentration and the evidence of the existence of industrial clusters has been studied in an extensive manner through time; Saxenian (1996) analyzed the organization and the characteristics of the electronic firms of Sillicon Valley, Glasmeier (1991) the Swiss clocks, Faulkner and Anderson (1987) the film industry in Hollywood, Scott (1991) the electronic-aeroespacial industry in the south of California, and Abrupt (1982) studied the organization of firms in the north of Italy. Following Kaplan (1986), it turns out to be difficult to imagine that theories in the field of management can be verified, if the test is not carried out inside its context. These tests should serve not only to describe the existence or not of procedures, but also to deduce and to contrast how and why certain practices have to be carried out. If the intention of the researcher is to generate a theory, taking into account the theoretical framework and the key questions to answer are how they are created and how they influence the geographical concentration in the competitiveness of an industry, the most appropiate would be to carry out an explanatory type case study. Some cases will be studied according to Rouse and Daellenbach, (1999). The study of cases to be carried out follows the model proposed by Pérez (1998). The method that will be used in this study, interviews in depth, is classified as direct obtaining of data. The type of interview used is the so call interview of open answers (King, 1994). This technique combines the advantages of the use of closed questionnaires along the qualitative interviews. In the paper, we present an instrument to evaluate the impact of the geographical concentration.

The Importance of Local Aspects in Traditional Industries’ Competitiveness: an Overview of the State of the Art

The process of globalization of the economy has modified the productive activity, enlarging the level of rivalry among firms. If it wants to respond with success to this new situation, a high competitiveness level should be maintained. The word is to the order of the day, with an implicit meaning of progress and advance, although it is not easy to find a definition of it. Many authors have tried this theme in depth. As Pérez (2001) indicates, there are four factors that determine the success of a business: the region where it is located, the industry to which it belongs, the cluster, and its own resources. According to other authors, the succes or failure of a business will be determined by the resources, the capacities and the strategies applied. There are many authors that affirm that competitiveness is a very located process, based on aglomerations of firms organized around one or various related industries, that converge. (Porter, 1985, 1998, Grant, 1996b, Mintzberg 1999). Some other affirm that the strategy of the firms must be based on internal resources, having these the main importance upon the market (Grant, 1996b). According to Grant (1996b), it is more advisable for the businesses that they become competitive based on its endogenous factors. The capacity of reaction of a firm requires not only a deep knowledge of the environment, but it also depends on the function of management, and the degree in which the culture of the organization affects the profit of value and the obtention of benefits of the business. Although these two theories, the external one the internal one have been presented like different alternatives for the study of an industry, other authors consider them complementary (Henderson, 2000), since, while the first one focuses its attention on the structure of the industry, the second does it in the fact that the capabilities (abilities, investments, knowledge, etc.) developed by an organization are the ones that build an strong competitive advantage. The study has focused on the macroeconomic focus, distinguishing also the internal and external aspects of it. Some of the most accepted models by the scientific comunity are presented within the external focus. The analysis of the geographical variable as base of a sinergic action of the businesses and of the related agencies established in an specific surroundings, the cluster, has been considered as part and development of the competitive strategy Finally both theries have been opposed and a new theoretical model, based on the adaptation of the main two currents that currently exist, has been proposed.

A Conceptual Framework for the Industrial District Analysis: from Knowledge to Resources

Traditional literature on Industrial Districts has remarked the social capital as a core key in the development process of a sustainable territorial competitive advantage. In that concept authors are allocated part of the externalities without being underpined by an integrating conceptual framework. Recent resource-base view and knowledge management theory, as well as intellectual capital approach, can all be use as a conceptual framework to allocate all the industrial district’s special features in a more comprehensive and connected arena. We establish a conceptual framework by integrating different approaches and adapt all of them to specific industrial district case. Moreover, we adapt the SECI knowledge management model to the cluster case as a useful way to understand the tacit knowledge dissemination that occurs in the industrial district.

Thermo-mechanical parametric analysis of packed-bed thermocline energy storage tanks

© 2016. This version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/A packed-bed thermocline tank represents a proved cheaper thermal energy storage for concentrated solar power plants compared with the commonly-built two-tank system. However, its implementation has been stopped mainly due to the vessel’s thermal ratcheting concern, which would compromise its structural integrity. In order to have a better understanding of the commercial viability of thermocline approach, regarding energetic effectiveness and structural reliability, a new numerical simulation platform has been developed. The model dynamically solves and couples all the significant components of the subsystem, being able to evaluate its thermal and mechanical response over plant normal operation. The filler material is considered as a cohesionless bulk solid with thermal expansion. For the stresses on the tank wall the general thermoelastic theory is used. First, the numerical model is validated with the Solar One thermocline case, and then a parametric analysis is carried out by settling this storage technology in two real plants with a temperature rise of 100 °C and 275 °C. The numerical results show a better storage performance together with the lowest temperature difference, but both options achieve suitable structural factors of safety with a proper design.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft